Watercolor Resist Valentine's Cards

Last week my son and I experimented with watercolors and crayons to make some crayon resist Valentine's Cards!  They may look a bit amateur- ish, but they were fun to make!  Plus, nothing beats a home made Valentine's card :)

Here's a simple tutorial I put together for you:


Materials:
white card stock or watercolor paper
white crayon
watercolor paints
paint brush

Step 1:  Draw a design or write a Valentine's message on the front of a folded piece of white card stock or watercolor paper.  This is kinda hard to do because you can't see very well what you are drawing or writing.

Step 2: Load up some watercolor paints on a paintbrush and paint over the area you just drew on with with crayon to see your design come to life!

Step 3:  Let the paint dry and add any other embellishments you like.

Photo of the Week

How is everyone surviving the winter so far (if it is winter where you are)?  The temperature inversions and smog here are awful, but I'm finding that it's much more bearable to be cooped up in a house versus an apartment. We have a lot more room, so we don't get cabin fever quite as easily :)

The day I chose to go out to take photos this week was a warmer one (by warmer I mean the high was 38), but the wind was blowing so it felt much much colder.   Needless to say, I did not get any good shots this week .  So here's a picture I took a few years back of a water fountain on Temple Square.  I've always loved this shot.  It makes me feel calm.  Water usually makes me feel that way and being near the temple ALWAYS makes me feel that way.  So ya, it's a good place to be :)

Painting Hearts

As my son likes to remind me, the next holiday is ... yes... Valentine's Day!  I know it's still a ways off, but I've already started on some Valentine's stuff.

I made a couple of watercolor heart paintings.  I have no idea if they will sell, but I had fun making them anyway :)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/118033157/original-watercolor-hearts-painting-8x10

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/118033393/original-watercolor-heart-cluster

Crochet Sea Pennies Tutorial

Hey everyone! Today I'm sharing a very basic crochet technique to make crochet "sea pennies".  They're fun and easy to make, plus they are the basis for making crochet flowers and hats.  So ya,  it's a good crochet skill to have under your belt.

Materials: 
(You can make these with any size hook and any type of yarn, but this is what I used for this tutorial)
Yarn- worsted weight
Crochet Hook- size H

Step 1: Make a basic loop.  Some call this a "magic circle" because it allows you to pull the circle to close it together after you finish stitching.  You can find a tutorial on it HERE or you can do what I do, just make a loop like you're tying a simple not. It's a little harder to close the circle with my method, but it works for me.

Step 2:  Chain 3.

Step 3:  11 double crochet into the beginning chain.

Step 4:  Slip stitch into the top of the beginning chain 3 and fasten off.

Step 5:   Pull the beginning tail of your loop or your "magic circle" to close the gap in the middle and weave in ends.

There you have it!  You can make a whole blanket out of these or use them as embellishments.  I have plans to make a bracelet with these soon!  

Photo of the Week

I'm starting to appreciate the beauty of ice.  My camera has amazing zoom capabilities that allow you to see things you couldn't see with the naked eye, unless you  put your face right next to it.  I was not about to lay down on the icy ground, so I'm grateful that my camera could do the work for me :)

ABC Board Art Hanger

I love the art of children.  It's so honest and unpremeditated.  While it doesn't always make sense to adults, it's an amazing tool that children use to make sense of their world.  I love watching my son draw for that reason.  We talk while he draws and it's amazing to see his imagination coming to life.  

 I find children and art fascinating. I could go on about that forever, but I will spare you.  On to my latest art-related project:  

THE ABC BOARD ART HANGER!

My son has an ever growing collection of drawings/ sticker/ pom pom creations and my fridge space is limited.  We needed something he could hang in his room to display his work.... and I thought I'd try to make it educational too by putting the alphabet on it.  

I took one of the boards that were left over from our new fence and gave it a coat of primer.  Once that dried, I spray painted it this lovely happy green color... my fav!  Next I did a lot of stencil work.  I don't own a cricut or any machine of that sort, so made my own designs by hand and traced them out.  It took quite a while.

Once I had all the stencils painted in I gave it a nice coat of varnish.  Then I glued the clothespins on.  And wala!  A beautiful and handy art hanger!  This really brightens up the little guy's room.  

A Look at my Sketchbook

 Happy 2013!  I think I'll start off the new year with a few sketches of my favorite little boy.

I hardly ever sketch this kid live. He moves much much too fast.  So I usually sketch from photos.

I love my little boy and I love reading him stories!  I am constantly inspired by the beautiful illustrations in children's books.

These leaf drawings were inspired by a book called Grandpa Green, a really cute book about a gardening grandpa who makes sculptures from bushes in his yard that tell the stories of his life.  The illustrations are amazing!  I may attempt a watercolor along these lines in the future :)