Art Adventure: Glue Drawing

Kids love glue, so why not make a whole picture out of glue?

Glue Drawing

Supplies:

• school glue, such as Elmer's
• wax paper
• glitter (optional)

Tear off a piece of wax paper. Let your child draw a line drawing by squeezing glue from the bottle. 

Thicker lines will hold up better in the end.

Make sure line interesect and connect or it won't stay together after it's dry. 

Your child can make something recognizable or just scribble.

Once the drawing is complete, have your child add glitter if you want. 

And then let dry. This is the hardest part because if your lines are very thick, it can take as long as overnight.

Once dry, carefully peel the glue away from the wax paper.

Some scribbles, just kind of hang down and create an abstract mobile.

Or it may remain in shape if thicker lines were used, like this spiderweb design. 

Seeing what happens when you peel it off the wax paper is part of the fun.

Kitchen Crashing: Back splash Tile

Picking tile was another adventure. Diana wanted something interesting, Kent wanted something that wasn't too busy. Neither wanted something overly trendy. Everyone wanted neutral.

And, if you started reading and are wondering who in world are Kent and Diana, read Kitchen crashing parts 1, 2, and 3. Okay? Y'all with me? Good.

It just seems best to be classic and neutral with cabinets, counters and floors since they are big expenses. Tile isn't something you will want to change often so it needs to be something you want to stick with.

We both started out loving this tile:

{source}

Gorgeous! But Mr. Practical pointed out that the bevels would be a pain to keep clean. We also found the white finish to be kind of bright in person, too stark in the sample tile.

We salivated over this:

{source}

but didn't even think it would be in the realm of affordable.

Diana also picked up tile from local home improvement store. For awhile they were seriously leaning toward a traditional subway tile. And Kent like the idea of stainless steel.

It was kind of cool, but I think we were all a bit worried about how great it would be en masse. It might be a bit too shiny. And too trendy.

So, we looked at stuff like this:

{source}

A nice blend of glass and stone in whites and grays. 

{source}

And this is basically the same but with the addition of stainless steel for Kent.

This was one of my favorites, but neither Kent or Diana were big on the little tiles, and Kent is not big on "busy" (meaning random sizes and colors) at all. It's not my kitchen, so they get to veto me. :) I'll admit as much as I think something like this will be okay over time, it is a bit trendy.

So,after so much searching and debating, Diana went forth and ordered the tile we both really liked:

{source}

It's interesting, neutral colored, the lantern shape but no bevels and not overly busy. It's also a traditional shape so even though it's not common, it's also not overly trendy. We have a winner!

 

This post may be linked at the following parties (for their Blog Buttons see my Link Love page): (M) C.R.A.F.T., Amaze Me Monday, Sumo's Sweet Stuff,  (T) A Little Birdie Told Me  Stories of A to Z, The Blackberry Vine, How To's Day , Type A, Amaze Me August, , Show Me What Ya Got,  (W) Wow Me,  Blue Cricket Design, What I Whipped Up, Wicked Awesome Wednesday, Sweet Peas & Bumblebees (TH)   Creative Juice, Thrifty 101 , Smilemonsters , Everything But the Kitchen Sink, Shabby Chic Cottage, Thrifty Thursdays, House of Hepworth's,  (F) Fingerprints on the Fridge, Furniture Feature Friday,  Lovely Crafty Weekend , Remodelaholic, For the Kids Fridays, , Craft Goodies, (Sat) Tatertots and Jello , Anything Goes , Funky Junk Interiors (Sun) Creative Blog & Hop, Sundae Scoop, Under the Table and Dreaming

Art Adventure: Modeling Clay

My philosophy with art is that it is more important to let children explore art media and enjoy it than it is to always have a perfectly complete project. So, sometimes open-ended projects are best.

Modeling Clay Sculptures

Supplies:

• modeling clay
• scissors
• baking sheet
• oven

The easiest way to divide up modeling clay is with scissors.

You have to knead and squish the clay a bit to soften it up so you can work with it. Sometimes kids need help with that part.

Then just let them go, and create anything with their imagination. We had a snowman, pretzels, a bridge, a sheep and a tower created this time.

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with foil and bake the sculptures for about 15 mins. (depending on how thick. Check your package instructions.)

Don't underestimate the power of just giving kids supplies and letting them go. You don't always need an elaborate plan. But if you do want building techniques check out my archive.

This post may be linked at the following parties (for their Blog Buttons see my Link Love page): (M) C.R.A.F.T., Amaze Me Monday, Sumo's Sweet Stuff,  (T) A Little Birdie Told Me  Stories of A to Z, The Blackberry Vine, How To's Day , Type A, Amaze Me August, , Show Me What Ya Got,  (W) Wow Me,  Blue Cricket Design, What I Whipped Up, Wicked Awesome Wednesday, Sweet Peas & Bumblebees (TH)   Creative Juice, Thrifty 101 , Smilemonsters , Everything But the Kitchen Sink, Shabby Chic Cottage, Thrifty Thursdays, House of Hepworth's,  (F) Fingerprints on the Fridge, Furniture Feature Friday,  Lovely Crafty Weekend , Remodelaholic, For the Kids Fridays, , Craft Goodies, (Sat) Tatertots and Jello , Anything Goes , Funky Junk Interiors (Sun) Creative Blog & Hop, Sundae Scoop, Under the Table and Dreaming

Deck the Porch

Time for the requisite Halloween decorations. Halloween isn't my favorite. I don't care for horror movies, so I get to spend an entire month dodging horror movie commercials. Ugh.

I do like making costumes for the kids. And candy is pretty great even if it's crazy expensive anymore.

And I love pumpkins, so we went to the pumpkin farm and loaded up. The family's favorite part is the trebuchet they use to launch giant pumpkins wicked far and they smash in an amazing explosion. :)

That is a blue pumpkin on the hay bale. Or straw? What's the difference again?

We also got many of the cute little mini pumpkins, technically gourds. I only put a few outside.(The squirrels will eat them.)

So, I may not be in love with Halloween, but this autumn goodness makes me happy.

This post may be linked at the following parties (for their Blog Buttons see my Link Love page): (M) C.R.A.F.T., Amaze Me Monday, Sumo's Sweet Stuff,  (T) A Little Birdie Told Me  Stories of A to Z, The Blackberry Vine, How To's Day , Type A, Amaze Me August, , Show Me What Ya Got,  (W) Wow Me,  Blue Cricket Design, What I Whipped Up, Wicked Awesome Wednesday, Sweet Peas & Bumblebees (TH)   Creative Juice, Thrifty 101 , Smilemonsters , Everything But the Kitchen Sink, Shabby Chic Cottage, Thrifty Thursdays, House of Hepworth's,  (F) Fingerprints on the Fridge, Furniture Feature Friday,  Lovely Crafty Weekend , Remodelaholic, For the Kids Fridays, , Craft Goodies, (Sat) Tatertots and Jello , Anything Goes , Funky Junk Interiors (Sun) Creative Blog & Hop, Sundae Scoop, Under the Table and Dreaming

 

Kitchen Crashing, the part in which we demo

The demo has begun in earnest. Kent and Diana included refinishing their wood floors in the rest of the house, so they were banished from the house for awhile. And otherwise they have been roughing it.

The dark side of remodeling; your ping pong table becomes your kitchen and you are all smushed in the basement.

But, back to the kitchen.

They stripped the walls down to the studs, removed cabinets.

It's so open right now!

They may still take out the floors themselves, but at this point it is time to turn things over to the contractor.

For now, it's buh-bye old kitchen!

It's outta here.

If you missed the before:
Kitchen Crashing part 1
and part 2


P.S. Opal Slate did not work. Back to the drawing board on color.

Art Adventure: Matisse

Grr Blogger! I had this scheduled to post this morning and it didn't for whatever reason. I was actually on top of this one! Anyway.

Today's art adventure is one that I was able to share with my son's second grade class. It was so much fun!

Henri Matisse was a French Post-Impressionist painter. He is know for his bold use of color. When he exhibited in 1905 with a group of artists that all used bold color, they were labeled the Fauves which means "wild beasts."

Matisse got a late start in art. In fact, he went to school to study law and became a law clerk. But, during a long recovery from apendicitis, his mom gave him a paint box and that changed everything. At 21, Matisse enrolled in art school where he was told by an art teacher he couldn't draw! But he went on to become a famous artist because he didn't give up.

Toward the end of his life, he could no longer paint and began making collages, still with bold colors and he called this "painting with scissors."

So, today we will make our own collage with bright color and bold pattern. Our inspiration is "Interior with flowers and parrot."

Matisse Interior

Supplies:

• construction paper (3 colors)
• plain paper to build collage on
• scissors
• glue stick
• markers
• scrap papers or old magazines

First, use markers to draw patterns on each of the papers. Make each paper different.

Cut on of your pattern papers in half (or a little more than half if you prefer) and glue it to the plain paper. Then fit a second paper in the remaining half of picture and glue down.

Those are the two walls, and now we need a floor. Lay the third paper so that it overlaps the bottom by two to four inches.

Take a marker and starting at the point where the two walls meet, draw a diagonal line to one corner of the collage paper. Repeat drawing a diagonal to the other corner.

Cut the paper and you have a shallow triangle. Glue in place being sure the point is matched up to where the two walls come together.

Now you have a flattened 3D space, like Matisse.

Just another example.

The next step is to fill up your room. Will it have a pet? Plants? A window? Favorite toys? You can draw them on scraps of paper and glue them on, or you can even cut out things you like from a magazine or catalog.

And that's all there is to it. When I led the class in this project, the kids excitedly exclaimed, "It looks like 3D!" when I showed them how to add the floor triangle. :)

This post may be linked at the following parties (for their Blog Buttons see my Link Love page): (M) C.R.A.F.T., Amaze Me Monday, Sumo's Sweet Stuff,  (T) A Little Birdie Told Me  Stories of A to Z, The Blackberry Vine, How To's Day , Type A, Amaze Me August, , Show Me What Ya Got,  (W) Wow Me,  Blue Cricket Design, What I Whipped Up, Wicked Awesome Wednesday, Sweet Peas & Bumblebees (TH)   Creative Juice, Thrifty 101 , Smilemonsters , Everything But the Kitchen Sink, Shabby Chic Cottage, Thrifty Thursdays, House of Hepworth's,  (F) Fingerprints on the Fridge, Furniture Feature Friday,  Lovely Crafty Weekend , Remodelaholic, For the Kids Fridays, , Craft Goodies, (Sat) Tatertots and Jello , Anything Goes , Funky Junk Interiors (Sun) Creative Blog & Hop, Sundae Scoop, Under the Table and Dreaming

Walls Pretending...

I found this door. It is beautiful. It is awesome.

But let me explain. Our town has "free" (meaning we pay for it in our property tax) large item pick up once a month. Set it on the curb and they come by with the heavy machinery and haul it away. I love this service. It's nice to have, but more importantly, you can find some awesome stuff by the side of the road for absolutely free. Like this door.

My ultimate plan is to banish all uninteresting slab doors from my house. I envision replacing the screen with frosted plexiglass. I hauled this bad boy (solid wood!) into the car myself, and hauled it out of the car into the house. And--!

It doesn't fit. Anywhere. Not even with trimming. We'd have to trim so much we would lose the integrity of the door. >:(

But I love the door. I said, "It could just be decorative?" and Mateo said, "I know! We can hang it randomly on a wall and it will be like Harry Potter." Me, "?" Mateo, "You know walls pretending to be doors..."

At least I'm laughing now. I'll keep you posted. 

This post may be linked at the following parties (for their Blog Buttons see my Link Love page): (M) C.R.A.F.T., Amaze Me Monday, Sumo's Sweet Stuff,  (T) A Little Birdie Told Me  Stories of A to Z, The Blackberry Vine, How To's Day , Type A, Amaze Me August, , Show Me What Ya Got,  (W) Wow Me,  Blue Cricket Design, What I Whipped Up, Wicked Awesome Wednesday, Sweet Peas & Bumblebees (TH)   Creative Juice, Thrifty 101 , Smilemonsters , Everything But the Kitchen Sink, Shabby Chic Cottage, Thrifty Thursdays, House of Hepworth's,  (F) Fingerprints on the Fridge, Furniture Feature Friday,  Lovely Crafty Weekend , Remodelaholic, For the Kids Fridays, , Craft Goodies, (Sat) Tatertots and Jello , Anything Goes , Funky Junk Interiors (Sun) Creative Blog & Hop, Sundae Scoop, Under the Table and Dreaming