paper roll owls :: project with kids

i keep finding endless crafts to do with paper rolls.  above, the boys and i made our little owl family for fall decor for our living room. i think it's funny that "the monster's" blue owl looks like an angry bird.

xoxo

handprint tree :: project with kids

i don't know about the kiddos in your life, but my boys love to finger paint.  i guess it's the mess they enjoy!

the other day, the "monster" created this tree and i thought it was such a fantastic idea!  i've seen handprint trees before where leaves are painted with cue tips or thumbprints, but i had never seen branches created by  tracing the creases in a hand.

anyway... i wanted to share (and brag a bit too).  xoxo

bubble art :: children's art project

have you tried 'bubble art' yet?!  by adding food coloring to the kiddos bubbles, then letting them go to town on a paper covered surface, a fun abstract piece is created.  plus they'll remember it forever.  plus, plus it's a great indoor activity during this loooooong winter.

gotta love that.

o, and we have used both printer paper & watercolor paper.  printer paper works fine for an easy grab and go, but it does tend to curl as it dries.  if you use watercolor paper, you'll avoid that.

enjoy!  xoxo

interactive drawing :: children's art project

i gave 'the monster' my old digital camera for christmas this past year.  he is having so much fun with it and i really love looking thru his photos.  he takes lots and lots of images of his toys... which could go on and on because the boy has a lot of toys!

the other night on our weekly 'art night' that we do as a family, i came up with the idea of making an interactive drawing.  the goal was to draw something that could then interact with your hand somehow and we would use his camera to capture the interaction.  two of my favorites he came up with are shown above - a dog-like animal biting his finger and a venus flytrap reaching to attack.  i really think he showed great imagination and quite frankly, i didn't even know he knew what a venus flytrap was.  ha!

p.s.  i know my boys are never wearing shirts in the photos i seem to take.  i swear i do dress them when we leave the house, but i will admit to calling them 'mowgli' because they really don't like clothes.  it's somewhat worrisome i suppose, but i'm hoping they'll grow out of it...

xoxo

homemade clay ornaments :: diy :: kid project

yep.  another holiday ornament tutorial.  but you can't blame me for this one because my darling niece was visiting and we just haaaaaad to do a project!  i followed the tutorial for these easy clay ornaments by the woodside kitchen.

we made the 'dough' and cut-out our shapes in the evening.  then cooked them [ovenight, whoops!] and painted these cuties the next morning.  and yes, i did accidentally leave my oven on all night while i had a very pleasant sleep.  thankfully, no fire [and hubby didn't notice so i avoided a relentless teasing].  also thankfully, the ornaments didn't burn!  after we covered the slightly-brown-spots with paint, no one could tell that these roasted a little longer than normal.  ha!

this was a fun fun project for the kiddos and although messy, even my 2-year-old got in on the fun.

have a great weekend friends, xoxo

art outreach gift bags :: personal story

for the last school year, i have been volunteering in my son's kindergarten class for art outreach.  each month, i check out a portfolio from the local art association and then teach the little ones about it.  at the end of each lesson, we would do a project.  it has been one of the most rewarding parts of my year!  the students have learned about a vast range of subjects from matisse to puppets and they have grasped the concepts of line direction and perspective.  i am so proud of them and their willingness to participate!

last week, i went for the last time.  i wanted to provide some random art supplies so that they can use their imaginations this summer to create something... well, artful.  i had so much fun packaging up the supplies.  in their gift bags, i included paint, glitter, a sketch pad, a paint brush, chalk, colored pencils and oil pastels.  i decorated the sketch pads with fun paper and washi tape.  making over 20 of these was quite the project actually, but hearing the kids' outbursts of joy (as only a kid can do) when they opened up their gifts made it so worth it.

i remember being that age and having the same type of excitement when my parents bought me new school or art supplies.  that's probably why i love the photographs above so much.  it's in me.  my heart literally starts beating a bit faster when any sort of art project is on the horizon.  i was so happy to share that with my son's friends this year.

melting crayons

our labor day was a rainy one. we made the best of it while simultaneously finding use for all of those broken crayons!

 

  

  

  

  

we first shredded the crayons using a cheese grater.   then we pored them out over a piece of paper and on top of that, placed wax paper.  i ironed the wax paper until all of the crayon shreds melted, then we peeled back the wax paper.  after our design cooled, we cut out a heart and other shapes (not pictured).

i have also seen people just break up the crayons and put them in muffin pans.  you can melt the wax in the oven, and when it cools, you have one big multi-colored crayon!  i thought it might be a fun idea to stick a wick in each "crayon muffin" and when it cools, you will have a candle.  maybe a nice xmas idea?!