If I had to choose one art medium for the rest of my life it would be fibers. I am always drawn to them, even from an early age when I only wanted to wear corduroy pants because I could run my fingers across the grooves and make a cool sound. My focus as an…
Teen Crafts
Watercolor and Pastel Valentines
This weekend I was inspired by one of the prompts in our February Creativity Project guide, appropriately named Friendship and centered around love, kindness, and connection. The prompt is a simple invitation with watercolors and pastels, and the possibilities are endless. These hearts are channeling a little Jim Dine, who explored relationships of color, texture…
Styrofoam Printing with Kids
Printmaking is one of the fine arts (including painting, drawing, collage, and sculpture) that involves making a “master plate” which you then can use to make multiple images which are printed in reverse. There are so many ways to print, it’s almost endless! Potato and veggie printing, linoleum printing, mono prints, bubble wrap printing, yarn…
20 Paper Mâché Ideas For Kids
Paper mâché is one of those classic art techniques that all children should experience at some point in their childhood. Getting your hands covered in ooey, gooey paste is a rite of passage! You will need some preparation and planning, but the process is so enriching and the end result is always kind of magical….
Yarn Star Ornaments
Today I want to share how we made these delightful DIY yarn star ornaments! I love this idea of wrapping pipe cleaners with yarn. It’s not only charming and pretty, but therapeutic. (And yes, everything is cuter with pom-poms!) [ I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed…
Washer Necklaces
Today I want to share with you a very simple and insanely cool way to make these beautiful washer necklaces with your kids. Can you believe these are just ordinary washers from the hardware store? I think they look like something you would find at Anthropologie! My daughter made these all by herself (age 10), and…
Poppy Art with Coffee Filters
It’s hard to believe what you can make with coffee filters, it’s one of my fave art materials. I also have an obsession with anything Merimekko so this Poppy Art project fills both my addictions! This is a very fun and easy project with beautiful, eye-popping results. Kids and grownups will both love painting on…
Sunburst Paintings
Revamping this popular Sunburst Paintings post today because I had a lightbulb moment during a sleepless night recently… make them with a heart! [ This post was originally published on the blog Small for Big. ] There is something so satisfying about an art project that combines painting and math. It probably has to do with the…
Model Magic Slime: Two Ways
My resident slime expert, Ava, has come up with a new Model Magic slime! Actually, she uses both Model Magic and the new Japanese equivalent (which is a bit softer with deeper colors), Daiso Clay. I will give you step-by-step instructions for both, and then compare the two at the end. Are you ready to…
Blind Contour Drawings with Kids
Blind contour drawings are the most fun you can have drawing with another person. Have you ever tried them? The rule is that you can’t look down at your paper and you can’t lift your pen. This makes for the most hysterical – and quite honestly the most exquisite – abstract portraits! So I got…
