Share the Love: DickBlick Art Room Aid Program

In seeking to make space for creativity in my own life, I've found it natural to also intentionally foster creativity in my boys' hearts.

Of course, it looks different in each of their lives than it does in my own, and I've sometimes wondered if perhaps my oldest especially just doesn't like art ... until this year when he began coming home from school proudly showcasing his latest creations.

Some flowers bloom later than others, and my oldest has been one of them. I'm deeply grateful for his teachers, who've long encouraged him for two school years to keep creating no matter how his masterpieces turn out.

Art work created together by my toddler and me

Classrooms are a powerful place to foster creativity; and I've seen how the continual exposure to art projects has helped him embrace and even enjoy creating in ways beyond play.

Sadly, art is one of the first classes to be cut from the day when budgets fall short.

And it's a shame because these art focuses so much on taking what's inside the heart and mind and bringing it to life in new ways. Creativity must be lovingly fostered, which is why I deeply understand the importance of keeping art in the classroom.

With Blick Art Materials' program, Art Room Aid, we parents and teachers and educators are empowered to keep art in our children's classrooms!

Art Room Aid is a program that allows teachers to piece together art supplies needed to carry out art projects in their classrooms and receive donations toward their projects through their Art Room Aid wish list.


Want to see what an Art Room Aid wish list looks like? My oldest son's teachers and I put one together  HERE based off of an art project we'd like to do in late February.


In an effort to expose the children to some great artists and masterpieces, we'll be looking at pictures created by Monet, Van Gough and Seurat. We'll discuss with them the different fun methods the artists employed in creating their masterpieces and then give them free reign to create two pieces of their own. Finally, G and his classmates will learn about what it means to have a gallery showing, and they'll hang their pictures and host an open house for parents and grandparents to come view their creations!

How much fun is that?!

Guess what? Your children could have the same experience! Any teacher or art instructor can set up a wish project in Art Room Aid simply by going to the Art Room Aid site and creating a new project wish list!

Word can then be spread about your wish project via email blasts, social media or word of mouth, increasing the likelihood of finding sponsors for the project. And it's FREE to set up a project, so it's a win-win situation.

Can't wait to share our classroom's project after the little artists are finished!

What about you? Are you an advocate of art in the classroom? Could your school benefit from Art Room Aid?

Disclosure: I was contacted by The Motherhood to work on the Blick Art Materials' Art Room Aid project. My child's school is being gifted with some funding for the project, and I am being compensated for the time it takes to write posts about the Art Room Aid program. 

Create!: Photo Booth Props Tutorial and Pictures

I'm not sure there's anything as alluring as a pretty lady sporting a curly-q mustache.
{Especially when its very obviously made of foam and you can see her sense of humor exuding from behind the black handlebars of such a 'stache.}

I mentioned yesterday that these photo-booth props were the perfect accent to the {mostly} sophisticated spa-weekend bachlorette party some friends and I executed for my bride-to-be sister.


Not only were they SUPER fun
but they also were SUPER easy to craft.

At first I wasn't even going to try to make my own with all the time restrictions I was facing, but Melissa talked me into it {and not one but two Etsy shop owners canceling five and four days before the party also sent me in that direction, too}.


My biggest challenge in the crafting of the props was deciding between using foam, felt or heavy card stock. I chose foam for longevity reasons. It's also water resistant, sturdy and won't flop over after a few uses.

So, without further ado, here's an easy tutorial for making your own party-starting, laughter-inducing photo booth props in just a few hours flat for about $10.

Supplies:


-Several sheets of 2mm thick foam in various colors {I bought sticky-backed sheets}

-heavy duty tape
-grilling skewers or long popsicle sticks
-scissors
-exacto knife or sharp cutting blade
-computer/printer to print templates or simple drawing skills
-pencil

Free Templates:

Lisa Welge mustache templates
The Pretty Blog templates for bowties, lips and necklaces
Tiffany Kelley mustaches

Directions:

1. Draw templates of a few mustaches, glasses, lips and bowties or print a few designs you like

2. Cut the templates out.

3. Place the templates on the back of the foam and trace {I traced on the paper side because mine was sticky-sided on the back.}

4. Use scissors to cut out the shapes; use an exacto knife to edge out the smaller details on the foam.

5. Decorate

6. Cut the sharp edge of the grilling skewer off

7. Tape the skewer to the far left of right side of the design and securely tape the stick to the back of the prop

8. If you're using the sticky-backed foam only cut the backing off of the place where the skewer was attached. Leave the paper on the rest so the prop doesn't stick to all surfaces when not being used

9. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: It should be noted that grown women aren't the only ones who enjoy photo-booth props.

Create: Button Bracelet

I've become a pinning aficionado since discovering pintrest a few weeks ago.

From decorating and organizing ideas to yummy recipes, I've found so much inspiration around the web and on the boards I follow; Pintrest makes it really easy to discover and share inspiration. And, lately, that's just what I've needed -- inspiration coupled with a little motivation to keep on creating even while journeying through my creative desert.

My favorite Pintrest find, probaly, is a button bracelet handcrafted by a jewelery designer at Lillyella.

{Photo from Lillyella}

With the tropical weather keeping us tied to air conditioned places, I felt like yesterday, after my bemoaning of said crative desert, was the perfect day to take a cue from my pin board and create my own button bracelet. The boys and I headed to the craft store and picked out the elastic and buttons together, all of which totaled about $20.



Lillyella made it easy, with step by step directions at her blog.



And can I say? I just adore how my design turned out! Not only am I loving wearing it, but my creative spirit is feeling a little refreshed and renewed.



If you're on Pintrest, let me know so I can follow your boards. I'm Hyacynth there. {Well, I'm Hyacynth everywhere, but you know what I mean.}