Eco Child’s Play

There’s a phenomenon in the blogging community that I like to refer to as The Artful Parent: in this blog, parenting and the booming DIY/handmade/arts and crafts movement interconnect. Both activities are discussed in equal measures, although the real emphasis is more, perhaps, on the status of both parenting and crafting as meaningful (if usually unpaid) work, the lessons that can be taught to and learned from children while crafting for and with them, and how creativity and inspiration are rewarding mindsets that can be taken from and brought to both parenting and crafting.

Most of these blogs also share a focus on the handmade over the store-bought; the use of natural, found, and/or recycled materials over brand-new and/or synthetic ones; and the act of parenting as a gentle, positive, attached life’s work. Here are a few of my favorites of these blogs:

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• Living in Australia, in which the weather is getting AWESOME right about now (unlike here–does anybody else’s grandpa refer to this as “p*****g down snow?” Ahem.), soozs writes about knitting, sewing, and the cuteness that is her snotty-nosed kid eating ice cream. Check out the felt and wire mobile tutorial for a dose of sweetness that actually looks pretty do-able.
• West Coast Crafty has a cute little baby and a cute little book and is, officially, “The Portland craft guru.” Her idea for sewing teeny little baby pants and then putting a matching applique on a teeny little baby shirt is a way to turn a grape juice stain into a fashion statement, using stash.
• Angry Chicken gets her hands dirty in all manner of crafts along with her THREE, count them, three, little girls (Half-time score: Angry Chicken 3, Julie 2). She sews and cooks and rubber stamps, all at home with her ladies (I call my little girls “ladies” all the time–it does NOT improve their behavior).
• SouleMama is, of course, the gold standard for the crafty, natural parenting set. She’s an unschooling, homebirthing mama of four, and although she’s slowed down a bit on the blogging front, she has some terrific ideas for crafting with children and creative play.
• Do not expect to be able to match Tiny Happy’s embroidery, because you cannot, but look at the sewing! The knitting! There is a wealth of beautiful, simple things here, designed for beautiful, happy children.

What are your favorite parenting blogs?

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