Crafty Friday: Silly Faces

For this week's Crafty Friday we're making silly faces! These were a lot of fun, and a big hit with my kids.

The main thing you will need for this project is a close up picture of your child's face, printed on paper or card stock. Then, whatever you have on hand to decorate the picture will work. Here are some suggestions:

-markers/crayons/color pencils
-construction paper/scrapbook paper
-felt
-cotton balls
-buttons
-yarn
-stickers
-material scraps
-glitter
This project is super easy and super silly! After you've printed the pictures, the fun begins. (Just to note, I printed my kids pictures onto computer paper, and then glued them onto a piece of construction paper to make them a bit more sturdy.) Set out all of your supplies, and then, get to decorating.

Audrie had a plan from the start, and got right to work.

With Finn, though, a little prompting was needed. I asked him what he would like to put on his picture, and made a few suggestions such as a felt mustache, a hat, a beard. He went with a nice dark brown mustache, and then got a hold of the stickers. Stickers are an easy way for younger kids to decorate their pictures without a lot of help from the adults.

After a whole sheet of heart stickers, and then a couple of button earrings, it was done.

Audrie transformed her picture into a fanciful clown.

Even I got in on this craft project. I went with George Washington hair, an Abe Lincoln hat, Angelina Jolie lips, and Peter Gallagher eyebrows. Purty, ain't it?

I think I'm going to hang these in my living room.

Have fun creating your own silly faces!

Nessa Dee

**Start gathering up junk for next week's Crafty Friday. We're going to make junk collages!**

Recipe for fun?

Ingredients:

-4 cousins who grew up together (physically not mentally)

-4 do rags (you can find these at Wal-Mart for $1 each)

-4 pairs of sunglasses

Mix all of the ingredients together. Add a pinch of idiotic hand gestures and a dash of mean grimaces as needed.

Throw in a hint of onions....

a couple of kids...

and one mean granny....

and your sure to have at least 10 minutes of alcohol free fun!

This was just one of the many things we did while my brother was in the states. I know what you're thinking...wow, you guys sure do know how to live it up! Well, what can I say...we grew up in a small town and were influenced greatly by the lady in that last picture. :) But seriously, we always have a great time when we're together, albeit a lot of it because of our stupidity. We never fail to laugh, and laughter is the best medicine.

xo

Nessa Dee

**If you're joining us for Crafty Friday, you'll need a close-up picture of your child printed on paper, markers, yarn, construction paper, glue, scissors,etc. We're making silly faces!**

IF: Theater

Stage fright.

xo

Nessa Dee

Through Audrie's Eyes

Audrie asked if she could use the camera for a little while. I happily obliged. I love seeing the pictures taken through her perspective.

I should give her the camera more often.

xo

ND

Crafty Friday: Bean Mosaics

Are you getting enough protein each day? Need to add more fiber to your diet? Then this week's Crafty Friday is for you. All you need for this project is a bottle of glue, some paper (preferably something a little sturdier like card stock, but any paper will do) and the following:

As many kinds of beans as you can muster.

For this project, if your child likes to have a plan, you can suggest drawing a picture first, or print out a coloring page as a guideline. You can find a variety of printable coloring pages here. Then, have fun filling in the lines with your multicolored legumes. Squirt a little dab of glue, add a bean, repeat. Easy peasy.

If your child is not the planning type or doesn't like to be confined by lines or instructions or rules, then just let the creativity flow from their fingertips (as well as the glue bottle). My kids chose this route. Surprise, surprise.

For Finn, a huge glob of glue and no guidelines to fill didn't equal a lack of a plan. With each bean grabbed, he would state "this one goes here and this one goes here and this one goes here..." He seemed to know each bean's location before placing it on the paper.

And the result? A free form, but well thought out piece of abstract art.

Audrie did not like the idea of filling in the lines either, but she knew what she wanted to create.

A horse with a horseshoe was her subject of choice.

Bean mosaics. Cheap, easy, and good for your heart. I apologize for that.

Nessa Dee

The Art of Watering....

... as demonstrated by Finn.

Step 1: Fill the bucket with so much water that it's too heavy to carry.

Step 2: Decide on a place to water, (perhaps right in front of the location where you filled the bucket since it's too heavy to carry) and begin watering.

Step 3: Continue to water the dirt right in front of the watering can. You might even be able to pick the can up a bit.

Step 4: Keep on watering the same spot. The watering can should be light enough to lift at this point.

Step 5: Empty the last remnants of the water inside the can in the exact place where you started watering. The dirt should be quite saturated at this point.

Step 6: Drop the watering can and put a planter on your head because where else would an empty planter go, if not on your head?

xo

ND

IF: Impossibility

Sometimes the impossibility of an endeavor deters us from even trying. But those who press forward and attempt in the face of such impossible measures can achieve great things.

xo

Nessa Dee

Work In Progress

Trying to get a few things done around here. I have a bunch of new paintings that will be in the shop soon!

Hope your day is a productive one!

Nessa Dee

**If you want to join us for Crafty Friday, gather up a variety of beans; we're making mosaics!**

A Rose, is a Rose, is a Rose

Are you enjoying the spoils of spring yet? I have to say that this spring, I'm getting quite spoiled thanks to our weekly visits to my mom and grandparents' cottage. They moved in last fall, so this is their first spring in the new house, and what a colorful one it is. The yard is filled with rose bushes that have saturated the place with vibrant colors and wonderful fragrances. It's made me want to plant a bunch of roses in my backyard, except, with my thumb that's anything but green, they probably wouldn't live to see the beautiful fruits of their labor. Oh, but aren't they gorgeous?

(I know this isn't a rose, but it's quite stunning, so I had to include it.)

Maybe I can paint my thumb green one day, and try my hand at growing roses. But, until then I'll just indulge my senses at Gangy and PaPa's.

Enjoy this spring!

Nessa Dee

Crafty Friday: Bookmarks

My daughter loves to create. She's always crafting, designing, drawing, sewing, and the like. In fact, she creates so much that we've dedicated a good portion of my lower kitchen cabinets to all things crafty. The shelves housing all of my art supplies are partly taken up by bins of material scraps, ribbon, and wood pieces to which she has free access. The craft supplies are so bountiful that they have spilled over into my pantry. We save everything that could become a potential craft: egg cartons, oatmeal containers, lids, boxes, bubble wrap and as a result, we could supply a preschool class with enough craft supplies to last them a year.

The nice thing about having a craft cabinet/pantry/bins taking up my valuable art storage space is that when Audrie has an idea, there's no asking for permission to use some material, no waiting for Mom to get the art supplies out, there's no delay in creativity. She is free to craft whatever's on her mind with whatever's in her cabinet.

I love that Audrie creates all the time, on her own without prompting, but it's made me kind of lazy in the craft department. I find that I rarely plan out craft projects. I no longer set a designated "craft time" to create with my children. I've let Audrie's unprompted creativity take the place of my role as the craft teacher. It's not that I don't want her to create on her own, it's that I know she enjoys having a topic sometimes, and she loves the time we share when crafting together. So, in an effort to designate a craft hour, I've come up with what we're calling Crafty Fridays. I'm collaborating with my daughter to come up with creative craft ideas and bring them to fruition every Friday. And to keep me honest, as well as share these projects, I told Audrie that I would post them on my blog every Friday. If you want, you can join us each Friday and create, too!

For our first ever Crafty Friday, we chose to make bookmarks. The ingredients are as follows:
-Ready made bookmarks (Found at any craft supply store. These aren't necessary, any poster board/cardstock/felt cut to size will work. I just had these on hand.)
- Scrapbook Paper
-Buttons
-Stickers
-Felt
-Ribbon
-Thread
-Markers

First, we gathered our supplies and set them out for easy access, making sure any dangerous objects were out of reach of my ever adventurous and danger prone son. Each child was given a blank bookmark to accessorize to their heart's desire. I suggested making bookmarks out of felt, adding buttons, embroidering the paper......and on and on.

But, Audrie decided to skip all of the fun supplies I set out along with the suggestions I made, and opted for her own fanciful "scrapbook paper" with horse silhouettes.

Stickers were weapon of choice for Finn. I also helped him cut out shapes and glue them to his bookmark.

Once the bookmarks were embellished to their liking, we punched holes in the top and tied a coordinating ribbon through it.


These are some other ideas that we've implemented in the bookmark department:

These bookmarks were added to swag bags to help promote my little Etsy Shop. They were made with squares of scrapbook paper and hand drawn birdies.

As for these bookmarks, they were also made with squares of scrapbook paper (did I mention I like scrapbook paper?) stitched right onto the bookmark. I used Mod Podge to glue the thread to the paper after I stitched it. This is a great way for slightly older crafters to add a little extra something to their paper projects. My daughter has recently become obsessed with sewing, so anything she can stitch is a good thing.

Well, this concludes our first Crafty Friday. As you can see, even with all of the planning and preparation, suggestions and ideas, kids can take their own path. At least I provided the topic. :)

Nessa Dee