Edible Art Supplies... Part II

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(Please DO NOT eat them on purpose. But Clementine products are 100% non-toxic, just in case your kids accidentally swallow them.)

So, where did Diana end up with her idea of creating edible non-toxic art supplies? Immersed in  her kitchen testing, and testing, and testing. Endlessly.

CelebrateWoman (CW) Is there anything that was a surprise to you that you did not expect on your way creating Clementine Art?
Diana Mercer (Diana) I had no idea how challenging it would be to make an all-natural art product. Finding stable, workable alternatives to synthetic dyes, preservatives, and other chemical additives has pushed me to put on my chemist’s hat – not one I usually wear.

Even now, the challenge has the incredibly well-trained scientists we are working with scrambling as well. It is so important for a natural product to work as well, or better than the conventional alternative. We’ve finally gotten there, but it has not been easy. And there are more products to make!

CW. How do you see your creation – Clementine Art – will affect your life in the future?
Diana. My hope is that Clementine will provide me with a platform to do what I love; encourage children to grow and learn through art. I can’t imagine anything better than that.

CW.  What is the #1 Thing you would like your customers to know about Clementine Art product?
Diana. Clementine is different because we hold ourselves to a higher standard; Natural AND non-toxic. Honesty, disclosure and transparency is very important to us, so we list all of our ingredients are right on the box.

•••••

The more we talked, the more fascinated I was with accomplishments of this definitely unordinary woman. There was no ending to my curiosities about this phenomenon, Diana Mercer. How does she juggle all her priorities and still be success?

Why is she and her Clementine Art are so popular throughout the hemispheres?

Why everybody needs and ought to become part of the Clementine Art movement?

CW. If we talked to All of your family and friends – imagine them in one room at the same time – what would you tell them about what you do? – What would they tell Me about your involvement with your company?
Diana. I would paraphrase Sir Ken Robinson, a British scholar and activist for arts education by reminding all of my family and friends that our world is complex. The challenges we face; disease, famine, Global Warming, war, and poverty are just a few of the issues on our global plate. These issues can’t solve themselves and will require a great deal of ingenuity and creativity to tackle.

Currently, our students are being trained in the art of ‘one right answer’ in educational climates that don’t have the time, room, or resources to teach creativity. Creativity needs to be taught with the same urgency that reading, writing and math is taught in schools. Our future depends on it.

They would tell you that I am a passionate, talkative, and enthusiastic supporter of arts education for children.

CW. What keeps you going day after day?
Diana. I love my job and my life. It’s not hard to keep going when that’s the case. I work with fun people, and have inspiring friends. When I get discouraged, my yoga and meditation practice helps a lot.

CW. How do you celebrate: your achievements; mistakes and miscalculations; and even failures?
Diana. Oh gosh. I wish I were better at taking the time to celebrate the small triumphs along the way. We often get caught up in what’s next around here, so there’s not much time to pat ourselves on the back.

That said, I would like to spend more time soaking in the fullness of what we have accomplished. Learning to celebrate my failures is the hardest one of all.

As a recovering perfectionist, it does not come easy for me. I do try to laugh at my mistakes. What else can you do?

CW. After a long day, when you close your eyes and reflect on the day, just before you go to sleep, what goes through your heart and mind?
Diana. I have a ritual for that. Each night I reflect on all the things I am grateful for. On a hard day, it might just be my comfy bed and my cat, but most days, I am bursting with gratitude for all that I have; many, many blessings.

•••••

Thank you, Diana, for this exquisite time learning about you and your dedication to bring the best of health and creativity into the lives or our children.

It is truly extraordinary to be able to eat our art supplies (if that happens ever) and continue to feel great and healthy. (Make sure these supplies are of the Clementine origin!)

This is how Diana started her business
Diana's Culmination as a Creator

You can contact me via my LinkedIn profile

VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

What It Takes to Create Edible Non Toxic Art Supplies

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("Edible" emphasizes the 100% natural ingredients in all of Clementine Art products. Don't eat them on purpose.)
My readers – All of them – do care about the health of their families, kids especially.

They look actively for healthy, non-toxic, green, sustainable products on the market to incorporate them into their daily life, rather than once-a-month-type-of-thing occurrence.

Diana's creation of non-toxic, edible, fun Clementine Art supplies would definitely contribute to the collection of creative toys in any house, studio, school.

The truth of the product, its ingredients, packaging are revealed here.

Q. Who is the primary target for your product?
A. Mothers (and fathers) who are interested in a ‘better’ product for their child.

Q. What is the #1 reason someone should buy Clementine Art?
A. Because it is natural, non-toxic and supports the development of creativity, with regular use.

Q. How is your Clementine Art product different than your #1 competitor?
A. Our products are simple, wholesome and all natural. The art materials are high quality, long lasting, vibrant and unique. We are the only company to make all natural art materials.

Q. What benefits will kids receive when using Clementine Art?
A. Children who engage in art explorations grow in so many ways; they learn to think outside the box using problem solving, divergent thinking, and innovation.

They learn creativity by creating something new. They learn self-expression and confidence by sharing what they have to say.

Finally, they are learning all of this using natural, safe, and clean products that are better for their health and the health of the environment.

Q. How does the price of your product compare to others in your category?
A. Everyone knows that natural products come at a premium, so just as you would expect to pay a bit more for organic milk if organics are important to you, Clementine products cost a bit more. Even so, for the cost of a latte, you can have a better product for your children.

Q. Everyone is talking these days about being green. To me, that includes being Fair Trade, being sustainable, and organic. It might even include using alternative energy, or buying energy offsets. How does your company, your product, measure-up on these important issues?
A.  Clementine Art is committed to the health of the environment. Our packaging is made from 80% recycled materials in a wind powered facility using soy ink.

In addition, we manufacture all of our products in the US, eliminating carbon emissions from international imports.

We recently moved our offices to downtown Boulder, and nearly all of us commute by bicycle. On our bikes, we’ve saved 12,500 miles in driving this year – the equivalent of driving a car halfway around the world!

Q. When someone reads the ingredients from the label on Clementine Art, what would you like them to notice?
A. We would like them to notice that there ARE ingredients on the label. No other art company holds themselves to this standard and I don’t know why.

When you do read the ingredients, I’d like you to notice how many of them can be found in your kitchen; flour, salt, turmeric, spinach, oil, etc... Simple ingredients; the same ones you’d use to make modeling dough if you had the time

•••••

That's what my kid needs: yummy, pliable, fun art tools. My mind was going million miles a second when I started to imagine endless benefits to kids and parents. Every mom and dad needs to know about Clementine!

Q. When someone looks at the Clementine Art’s packaging, what do you want them to see (e.g., warnings, benefits, etc.)?
A. Clementine’s packaging is unique. It is simple, clean and pared down – missing any cartoon characters or other chaotic messaging that is frequently found on children’s toys. We would like people to notice the product itself, and the invitation to create – a blank white surface, like a canvas.

Q. Is it Certified: Organic, Kosher, or Halal, or have any other special dietary certifications?
A. Since our products are not for consumption, we have not certified them according to dietary requirements. That said, most of the ingredients on the package are used in natural foods and meet the rigorous standards of natural products vendors like Whole Foods Market.

Q. Where can my readers find your Clementine Art product to buy it?
A. Visit our website www.clementineart.com for a list of retailers. Or look at your local Whole Foods Market or Starbucks coffee.

Q. Where can my readers go to learn more about Clementine Art?
A. There is lots more information on www.clementineart.com and on our blog www.clementineboulder.blogspot.com

•••••

Diana, thank you for this wonderful opportunity to connect, to learn from you, and be inspired. You are an incredible person with constructive power to create, and share, and experience joy in this process. And I am truly joyful I have met you.

So, my dear women, check out this incredible art supply source! Buy it, give it to your kids and relatives with kids. Enjoy your worry-free time when they are busy painting, moulding, drawing.

Celebrate Your Creative Kids.

Celebrate Woman Today: Diana Mercer, Clementine Art

This is how Diana started her business
Read Diana's Hero Quest

You can contact me via my LinkedIn profile

VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

Draw Your Picture, Eat Your Art Supplies, Feel Great!

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(Please DO NOT eat any art supplies on purpose. But if you licked or even swallowed these – no worries – they are 100% non-toxic, natural ingredients. So, happy crafting!)

Did you know that you actually can eat your art supplies and ... still feel great? Before, it would be a joke for me. Now, however, my two-year-old plays only with such creative tools.

A few years ago at one of the shows for healthy products, I was passing by one booth that was so barraged by attendees that I could hardly peak into the heart of the space to see what this ado was about.

Everybody who was crawling out of the crowd was showcasing a free gift – something of color and of weird shape. I didn’t know what it was, and my curiosity couldn’t get my physical body through the crowd, believe it or not. I just continued to the next booth.

A couple years passed by. Another show. Another huge crowd like never before. Decidedly, I squeezed through it. I couldn’t believe my eyes: Those weird-shaped colorful whimsical creations were staring into my face. One time more.

And this pleasant, soft-spoken woman with a huge infectious smile was quickly showing how to use all that she had at her fingertips.

That was my first contact with Diana Mercer of Clementine Art.

Meeting such women like Diana who actually create products, always makes my mind go crazy with questions.

What is Clementine Art?

What made Diana create Clementine Art?

She answers answers exquisitely eloquently to these probing questions.

Q. What got you started on the path of developing Clementine Art products?
A. I have always been interested in children and art. As everyone knows, art can be messy. One day at Clementine, my children’s art studio in Boulder, a mother and I looked over to see a toddler with a paint brush in her mouth like a lollipop. Aghast, we mopped her up, but the parent’s worried look, and question “Is this ok?” got me thinking.

The status quo for safety in children’s art supplies has always been limited to ‘non-toxic’. I had grave doubts that the non-toxic standard was high enough for children. Why didn’t I know what was in the product?

Why wasn’t there a choice for children made from simple, wholesome and clean ingredients that are better for children, and better for the earth?

Q. What was your life before you started this company ... and after ...?
A. For the past 20 years, I have been in the field of education. After receiving my Master’s in Education from CU Boulder in the early 90’s, I began a rich career in the classroom at a small, progressive school that placed a high value on the arts.

I spent the next 10 years up to my ears in professional development experiences; training with some of the nation’s best educators, and studying child development. In 2001, I moved to Aspen to serve as the Director of Education at the Aspen Historical Society.

While Aspen was a hoot, I missed Boulder and moved back to Boulder in 2003 to open Clementine Studio, a creative art space for children. At Clementine Studio, I provided open-ended arts workshops, camps and classes to the Boulder community for 5 years until it was acquired in 2008 by a local, arts education non-profit.

The idea behind my new business, Clementine Art, was to bring the open-ended, high quality and creative art experience from the studio into people’s homes.

As Diana was sharing her hero quest for the best green and edible product on Earth, I was admiring her determination to fuze safety and creativity into children’s lives.

A. Currently, I am finding my way in a new career that has me stretching, jumping, and learning every day. I am surrounded by very clever mentors who are patient with my retail inexperience, and luckily, I work hard and learn fast.

I’ve been writing about the importance of creativity for children, and demonstrating the benefits of Clementine products at events all over the country. I’ve also been making paint in my KitchenAid, researched natural colors, and learned more about p.H. than the average gal. I’ve also had to learn to Twitter.

Q. Who are those remarkable people that influenced your creative, professional, and personal life that lead you to starting and sustaining this company?
A. The educator with the most influence on my teaching philosophy has been Bev Bos. I call her the ‘Queen of Process Art’, but she is so much more. Bev is a child development guru who runs the most inspiring school in Sacramento, CA. She has written two books on child development called Don’t Move the Muffin Tins and Together We’re Better.

Bev will go to any length to make certain her students have what they need including;  trucking in snow from Northern California for her children to experience, filling her play yard with Evergreen trees in pots so her children can play in a ‘forest’, and filling the inside of her school with a deep, pile of sand that her children climbed on, in and around for a month.

She invents wacky paintbrushes, colored water contraptions, and sound experiments that engage her young learners fully and with all their senses and enthusiasm and she has been a deeply inspiring model to hundreds of thousands of preschool teachers across the country.

Todd Woloson, who is the founder of Izze beverage company and a veteran in the natural products industry, is an original founder of Clementine Art and has been instrumental in bringing the vision for Clementine to life. 

Q. Has your involvement with Clementine Art products and company changed your self-image, and your relationships with family, friends, romantic involvement?
A. I think my sheer excitement about the possibilities for Clementine is somewhat catching, and all of my friends and family, certainly, are rooting for me and helping to spread the word.

As for my self-image, I have moments of feeling humbled and terribly naive, and other moments when I am able to embrace my unique expertise and find a place for it in this quickly growing company. It depends on the day.

Q. If you had to do it all over again, would you? And why?
A. Absolutely. It’s exciting, it’s challenging, it’s totally unique, and I have an opportunity to influence the creative lives of large numbers of children in a manner that I haven’t before. I am excited to make a difference.

 •••••

With this humble, yet determined outlook into her life, Diana strikes me as a person with persistent drive to find a solution to whatever a situation calls for. Rare and valuable find.

As I was throwing more questions at her, Diana only seemed to get more excited about sharing more of her and her hero quest into edible art supplies. This is not the end of it. This is just the beginning of conquering the world with edible, colorful, whimsical art pieces.

Curious where Diana ended up? Look no further. It’s right here.

Diana's Culmination as a Creator
Discover Great Kid's Craft Recipe from Clementine Art

You can contact me via my LinkedIn profile

VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

This Dough is The Way to Go!

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My two-year-old is growing by leaps-and-bounds. Every day, he’s ready to shower us with his new words, expressions, ways of doing things. And yes, he is into PlayDoh-type of sculpting. A LOT! Clementine Art modeling dough is one of his favorite past times.

For the past two months, he’s been sculpting nothing, but balls. Small balls, big balls, green balls, and of course Blue balls (as Blue is his favorite color.) His little fingers roll those balls carefully and meticulously, adjusting the size, the corners, mixing colors.

I do the best to buy chemical free, non-toxic art supplies for my child. This year, we discovered Clementine Art. For several months, my baby has been using and re-using Modeling Dough by Clementine Art. No crumbling of this crafting material so far. Actually, they guarantee the quality of modeling dough for 12 months if stored in their containers. Good news: It’ll be for a while until our modeling dough expires!

Oh, the natural scent extracts of lime, lemon, strawberry add more interest and curiosity to any child’s play.

After sculpting done, my boy usually lets newly created balls dry out in the open. When the play dough balls become hard and bouncy, he lines up a colony of Tonka trucks that tow all big balls, small balls, blue balls, All the balls into the storage area, consisting of empty plastic jars. That’s where all the balls are stored.

It is fun and funny what my child comes up with. His new creations bring an amazement within my soul. Grow up, Little One, expressing yourself! And yes, Clementine Art Modeling Dough is an excellent addition to any little sculptor’s art supplies collection.

Disclosure: If and when my references fall onto mentioning any Product and/or Brand in this blog entry, they come from my personal recommendation and experience. I did not receive any products and/or compensation from any mentioned companies and/or brands for promotion, review and/or giveaway.

You can contact me via my LinkedIn profile

VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.