momstory

Mom Story: Suzzanna from Sushipot Shop

I’m Suzanna Scott, a 36-year-old artist living in Manhattan, Kansas (affectionately referred to by its residents as “the Little Apple”) with my husband Patrick and my 6-year-old daughter Lizzie. We’re living in Kansas while my husband finishes up his PhD in Economics at Kansas State University.

We home school Lizzie who just started first grade and we’ve been running our home business, Sushipot Art Objects, for five years now. I have two Etsy shops that keep me quite busy and provide many learning opportunities for Lizzie. She’s my kindred spirit—a little artist, a prolific crafter in her own right and always an inspiration to me in my work. You can follow along on our family ‘n business adventures through my blog, view my artwork at Sushipot or browse Sushipot Parts which is chock-full of vintage goodies that our family has picked up on our many “treasure hunts”.

What kind of house do you live in - are you and the kids happy here or is there anything you find lacking or would like to change?

We are currently leasing a 3 level duplex while Patrick is working on his PhD. It is touted as “maintenance free” living, which we knew we would need during this busy chapter of our life. I could live without the faux wood trim, “popcorn” color walls and beige carpeting that are standard with rental homes such as these. I try not to think about the hardwood floors and white trim of the home we sold back in Alabama but right now it’s all about efficiency! Oh yes, and I miss having our own private yard but thankfully there are parks everywhere in this town!

What is it you like best about living here?

The best thing about this place is the s-p-a-c-e! I have a whole room to myself to use as a studio with an adjacent “den” which serves as office, schoolroom, playroom and shipping area for Sushipot.

Do you keep your children’s play areas very separate or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house?

Lizzie plays everywhere in the house. The dining table makes for a great play house once you throw a sheet over it. The garage is best for messy painting projects. The walk-in closet in the master bedroom is the best hiding place. We’ve set up cozy reading spots for her in almost every room—beanbags, pillows n’ throws are great for that!

Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, blogs? 

I love reading the blogs Poppytalk, Kickcan and Conkers, Aesthetic Outburst, all the blogs on the Simple Living Network and of course Bloesem and Bloesem Kids! The number of artist’s blogs that I read on a daily basis are too numerous to name. My hands-down favorite magazine of all time is Uppercase Magazine — “the magazine for the creative and curious”. Even Patrick and Lizzie like to read them. If you don’t have a subscription yet you need to get one now or at least put it on your x-mas wish list!

Some tidying tips?  Do your children tidy up after themselves?

As for keeping things tidy, Lizzie and I have a daily “pick up” time in the studio and playroom area and she is responsible for picking up her own room every night before bed. We tackle any weekly house cleaning chores as a family on the weekends.

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?

A perfect day for us would have to include a trip to the public library, an hour or so at the park (possibly with kites involved!), an afternoon snack and tall coffee at Starbucks, a bit of quiet reading time, a fun craft and dinner magically waiting for us at home in the crock-pot.

What is a normal day with your children?  What do you do on weekends?

A typical day for us starts out with Patrick and Lizzie getting up and having breakfast together. After Patrick leaves for school I get up (they are really sweet to let me sleep!), get Lizzie started on her “morning routine” of making bed, getting dressed, etc. I down my 1^st cup of coffee for the day and jump in the shower. We spend the morning working in the office together—Lizzie doing schoolwork while I supervise and answer emails, blog, pack orders and tackle any other computer related chores. It’s a bit of a juggling act some days but it works. The afternoons are spent together in the studio where we work side by side on the 8-foot workspace that Patrick built for us. On sunny days we spend a bit of time outdoors while I work on product photography and Lizzie plays. Most days we work in a walk ‘round the neighborhood or a trip to the park. When Patrick arrives home at 5 it’s strictly family time until Lizzie’s bedtime around 8ish. Every evening is spent in our respective office/studio spaces, as this is when our main “work” happens. We rarely call it quits before midnight.

Our weekends are spent grocery shopping, doing laundry and other house chores. I usually have a couple projects for the business that I need Patrick’s help with. We work in at least one family outing whether to the park or a local antique shop. Our mantra is “work hard, play hard” and we find little ways to include Lizzie in our projects.

Tell us a funny story, quote or remark one of your children recently made.

I was explaining to Lizzie what a chameleon was and how they change color to blend into their environment. A couple minutes later she asked me “Mom, when chameleons sit on rainbows do they turn rainbow striped?”

What kind of DIY projects do you like to do with your children?

We always have some sort of DIY project going. A project we’re currently working on is fixing up an old wooden doll cradle that we bought for a couple bucks. It’s getting a makeover with white paint, some wooden braces and a new mattress complete with a antique patchwork quilt top. It will be Valerie’s (Lizzie’s most favorite doll) new bed.

Any tips for keeping the house clean when crafting?

Most of the crafting happens in my studio. In an effort to keep the rental carpet from getting mucked up we installed 4 extra large, hard plastic office mats before arranging the furniture. This way I don’t have to worry about paint or playdoh being ground into the floor. We just sweep up our messes as needed and vacuum once a week. It’s also handy ‘cuz I can use a rolling work chair to move easier while working.

Books, websites, or local shops you can recommend to get tips and ideas for kids crafting?

I get lots of crafty ideas for Lizzie from websites like One Pretty Thing, Made by Joel, GiddyGiddy and of course library books!

What do you do with all the projects your children make at home or in school?

Most crafty projects find a home on a shelf or cork board somewhere in the house for a few months. They all are documented (thanks to the handy iphone camera) at time of creation so when older projects have seen their heyday they can be disposed of without “as much” guilt on my part.

Any decoration ideas on how to hang, keep or use them as presents?

We’ve turned Lizzie’s drawings into many different gift-able forms such as buttons, magnets, ornaments, doorknob hangers, key chains, etc. Select drawings are framed, displayed on the fridge, hung with washi tape or pinned to one of many bulletin boards in the house. The majority of drawings are added to a box of artwork that I’ve loosely filed by age and date of creation. When it comes to drawings I can’t bear to pitch any of ‘em.

How do you like to celebrate birthdays and other special days in your house?

Birthdays and holidays are family days. We take the day off and spend it together. It always involves opening presents in pajamas, a special breakfast and an outing of the birthday persons choosing. The day ends with birthday cake of course.

What are some of your favorite games in your home?

We’ve collected most of our games from thrift shops and many are vintage classics such as Uncle Wiggly, Chutes and Ladders, Husker Du, Candy Land and lots of puzzles too. Our most recent addition is an antique, hand carved Chinese Checker board—it’s so unique and been fun to teach Lizzie the game.

What are your all time favorite books for your children?

Patrick and Lizzie are currently reading through the entire Wizard of Oz series. They read a chapter or two every night and are currently on the 7^th book in the series, The Patchwork Girl of Oz. I have great memories of my mom reading these out loud when I was a kid.

How do you get your books? Bookstores? Online? 

Most of our books have come from thrift shops, used bookstores, the public library’s yearly book sale and when we have to buy it new--Amazon.com.

How do your children prefer to spend their leisure time?

Lizzie spends her leisure time in one of 3 ways: reading, crafting or drawing. She’s a voracious reader, a self-dubbed “crafty chick” (which is always followed by a “peep, peep”) and a prolific artist who loves tiny renditions with lots ‘n lots of detail.

Are you a ‘cook’ or ‘food lover’ or both?

I love to cook and bake but I don’t have the time to do much of it these days. We usually fall back on the standards of veggie stir-fry ‘n rice, “breakfast” dinners, some sort of pasta meal and lots of crock-pot stews in the winter months.

Do you cook together with your children? Does Dad cook?

Patrick loves to cook. He can make a mean quiche, a “to die for” lasagna and has perfected his red velvet cake recipe over the years. He makes one for me every year on my birthday. It’s my favorite part of aging (hah!). Lizzie knows how to make scrambled eggs, her favorite pickles ‘n peanut butter sandwich and she loves to chop up vegetables.

What kind of place do you like to go to on vacation with or without the children? 

Most trips involve extended family events and visits to grandparents these days. Vacation days are few and far between while writing a dissertation and running a home business. We do dream and speculate on the luxury of week long family vacations once we enter the next chapter of our lives!

Tips for traveling in a plane or a long road trip with children?

Lizzie has her own suitcase with wheels when we travel and we’ve never had to carry it through an airport or into a hotel. She loves wielding it around all by herself and never lets it out of her sight. We always travel with a lap desk in the car. Our iphones and ipad are invaluable on long interstate drives or airport layovers. How’d we live without ‘em when we were kids?

What an adorable story Suzzanna, thank you so much for sharing it!

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Mom Story: Jess Quinn

Hi, I am Jess Quinn mum to three children (12, 10, 7) two cats, three guinea pigs and a dog. I work as a freelance model maker for animation companies and whilst this is exciting work it is not very reliable so I have spent the last year also working on setting up my own business, selling my textile art dolls, brooches and illustrations. At the moment I sell here and try to keep my blog up to date on new projects and shop listings. In the last couple of years the children and I have moved several times and as I adjust to the new challenges of single parenthood I have also had to reassess my experience of home.

What kind of house do you live in?

Our new home is a modern open plan space, very different to the Georgian architecture I am used to. The large space can sometimes become very noisy but it is great for family life. 

I grew up in one house, home was a reassuring constant and this is what I had wanted for my children. But I have found after each move that I can very quickly make anywhere home. By displaying my vintage china the children's framed drawings and my textile work we are immediately home, even when we have had to work around rented furniture I have a collection of crocheted blankets (thrifted over the years) and my own cushions. A lovely piece of Mexican oilcloth can transform a so so kitchen table and ensure that any amount of crafty activities are safely cleaned away. I have a vintage bureau/ dresser bought on ebay that works brilliantly as a home work station when I can't be in the studio, as long as I don't spread out too much it can be closed up quickly with no hint of the chaos contained within!

What's it like to raise a child in your town?

We have great local shops, a huge selection of independent businesses, cafes and a growing number of lovely vintage clothes and book stores. Our area is inner city but very creative, there is always new street art to be discovered. The children and I enjoy visiting Bristol docks for museums, galleries and boat rides or jumping on the train to Bath for a day out. London is very close and when I'm feeling brave I'll take the kids to some of the museums, I can sometimes feel like a sheep dog navigating the city with three children!

Do you cook together with your children? 

The girls and I love baking when time allows and my mum and I have been encouraging my 12 year old Tom to cook one day a week, this experiment is still a work in progress!! I grew up baking cookies, cakes and pies with my American mum so we have generations of baking in our blood.

Do you keep your children’s play areas very separate or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house?

I am making and creating all the time and the children work around me, sometimes we have organised projects but mostly they develop their own ideas and I help out with the practicalities.

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?

There have been no holidays this year but my parents garden is a little oasis of green calm in the city where we enjoy great family get together's. I can not begin to express how important family and friends are to me, I could not have achieved what I have without their support. I have an amazing group of friends that evolved from a sewing and knitting group one morning a week after school drop off, they are all wonderful creative women who have inspired and encouraged me enormously over the past two years.

Who do you consider is a good example for your children?

This has been a tough couple of years but I hope to show the children by example that you can remain positive most of the time and with hard work and commitment it is possible to grow your life even when it throws unexpected challenges at you.

What a truly inspiring story Jess, thank you so much for sharing!

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Mom Story: Elly from the Theater Clouds Shop

I’m Elly MacKay, a paper artist. I live in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada, with my husband Simon and daughter Lily. We have another child on the way, due in a few weeks. I sell my prints in my etsy shop, theater clouds. My prints are of little worlds that I create in a miniature theater.  You can see them on my website, shop or blog.

What kind of house do you live in - are you and the kids happy here or is there anything you find lacking or would like to change?

We live in a little 100 year old brick house by the harbor in Owen Sound. We are slowly fixing it up...soon we will have to find the time to turn the attic into a studio, as our newest family member will be moving into my studio space.

What is it like to raise a child in your town?

It has been great so far. We wanted to be close to the hamlet that I grew up in, about half an hour north of here. My parents still live in the old church there. It has such a wonderful community and is so beautiful at the base of the bluffs and edge of the water. We love going out on the weekends to visit and yet love the convenience of town life…minutes to the library, market, park and friends’ homes. Many other young families have moved back to the area too.

Do you keep your children’s play areas very separate or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house?

It is a small house so our living room has toys hiding in every possible spot we can find.

What are your children’s favorite items in your house?

My husband and I like to think that the dollhouse and barn we made for her are her favourite things, though she says her favourite toy is the chomping wooden hippo.

Some tidying tips?  Do your children tidy up after themselves?

I found some old wooden wine boxes at a second hand store that I use all over the house for storing her toys. Lily is learning… she helps us with putting things away, and she knows where things are kept. The boars, unicorns, buildings, etc. on the boxes help her identify where things go… Ha.

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?

Some of our greatest days are at the beach, swimming, skipping (or throwing) stones and going for homemade ice cream at the general store. Lily is so happy at the beach. Of course having family and friends around too makes a perfect day, and going to see her Uncle Bill’s chickens really makes the day.

What is a normal day like with your children?

During the week, I wake up early and try to get a little work done before Lily wakes up. Once she is awake, we eat breakfast together. Then we have a routine of going on a play date to the library or park. We all go for a snack at a coffee shop and then in the afternoon Lil and I come home and work on projects inside or outside together… art, laundry, gardening, etc. She usually has some quiet time or a nap while I get some work done too at some point. When my husband gets home we all make dinner, go for a walk and get ready for bed.

Tell us a funny story, quote or remark one of your children recently made.

 Aren’t there things everyday that make us laugh? Lily is starting to become so imaginative… her animals all used to be ‘Ducky’, ‘Mousey’, etc. but the names are becoming so much more interesting. The other morning she told me this doll is called ‘Stinky and Wispy’. I love it…. the wee one is ‘Stinky’.

Any books you can recommend for parents on how to raise your children?

No, just follow your heart, talk to your friends, listen and watch, and love them.

Can you mention some of your ‘how-to-raise-your-kid’ values?

One of the values that my parents passed on to me is that experiences are more important than money; A memorable moment is far more precious than an expensive gift. I really appreciate the imaginative things my parents would do for us. They instilled in us a sense of wonder. My father was always showing me insects, plants and the night sky and my mother would take me on a ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ every year for my birthday and would often invite all of the neighborhood kids over to plan a play, which we would put on at the end of the summer.  I hope Lily and this new little one will have such wonderful and imaginative experiences growing up...

What kind of DIY projects do you like to do with your children?

I’ve just taught Lily how to weave. She is making some beautiful Christmas gifts! 

Any tips for keeping the house clean when crafting?

We just make a mess and think about clean up later. Cleaning has never been my strong suit. I do try to keep all of Lily’s art supplies in one area and mine in my studio…eventually they make their way back to their homes.

Are you a crafter or DIY person?

Yes…I really enjoy figuring things out and making things work. I used to play with cams and motors in my art and I took electronic art while in university. My husband is the same, though everything he makes involves wood. So, we often have more projects on the go than we can realistically finish. I teach a program at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery once a month too that is open to families were we make everything from bowls to shadow creatures.

What do you do with all the projects your children make at home or in school?

I save the best ones and frame them or keep them to give to aunts, uncles and grandparents. To keep her paintings flat, I stack them in behind the one on display in the frame.

How do you like to celebrate birthdays and other special days in your house?

Old fashioned birthday parties…a few kids, family, a cake or cupcakes and some games. This year we introduced Lily to the idea of a Mystery Tour as well. We took her and a friend to a Maple Syrup Festival in the morning. They loved the animals.

What are all time favorite books for the children?

My very favourite children’s books are Owliver and Herman the Helper, written by Robert Kraus and illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey.

How do you get your books? Bookstores? Online? Do you go to the library?

Lil has a great collection of books. She is often getting them from her relatives and we get 10 or so out every week from the library. We read a few every night together.

How do they prefer to spend their leisure time?

Yesterday Lily threw us a ‘Happy Unbirthday Party’. She just loves make-believe. She also loves blowing bubbles and making us ‘presents’… anything to do with parties really!

Do you cook together with your children? Does Dad cook?

Simon and I like to share cooking. One of us will make the main dish and the other does the salad. It is a nice time to catch up on the day. Lily is becoming a great helper…peeling carrots, picking veggies and herbs from the garden and washing them. Everything becomes play. We have the lowest drawer in the kitchen for her play food and dishes too.

What kind of place do you like to go to on vacation with or without the children?

My in-laws have a cottage that we use for a week in the summer. It is in a little place just on the edge of Algonquin Park. My favourite thing is to get little bags of penny candy from the candy store with Simon and Lily, get into the canoe and paddle to the great-grandparent’s place.  There are always cousins around and wonderful meals (and candy) to share.

What kind of souvenirs do your children bring back home?

Rocks. Lily is a rock enthusiast, just like me and her great grandma. We have a growing collection of rocks and clay sculptures in the garden. 

What a lovely story Elly, thank you so much for sharing!

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