Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

How to make cornstarch toddler paint

Now that Baby Chuck is down to just one nap a day, I'm working on finding new and cheap ways to entertain him.  Earlier this week I made toddler paint using a recipe I found at the Stay at home educator.








Here are some photos from our first painting session.    

For some reason he really wanted to hold a bottle of cooking wine... *sigh*  artists...

I was worried that he would get paint all over himself, but  he did a good job keeping it on the paper.
Tada!  Here's his finished work:
Baby Chuck Norris?  Nay... today he was Baby Chuckson Pollock.







As the paint dried it took on a thick, crumbly texture, so I don't think this would the recipe to use if you wanted to frame your child's artwork.  But, if you're looking for a fun, new, (and cheap!) experience, then I highly recommend this simple three ingredient recipe.  The paints were easy to make, Baby Chuck had fun, and clean up was super easy.  

To make your own toddler paint, just mix together

  • 2 T cornstarch
  • 4 T water
  • a couple of drops of food coloring.  (I put in 4 drops and then dipped my finger into the paint.  Eeek.  Bad idea.  It turned blue and the color took a while to scrub off.   That's why we ended up using paint brushes instead of just painting with our fingers.)



Psst- if you have any ideas/suggestions for cheap and simple ways that I can keep Baby Chuck entertained during the day, let me know.  The cold and wet weather outside has forced us to stay indoors.  Needless to say, we're getting a bit stir crazy.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Blue hands and feet

How was your weekend?

Good, I hope.

Hubby, Chuck, and I have been fighting a nasty bug.  I think Baby Chuck got it around Thanksgiving and then he passed it onto hubby.  My immune system fought a good fight, but I finally succumbed sometime last week.  

Blech. *Sniff sniff*

Baby Chuck and I stayed home for quite a bit, but we pushed ourselves to go to Toddler Time.  This Friday they did a hand and foot painting activity.  I think the children enjoyed being artists for a day.









Friday, October 26, 2012

Crapty Friday- Faux metal magnets made with glue, aluminum, and cardboard

I can't believe it's Friday already.  Time is really whizzing by!  We're still doing some last minute Halloween preparations over here.  I just finished sewing Baby Chuck's super simple costume.  We're also planning on picking out and carving pumpkins this weekend.  Hopefully we aren't too late and there are still good pumpkins to be found.  Eek!   

This week I crapted two kitty magnets.  I was inspired to try out this crapt after seeing this awesome  post.  My kitty magnets were made out of aluminum foil, cereal boxes, and old magnets that I saved from  a magnetic notepad.  (After finishing the last page of the magnetic notepad, I saved the magnets and used them again.)  

Here are the materials that I used:
- magnets  <-- crap
- cereal boxes
- pencil
- Sharpie
- glue
- glue stick
- aluminum foil
- Q-tip
- paper towel
- scissors
- black craft paint (the original set of directions used shoe polish, but we didn't have any so I improvised)
- hot glue gun

Directions:
Step 1:  I cut out two rectangles from the cereal boxes.  These became the base of my magnets.  I doodled images on both and then traced my doodle with glue.  I let the glue dry overnight.  (Note:  I made very simple designs because glue lines are pretty thick.  Later I used a pencil to add details.)

Step 2:  I cut out two pieces of aluminum foil that were bigger than my rectangles.  I glued the aluminum foil onto each rectangle.  Then, I carefully rubbed the aluminum foil to reveal the raised cat shape underneath. (Note: I placed a paper towel between my fingers and the aluminum foil to make sure that I wouldn't rip or scratch the foil.)

Step 3:  I used a Q-tip to rub around the glue.  This made the raised glue bits further stand out.

Step 4:  I trimmed the aluminum foil and glued the excess bits onto the back.

Step 5:  I used a pencil to create texture by drawing different patterns and finer details.
 Step 6:  Using my Q-tip and paper towel, I dabbed craft paint onto small portions of the magnet.  Then I quickly wiped off some of the paint.  The black paint helped the patterns and raised bits to further stand out.  It also made the aluminum foil look less shiny. 

I repeated this dab and wipe off procedure until I got a look that I liked.  To further emphasize the details, I lightly traced portions of my design with the Sharpie marker. 

Step 7:  I glued the magnets onto the back of my cat images and voila, two finished magnets.
This was a pretty fun process.  I felt like I was making some counterfeit antique items.  Don't the finished products look a lot more substantial and expensive than they really are? 

Thanks for joining me on another crapting adventure.
Hope you have a great weekend! 

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Don't... jump?

I love Leandro Erlich's whimsical art installation.  How fun would it be to try it out?   


Bâtiment, Leandro Erlich au 104 by Palagret

First seen here

Monday, January 30, 2012

Date night with an ipod

I heard about this new free app called Camera Art FX.  It lets you apply different artistic filters to photos taken on your favorite iProduct.  Hubby, Chuck, and I enjoyed playing around with it during our last date night:



Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Wallflowers

Aren't these images lovely?
Where does artist Cecilia Paredes end and the environment begin?

What a perfectly placed chrysanthemum

I almost didn't spot her... until I saw the whites of her eyes

There's something so intimate about the curve of a woman's back


First spotted on dear golden vintage blog

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Calling all shoe people

 Kobi Levi's shoes make my Target Converses turn green with envy. 

Coffee, anyone?

Be careful not to slip on that banana peel!

Ma'am, please take off your weapons.  No boarding the plane with these babies. 

Wheeeeeee!  Wear these and you'll be the sexiest mama at the playground.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Here's looking at you, kid

What would you do with a bunch of Styrofoam eyeballs?
Let's see what German artist Timm Schneider did. 





Seeing faces on inanimate objects always cracks me up (as evidenced by this post, this post, this post, and this post.)


First seen on Foodiggity
To see these photos (and more) visit Timm Schneider's website

Monday, November 28, 2011

From trash to art

I often find myself saving plastic containers with the intention of using them for some project later on.  Last week I was introduced to Eric Barclay's artwork (via Foodiggity) and now I'm starting to see containers in a new light.  (Images taken from Eric Barclay's blog.)


Saturday, October 15, 2011

Virtual art gallery

I can't believe how quickly time is flying by.  My niece is no longer in preschool!  She's now in elementary school and making beautiful artwork.

What lovely colors!

Perhaps one day she will be a famous painter like Kadinsky?  (And a chef on the side!)

(Frame borrowed from here)

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

When you don't have a canvas...

We spotted this colorful bus during one of our walks.

"The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street."  ~ Robert Doisneau

Sunday, August 14, 2011

funny shirts --> funny cakes

My friend Alice showed me this awesome website and I was amazed by the funny t-shirt designs and the cakes they inspired.  Below are some of my favorite shirt-cake combos.  Which one is your favorite?








 

Monday, August 8, 2011

Savage Beauty

Sometimes I find myself wishing I was back in New York.  Don't get me wrong, I'm growing to love our new home, but sometimes I miss ethnic food, people watching (one of my favorite hobbies), subway rides, and artistic and cultural opportunities.

Yesterday was the last day of the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met.   Hubby and I never made it back to see the exhibit, so I was thrilled that the Met posted photos of selected objects online.  Now even though I'm far away, I can still experience some of that McQueen magic.

“I try to push the silhouette. To change the silhouette is to change the thinking of how we look." ~ Alexander McQueen

He was an amazing artist.   

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Mobiles on my mind

I'm making a mobile to hang above baby's crib, so  I turned to the internet for some diy inspiration:

These birds are so cute!

Oooh-  I could use embroidery hoops!

I'm drawn to these cheery colorful elephants... hmm...

Ooh- stylized elephants!

Not sure if I'll use this design, but this Calder mobile is AWESOME nonetheless. 

Armed with inspiration, I'm off to the thrift store and craft store to scout out materials!



image sources:  [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]