I've always been craftsy.

As a girl, I used to make crafts for all my grandparents at Christmas time. The quality may have been lacking, but the enthusiasm was there. Thankfully my grandparents were all good sports.

My love of art really took shape in High School and carried over into College where I decided to make it my Major. My parents were horrified. How was I supposed to earn a living? I figured I'd make up for it with a second major in Art History and a minor in Math.

After floundering a bit after graduation (ok, my parents were right!), I decided to go back to school to get my Teacher's Certificate in Art Education. During this time I also worked part time at a preschool that had an emphasis on the arts. At this time I was introduced to MaryAnn Kohl's books about art experiences for young children. The ideas in these books exicted me about doing projects with children. They still inspire me today.

My first teaching job was at a small private school teaching art to grades K through 8. The classes were small so I was able to do more involved projects: book making, weaving, paper making, printmaking, sculpture, and figure drawing. It was an awesome teaching experience.

Then came my three kids. Whew! I know how hard it is to muster up enough energy to do an art project with your kids. As Artsy as I am, it was still difficult. Somehow I managed to do a project now and then, and I'm so glad I did! Take it from me, don't let those years slip by without capturing your child's creativity in some way, shape, or form!

When my youngest went off to Kindergarten I began teaching small art classes to preschoolers in my basement studio. I'm sure you can imagine how much fun that was! We had a blast. After a couple of years I moved my art program to another location and my business "Project Queen, Inc." was born. As much as I loved running an art studio, it wasn't the right time for me to be so busy so I closed it after a year.

Artsy Mommy was my husband's idea. He wanted to get my art projects out there for everyone to enjoy. Artsy Mommy is now my creative outlet. I will be sharing all of my ideas and tips that I have collected over the years. Everything I have done in a classroom you can do at home. I'll show you how.