Decoupage is the art of decorating an object by gluing colored paper cut-outs onto it.  Each layer of paper is sealed with a glue or varnish before adding another new layer. 

You can use the decoupage technique to create a beautiful votive candle holder.

Watercolor resist is a technique that artists use to create interesting effects in their paintings. 

The basic idea is that wax or oil will resist water-based paints; the paint won't stick to it.  You can use this technique to create beautiful paintings of ocean life or anything else your imagination can dream up.

Spring is finally here and that means one very important thing to me.  Flowers! 

They're everywhere right now and I can't get enough of them. Pink ones, purple ones, yellow ones, and white ones... there's just something about the fresh colors of spring flowers.

While you're out enjoying the weather, collect some of those beautiful spring flowers to use in your arts and crafts projects. 

For pressing flowers, look for more flat flowers like violets, pansies, and daisies.  Thicker flowers will work, but they take longer to dry.  Don't forget that green is good, too. So, collect interesting leaves from flowers, trees, ferns - wherever you find them.  These will make your crafts even more interesting and natural looking!

You may remember making a God's Eye weave in scouts or at camp as a child.  The Ojo de Dios, or Eye of God, is a Native American craft of the Huichol Indians of northwestern Mexico. 

The Eye of God is a symbol of the power of seeing and understanding the unknown.  They are made for children when they are born and a new eye is added for each year until they are five.

These are easy and fun to make and are a great craft to share with your children.  Because they require few materials and are very simple (but time-consuming) to make, they make a great rainy day activity! 

I have done this activity with children from 1st through 8th grades and it is always a hit -- it works particularly well for very energetic kids or those with ADHD.

Doing arts and crafts with kids can be a fun and rewarding experience. Often, these are the moments that your children will remember and cherish years from now.  When you take the time to help your child make a craft, not only are you creating a keepsake, you are creating a memory.
   
Beginning to do crafts with your child can seem daunting at first, but it doesn’t have to be difficult, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Start out with simple projects that you feel comfortable with. Then, as your skills grow, you can tackle more complicated projects. 

You can find lots of materials around your house that can be re-used or recycled to become part of your art projects. 

Carving out the time can be a challenge too, but when you remember that the time spent with your children could be the most important appointment you keep this week, you may find you have more time than you thought. Schedule it in and hold yourself to it.  You will be glad you did.

Here's a fun idea for one of your first projects together: Make a craft box for all of your art supplies!

If you knit

...and/or you enjoy hearing about random acts of kindness

...then this will make your day!

With summer on its way out, and the cold weather (yes, even snow) just around the corner... I'm going to try & find some colorful flowers out & about this weekend.

I guess it's my last-ditch effort at holding onto summer.

My goal is to press a few of the flowers that I pick, then add them around a small photo collage -- just a handful of photographs we took this summer.

It will be a fun way to preserve our summertime memories.

Here's how I press flowers...