This blog started with small daily paintings then changed to a more personal sharing of projects, events and photos. Enjoy!

Monday, February 25, 2013

Art Box

We took turns carrying the art box--it wasn't that heavy, but besides art supplies, it held our snacks and a book.

We hiked to the top of Black Hill where we found daffodils growing and swallowtail butterflies chasing each other around in numbers!

For my granddaughter's ninth birthday, my son refinished this old box, even taking off the hardware--the metal corners to polish them up.  I love the red handle!

Her magic art box!

Thank you Uncle George!!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

One Last Thing

I thought I was done, but those dangling strings needed something!  I hope the students don't mind that I added these little coins!

Done! They'll go back to the classroom tomorrow.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

A Printing Lesson

Here's the last art lesson I taught in my granddaughter's third grade class.  We made prints from a "plate" we created with flat found objects glued to a mat board.

I had the student's smear the glue onto their mat board like a thin layer of icing, plenty of glue to adhere the found objects and then more glue from the bottle if they built up a second layer--(three layers would be too high for the printing)

I took the plates home after they dried so I could spray them with a coat of clear acrylic.  One of the prints we made is an embossing using a damp piece of paper--without the acrylic coating, the paper would stick to the plate.

I've found the best way to get a good clear embossed image, (when you don't have a printing press), is to sit on it!  The kids liked this part.

Our first print was a rubbing with an oil pastel on a thin and flexible paper, the second print was the embossing using white construction paper dipped in water and blotted with a towel, the third print was done with paint--we painted the plate to print on the orange construction paper--some students made another print using their paper towel (this was done without adding any more paint), which came out to be sort of a print and an embossing at the same time.  For display, I collected everything and strung them to hang with their plates at the top.

There's a lot of prep for this lesson and if I were teaching many classes again, I wouldn't be stringing these up for display--takes too long, but I now only volunteer in my granddaughter's class, so I'm doing some things that take a little longer.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Black Feathers on Valentine's Day

I sewed wings for my granddaughter's costume.  It's dress rehearsal today--Valentine's day--She'll be doing a ribbon dance to the Beatles song, "Black Bird".

Finishing two projects to be ready today!

I remember reading somewhere that when Native Americans would dance, it was a bad sign if any little detail, a shell, a bead, a feather should fall off.  I couldn't help but think of this, while trying to attach these feathers;  knowing they'll become wings that will fly all over the stage.   Feathers are tricky!   I sewed through the spine, knotted and glued the beads, then double knotted each one onto a crocheted strand of eyelash yarn.  I feel pretty confident they'll stay on through the wildest dance moves!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Valentines

Here's where the golden arrows landed!  We found an easy to fold origami valentine, and made them into cards for my granddaughter to pass out to her classmates.

I think they could also be made into spaceships.

We changed the folding directions just a bit so these could open enough to insert a message.

And some very cute drawings!

This was an easier project than what we did last year!  

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Little Golden Arrows

My granddaughter and I are making valentines for her class.  These tiny arrows will be part of the valentines--(you'll see the cards soon), but first, a few pictures while I have the arrows all together...



These are made with toothpicks, paper and golden glitter.