Minni's Favorite Books - Collage Based Books 🧩

This month we are bringing our love of art to the forefront and highlighting books that all have an element of collage, either in how the book is illustrated or how the story is told. Collage is one of our favorite creative processes at Minni, where you create a picture using a composition of various materials (such as paper, photographs, textiles, or objects) to create a completely new and unique piece of art. It is all about going with the flow, there is no right or wrong method and if you spill some paint it just makes it that much more unique!

DIY - 3 Unexpected Uses for Tempera Paint Sticks!

We absolutely love paint sticks and use them all the time in our curriculum at Minni!

They’re great for tiny toddler hands to grip as they strengthen hand muscles and develop their fine motor skills, we love using Chunkie Paint Sticks with all ages on collaborative wall murals at Minni.

Team Spotlight: Meet Minni Instructor Lisa!

In an effort to familiarize our community with our full team at Minni, we are starting a new blog series highlighting one team member and diving into what makes them unique. From their creative experience and background to their favorite Minni projects, we hope you will read through our ‘minni’ interview.

Local CommunitiesTessa DowMarch 14, 2024Minni, Boston, Community, Interview, Artist Spotlight, Meet The Team

New Product Spotlight: Sarah's Silk!

We are thrilled to share that the Minni Shop now offers Sarah’s Silks for purchase at our Minni Shop.

Sarah’s Silks inspires imaginative play in children with open-ended toys made from natural materials. Founded in the belief that every child deserves quality materials to create their own play, drawing from the philosophies of Waldorf education and Sarah’s own childhood of imaginative play, Sarah has been designing Playsilks and other natural, eco-friendly wooden and silk toys for over 30 years.

Minni ShopTessa DowMarch 5, 2024Minni, Boston, South End, Shop, Minni Shop, Gifts, Product Spotlight, Sarah's Silk, Creative Play

Minni Quote of the Month

Happy February aka our most beloved month for crafting! Valentines and spreading love to all special friends and family are the hallmark of February, and in honor our quote of the months reflects how we feel about art + love. Treat love like confetti and spread it everywhere!

Minni ShopTessa DowFebruary 26, 2024Minni, Boston, Charles Street, Quote of the Month, Inspiration, Letter Board, Quote, South End

Minni's Favorite Books - For the Love of Friendship 💝

There’s lots of love in the air in February, and while we love to craft Valentine’s for our special someone(s), we also wanted to include books that show other things that we love just as much - our friends, a wild imaginative adventure, and maybe some crafting too!

DIY Valentine's Wooden Cube Puzzle

Create your own multisided puzzle with up to 6 puzzles in one by painting, coloring, or taping the sides of wooden cubes. We themed ours to Valentines Day, so you can create your own as a fun seasonal craft, or a gift to a friend or loved one!

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas for All Ages 💞

Though creativity is our favorite kind of Valentine, we also love other traditions like making breakfast together, buying flowers, or exchanging gifts. We have holiday-appropriate gifts in our Minni Shop that check both boxes - creativity + Valentine themed!

Minni Quote of the Month

At Minni we are encourage little artists to explore their creativity, no matter where it takes them or the mess they make.

In fact, the messier the better! Learn more about our upcoming classes, workshops, and vacation programs to find out how we can inspire your child’s creativity!

Minni ShopTessa DowJanuary 29, 2024Minni, Boston, Charles Street, Quote of the Month, Inspiration, Letter Board, Quote

Artist Spotlight: Nell Valle

Meet Nell Valle, a Chinese-American illustrator based in Boston. Nell specializes in the big and small: public art and comics. She is known for her cute characters, bright colors, and bold, fun lines. Nell graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design with a BFA in illustration and a minor in creative writing. She also has experience in art gallery installation and art instruction.

Minni's Favorite Books - Snowy Days and Long Nights 🌛

It’s that time of year where the nights are longer than the days, and the days are filled with snowy, wintery weather. Cozy up together and discover what you can find in our snow covered world.

DIY Wooden Beaded Keychain

Want to do a creative activity at home that is colorful, easy, and useful? This project is for you! Keychains can be used for some many things and can be fun decorations for your kiddos to add to their backpacks.

ProjectsTessa DowJanuary 8, 2024Project, At-home, Craft, Scissors, DIY, keychain, wooden beads, knotted keychain

Minni's Favorite Books - Staff Picks!

The end of the year is almost here and as we look back at all we’ve read, learned, and created this year, our staff picked a few of their favorite reads from class and Art Book Club that they recommend as books that beautifully entertain and convey important messages to the reader.

Holiday Raffle with Thayer Street Shops

Unique to our South End location, we have partnered with our neighbors on Thayer Street including Boston Fiber Company, Wyllo, Stitch & Tickle, and Clay Lounge for a Holiday Shopping Raffle!

Room To Grow: Donation Drive December

This month Minni will be hosting a Community Drop-in at Beacon Hill on Saturday, December 16th from 11–3pm to support our partners at Room to Grow!

Room to Grow’s innovative three-year program provides families with structured coaching, material goods, and community connections to support parents as they activate natural strengths, gain confidence and knowledge, and ensure their babies have the social, emotional and language skills they need to thrive from the start.

Local CommunitiesTessa DowDecember 4, 2023Minni, Boston, Beacon Hill, Donations, Room to Grow, Room to Grow Donation Kits

DIY Recycled Gingerbread Houses

Let’s get cozy and craft this holiday season! This craft, using recycled cardboard is easy to assemble and uses minimal materials. It’s the perfect seasonal craft to get you and your little artist into the festive spirit!

ProjectsTessa DowNovember 22, 2023Project, At-home, Craft, Scissors, Paper, DIY, Recycled Materials, Recycled, Gingerbread House, Gingerbread, Glitter

Minni's Favorite Books to be Thankful For

The weather is getting cooler and we’re leaning into the cozy season. Curl up together inside and feast your eyes on these seasonally appropriate books that are perfect for the Thanksgiving season!

Holiday Gifting at Minni 🎁

The holiday season is officially upon us, and if you’re anything like us then you’ve waited until now to start thinking about gifts for your little ones. Not to worry, Minni has great gifts at every price point for artists big and small!

Minni ShopTessa DowNovember 9, 2023Minni, Boston, South End, Stocking Stuffers, Shop, Minni Shop, Gifts, under $20, under $45

Minni's Favorite Books for Bedtime 💤

Story time can be one of the sweetest and most special moments of the bedtime routine, it can help soothe and slow down your little one before drifting off to sleep.

We’ve compiled some of our tried-and-true books for bedtime, stories that are perfect for those last moments before drifting off to sleep - warm, cozy, imaginative, and a little silly too!

Parent's Night Out with Minni & Crush Boutique and Whitney + Winston

Join Minni and Crush Boutique & Whitney + Winston on Thursday, November 30th from 6:00–8:00pm for fall-themed activities for little artists, ages 4–10! Drop your kiddos off at Minni where they will be making seasonal splendid works of art as they dive into all things autumn!

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