Blowing Paint for Kid Art

We did a little blow painting exercise last week. The kids got to blow into straws and they didn't get any paint on their hands or clothes. In my book that's a successful stress-free project for mama! Plus it's fun to see where the paint goes, and how force changes the direction and flow of the paint.

For this project all you need is some painting paper (purchased at a local craft store or the stationery department of Target), paint (I used Crayola finger paint), water, straws, and paper cups (to mix the paint in). 

Mix each color of paint separately with enough water to make it runny, so that it will be easy to blow across the paper with a straw. Putting two or three different colors onto the paper will provide extra fun and also interesting contrast. We started with the paint overlapping a bit.

To finish off their pieces of art my kids used a Sharpie to add detail to their little monsters. Be sure to wait for the paint to thoroughly dry before diving in with the marker.

This project is also really cool with simple (thinned) black paint or ink. Make sure to monitor little ones so they don't suck on their straw, or lick paint off the end of it. If your children are a little older and don't need as much direction, consider joining in yourself!

Simply Handmade Sewing Magazine Feature.

The new issue of Simply Handmade Sewing Magazine is out and features a tutorial for my bunting necklace on page 46! Can't find it at your local bookstore? The issue is also available online here. And don't forget, all bunting necklaces in the shop are marked down to $18 for a limited time only!

Bits and Pieces of Little Projects.

I thought I would share some of the little projects I have been working on this past week! My husband and I share a birthday (it's coming up on February 4th). He's been telling me that he wants a walrus mask for an owl based on my masked owl series, so when I found a sketch he had made sitting on the table I tweaked it and stitched up a walrus mask for him. Now all he has to do is choose the colors for his owl!

One of the other things that I've been working on is updating my shop packaging. Mini clothespins covered in washi tape are one of the new components. It actually took more time than I expected to cover two dozen of them. Most orders that ship in a box will now include one!

There were a few paint chip circles left over from my last DIY project, so I covered a piece of paper by overlapping and layering them. I plan to hang it in the girls' bedroom as a small piece of "art".

I've also spent quite a bit of time working on a new business card design, and giving this blog a mini makeover. I had lots of fun designing new elements for the sidebar!

What fun projects have you been working on this week?

Little Rose Pocket.

I've been meaning to start stitching fun little designs onto some boring, plain old tee shirts for a while now, but I never seemed to get around to it. Also I didn't have any shirt suitable for altering lying around until recently.

I had some difficulty in deciding what to stitch on that tiny little pocket, but since I have yet to determine how well these shirts will hold up in the wash, I thought I ought to make something small with a minimal amount of work involved for my first attempt. 

I settled on cutting three small circles in varying sizes and two tiny leaves to create a flower. Placing the leaves on first and positioning the largest circle on top of them, I simply stitched around the circle to hold everything in place.

Next, I positioned the middle layer on top of the first, and stitched my way around it, followed by the topmost circle. In order to fill up the empty spot in the center, I added a couple more stitches to create a swirl. To finish, I stitched the leaves down. 

Viola! A once boring tee shirt, now has a little bit of added interest. Instead of just being cozy, it's now cozy and cute.


The end.