Beattie Chicks

2012-02-05T21:53:00.000-05:00

This class started as a craft project with my girls in the kitchen...I took brown bags, sponges and craft paints and let them cover the bags with paint. I then cut hearts out from the newly decorated bags and sewed them together. I actually stuffed them with plastic grocery bags because I didn't have anything else on hand at home...they worked magically!

We decided to take it up a notch at the studio and used canvas rather than paper bags. We also decided to slim down the color selections to make it more "Valentiney." We taught this project at our You & Me class and plan to have our Junior and Senior Girl Time classes do it as well

With the younger children, the parents had to do the sewing. Our Junior Girls will use glue to adhere the hearts together and our Senior Girls will (hopefully) tough it out and sew theirs together. (Just a warning...it's a bit challenging to sew through two layers of canvas...)

We love this project SO much that we're offering it in a kit. You can either download the PDF instructions or purchase a complete kit from our Etsy store.

We promise it will be fun!

Having Sew Much Fun at Beattie Chicks Makery!

2012-02-05T11:07:00.002-05:00

The "sample" scarf that I created. Surprising that it's purple...NOT!

"Yes, I did this!"

Holly modeling her AMAZING scarf!

Hannah and I are thrilled to be offering women a 4 week sewing class. We have been asked to do this for a while...people just wanting to have a safe, nurturing environment to both learn and practice machine and hand sewing. We are accepting all levels of sewers..and we're right there all night long to help where needed.

We took a general pattern from Sweater Chop Shop by Chrispina Ffrench. We tried to keep it simple, and then have each person customize and embellish as they wished. At the end of the evening, we had lots of beautiful, inspirational work to show!

We're on to Hats next...can't wait to share our results!

Let Them Eat Cake!

2012-02-03T10:25:00.001-05:00

Erin's soft colors...

Harriet's brilliant cupcake!

Meka's bright cupcake!

love the purple, Molly!

Check out Alison's fun fiber!

We had so much fun with the Sr. Girl Time girls yesterday. We made these cupcakes inspired from Betz White's book Warm Fuzzies. The girls really thought this would be an easy project...then we heard a little grumbling and "oh-my"ing...a good reminder to us all that things may not be a simple as they seem.

I had polled the girls last week as to what kind of cake they like the best. Harriet was emphatic that it be red velvet cupcakes. Well, then they all chimed in and said that that would be the overall pick. I surprised them this week by making red velvet cupcakes! The were thrilled!

It's these little things about working with girls that I love...the ability to make a small difference in their lives. To be another person who listens and cares. We can never have enough of them, can we?

Hoo Loves You?

2012-01-31T10:25:00.000-05:00

you will fall in LOVE with these sweet little owls. We did! And so did our Jr. Girl time girls! They are a little frustrating to make...ever made a giant pom pom? but the girls managed to get them made! The end result is always the most fun...when the girls realize that all of that hard work has, indeed, paid off.

Thank you to The Crafty Crow for this fantastic project!

Let's Sew!

2012-01-09T12:20:00.000-05:00

You asked for it, and we've got it!
Learn To Sew
begins this Wednesday, January 11th from 7-10pm
and continues through February on
January 25, 7-10pm
February 1, 7-10pm
February 15, 7-10pm

Learn the basics of your machine or hand-sewing during this 4-week class. We will use recycled sweaters, wool roving, embroidery floss and more to create unique and beautiful "wearable art!" For each project we will give you a pattern that you can go home with to create more of these fabulous projects on your own.

Week 1: Scarves: Learn how to create a patchwork scarf using coordinating wool from recycled sweaters. We will teach you how to embellish them for extra "umph!"

Week 2: Mittens: Keep your hands will be beautiful AND warm in a pair of mittens that you make for yourself! We will needle felt and embroider these to make them extra special.

Week 3: Hats: Learn how to make a utilitarian item into a work of art. Using parts of sweaters, we will create fun and funky hats. Learn how to make flowers out of felt to embellish your hat.

Week 4: Bags: We will show you the basics of bag making. You will make a small bag that can be used as an ipod case, a case for your camera or a make-up bag. You will learn how to design the bag and use applique, needle felting and trim to make it uniquely yours.

Each class is just $30 ($25 if you bring your own felted sweaters)
Sign up for all three classes for $100
($90 if you bring your own sweaters)
No experience necessary.
Bring your own sewing machine (you need to have a walking foot)
or use one of ours (our machines are limited to first come, first serve)
Please register early, space is limited

you can register by emailing leslie@beattiechicks.com

Senior Girl Time Camp a Successs!

2011-08-22T09:39:00.002-04:00

We had so much fun with our Senior girls the first week of August. I am finally getting around to posting photos of some of our projects...the last few weeks of summer have been a whirlwind for our families!

As you can see from the photos, we did a LOT of collage work with the girls! Painting seems to be one of their favorite activities and we took it to the extreme this week!

We introduced them to color theory and tried our hand at some color mixing. The girls designed their own fabric using canvas, paint and various tools and used that fabric throughout the week in their artwork and then, finally, to make their own art journal.

We explored the collage work of some of our favorite, fun artists. We spent one day diving into the work of Kelly Rae Roberts and each girl made their own "Kelly Rae girl" using techniques from Kelly's book,
Taking Flight : Inspiration and Techniques to Give Your Creative Spirit Wings. We were amazed and delighted with how they came out!

Another day was spent creating personal collages inspired by the work of Claudine Helmuth. Claudine is well known for her "poppets," whimsical, dimensional "people." The girls had a blast making their own poppets and personalizing their collages.

We are excited for our after school Girl Time classes to start up again in September but will mourn the end of summer!

Art Camp Fun!

2011-07-13T17:00:00.000-04:00

How did I miss the second day? I think it was the sheer exhaustion that enveloped me at the end of the day!

But here we are, back to share more photos of this week's Jr. Girl Time Art Camp. We have really been enjoying this group of girls. We have been challenging them and they have been rising up to those challenges without complaining!

So, the SECOND day of camp was spent designing our very own blockheads. You might remember seeing blockheads at our last camp (We found the idea at Family Fun Magazine). Well, we love them so much that we decided to make them again! They are an easy project that allows the girls to really be creative. The only downside to this activity is the glue. So many different materials...so many different glues!

What do you think? Super cute or what???

A dear friend, Deborah Boschert, came to visit during camp.

We started projects that will be finished tomorrow...stay tuned for photos of those...

And We're Off! First Day of Jr. Girl Time Art Camp!

2011-07-11T21:36:00.000-04:00

What a fantastic day! We greeted 12 smiling faces first thing this morning...all ready and eager to make some art!

We started the day off making these amazingly cute matchbox bugs inspired by Trixi at Coloured Buttons:

We went on to make more bead bugs, air dry clay owls, fabric yo-yo flowers AND air dry mushrooms....

Just keep watching this blog to see just what we use these little morsels for....

Surprises each and every day for these little chicks!

Oops! Final Days of Art Camp in June...

2011-07-11T21:30:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe that I completely spaced documenting our last projects of Girl Time in June!!! Just some quick snapshots of the last day...

Block Heads...inspired by an article in Family Fun Magazine...

And to finish off the day, we made these mixed media collaged slates...

Final Day of Artistic Fun!

2011-07-01T10:25:00.002-04:00

I was just too pooped out yesterday to post this last night...amazing what a full week of art can do to a teacher!

Yesterday we had the girls work on the covers of their journals. Journaling is something I have a particular passion for and I think that it's important for the girls to practice their writing, drawing, whatever they want to jot down...in their journals. We have the girls turn to their journals throughout the week to process what they might be doing next in a particular project or just give them 2-minute journaling exercises.

The results of their journal covers were beautiful, if I do say so myself!

We started them off by asking them to write 3 things in their journals:
1. two of their favorite colors
2. a shape
3. a word that makes them feel good about themselves

We then led them in a 4 step process, using the things they had written down. The first step was ripping book paper and gluing it in a random fashion all over the front of the book. After the front was covered and the glue dry, they applied a color "wash" using one of the two colors they had written down. A color wash is simply watered down paint applied so that it is transparent.

Once the wash was completed, we added "drippage" (a term coined by the multi-talented Donna Downey) using their second color. Drippage is accomplished by loading a wide brush with watered down paint and scraping it over the top of your journal page. You then spray the paint with water from a spray bottle. The result? Drippage!

Once drippage was completed and dried, we added stamps to add some dimension and interest to the cover of their journals. A colorized letter for the beginning of their "word," some fiber and they were done!

Humpday at Camp...

2011-06-29T18:15:00.000-04:00

I just cannot believe all that we accomplished today! I'm certain that the girls will sleep well tonight...I know Hannah and I will!

We started our morning finishing up our clay fish. I spaced the photos...sorry!!! The girls did a great job getting creative and adding a lot of fun details to their fish. They will use them to store trinkets or they can be used as a candle holder for small tea lights. Way cute!

Next up was finishing up our butterfly mobiles. These photos don't do them justice! The girls made butterflies from polymer clay and then we strung them using fishing line, beads and crimps. The girls wrapped yarn around embroidery hoops and we put them all together...voila! Butterfly mobile!

The pièce de résistance of the day, however, were the fairies and fairy houses. They are just incredible! We bought the bisque-ware fairy houses from Crystal at Faerie Quartz Design. I met Crystal at a craft fair last summer and found out that, no only does she make super cute fairy houses, she also lives in Topsham! We love making creative connections with people like Crystal!

We painted the houses yesterday...

And then added design elements today. We made little fairies inspired by Trixi at Coloured Buttons

Emily's Fairy House & Fairy

The girls added found elements from our walk yesterday such as pine cones, acorns and mica. Trees were made using wooden pegs and crumpled tissue paper. We made clay mushrooms that they painted, they went through our sea glass and pebble stash...they had so much fun and these houses show it!

Delilah's Fairy House

Chloe's Fairy House

Madison's Fairy House

Elizabeth's Fairy House

Ella's Fairy House

Oleana's Fairy House

Lila's Fairy House

Emily's Fairy House

Leslie's Fairy House

Our final project of the day (are you tired yet? we were!!!) were fun-face magnet tins. We got this super idea from Family Fun Magazine. The girls were not very excited when we were describing the project but then got carried away and many of them wanted to make more and more and more! This is an example of one of the faces that Madison made:

Tomorrow is our last day of camp. We have another day of super -fun art projects for the girls so be sure to check here tomorrow!

Thanks for checking out the Beattie Chicks!

Another Amazing Day of Art!

2011-06-28T21:11:00.000-04:00

I am always amazed at what kids can do when they put their hands and heads in their artwork!

We started our day modeling fish out of air dry clay (photos once their painted!) and then moved on to making toadstools to use when assembling our fairy houses later in the week (again, photos will come soon!) If you've ever worked with clay, you understand what I mean when I say that it was NOT easy! Many of the girls reached new levels of frustration as their fish looked more like big lumps of nothing...but they stuck it out and the results will be wonderful, I'm certain of that!

After a morning break, we played with some beads and the girls all made a beautiful necklace. What looked like an easy-peasy project, again, got on some of the girls' last nerve! After the first couple of rounds, though, they realized that it really wasn't that hard. The girls were all very happy and very proud to wear their necklaces home.

The necklace project came to us from Heidi Boyd, a local artist who has written many books on jewelry making among other topics.

Next up was beaded bugs! Our many thanks go out to Trixi and her inspiring blog.

We took the girls for a long walk on the Two Bridges Trail and stopped along the way to find treasures for our fairy houses. After getting messy with painting the fairy houses, we called it a day.

Tune in tomorrow for more exciting Girl Time Art Camp adventures!

Fantastic First Day of Girl Time Summer Camp!

2011-06-27T21:12:00.002-04:00

Wow! I had forgotten how much fun (and how exhausting) summer camp can be!

We have wonderful group of girls this week and today we got things off to a great start. Hannah and I imparted some of our new-learned journal-making knowledge (that we got this weekend with Donna Downey) upon them. We helped them construct easy, but beautiful, hand-made journals and then led the girls through a series of 2-minute writing/drawing exercises. We had a few who weren't crazy about it, but most of them liked it! Yippee! We'll make journaling junkies out of them yet!

We did a cute polymer clay project that will be finished tomorrow...stay tuned for photos.

But today's big success were the self portraits. I started this project not really having great expectations of the outcome...knowing how hard it is to do a portrait...let alone a self portrait! I will tell you that the girls' turned out MUCH better than my class sample! (notice it's not in the slideshow?) We found the idea at That Artist Woman, one of our favorite sites, and altered it to fit our class. I would have to say it was a success!

Ella said to me, "These are the best eyes I've EVER done!!!"

Lila commented, "The last self portrait I did was with a mirror. This one is so much better...even without the mirror!"

On to clay fish, beaded bugs and fairies tomorrow!

Having a Ball at Time for Boys!

2011-06-26T17:53:00.000-04:00

We finally did it...We branched out and had a class for boys! Hannah and I taught the boys some mixed media techniques using paint and canvas. They all chose some sort of sports imagery for their final product and they were all simply wonderful!

Doggone Good Time Making Floorcloths!

2011-06-19T17:47:00.002-04:00

We held a floorcloth class a few weeks back and we were both so impressed with what everyone came up with! The ideas ran the gamut...and the results were all LOVELY! Interested in making one? Contact us for more information.

Fish (and one bat) Drifted in...

2011-06-12T17:46:00.001-04:00

Who would imagine that simple pieces of driftwood could turn into such amazing fish? Beattie Chicks, of course! Our Jr. Girl Time girls created their masterpieces in the studio this spring.

One of our girls had a school project due on Fruit Bats. Her piece of driftwood magically turned into a fruit bat! Some help from Google Images, a little creativity and paint and, VOILA! School project DONE!

Felting Fun at the Makery!

2011-04-25T21:11:00.001-04:00

Spring was definitely in the air at the Makery this past month! The promise of sunshine, fresh air and new beginnings made us ripe with creative ideas!

One of our many spring-inspired projects was our recent felting class for adults. What we thought was going to be an easy project, turned out to be a little more work than anticipated! Everyone did GREAT though and we were all happy with the end results.

Take a look for yourself at these beautiful creations!

Our next adult class is scheduled for WEDNESDAY, MAY 18TH from 7-10pm. We will be making floor cloths which will be 3'x2'. The cost is $25 plus materials. Here's a sneak peak at the last floor cloth class:

Email Leslie if you would like to sign up for this class.

More Bunnies and Chicks!

2011-04-21T16:10:00.002-04:00

Our second day of vacation camp was equally as exciting as the first! We have a new product line up our sleeve (hee! hee! a little pun there...) and we experimented with the girls. I, personally, think we're onto something BIG! (Curious??? Take a guess...leave a comment and oooh! maybe you'll WIN something if you guess correctly!!! Maybe you'll win the new product itself!!!)

Did you get that?

Guess and WIN!!!! I'll post winners by the end of next week...April 30th.

Okay, back to camp....

The girls made these very sweet bunnies out of sweater sleeves as well as these cooky "polly birds," as Hannah likes to call them. I must say that we all had a hard time with the hand sewing...not the most fun part for anyone...but the outcome...now that made it all worthwhile! The polly birds were quite a hit...feathers? A sure "win" with every crowd!

Greta decided to make a raptor for her polly bird...I think that's what she called it...

Did someone say "feathers???"

Oh, and did we mention the super fun snack???

Now who wouldn't fall in love with this darling blue bird?

Lovin' the big chocolate bunny, Reese!

Ahhhh...cute bunnies!!!!

Thanks to all of our Chicks for their hard work and perseverance through these tricky projects!

Girl Time Vacation Camp a Hoppin' Good Time!

2011-04-20T16:10:00.001-04:00

Hannah and I had such a great time with our Chicks this week! We started off the week making these oh-so-fun "really big bunnies" (as one of them described the project). This project was much more complicated than what meets the eye...

First we had to "make" our bunny body paper. We took posterboard, painted it our background color and then altered it with bubble wrap and "splattering" to give it a more dimensional look...

Then we had to paint our egg carton eyes and nose, put their "eyes in," and make the "fluffy fluff" around the face.

Next came skirt making. We wrapped and tied tulle around elastic and covered it with decorative ribbon.

We made ears by bending wire and then doing a paper mache technique with paper towels. We also used a handy-dandy pom-pom maker to construct our puffy tails. We made our bunny's pins by using metal juice tops, paper, faux flowers, buttons and stickers.

We traced our body shapes onto our hand-made papers and cut the shapes out. We then took our background boards and painted the sky and earth.

The last step was putting it all together. Very carefully, we used our hot glue and pieced everything in place. We cut pipe cleaners for the whiskers and added yarn for the mouths.

Oh-so-cute!!!

Makery Fun with Fabric!

2011-03-11T10:17:00.002-05:00

What an amazing evening we had this past Wednesday! There were 12 of us women there making these amazing fabric baskets!


Our "Basket Angel," Carol, assists Chake with her project


Chrisy working hard on her beautiful basket

Keep the beverage AWAY from the fabric, Jodi!

photo courtesy of Sheryl Palese, basket maker extraordinaire!

We had originally been wanting to follow directions that we found on this amazing website, but realized early on that this technique was quite challenging. Our goal in class is to make projects that we all feel good about..some projects are harder than others, but we felt that this was going to be hard to complete in one evening.

Luckily, Hannah was out and about buying supplies and ran into a Basket Fairy! Carol at JoAnn Fabrics spotted Hannah and the supplies she was buying and said, "oh! You're making baskets! I make baskets, too!"

That's all the information Hannah needed. She quickly made friends with Carol and invited her to be a guest artist at our class on Wednesday night! Carol taught us the age-old method of making fabric baskets that involves no sewing, just a fantastic wrapping technique that can be easily learned.

The end results were amazing! These baskets are beautiful! We all had a great time together and Hannah and I felt good about achieving our goal of bringing women together to share in the excitement of making beautiful art together.

Here's to another successful class at the Beattie Chicks Makery!

Clever with Canvas...

2011-02-22T19:11:00.001-05:00

What fun! Once again, we were inspired by That Artist Woman. Our canvas painting/sewing projects were much smaller, as we had limited time for the girls to complete their projects. We were so impressed with how they turned out! So darned cute, I must say!

After we completed our canvases, we had them use some paper they had designed yesterday and make a bottle cap pendant with them. They, too, turned out just beautiful.

Our afternoon was spent with our Senior girls. We made larger canvases...they didn't believe us that the sewing takes a long time...once 4 o'clock rolled around, they were finally convinced! A few took needles and thread home, but the ones that were completed were gorgeous! Great job, girls!

Vacation kick off with Inchies!

2011-02-21T19:08:00.000-05:00

We had so much fun at our first day of February vacation Girl Time Art Camp! We had a group of younger girls in the morning and then our older girls in the afternoon. We worked on a sweet inchie project inspired by Gail Bartel.

We did 6 different background techniques, including painted masking tape, using bubble wrap, splattering with paintbrushes, ripped book paper, watercolor painting and painting with found objects. The letters were fun...we cut tin foil, used a glue cap for an "o", embossed a letter and then formed a letter with sequins.

The end results are precious.

Tomorrow? more painting and some hand sewing on top...

2011-02-15T07:06:00.000-05:00

Who knew tights could provide fodder for such amazing art! Our Jr. and Sr. girls had a blast making these adorable stuffed dogs from repurposed tights. A little sewing, a lotta stuffing and....voila! Doggies!

The inspiration for these cuddly creatures came to us from this book.

Coffee Bags turned ART!

2011-02-10T10:20:00.000-05:00

This class included a lesson in geography. We used coffee bags for the substrate of our project and then added hearts cut from remnants from Guatemalan weavings. The girls learned where coffee comes from (our bags happened to be from Brazil) and also learned a smidge about women's work in Guatemalan culture.

I couldn't resist making one for Elvia...my very own little Guatemalan :-)

Heart Art!

2011-02-09T09:00:00.002-05:00

Our theme for February has been...well, hearts and love! The girls created these fantastic plush hearts using felted sweaters, roving and ribbon. They needlefelted their designs on the sweater and then sewed and stuffed them.

Olivia works on sewing her heart together. It's a surprise for her mom for Valentine's day!

Madison needlefelted this lovely heart-petaled flower on her plush heart.

Owlicious January!

2011-02-08T10:08:00.000-05:00

Our theme for January was Owlicious...that's right...we did a LOT with owls! Here a a few photos of the work the girls did:

thank you to That Artist Woman for your unending ability to inspire us!

Senior Girl Time Fun!

2010-08-18T19:57:00.000-04:00

This week has been filled with Girl Time! We have 10 young women between the ages of 9 and 12. We have taken them to different beaches each day and assigned them certain "treasures" to find. Each day we return and turn their treasures into artistic creations!

I hope you enjoy this slideshow of our little chicks hard at work!

Fall Women's Retreat - Register Today!!

2010-07-17T09:57:00.000-04:00

Hannah and I have been hard at work planning our Fall Women's Art Retreat at the Kennedy Learning Center at Kieve. The retreat is scheduled for Friday, September 24th through Sunday, September 26th.

Please click on the link to get more information about the retreat and to download our registration form.

Beattie Chicks Fall Women's Art Retreat

Register early as this retreat is limited to 20 participants.

Fun With Floor Cloths!

2010-07-17T09:36:00.000-04:00

Hannah and I were very busy this week teaching some lovely ladies how to make their own floor cloths. Everyone's looked so different and so lovely...a great way to liven up your house! We enjoyed every minute with all of you!

New Website!!!

2010-05-24T10:09:00.002-04:00

We have finally done it! Our new website is up and running! You can register online now! It's fast and easy!
Please visit and let us know what you think!
Beattie Chicks Website

3 Creative Uses For Sea Glass!

2010-05-23T09:33:00.000-04:00

This Wednesday night, May 26th, we are offering a GREAT sea glass class! Join us from 7-10pm at the Border Trust Business Center in Topsham. This class is $20. Please register by emailing Leslie today!

We will be teaching you 3 different crafts using sea glass. That way, this summer when you're out on the beach finding your treasures, you will come home and put them all to creative use!

Sea Glass Girls
These adorable creatures of whimsy will delight your heart and bring a smile to your face. We will combine sea glass, rocks, wire and adhesive to put them together.

Sea Glass Pendant/Ornament
You can hang these from a cord as a pendant, put a pin back on them or hang them as a holiday ornament. The possibilities are endless!

Angel Cards
Create these lovely, inspiration cards for yourself or a dear friend. We will practice some basic collage techniques and add flair to our angels as our creativity takes flight!

2 for 1 Class Special! THIS WEEK ONLY!

2010-05-03T20:25:00.000-04:00

We are offering a special class just for YOU!

Sign up now to attend our Pamper Me class this Wednesday (5/5) from 7pm-10pm or Friday (5/7) from 9am-12pm. You can register by emailing me:
leslie@beattiechicks.com

We will make a brown sugar body scrub, an aromatic and luxurious scrub that you use in the shower to exfoliate and moisturize your skin. We will also make lavender face masks. These fragrant, silk pillows will thrust you into a full state of relaxation when you rest them on your eyes. If time allows, we will be making another project, either felted soap scrubbies or an art pendant...not sure yet!

Please email me to register today!

Family Shrine Houses: Wednesday, April 28th

2010-04-22T11:59:00.000-04:00

Join us next Wednesday night, April 28th, from 7-10pm as we make these adorable Family Shrine houses using CEREAL BOXES! The class is $25 including all materials and will be held at the Border Trust Business Center in Topsham. Please email me to register.

A slideshow of our Art Retreat at Kieve

2010-04-22T11:40:00.002-04:00

Summer Camp Schedule Announced!

2010-04-05T12:53:00.002-04:00

It's here! It's here! Our summer camp schedule!
You can download our registration form, print it and mail it to us with your 50% deposit.

Senior Girl Time Camp Schedule - 9-13 year olds

Mon-Wed. 6/28-6/30 1/2 DAY CAMP204 Doughty Point Road, Harpswell
1-4pm, $90/session or $35/class

Early drop off/late pick-up available - contact us fmi. Snack provided.

Mon-Thurs. 8/16-8/19 ALL DAY CAMP
204 Doughty Point Road, Harpswell
9am-3pm, $175/session or $50/class

This camp will include excursions to our favorite beachcombing spots as well as short jaunts through nature to collect treasures for our art projects.

Early drop off/late pick-up available - contact us fmi. Bring your own lunch, snacks provided.

Junior Girl Time Camp Schedule - 6-8 year olds

Mon-Wed. 6/28-6/30 1/2 DAY CAMP204 Doughty Point Road, Harpswell
9am-11am, $70/session or $25/class

We are offering pick up at the Bowdoin College pool. Contact us fmi. Early drop off/late pick-up available - contact us fmi. Snack provided.

Mon-Thurs. 7/19-7/22 ALL DAY CAMP
204 Doughty Point Road, Harpswell
9am-3pm, $175/session or $50/class

This camp will include excursions to our favorite beachcombing spots as well as short jaunts through nature to collect treasures for our art projects.

Early drop off/late pick-up available - contact us fmi. Bring your own lunch, snacks provided.

PLEASE INCLUDE A 50% DEPOSIT WITH YOUR REGISTRATION

Spring is Here! Needle Felting THIS WEDNESDAY!

2010-03-22T20:50:00.000-04:00

If you haven't signed up yet, there's still time! Drop me an email and register to make bunnies and chicks with us at the Border Trust Business Center on Wednesday from 7-10pm.

And talk about CUTE! Check out the bunnies Hannah has made! If you're interested in having one or more for you or your special someone, please email Hannah

Our Mom & Me class was a BLAST! Scroll down to see some fabulous women, their girls and their ART!

Spring Needle Felting Class NEXT WEEK!

2010-03-18T10:00:00.000-04:00

Are you busy next Wednesday, March 24th? If not, come and join us at the Border Trust Business Center in Topsham and make your very own Spring Critter Basket!

For just $20 you will learn needle felting techniques and go home with not only new knowledge, but a sweet basket filled with critters you have created.

Email Leslie today for more information and to sign up for this class.

Collage Mirror Home Class

2010-03-18T09:58:00.001-04:00

We had a very successful home class at Dana Greenleaf's home last Friday night. Everyone had a great time...laughter, silliness and ART! I think it's safe to say that many of them were pleasantly surprised with their creations!

bunnies and chicks and eggs, oh my!

2010-03-08T22:21:00.004-05:00

lovely needle felted eggs!

can you stand how darned CUTE these are???

You, too can create these fun springtime needlefelted critters and eggs! Sign up for our needlefelting class on March 24th! See our website for more information.

Mixed Media Jewelry Next Wednesday!

2010-03-04T10:23:00.000-05:00

Our dear friend, Catherine Matthews-Scanlon, is well known in the art world. Her books have inspired many of us to reach outside of our comfort zones and create amazing pieces of personal art. We are so lucky to have her teaching this mixed media jewelry class.

We anticipate this class filling fast, so please email me if you would like to register.

Here's a description of the class:

Join local artist, aughor and good friend, Catherine, as we make a pendant or charm incorporating polymer clay, image transfer techniques and metal tape wrapping. Basic jewelry making techniques will also be taught.

Collage Mirror Home Class a Success!

2010-02-28T10:15:00.000-05:00

We had a GREAT collage mirror class at my dear friend, Bean's, house. Everyone was very busy all night and created LOVELY mirrors! Check them out!

2010-02-28T09:49:00.000-05:00

As you can see from the photos, the girls that attended our Girl Time Art Camps over February vacation had a blast and created some amazing things!

The Sr. group made personalized wall quilts. Each of them had to make a self-portrait using pastels. We thought this would be a challenge, and it was, but one that they all took on willingly! Hannah and I were quite impressed with the results of the self portraits. They made 5 other blocks (eventually choosing three to incorporate into their quilt) using various techniques: freewriting on fabric and adding a watercolor wash, creating a spiral and adhering it to the square, experimenting with a glue resist, using stencils and oil sticks on fabric and painting with bubble wrap. When all the squares were made, they used our machines to sew them together and made these fantastic quilts.
Truly amazing.
The Jr. Group had a lot of fun as well! They all went home with a bag made with fabric that they designed and painted! Some of them used the finger knitting they had learned to make handles for the bags. All of them used the sewing machines to put the bags together. The bags served as their journal cases. At Girl Time Art Camp, we encourage each girl to take time to write in the journals we provide. Hannah is so good at finding good topics to encourage thinking and asks them to write their thoughts down. It's amazing what happens when they take the time to write their thoughts or feelings down. Our hope is that they are inspired to do more writing and outward thinking in their day to day lives.
We are looking forward to our next series of Art Camp coming up during April vacation week. For more information and to register, please check out our schedule.

First Beattie Chicks post!

2010-02-25T11:25:00.001-05:00

I'm hoping that this will be a vehicle to keep everyone informed about what's happening with the Beattie Chicks. I will post class photos and class schedules here. We'll also have fun giveaways and such so check back often!