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Today, I bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor Action-Pack. In Kathreen's words:
SouleMama: Tell us about your background. What path led you to do the work you do today?
Kathreen: I am an artist/mother/designer/maker/writer, after studying science and languages I had a change of pace and I went art school to study photomedia. I then stayed at home for a few years to raise my children, during that time I connected with likeminded makers and creators online. I started Whipup.net which showcases on a daily basis my passion for all things handmade and creative. Whipup.net introduced me to the publishing world and Chronicle books gave me a wonderful opportunity to launch myself as as a writer (Whip Up Mini Quilts was published in 2010 and Little Bits Quilting Bee will be coming out in October this year). I also have been working with Australian publisher Hardie Grant who asked me to curate and edit a series of craft books for kids. At the same time, with the help of my husband and two super children we launched the Action Pack series of E-magazines for children.
SouleMama: How do you come up with new designs and ideas?
Kathreen: We spend hours, days, weeks, brainstorming ideas, all of us - many of the ideas depend upon what the kids are interested in at the time, what materials work together and what the seasons suggest. We like the idea of there being an edible ingredient and a crafty material - and then seeing how these two things can combine or contrast in different ways. We also want to get kids used to using and sourcing many of their own materials - things they can find fairly easily around the home. Recycled and natural materials play a big part in these projects.
SouleMama: How does the balance of family and work play out for you? How has motherhood changed the work that you do?
Kathreen: I have a couple of children - Otilija (11) and Orlando (9), a boy and girl - both very creative in different ways, both interested in making stuff, experimenting and cooking, and both very active with a lot of energy to burn. Because we don't watch TV, and the school they go to doesn't believe in homework (thank goodness), we have very creative afternoons and weekends together. That time is taken up more and more with activities that they are interested in, and because they love to experiment, many of the concepts come from them rather than from me. So I become their facilitator - and they my inspiration. The making of Action Pack really came from my children - helped along by my experience in publishing and love of crafting and cooking, my husband's love of science and the natural world, and our kids' creativity and endless thirst for knowledge, plus our family's growing interest in a back-to-basics childhood, wanting our kids to learn to love and appreciate nature and to nurture their growing independence, on top of all this our increasing dislike of the commercialisation of childhood - led us to create the Action Packs.
For today's giveaway, Action Pack is generously offering the following to ONE lucky winner:
~ TWO sets of five Action Pack magazines!
(from Issue 1-5. Each magazine is themed around a different topic the current issue is Chalk + Cheese. The winner will receive a set of 5 Action Packs for themselves and another set to be sent to a friend!)
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Thank you to Action Pack!
To enter, please leave a comment in today's post (one entry per person, please). Comments will close on Sunday by 8am EST. Winners will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced here in this post in the coming week.
Comments closed! The winner is...
Soooo much fun!
Posted by: Homebirth Mama
