Art Project with Andrew

My six year old has been asking for months to create a piece of wall art similar to this one.

source

I have stalled and stalled on it because 1) it would take a good amount of time to complete and 2) I couldn’t quite decide what the best way to make a frame for it would be.

But the since this project was on the list I was forced to make a decision and begin.

We looked around the garage and found this old Halloween decoration which was broken.

My husband add the ears which were previously the mummy arms while old metal coat hangers became the base for the antlers and the nose.

Using a mix of half Elmer’s glue and half water, Andrew and I paper mached strips of newspaper onto the structure.

Over the course of a week we put on four separate layers.

After a trip to the craft store to choose his colors, Andrew painted his gazelle with a combination of orange, coral, black, white, and blue colors.

There was a minor debate about where this piece of art should hang. Andrew suggested my bedroom which I quickly thanked him for but declined. My thought was for it to go in his bedroom room. He quickly declined that offer. We finally settled on an area in our playroom above a doorway.

Andrew’s already talking about making a water buffalo for the living room and an elephant for his sisters’ room.

I’m thinking I’m going to have to introduce him to the idea of small sculptures.

Tuesday To Do Party

Happy Mardi Gras

Happy Mardi Gras!

I have so many wonderful memories of Mardi Gras from growing up in New Orleans. I remember some of the costumes I wore, the ladder seats we sat in, scavenging the ground for beads, watching the St. Aug band play, and eating Popeye’s chicken.

Those memories spurred me into having our own little Mardi Gras party despite the fact that we are 600 miles from the real event.

Like most parties I host, I was planning on decorating and cleaning right up to the minute when guests walk in the front door.

This time that plan backfired on me.

Our party was set for 4:00 on a Sunday afternoon. I thought…plenty of time to cook and work on things. That’s a great plan exept that I became sick at 6:00pm the night before the party. I mean, I went down quick and was in bed by 8:15.

In came my superhero husband. He cleaned and cooked up a storm. Without him there would have been no party. I was still in bed when it was only one hour until the party and went back to bed about an hour after the party.

So, our decorations were minimal. Not my best work but it is what it is. After all, I’m pretty sure everyone was there for the crawfish pasta and king cake, anyway.

My mom sent the adorable mask along with Mardi Gras plates, napkins, and shirts for the party. The mask was placed in a flower vase filled with purple beads. I added the gold signs which read, “Let the Good Times Roll,” and the same in french,”Laissez Le Bons Temps Rouler.”

The only other decoration I put up for the party was the “Parades” sign. I actually wasn’t able to finish the sign since I got sick so the last parade, Crescent City, has a lighter coat of paint than the others.

And no I haven’t gone back to complete the sign. I got things to do.

I remember getting up early on Mardi Gras day to get to our spot on the parade route. First came Zulu and the thrill of them throwing decorated coconuts, Rex with the huge cow float, and then the truck parades, Elks and Crescent City, which each had over 120 floats in a row.

Steps in creating the sign:

1) Paint large board purple

2) Print out the names of the parades and arrange on the board.

3) Take the slip of paper with the parade name on it and turn it over. Color the letters with a white crayon (you are coloring on the back of the paper).

4) Turn the paper over so that the crayon will make contact with the board.

5) Trace the letters with a pen onto the board.

6) Lift the paper up and you will see a faint outline of the parade name.

7) Color inside the letters with paint.

Go here to see our Mardi Gras wreath.

Do you have any favorite Mardi Gras memories?

Angry Birds Valentines

My six year old requested Angry Birds valentines this year.

I just made them and he is “super” excited to give them to his friends.

If you’d like a copy of the valentines, click here.

Please consider becoming a follower of Big D & Me if you decide to download.

I found the Angry Bird art work on this blog. He has t-shirts and bumper stickers to buy of these super hero birds. I’m thinking those might make a great birthday gift for someone.

 If you’d like something for the younger crowd, I have some Storybook Character Printable Valentines.

michellepaige Tuesday To Do FEatured Todays Creative Blog Making

Jedi Art

My boys have a bedroom which is dominated by Star Wars.

When we moved into our new house, my mom bought the boys Star Wars comforters for their bed, so in their eyes, the rest of the room had to follow suit.

I told them I would try.

They turned to me and said, “Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.”

“I’m just worried you won’t like it.”

To which they said, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.

OK, so maybe they didn’t say it in so many words.

They didn’t have to. They’re Jedis and I read their mind 🙂

For the art work above their bed, I used 6 IKEA frames, a printer, and some material.

Four of the frames are simply Lego Star Wars minifigures printed out.

We goggled their favorite characters and found pictures which would enlarge clearly. Each minifigure had their own space thanks to the picture divider included with the frame.

The other two frames have, “Jedi Alex,” and “Jedi Andrew,” made out of left over material from their window covering.

First, I wrapped the frame in burlap. Next I used the Star Wars font to print out their names on card stock. Next, I cut out the cardstock letters and placed them over some thin denim. I held each letter in place while I cut the denim around the letter. For the space inside the letters I glued different material on top of the denim.

Across from the beds are the chicken wire frames I shared last year.

The Lego minifigure containers sit next to the frames.

Here’s one more look at the art.

May the crafting force be with you!

Singles

We have a sock monster in our house.

We must, because I don’t understand how we have so many single socks waiting for a partner.

After having a rotating pile of socks on my bedroom floor for a year I decided enough is enough – We gave the socks their very own space in the laundry room.

It’s always amazing to me that five or six of these socks will find a match during the week yet the numbers never dwindle due to new socks being added.

Needed: frame without glass, string or wire, staple gun, clothespins

We simply stapled the string to the frame and called it done.

A little peek at the laundry room art I created.

The artwork matches the complete failure of an ironing board cover I made.

Come back next week when I share all of the downloadable laundry art I’ve been working on.

Semi-homemade Gifts

This was originally posted over at Sunny Vanilla a few weeks ago when Jennifer asked me to be a part of her Homemade for the Holidays week. Enjoy!

When Jennifer asked me to participate in the Homemade for the Holidays series I was honestly a little worried.

You see, I’m more like semi-homemade. In fact, I’m the crafting equivalent of Sandra Lee.

I get mistaken for her all the time.

Notice the resemblance?

No? Huh. Must be a setting off on your computer.

Wait. Let me give it one more try.

See? I told you. We’re practically related. In fact, maybe “Sandra Lee & Me” should be my new blog title.

I love to create homemade gifts but don’t always have the skills to implement my big ideas so I do what I can and learn a little more each time. Hopefully one of these days I’ll move away from my Sandra Lee tendencies.

Today I’m going to share with you two crafts I will use as part of my Christmas gifts.

Both projects I’m going to share would be great used as ornaments, wine adornments, or gift tags.

The first ornament involves layering pieces of felt to create a desired shape.

It’s relatively simple and uses only a few materials.

Here are the materials needed: felt, objects to trace circles, scissors, a piece of wire, a Sharpie, and a glue gun.

Trace the circles onto the felt.

You end up with various size circles depending on the jar circumference used. Pardon the different colors shown as I dropped my camera after the picture below was taken and needed to take new pictures).

Stack your circles once they are cut into the desired shape.

Individually fold each circle and cut a small slice in the middle of it. This creates a hole for the wire to pass through.

Bend the bottom of the wired ninety degrees so the felt circle has a place to “sit.”

Take the circle you would like on the bottom of your ornament and slide it down the wire.

Place some glue on the bent wire and attach another felt circle to the glue. This new circle becomes the new bottom and the curved part of the wire should no longer be seen.

Stack the desired number of felt piece by simply sliding each felt circle down your wire.

Continue layering felt pieces into the shape you desire.

Glue on embelllishments in order to complete your ornament.

The shape and color combinations are endless. Adding wooden beads between layers gives the ornament a more rustic look.

Christmas tree, ornament, snowman, modern design

Since personalized gifts are always a hit, I created custom ornaments. The one below is for my father-in-law who is a proud Canadian.

Cut out a design using your scissors and felt.

I free handed the letter “a” but cut out the maple leaf using an image I printed out and placed on top of the felt. I then cut around the paper.

Glue all of the front pieces together.

Using the twine, glue a loop onto the back of the ornament. Next, glue a matching piece of fabric to cover the glue.

Add some fun and personalization to a tin of cookies…

… or use them as wine gift tag

This tag is for my sister Amanda and her husband Ben and it includes an image of their home states.

What about….A lively gift tag for the music teacher or the Saints football fan in your life? Really, the possibilities are endless.

In addition to brightening up a gift, they will look great on their Christmas tree.

Hope you’ve seen something that inspires you to create something handmade (or semi-handmade for some of us) for someone you love.

 

Have you been making any of your Christmas gifts?

The 36th Avenue

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Disguise

Andrew, who’s six,  came home with some additional homework this week.

His assignment was to provide Tom the Turkey with a disguise so that he wouldn’t be cooked on Thanksgiving Day.

Andrew turned his turkey into an elf complete with a toy train in his left wing.

Turkey In Disguise

The next day I was eager to hear all about the other students’ turkeys.

Andrew explained, “There was a Yoda, a Harry Potter, and a cow.

Jane made a cow. She took a paper bag and covered her turkey with it and pasted a cow head on it.

It looks like a kid made it.”

Apparently, art at five and half is just childish while art at six qualifies you to work at the Guggenheim.

Etsy: Family Portraits Edition

 I have some news for you…only 52 days until Christmas!

Yes, that’s right. We must get shopping.

How are you going to remember those special people in your life? The woman who watches your child. The music teacher. Your best friends family. The school teacher. The special neighbor who takes care of your dog. Your family.

This year consider giving a special gift. A gift the person and their family will enjoy for years to come.

Will they enjoy a candle? No. (I’m guilty of giving out 1,362 candles in my life)

Will they enjoy pot holders? No. (Mom, your getting some of these from the kids. Act surprised and love them.)

Will they enjoy a custom portrait? Yes!

I have found eight etsy artists who I think can provide you with that special gift you are looking for. Many of the artists have even agreed to give Big D & Me readers a discount on a purchase!

 Take a moment and see what catches your eye  I promise you there is something for everyone here.

If you click on the shop name you will go to their etsy shop. There you will find many more items worthy of being holiday gifts.

 Custom Art Family Silhouette Print

Nella Designs


Super Hero Family Custom Portraits

MBoarts

MBoarts has kindly agreed to give Big D & Me readers a 10% discount on a store purchase.      Use the code BIGD10 when checking out


5 Custom Wood Peg Dolls

Pegged

Pegged has graciously offered Big D & Me readers a 15% discount for November. Use the coupon code BIGDNME2011 during checkout. Holiday orders must be purchased by Nov 20 to insure delivery.


Custom Family Portrait

A Land Called Anna Lee

Anna Lee has kindly offered Big D & Me readers a 10% off discount on a shop purchase. When you contact her, please mention Big D & Me for the discount.


Custom Folk Art Sculptures

Indigo Twin

Indigo Twin is graciously offering a 10% discount to Big D & Me readers.Please use the coupon code TRICKTREAT during check out.


Custom Cut Paper Portrait

Paper Portrait


Custom Silhouette Family Portrait

Happythought


 Personalized Family Name Art Print

Baby Delicious :Bespoke Art for Children

Baby Delicious is graciously offering Big D & Me readers a 15% discount on a purchase. This offer lasts until November 11, 2011.    Use the coupon code BD15OFF at checkout

Did you see something special? Maybe even something special for you?

Happy Shopping!

 

Art

Normally, I encourage the artisitic process around our house.

Yesterday, not so much.

This looks like a crime scene.

Fortunately for my two year old, I didn’t turn it into one.

We will be renting a steamer very shortly since she decided to paint the carpet which is ONLY ONE YEAR OLD as well.

I was cleaning up a room and thought my husband was watching her.

My husband was sitting with our son during his piano lesson and thought I was watching her.

There was some crying involved afterward and a discussion about how painting is only done on paper.

Apparently the message was not enough for any of us.

The next day I discovered her hiding behind this board…painting it.

Again, my husband and I both assumed the other had her.

We are idiots and she knows it.

When my husband questioned her about painting, she said, “I paint on paper.”

She’s really right.

It was hard to get angry with her when I realized there was a silver lining to all of this.

Her clothes stayed clean.


She worn an apron both times.

Thankful Turkey

This was originally posted last November when only 3 people read my blog – I will have our turkey ready for this Nov 1st as the kids have come to expect it now that this will be our third year sharing our thanks this way.

With the upcoming holidays I find my kids increasingly thinking about what they can get – i.e. video games or enormous toys. Therefore they have not set foot in a toy store since August and I hoard all toy catalogs that come to the house. I’ve been trying to really make it a point in the last year or two to help them think of others and be thankful for what they have.

Last year I made “Tom the Turkey” to help remind us that we are indeed lucky in many ways. I made Tom out of brown bags from the grocery store (yes I know cloth bags are important but sometimes you just need to have the brown bags for projects). Then I cut out feathers from construction paper that we had.

After dinner, everyone gets a feather and writes down what they are thankful for that day. Then we use a glue stick to put the feathers up. The boys seem to really enjoy this activity and won’t let us leave the table without filling out our feathers.

I included a picture of Tom from last year since this year’s turkey has tons of feathers covering his face.

thanksgiving turkey

A sampling of feathers from this year:

From the 8 year old:

I am thankful for….our car…having enough food on the table…going to Gramma & Grampa’s house for Thanksgiving….the Saints winning the Super Bowl.

From the 5 year old:

I am thankful for….Jesus & God…..the shepherd watching over me….going to Gramma & Grampa’s…..eating turkey (in reality he won’t touch the turkey or mashed potatoes with a 10 foot pole….Wyoming and Montana.

What can I say… the boy loves geography.

What are some of the ways your family shares what they are thankful for?

Todays Creative Blog Tuesday To Do Party