(hot) dish: creative families on classic play

I posted this on our Facebook page a little bit ago, but it merits a full blown blog post. Have you been reading the Creative Family series over on Classic Play? Classic Play is written by Charm City mom Jennifer Cooper and always has simply amazing ideas for engaging your children in play. {{Coincidentally, Jen is also the fabulous designer behind Ellie Bellie Kids.}} So when Jen started the Creative Family series a few weeks ago, I really wasn't surprised that it knocked my socks off.

The series is a collection of interviews with creative families that chronicles what makes them "tick." The first interview was with LA-area blogger Deborah from My Life at Playtime, who talked about nurturing creativity in children and shared how she created headboards from vertical planters (uber cool, by the way). The next week we met Molly de Aguiar and her family. Molly blogs at Charlotte's Fancy, and shared how travel inspires her, her designs and her girls. Last week we met Joya Logue and her Chicago-area family. I've been a huge fan of joyababy's product line and Joya's blog, so I loved hearing her thoughts on fostering creative expression in her children. A fav Joya quote from Jen's interview: "being creative can be in forms other than crayons or drawings, that it can be in writing creatively, in thinking creatively and looking at the world through creative lenses. Using them through art, writing, play, invention, or any other route of expression makes it original."

Today I was THRILLED to see Charm City-ites John and Sara Waire, and their two wee Waires, featured as this week's creative family! John was kind enough to photograph a Milkshake Concert benefiting Autism Speaks for us earlier this year, and is an incredible photographer. To say his art-meets-documentary style is inspiring would be the understatement of the year. He and Sara are the creative forces behind The Wairehouse, a family owned photography business built on the idea of creating what matters. Sara also works with textiles and designs clothes for kids -- which is coming in really handy right now because her daughter is in a bit of a 'dresses only' phase. {{Did you know that princesses only wear dresses?}}

Are you still reading? You haven't hopped over to check out Classic Play yet? Do it. You won't regret it.