Pencil Top Flowers

You don't have to have a lot of art supplies to have an Art Day or to do something creative. Here is an example. Cut out flower petals and leaves from a plain white paper. Patterns here can be copied and enlarged to make petals 6 1/2 inches and leaves 5 1/2 inches. Color them with what you have available. Crayons, markers, paint, colored pencils or draw a beautiful design with a pencil. I painted mine with acrylic paint. For the flower I painted one side and for the leaf I painted both sides.

Once it's dry, cut the pieces out. Slightly fold the petals in half length-wise to give them a little shape. You can also shape them a little by curving them with your fingers. Now tape the flower petals to the top of a pencil. Tape then in a staggering way like the petals of a flower. Then tape the leaves lower down on the pencil. Optional: You can use floral tape to attach these petals and leaves to the pencil for a better hold.

This is a great way to add a little Spring to your desk!

Art Journaling

Many people find pleasure in journaling. Writing about their thoughts and feelings and expressing themselves on the pages in words. An art journal takes it a step further. You can write, draw, paint, color, decoupage or whatever you want to express yourself. You can use pages of paper, or a book or fabric, it's all up to you.

I encourage all kids to keep an art journal. It doesn't have to be like anybody else's, just express yourself in art as you go. You don't even have to fill up each page. You can go back and add to pages later.

There are many books written about art journaling and also try looking up art collage books. But you don't have to look at a book to create an art journal, just get your art supplies together and start experimenting.

Don't know how to start a page? Try painting a background color, mix it up a little by painting a couple accent colors on the page as well. Mix up the brush strokes a little, but not too much with the background color. Then add some stamps, magazine clipping, photos, old book pages, stickers, cayrons, pastels, markers, etc. Now ideas should start to build and expand.

When I start a page often I really don't know how it's going to end up. Sometimes it has a clear path and sometimes it changes completely from where I started. Most of the fun is in the creating. Here are a few of my pages from my art journal.

Float Like a Butterfly, How Can it Be?

Try this easy floating butterfly project with your artists. It's sure to please and it looks like magic. When the secret is revealed you will see it's really very simple.

Copy and enlarge the pattern here and transfer to a piece of card stock paper. The butterfly is about 7 inches across the upper wings. The paper has to be heavy enough to hold it's shape. If you don't have card stock, a file folder will do. On one side, paint, color or draw a beautiful design of butterfly wings. Any design you like. On the other side you will tape a penny on each of the upper wings right where the spots are in the pattern. For a finishing touch you can add a little thin white wire curled on both ends, bent in the middle and taped to the head of the butterfly. I used a twist tie and cut the extra paper off of it.

If the coins are placed in the right spots the butterfly balances and spins a little on your finger when you hold it up.

Simple Basket Weaving Using Yarn

This was a fun little project to do. I made a few of these baskets. Once you know the basic weave, you can use it with all kinds of fibers. I did a basket using this weave with strips of fabric and 1/2 inch cotton cording.

You have probably seen this type of basket weaving in all kinds of baskets. It might look difficult but it's a very easy technique. The materials are simple and there's only three of them. Cotton cording (or clothesline rope), yarn in the color of your choice, and a yarn needle.

You start by wrapping the yarn around the end of the cording for about an inch, then curl end around on itself and then wrap yarn around end to secure. (see fig. 1) Keep on wrapping the yarn around a few times then using a yarn needle, stitch around under the cord on the other side again. (see fig. 2)

As you want to make the sides of the bowl go up, start to shorten up on the amount of wrapping and increase the stitching to the previous row. When you have finished to the size you want, trim the cord and wrap to hide the end. Tie a double knot and weave in ends of yarn.