ART CAMP 2011 - DAY TWO SYMMETRY

After a very busy Day One with the printing press project, I decided to go with a more laid back approach for day two. As Petunia reminded me - "Not everyone is used to your pace!" Ha! Out of the mouths of babes. So I decided to use some less ambitious "filler" projects I had in mind, link them with a common theme and enjoy a slower-paced day with the girls.

The first project we took on was a butterfly suncatcher. I did not get a great shot of these but you can see the girls holding them in the pic above. We had talked a bit the day before about how nothing in nature is perfect (as the girls stressed about free-handing their sea creatures), so I took the opportunity to link that discussion to the butterflies. While nothing in nature is perfect, some things are symmetrical! The girls were encouraged to paint their suncatchers in a symmetrical pattern although, it was not mandatory as I did not want to stifle anyone's creativity. It is summer, after all!


We then used the same gel paint with it's beautiful iridescent quality to paint one-half of a butterfly free-hand. We folded a large paper in half, using the middle seam as the middle of the butterfly body and the girls painted the butterfly however they wished. I realized that children must not do a lot of free-hand drawing and painting in school because they were very intimidated to just put paint brush to paper. I was happy to encourage them to just go for it because the results were magnificent! Once they completed half the butterfly, they unfolded the paper and folded it over again to make an impression of the paint on the other side. The girls were thrilled when they pulled back the paper and saw the results!

These two projects brought us right to lunch time so after lunch, I thought we'd have a little fun! I brought out a huge bucket of chalk, had the girls line up down the driveway and team up to trace each other. The idea was that the silhouettes of themselves loosely followed the symmetry theme (remember, this was a laid back fun day!) and I really wanted to encourage more drawing as the girls seemed so intimidated by it. Chalk is not permanent so I thought they'd be more free with their creations.


The girls really had a lot of fun with this and planned out exactly how they wanted to be traced to create the drawing that they had in mind. We had everything from mermaids...


to models walking the runway...and just about everything in between. We then had a quick minute to get started on a project that will be completed on day four. So you'll have to wait until then to see it.

Tomorrow, break's over! We're back at it with some beautiful nature printing and bookbinding!!

ART CAMP 2011 - DAY ONE PRINTMAKING

Another summer means another year of Art Camp, one of my favorite weeks of the year!!! This year we went all out with a larger group and some awesome projects that we have never done before!

Because we had more girls, I had much less time to take pictures so you'll have to fill in some gaps with your imagination. The theme for Day One was Printmaking and I absolutely adored this project. We started the day by covering some artist canvas with sand. The sanded canvases would be the base to display our prints. While we were at it, we covered some little treasure boxes with sand as well just for an extra little bonus. We were making a mess with sand anyway, why not?

Then each girl was given a rectangle of fun foam and told to free hand a drawing of any sea creature and cut it out. The details of the creature did not matter, it was the shape itself that we were going for. We had whales, dolphins, star fish, squid, the variety that the girls came up with was tremendous!



After each girl cut out her sea creature, I attached each one to a mailing cylinder that I had on hand with hot glue making our own, homemade printing press! So cool, right?! We then rolled out long sheets of paper down the driveway, "inked" up the press with paint and rolled the press along the paper, stopping to re-ink as needed. This created a beautiful repeating pattern of all of the sea creatures. I have to admit that the girls thought this was a lot of trouble to go through to get a print when they could have just inked up their one creature and printed it on to paper but once they saw the beautiful result, I think they were on board. After all, anyone can use a stamp - we made a printing press!!


After the was dry, we studied the prints that were made and each girl chose a section of the print that included the sea creature that they had created. We then mounted the print to the sanded canvas and embellished with shells! The results were really beautiful. While we were at it, we also embellished the little treasure boxes with shells for an additional little keepsake.


So that was it, Art Camp day one! Here is a shot of the printing press after we had used it and little Peanut with her completed project. She's so proud to keep up with the big girls!

Come back tomorrow to find out what we did on Day Two! (I'll give you a hint, the topic was symmetry).

JULY 4TH BIKE HANDLE STREAMERS

Check out these bike handle streamers from Alpha Mom! They look fun and easy to make and would be the perfect decor for your bike parade!

FABRIC SCRAP NECKLACES (AND GARLAND!)

Remember these fabric scrap necklaces that I did as a part of the art camp I held for my daughter and her friends? Well, since then I've been dreaming of making these en masse to use as a garland on my Christmas tree. This year, I'm finally taking this on and the time to start is now! I'll keep you all posted on my progress.

For a complete tutorial, go to Cakies and then gather up all those scraps. I have a feeling that once you start making these, you won't want to stop.

HANGING JACK O' LANTERNS

Brilliant use for plastic jack o' lantern pails. Black spray paint, fishing line and you have big impact for little dollars. Love it!

Image from BHG found on bedifferentactnormal (one of my faves!). 

ALTERNATE PLANS

Just as we were on our way out the door to go berry picking, a thunder storm rolled in. Oh well, there's always tomorrow. I think we may make these instead.

ART CAMP - DAY THREE

Today was the final day of art camp and I can honestly say that I'm sad that it's over. I'd like to take a day or two off, but I would definitely be ready to pick right up again on Monday! Sadly, that is not the plan, but this is absolutely something we will do again in the future.

The theme for today was wearable art and I decided to reward the girls' hard work these past two days with some fun projects that can be completed rather quickly. I had planned to start out with some fabric scrap necklaces to use up some of the scraps from the purses we made on day one, but when Petunia saw the Martha Stewart paper bead necklace kit that I picked up just in case I needed an extra activity, she fell in love with the idea and wanted to make that first. So that's what we did! Here are the girls rolling the paper beads.

Now to string the beads on to the elastic, making a pattern of colors and sizes.

This was a great activity for Peanut because she finally felt like she could keep up with the big girls and truly make her own necklace with very little help.

Like most of Martha's kits, this really was well put together and the colors and patterns are beautiful. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed that this is the project that Petunia chose, but once we got started, I realized it was a perfect choice.

Here is Peanut showing off her creation.

And here is a completed necklace. I love how the little girl that made this one planned it so she can wear it with one side showing pink, orange and green or flip it to the other side to show the blues, depending on what she was wearing. Very clever!

Once the necklaces were made, we quickly moved on to the next project. I was determined to use some of the beautiful scraps leftover from the purses we made, so we decided to make some fabric pins. 

The first step was to position the template on the fabric to find the most beautiful spot to cut, then the template was traced and the circle was carefully cut out of the fabric. I then helped the girls personalize their buttons by adding a painted monogram.

Next, the buttons were assembled with the Badge-a-minit and we used our muscles to squeeze really hard and secure the pins. Anytime I can use my Badge-a-minit, I'm happy.

Here is our adorable group modeling their pins and necklaces after a great couple of days of camp. I did have a few more projects up my sleeve, but the girls decided to save them for next time and spend the rest of this very warm day swimming. That's fine with me, as that means there will be a next time! Although I'm taking bets that the next spare moment Petunia has she will want me to work on the remaining projects with her.

Well that's it for Summer Art Camp 2009! I really learned a lot from this experience and will definitely be planning future sessions. I know that the girls had tons of fun, are thrilled with their new treasures and learned some new skills in the process - so I'd call that a great success!

So many of you have contacted me asking for advice on how to host your own art camp, and I am just thrilled that so many people are inspired to take this on themselves. To help you along, I will be recapping the entire three days and including some tips and tricks and lessons learned along the way in my next post. Check back for that no later than Monday.

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!

FABRIC SCRAP NECKLACE

I've been dreaming about holding a little arts and crafts camp this summer for Petunia and some of her friends. Nothing too formal, just a few afternoons over the course of the summer. Some ideas that I have for projects are bookbinding, printmaking (of course) and a little sewing project that I will share with you soon. When I saw this brilliant recycling project, I knew it was the perfect idea to round out our lineup. These adorable little necklaces are made from fabric scraps! Aren't they pretty? They remind me of those faded rope bracelets that I have always loved to wear (Petunia is sporting one right now, as a matter of fact!). Only these necklaces are much more fun and colorful.

For a complete tutorial, go to Cakies and then gather up all those scraps. I have a feeling that once we start making these, we won't want to stop.

ETA: As I hit publish, my brain just exploded with happy ideas. Picture these strung together as a garland on a white flocked christmas tree! Or strung and draped over a table as party garlands! I hope I have enough scraps...

A TRIP DOWN {EASTER PROJECT} MEMORY LANE

Easter 2002 - Sheep Cupcakes

{mini marshmallows for body & ears; large marshmallow halved for head}

Spring 2004 - Lollipop Flower Cupcakes

{blow pops, fruit-striped gum leaves and an out-of-focus camera}

Easter 2005 - Bunny Rabbit Cake

{bake a 9" round cake, cut in half, stand halves on side, frost and decorate)

Easter 2006 - Bunny Baby Hat

{made from the sleeve of a men's t-shirt from MS Baby Magazine)

Can you tell that I've been organizing some old photos? But I promise that it's not all about the past. I have a new Easter printable (available for free download) all set to go for tomorrow, so be sure to check back!

ONE IN A MILLION

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Hope yours was as fun as ours. There is a good deal of green in Peanut's outfit, by the way. I don't want you to think we didn't fully acknowledge the day. The green is just hidden by all that pink!  (otherwise known as her daily uniform)

Oh, and since it's in the photo and I've been meaning to show this to you, check out the ribbon wand I made for Peanut out of a bunch of Christmas scraps. That's right, scraps!

The plastic ring held a new scarf for Petunia and the ribbon came from wrapped packages, but was unable to be reused for a similar purpose because it is embossed with a store name. All too pretty and full of potential to be discarded, so we made a ribbon wand! I just looped the ribbon through itself and onto to the ring, securing the knots with a bit of glue and voila! - a ribbon wand. Peanut dances and runs and plays games and cuddles with it. I think it may be her most prized possession. Well, after the crown and tutu, of course. The girl does have her standards.

SNOW-DAY EMERGENCY: VALENTINE CRAFTS

If you're looking down the barrel of a snow day (like me!), here are some fun Valentine crafts to keep the kids busy and make you feel oh-so-organized for getting a jump on Valentine's Day before February 1st! 

Love Birds from Mrs. D. Lightful

These cute little birdies are so clever. Made with just paper and paper clips! We're planning on making an entire flock.

Felt Heart Cookies from Chasing Cheerios

Felt food is all the rage and you likely have some felt scraps and a needle and thread lying around.   These would make the most adorable classroom Valentines; something to be cherished forever. Just attach a tag with your valentine message and your child will have the most heartfelt handout in the class! (sorry - I had to say it)

Valentine Hand Warmer from Sweet Tidings

This is just the best idea ever! So sweet and charming; the perfect little gift for teachers, grandmas, aunties. Head over to Sweet Tidings' beautiful blog for a template and complete tutorial. 

PARTY BANNERS

I just loooooove party banners, don't you? They are the epitome of festive and fun. I also love how the British call them buntings. I don't know why, it just makes me happy. (It is the British that use that term, isn't it? Or am I making that up?) Anyway, here are two fun and very different banner tutorials that are perfect to make on your own or with your littles. One from mayamade, as pictured above.

The other from the small object. Happy Bunting!

PSA re: OILCLOTH

In a pinch and don't have time to sew? Ummm....yes! Well, a yard and a half of oilcloth is the perfect length for a banquet table tablecloth. You don't even need to finish the edges - it hangs beautifully! Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Photo courtesy of modernjune. She does have time to sew! Check out her shop for perfectly finished pieces.