Tag: Art

family

Pumpkin Painting

Andi

One of the most common Halloween activities many families like to do together is Pumpkin Carving. They go to the pumpkin patch, pick out the biggest ones they can find, take them home and carve Jack-o-lanterns. It really is a fun event, and the pumpkin patches love it too because most of them charge by weight or size. But when your kids are too small to properly carve a pumpkin, and you don’t like squash guts anyway, what are you to do? We do Pumpkin Painting instead.

Each year, we make a trip to the pumpkin patch. I look for one that has lots of activities included in the price of admission, and specific sections for younger kids. A petting zoo is always a big bonus, and if it has a bounce place, it’s a definite win. We spend most of the day there, and towards the end, we go out to pick a pumpkin. But the pumpkin we pick, probably won’t be the one we paint. This one is for my child to proudly parade around and show everyone. I’ll buy painting pumpkins later from the grocery store where they are much cheaper. The day at the pumpkin patch is definitely a seasonal experience for us. The focal point is to have a fun day. It also signals that its fall, and time for pumpkin season.

After we get home, probably the next day, we get out our paints and our painting pumpkin. If you live further south where it stays warm through the fall, you could keep your kid in just a diaper (or underwear if potty trained) and then give them a bath afterward to wash any paint off. I’d also only do this if you have a fenced in yard nobody can peep into. If you do not, you just don’t want your child outside in their underpants, or it’s already cold and snowing before Halloween where you live, my best suggestion is an apron. Paint is still destined to end up on your kids clothing though, so be 100% sure you got washable paint. Put them in worn out clothes you’re not worried about piant getting on.

I take my kids outside to paint, so the mess is not on my flooring. We had a few younger kids join us this year including my younger child, so I got some baby sized pumpkins for them. I aso let my kids use real paintbrushes instead of those flimsy plastic ones kids paint comes with.

This activity probably won’t last long. The older kids may be more intent on their painting, but even so, a pumpkin is only so big. As they get older it may become a longer activity when they start expressing creativity more. Right now it lasts 20-30 minutes at most, much less for younger children.

I still threw my kids clothes right into the washer afterwards and gave them baths because of course they still managed to get everything messy.

As you can see, kids are messy painters. They like to mix colors and experiment. But they are learning to be creative, as well as some hand eye coordination and dexterity. They are also usually very proud of their work, and feel accomplished.

If you want to do a family activity, but on a tight budget, this is also a good alternative. Like I said, the pumpkins we paint we get from the grocery store, off brand childrens paint, and a brush. Your cost will depend on how many pumpkins you need and how large. Those mini pumpkins came 6 in a bag for $3, making this craft less than $10. If you do want a pumpkin patch experience, look for one with a front gate admission. These usually include lots of things in the price. Patchs that are free admission will probably charge for each activity and spending a dollar here, 3 dollars there, accumulates cost very quickly. You get more for your money when the patch has a admission cost, and many have some kind of deal for purchasing tickets online.

So if you are looking for an alternative to pumping carving, look no further! Pumpkin painting is where its at!

Art

A Golden Piano

Andi

Look at this piano! Just take a moment to revel in its beauty.

This is the parlour in the now museum home that belonged to Margaret Brown. She is most commonly recognized as the wealthy woman that survived the sinking of the Titanic. She’s even known as The Unsinkable Molly Brown. She was portrayed by Kathy Bates in the James Cameron film, which was some on point casting by the way. She was well travelled and returning home from Egypt when she boarded the Titanic. I think what makes her significant is not as much the fact she survived, many wealthy passengers survived, it’s that she took it upon herself to help the survivors. She gave them the socks off her feet and the coats she had on. She organized a survivor’s aide fund before they even got back to shore to help the people who lost their entire lives to the ocean.

This piano was not original to the house, but based on photos we do have of the home, this piece fits into their decor. It was magnificent. The sides were painted with country scenes. The keys darkened from age and use. I saw it when I stepped into the house and I wanted to cry it was so beautiful.

The house did have some extra decor because it is so close to Halloween and they do Haunted Victorian Tours. The cobwebs for instance don’t normally belong. However, the spooky extras made the house feel like I was in the Addams Family living room, so I didn’t mind.

The piano was, by far, my favorite part of the home. I wanted to hear it play, but I knew I couldn’t, and it looked as though it hadn’t been played in a very very long time.

I love that art doesnt necessarily come on a canvas in a frame, or even in marble or clay. Art can be in many forms, in any form really. It can look like a painting, or a stained glass window, a piece of music, or an intricate golden piano. Art is beautiful.

family

TP Tube Bat

Andi

What can you possibly do with a toilet paper tube? Quite a bit it turns out. For Halloween, TP Tube crafts include monsters, witches, and bats.

My son made a toilet paper tube bat. This craft could easily be adjusted for a wide range of ages. For younger ages, you could find stick on eyes and mouth, and use crayons. For older kids you could let them cut out their own mouth and wings and glue them on. For my son I cut out the mouth and wings, but I let him glue them on and used paint.

Materials you will need include a TP tube, construction paper, googly eyes, and paint (or crayons) and glue.

So I cut the construction paper and let my child paint it, however he wanted. After he was finished, I glued it to the TP tube and we let it dry. We went on to a different activity and came back to it about 2 hours later. From there on, it was mostly his doing. He glued on the eyes and mouth himself. They needed to be that way so it was smiling when it was hanging upside down. 🤷🏼‍♀️

It was really a rather simple and quick craft. But with the attention spans kids have, it was a perfect length. I enjoyed watching him happily glue on the pieces in the odd way he thought they needed to be. Good idea, great craft 👍🏼.

Art, family

Halloween Wreath Craft

Andi

I set out to make a Halloween wreath and decided to make it with only materials from the Dollar Tree. Now, knock it if you want, but I have my reasons for going there. First, when I started decorating I lived in a less than desirable part of town in a state that has some awful weather. So if my outside decorations were destroyed by weather or stolen, I didn’t want to have spent a lot of money on them. So I’d go to Dollar Tree and I’ve found they have decent looking stuff. Secondly, I see all the time bloggers who make “budget friendly” crafts and “decorations you can do on a budget!” But then end up spending $50 on wreath materials. I’m not sure what budget they’re on, but a $50 wreath isn’t in mine. So if I can make a wreath with only Dollar Tree materials and make it look good, it is possible to decorate on a budget. Take heart, you can do it!Starting pieces. I got a metal wreath ring, three rolls of tool, a string of garland, a little witch hat, a BOO, and two packages of small figures. Totaled to $9, and if you add tax round that up to $10. I did also use a hot glue gun and string that I already had and didn’t calculate into the price. Neither are terribly expensive if you need to buy them. If you do, add another $8-$10 dollars.First, I wrapped the orange tool around the metal ring flatly, and then with the second roll, I wrapped the orange but twisted it. Then added the purple tool on top of the orange. I decided to keep it only two colors to avoid making the wreath too busy and confusing to the eye. Simple is sometimes best, especially when it comes to base colors. I secured the tool directly to the metal ring and added a little hot glue for extra strength because tool likes to come apart.Next I added the ghost Garland. This added a third color to the mix and some spooky as well. I also secured this directly to the metal ring. Pretty simple step, just wrap the garland around the wreath.For the BOO I tied it onto the wreath with string to hold it on. Then I used the hot glue gun to position it where I wanted. I knew simply glue wouldn’t be strong enough to last, which is why I chose to tie it on with string for added strength.After I had the BOO where I wanted it, I arranged the small figures around it for added flair. I had a package of plastic bugs and skeletons and a package of glittery bats. I didnt use all the bugs, mostly just the spiders, so my kids got the extras to play with. I tried to positon them in places with contrasting colors so they would be easy to see. Hot glue is what I used to keep them in place. Careful with this part as not to burn your fingers on the hot glue that eeks through the loose weave of the tool.Lastly, I added the little witch hat in the middle of the wreath. I debated putting it on top or figuring a way to tie it on the front, but ultimately chose to put it in the middle. This was the most difficult part of the entire craft. I tied both sides down with string. I made little peeky holes down to the metal ring and secured the hat directly to it. Once it was tied down, I used a little hot glue to position it exactly how it needed to sit and keep it there.Final product on the door. In total, this took me about an hour to make and cost me just under $10. I like how it turned out, and I’m pretty pleased with my craftiness. I’m thinking next time though, I’m going to use black tool on the base and orange or purple garland. Just to make it more stable and simply pleasing to the eye. Final consensus is you can make a good looking wreath entirely of Dollar Tree materials. Have a fashionable door and not spend a fortune. I’d say the experiment was a success.

family
Andi

I just want to share this beautiful photo I took with you. I wish I had a nicer camera that was able to fully capture the beauty of the mountains, but even with the ditsy one I have, its stunning.

I truly love being in and around nature. The crisp air that fills up your lungs. The fresh odor that people try to replicate and fill their homes with is just all around naturally. The majestic elk posed perfectly on the hillside. It’s so wonderful, relaxing, and peaceful.

When I begin to get overwhelmed with life, I stop everything and go outside just to be in it. To breathe it in and calm my mind.

There’s just nothing quite like it.

Art, family

Beauty from Pain

Andi

I want to talk about one of my favorite artists for a moment, which is Vincent Van Gogh. And I want to talk about him because he was talented and unique, but also tormented and lonely.

Vincent was born in the Netherlands, but moved several times throughout his life, living quite a bit around France. He was very religious, at one point attending seminary. But school was just not his cup of tea. He dropped out of different schools more than once, despite being decent at keeping good grades. Instead of focusing on his studies, he would wander about the countryside and walk for miles and miles each day. He loved being outside in the quiet of nature.

He consistently wrote to his brother throughout his entire life, and it’s from these letters that we can really catch a glimpse into this man’s life. Many people speculate that Vincent had a mental disorder, but as medicine was not what it is today, no one is 100% certain what it was. What we do know is that he experienced severe episodes of depression. He admitted himself into a mental institution for a time, during which he painted a Starry Night. We also know he felt panicked at times, he kept a dreadful diet, was addicted to coffee, and saw no real appreciation for his work during his lifetime.

In this way I feel oddly connected to Vincent. I don’t suffer from manic depression, but I know the feeling of uselessness. Like I have no gifts, no special talent, like nothing I will do will ever matter to anyone. He was unappreciated in his time, and he felt intense pain. Sometimes that aching pain is overwhelming, and the intrusive thoughts make the dark corners creep in. Everyone wants to feel like they have a purpose, and when you don’t, you feel lost. You begin to wonder, why do I keep trying? I will never be successful at anything. Everything I love to do, I suck at. Like I have a curse to be bad at everything I like. And this feeling pops up at the weirdest times, when you least expect it. But we do have one thing he did not, we have much better mental health care now. I can search and find a professional to help me. And it saddens me he didn’t.

But you know one thing that carried with Vincent throughout his entire life? His art. He is one of the most prolific artists of all time. He used color and texture in ways not seen before. He saw beauty in things, no one else saw. So, I suck at gardening. I’m bad at video games. I sound like a wheezing horse when I sing. But I’m going to keep doing it. I’m going to buy another tomato plant, and try again. I will continue singing in the kitchen and no one will stop me. And I will keep playing games I love because I like playing them and for no other reason. Because 🖕🏽 you dark creeping thoughts, you won’t overcome me.

Vincent Van Gogh never saw his namesake museum. He never knew his painting could sell for nearly 4 million dollars. He won’t ever know that he is taught in art classes. But we do, we know his legacy, we can love him now. Maybe somehow, he can see us from the great beyond, and maybe he’d shed a tear. And maybe he’d tell you, no matter the negativity, never give up on the things you love the most.