April Showers Umbrella Craft

By Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks

We all know April showers bring May flowers, but too many rainy days can make you a little stir crazy. These umbrella mobiles  from Ramblings of a Crazy Woman are a fun, easy craft for a rainy day that even little kids can do.

For each umbrella you’ll need:

Paper plate
Stickers, markers, crayons, or paint for decorating
Several blue rain drops cut from blue construction paper (we used eight)
A “J” shape cut from contruction paper for the umbrella’s handle
Glitter and glue (optional)
Thread or fishing line
Hole punch
Tape or glue

Cut the paper plate in half. Cut a slit in each plate, at the top of one and from the bottom of the other. I made my slits about half the width of the plate. Don’t cut all the way through!

Set your kids to decorating their umbrellas on all sides, leaving the area around the slits clear. If necessary, let them dry. My son is going through an ocean and “Finding Nemo” phase, so he opted for sea creature and fish stickers.

Punch holes along the straight edge of your umbrella pieces. I did two on each side of the slits. Slide your umbrella pieces together at the slits to form an “X”. I taped ours together to keep the shape.

If desired, glue glitter to your raindrops to make them sparkle. When they’re dry, tie them to your thread or fishing line and then attach the opposite end to the umbrella. Tie another loop of thread at the top of your umbrella.

Hang and enjoy!

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Twirling Umbrellas

Hand Stitched Appliqued Onesie - Customized Umbrella from eleanorestreasures

Baby / Toddler Sweetheart Sun Hat from nanabrowns

Key Chain Wristlet, Beach Umbrella from brooksboutique

Blue Umbrella embroidered baby bib from MorningTempest

Beach Babes, Folk Art Signed Matted Digital Print from RisingStarArt

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Tutorial:: Faux Frosted Glass

From Kayce of WorldofWhimm and On a Whimm.  

It's hard to tell that it's Spring here in the Northwest. The sun is finally out, but the wind whipping through makes it feel like it's still below freezing. So I need to do things to bring Spring indoors. I need something that would make me smile and help me hold on to hope that warmer weather is just around the corner. So I decided to do a little spring version of a mirror decal that I came up with for my daughter's birthday party. Her party was Alice in Wonderland so I made the decal to go with the theme. It was so much fun that I've decided keep one up in the bathroom for special occasions and holidays.

Here's how to do it:

Materials:

• Contact paper (also called shelf paper - I used white)
• Scissors
• Exacto knife
• Cutting Mat
• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Clip art, printed and cut around edges (optional)

Step 1: Plan your design. I did this on a separate piece of paper. Just a quick sketch of what I wanted.

Step 2: Measure your mirror and cut the contact paper to fit (for the Alice in Wonderland piece, I used two vertical pieces).

Step 3: Turn it over and on the back draw your design (in reverse). I recommend pencil for this step... I used pen so that you could see what I was doing. Either way, it won't show since the back piece of paper will be removed. I also drew my design freehand. If you aren't this confident, you can print some clip art on your printer, cut around the outside of them and trace the silhouette onto the back of the contact paper (I did this for some of the Alice in Wonderland design).

Step 4: Cut out your design. If you have pieces that are islands, be sure to keep track of them when you cut them out, or don't completely cut them out - leaving it attached to the larger piece with a thin strip (see my letter "A" and "R"). I used scissors for the larger parts and an exact knife for the details and inside pieces. I also used a hole punch for the bird eyes.

Step 5: Clean your mirror. Then start on the straight edge of your contact paper, if you have one, and fold it back so that only an inch is exposed. This will make it easier for you to line it up and make sure it's straight before you peel it all off.

Step 6: (I recommend having two people for this step - one to peel, one to smooth) Slowly peel away the back as you press the sticky side of the paper against the mirror, doing your best to push out all bubbles. I found it difficult to get rid of all bubbles - but I didn't have a helper. Beware that if you pull the paper off, do it carefully as it will stretch slightly which will only add to the number of bubbles you have.

Step 7: Clean the mirror one more time if you have fingerprints all over - and your done!

The contact paper comes off fairly easily when you are ready to remove it. I did have to pull it off in several pieces and it left some glue in a few spots. However, the glue washed off easily with a mixture of vinegar, lemon, dish soap and water. I'm sure a glass cleaner would work as well.

Happy Spring!

Kayce can be found online on her blog On a Whimm, facebook, and her Etsy Shop: 

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Hippity Hoppity Paper Bag Frog Puppets

By Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks

Here’s an easy activity perfect for spring days when you’ve got just a little time for an activity: paper bag frog puppets! Even better, chances are pretty good you’ve already got everything you need:

Lunch-size brown paper bag
Green construction paper
Red construction paper
Googly eyes (the bigger the better!)
Glue

My inspiration came from this blog post. We made our frog puppets on Feb. 29 (aka, Leap Day) and paired them with a few of the Froggy books by author Jonathan London and illustrator Frank Remkiewicz. But, I think you’ll find this is great for any spring day or even an “F”-themed day – especially if you’ve got a good place to go looking for frogs!

First, you’ll need some basic shapes:

Two strips of green paper that are rounded on one end for eyes
Two green arms
Two green legs
Several green circles
A long red tongue

Depending on the age of your kids, you can either precut these shapes or trace them onto construction paper and let them do the cutting.

Glue the googly eyes onto the eye strips and fold under the bottom (non-round) end. Glue to the base of your paper bag.

Glue the eyes and legs inside the side folds of your paper bag. Glue the tongue under the bottom of the bag.

Last, glue the green dots all over your frog. Put your hand inside and start hopping!

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Cardboard artwork with the kids

Today we have a guest post from Amber of AmberParis.

She is sharing a fun activie to do with your kids and all you need is cardboard and lots of glue!

start with lots of cardboard…one large piece to serve as the base/canvas and many many smaller scraps cut/ripped down. I cut a lot of strips with a paper cutter and also cut several piles of squares, circles and triangles. I also gathered some various thin wood odds and bits to incorporate. and some empty ribbon spools.

add a big container of homemade paste…we mixed some elmer’s into ours to give it a bit of extra hold.

we looked at some of louise nevelson’s work prior to this project, but I didn’t give the kids any instructions beyond letting them know they had to put paste down EACH time they added something new to the piece…my 3yo had trouble remembering this step…but in the end, the paste was a sculptural element in its own right!

once your kids are happy with their piece and/or tire of art making, set the art works somewhere safe to dry for several days.it took nearly a week for ours to dry, but the paste was also inches-thick in areas!

now it’s time to shop for spray paint! my kids only got to “shop” through my selection of colors in my studio, but a trip to the hardware store to choose from the many colors out there would be fun!

 

give the pieces a good coat or two of spray paint and then allow to dry thoroughly. we loved ours so much, we framed them to hang in our living room!

 

When Amber is not having loads of fun with her kids she is sewing and making fun felt play food! She sells the yummy enough to eat felt food in her etsy shop.

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{{ HUGS!! }} from Us to You

'cause it's National Hug day and, well ... we think you're pretty great!

Safe in Your Arms, by MossyRockDesigns

XOXO Valentine Cupcake Wrappers, by YourlittleCupcake

Tree Hugger Cinch Backpacks, by TheSewingLoft

'Owl Hug Ya' 11x14 acrylic on canvas, by FairyDawn

Personalized Great Bear Hug Teacher Notepad, by kindlivingdesigns

Hug Me Valentine hairclip, by fortheloveofzebra  

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Salt Paintings

By: Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks

Winter hasn’t snowed us in yet in Maryland (we’re still waiting!), but we have had several windy, chilly days that have kept my son and I inside and looking for things to do. A couple of days ago, I found directions for salt painting in a science activity book I bought my son (he’s 4) for Christmas.

Man, did they come out cool!

Here’s what you need:

Paint (I used poster paint)
Brushes
Heavy paper (I used cardstock)
Large-grain salt (I used Kosher salt)

First, pick a couple of paint colors. We used purple, yellow, green, and glittery red, but I’d recommend darker colors so the effect of the salt shows up well. (It got lost a little on the yellow.) Then, water down the paint so it’s fairly thin.

The instructions I had showed dragons, so my son decided he wanted to make dinosaurs. We drew our dinosaurs in pencil on the cardstock and painted over them. We didn’t worry about staying inside the lines; I cut them out after they were dry. Put a lot of paint on your drawing. You want lots of liquid for the salt to soak up.

While the paint is still wet, sprinkle lots of salt all over your artwork. Set aside to dry.

When the paint is dry, brush off the salt grains, and you’ll see that wherever there was a salt grain, you’ll see a darker patch of paint. If you’d like, add detail to your drawing with a marker. We cut our drawings out and mounted them on black construction paper.

Here’s the science bit: The salt crystals absorb the water from the paint around it, leaving dark spots where the crystals were because there was more paint there and elsewhere on the paper. Try larger-grain salt for bigger dark spots!

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Displaying Kids Artwork

Were you inspired to encourage your children to create more art after reading Plume De Nikola's post Art Festival Time? A great reminder to not only allow our children creative time, but to also encourage them to try and experiment with traditional art techniques and mediums.

Lots of parents struggle with how to display all of the projects their children create at home, in the classroom, and during extra curricular activities. Displaying a child's creative efforts is important to developing their sense of self and cultivating their future creative pursuits.

Clutter and organization experts suggest providing a defined space, with limits, for displaying your child's work. If you'd like, involve them in selecting the location, but be sure to display their work prominently in your home where everyone can see it. It's also important to pick a setting with spacial limits. A defined amount of display space, encouraging them to make choices about what projects to keep and what to part with.

A simple google search proves there are tons of creative ways to display your children's artwork. Everything from large push pin or magnetic bulletin boards, to a small collection of large frames or the front or side of the refrigerator.

Having a gallery wall to display all of the children's artwork has worked well in our home. During the school year, everyone's work is displayed on the gallery wall. I'll write their name and class grade on the back and tape or pin it to the wall. When space runs out, we photograph each project, selecting just a few to save, and recycling the rest, making room for new projects.

Recently PreschoolDollDesigns, posted a simple way to display artwork, photographs, certificates, homework or other 2-D treasures your children come home with on her blog. It's a clothes line for art that you attach to the wall with nails or cup hooks. Simple, inexpensive and super chic!

Photo from PreschooDollDesign

You'll need clothes pins, ribbon, two nails or cup hooks, tape measure and wall space. The number of clothes pins and the length of ribbon will depend on the length of your wall display space. Once you've selected your wall space, determine the height of the clothes line and it's length. Place a nail or cup hook on each end. If your dedicating an entire wall space to the display of your children's art, consider stacking two or three rows of display space, spaced two feet apart.

To create the actual clothes line, thread the ribbon through the spring of the clothes pin. Repeat for the number of clothes pins you have space for. PreschoolDollDesigns recommends spacing them every 10-12 inches. The great thing about this set up is that they slid, easily accommodating small and over-sized projects. Once you have the desired number of clothes pins on your ribbon, tie a loop at one end. Hook over one of the cup hooks or nails. Stretch the ribbon to the second hook/nail and tie a second loop. The ribbon will stretch a bit over time with projects hanging on the line, so tie the ribbon straight and taught with little to not slack.

Here's a similar artwork display line in use in our home.


PreschoolDollDesign has great suggestions of where to hang your art clothes line, along with four other ways to fabulously live free on her post, 5 Ways to Fabulously Live Free. I also loved looking through her Etsy Easter Finds ... 20 things for under $20. Lots of great finds the kids will love, and so will your budget.

Visit PreschoolDollDesign on Etsy and on Facebook.

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Wall Art Wednesday - week 4

To the Moon by InnerPiecesGallery
FLY by PaintMeAPicture
Flying High by chichiboulie
Alien Rocketship by thechubbydove

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Wall Art Wednesday - week 3

Bean Stock, hand painted Growth Chart by bobsandbits
Giraffe Safari, hand painted Growth Chart by GrowinLikeAWeed
Jungle Growth Chart, Customize by LittleElephantCo

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Wall Art Wednesday - week 2

Letterpress Alphabet Print by sweetbeets
Modern Alphabet Print by gracehesterdesigns
Modern Alphabet Wall Art by MamaMayI
Alphabet wall art by Kindlynoted

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Wall Art for Little Bedrooms

At the slightest hint of Spring, the cleaning, de-cluttering, purging, rearranging, and redecorating side of me jumps into action, especially in the kids bedrooms - holy moly kids can cram a ton of stuff in their rooms, especially over the winter, [what's with that?]! Once their rooms are sparkling and orderly, the rearranging and redecorating begins! In our house, this kind of redecorating is more rearranging than redecorating, 'cause there isn’t much budget for “decorating.” So we move furniture around, add and subtract accessories from one room for another, turn sheets into curtains, and do all we can to make the room look totally fresh and different.

Art work is always something I struggle with in my kids rooms. I want something fun, creative and inspiring, but I also want it to work for my 3 year old or my 10 year old, and still work when they're 16. [I know I ask a lot for my $1]

The EtsyKids team has an amazing selection of “wall art.” Prints or original works in a variety of different themes, colors, sizes and prices. How fun to be able to add a new dimension to a child’s space with an original piece of art. Here are four to get your search started.

Alligator Gator Love by weandthebean
Random Frogs by cicifactory
Underground Homes by LittleDumplingPrints
Oh by FlutterBrush

I'll be sharing more EtsyKids wall art over the coming weeks. Look for them on Wall Art Wednesdays.

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Saturday Reflections from the little sister

Hi Divas! I'm late writing b/c Ive been busy cleaning away - My big brother is coming to visit next weekend. For those of you who don't know - we met a year ago for the first time after being apart our entire lives. I won't go into the whole story - but If you'd like to know about it you can read about him finding me here and about our first meeting here.

I haven't had alot of time to think of a topic for today but while we were eating dinner I read through a few magazines and I found 3 quotes that I'd like to share that I hope Inspire you.

'To affect the quality of the day is the highest of the arts'- Henry David Thoreau

'Art expresses the artist unique vision, but it's also about the need to communicate.' -Mary Engelbreit

'Progress...not Perfection!' - Robert Sabuda

HAVE A WONDERFUL, PRODUCTIVE WEEKEND! XO

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On the third day of Christmas, the EtsyKids Team gave to me...

...three art prints!

Reproduction of the original acrylic painting of Wendel's Workshop from Gold Dust Galleries. Wendel is one of Santa's little helpers and this is his workshop. If you close you eyes really tight (and use your imagination), you can almost see him inside making lots of toys for little girls and boys for the upcoming holiday season!

Custom Digital Portrait Silhouette from Petit Debutant. Winner will receive 2 high res 5x7 files, one right facing one left facing.
(For personal use only.)












'Tonight, I'm dreaming my way to the moon.' 8 x 8 inch art print from Twinkle Star Art. Featuring a boy blasting off to space in his rocket. He dreams of gazing at the planets and stars through his telescope while flying all the way to the moon.








Three french hens are hiding in a few item listings from EtsyKids members. Find just one of them and you could win one of these art prints!

Today's clue is: MacDonald's abode

When you think you've solved it and know what the keyword is, go to Etsy.com and type your keyword + etsykids team into the search, and start looking!

Once you have found the image, send a conversation to Little Pags Boutique with 'EtsyKids 12 Days of Christmas' in the subject line, and a link to the item where you found it by midnight (Eastern time) November 30th. All correct entries will be entered into a random drawing for a prize!

Don't forget to keep track of where you find each day's image so you can enter the grand prize drawing at the end!

For complete instructions on how to play and contest rules, please click here.

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A big thanks to BuggaLove and My Mini-Mocs for creating the images, and Little Elephant Company for coming up with the clues!

Written by:

The Clever Kitty

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