ART CAMP - DAY ONE

Well, I officially survived the first day of art camp. Not only did I survive - it was an absolute blast! Petunia was very practical and decided to start small and invite only two friends figuring that with her and Peanut (who is more like five kids all wrapped in to one!) that would be plenty. She's a very smart girl as this was the perfect group, we can add more next time once we have some experience under our belt.

We jumped right in with a sewing project from The Object Project, the "Kid Flick" Girl's purse. The finished product is absolutely adorable and the pattern is a DVD case. Very clever! This was the first time using a sewing machine for all of the girls and I was so impressed with how well they handled the machine.

Always one to keep up with the big kids, here is Peanut folding her fabric. (note to self: reapply sunscreen more often, she should not have a tan on her arms).

Once the body of the purse was sewn, the girls learned some gathering and hand stitching techniques to attach the handles, which are cute little bangle bracelets. Also very clever! 

The hand stitching took some time...

...but they took a couple of breaks

and did some beautiful work.

Then outside for a picnic lunch to rest their fingers and chat about how they would embellish their purses.

Here they are showing off their completed creations, embellished with handmade tulle flowers and felt flowers and birds. Aren't they sweet? And the purses are pretty cute too.

The purses are already filled with mini notebooks, pens and lipgloss. The greatest satisfaction of a job well done is the payoff of being able to use what you've made - and look good doing it!

Now to prepare for tomorrow. Print making and bookbinding are on the agenda. I can't wait!