Kids Art Discovery

Happy Valentines Day! I made a bleeding tissue paper heart. Oops! Second attempt worked better. Wet the paper first in the area where you want the color, lay down the dry tissue,then spritz the whole thing and let it dry. Remove the paper and you have your design!

CRAYON STAINED GLASS....a fun easy project. Watching the crayons melt is exciting for all ages! If you have wax paper, crayons and an iron then you have all you need to get started. Just follow the picture directions. 1) make crayon shavings (I used a pencil sharpener. You can use a cheese grater, but watch the knuckles!). 2) sprinkle the shavings between two pieces of wax paper. 3) iron with a low to medium heat iron on the top piece of wax paper. (Don't iron directly onto the crayon - that would make a mess!) 4) when it's cool, which is almost right away, you can cut your stained glass into shapes, maybe cut a frame then hang in a sunny window!

Here's the birdbath spring makeover. The inspiration was from a Pop Artist! Can you guess his name ? Initials are R.L.

Here's an article about an old decorative painting technique with a pattern and " how to" directions at the end of the article.

Discover rosemaling, a creative Norwegian adventure - The Norwegian American Almost all Norwegian Americans have heard of rosemaling. But did you know that this colorful art form that we associate with bestefar and bestemor has a special history, both in Norway and in America?

Here's a fun summer project to do with your children or grandchildren (or just yourself)! Make a birdbath for the backyard. The birds start to congregate in my yard about 7:20 each evening. Tonight I had 2 male cardinals, 1 mockingbird, 3 flycatchers, 1 bluebird, 1 tufted titmouse, 1 chickadee,1 bluejay and a hummingbird. They take turns at the birdbath drinking or bathing, then they sit on the fence and catch bugs for dinner. I sit on the porch swing and watch!

Get some clay pots and start stacking to see what will work. The trick is to get a pot for the top that is big enough to hold one of these plant pot saucers. They are super easy to clean and refill. I buy them at any garden store.

Clean and dry the pots then glue together. I use Gorilla Glue since it's waterproof. Then start painting with any acrylic paint or leftover house paint. If you don't like it, paint it again.

My bird bath pictured here has a two year old paint job and needs repainting. I wonder what my design should be? Sometimes I steal ideas from famous artists. How about Monet or Picasso? Hmmm, I'll have to think about it.
If you try this project I'd love to see your pictures!

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Art around Town

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DRAWING CHALLENGE: Try to draw something fuzzy, your dog or cat or a stuffed animal! TIP: Make all your lines go in the direction of the hairs of the fur. Try it in pencil or color - Have fun!

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