19 Monday Oct 2020
Posted in Homeschool/Nature Study
Tags
art, autumncrafts, autumnpondweek, creativelearning, exploringnaturewithchildren, homeschool, learningathome, monet, nature, pondstudy, preshool
To wrap up Autumn Pond Study Week last night after dinner I read a beautifully illustrated book, Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner, and Elliot added more to his pond chart: beetle, turtle, fish and frog. He was happy that Daddy was part of the lesson too. We are excited to dive into this weeks nature study and can’t wait to get started!
13 Tuesday Oct 2020
Posted in Homeschool/Nature Study
Tags
art, autumncrafts, autumnpondweek, creativelearning, exploringnaturewithchildren, homeschool, learningathome, monet, nature, pondstudy, preshool
Elliot and I started our official nature studies today! Although I am always exploring Mother Earth with him I wanted to use a curriculum to guide us through each season. I finally got around to purchasing Exploring Nature with Children from @raisinglittleshoots and I absolutely love it, like I knew I would.
Yesterday was the beginning of Autumn Pond Study Week and we dove in this afternoon with a discussion about ponds: what they are, how deep they are, and what animals, bugs and plants would we find there. Then we studied the painting Nympheas by Monet and talked about the colors and what was in the water.
After, we got ready to draw our pond and first made a little list of some things we would find (from our discussion) and Elliot drew and wrote all of them down. Then he created his pond drawing with markers and crayons. He used Crinkleroot’s 25 More Animals Every Child Should Know as a reference guide.
To sum up our lesson, we relaxed on the couch for quiet time and summarized with Crinkleroot’s Animals again and read Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni, a favorite from our collection.
I am hoping to visit a pond nearby this Friday for some real life observations but today was a great start to our pond study and I am so happy Elliot is excited as I am.
06 Saturday Apr 2013
Posted in Everyday Design, Guest Posts, The Home
Tags
art, color, color scheme, design, Impression, Inspiration, interior design, monet, mood board, Sunrise
In 1892 Claude Monet gave rise to the Impressionist movement by creating Impression, Sunrise. The paintings used long brush strokes to create a perfect color combination of green, blue, yellow, and orange.
Inspiration comes in many forms. When I am looking to design a room I try to focus on one particular piece and center my inspiration for the room on that element. This could be a piece of art, a tapestry or custom rug, or even a favorite decorative accessory. Not only does decorating with art give you a chance to express your personal style, it also creates a conversation piece for guests.
Here are some tips on how to incorporate a focal piece of art within a room.
First, use the 60-30-10 Rule. When decorating a particular room, divide the colors into percentages:
After you have chosen your colors, take a picture of your accessory or painting and center it on a mood board. Collect paint samples, pieces of fabric, pictures from magazines, and anything that might catch your eye. Pin all your inspirations on your mood board and see how they come together. You would be surprised how many color and style combinations work. The example mood board below shows how the colors in Impressionist, Sunrise can work together to create a calming and beautifully put together room.
Once you’ve chosen your pieces arrange your furniture so that everyone who sits in the room can appreciate the focal piece. If you want to draw attention to your focal point, minimize the other decorative elements nearby. If on the other hand you would like to minimize the impact of your focal point, carry the same balance of colors as the art throughout the room.
{This article was written by Ariel Dagan, co- founder of MyCustomRug.com. Ariel is a design enthusiast from New York who specializes in creating Custom Rugs for homes and small businesses. He blogs regularly about the history of rugs, how they are made and incorporated into the design of a home. }
The Design Inspirationalist 