What we have been up to in April, 2014



I realize that I probably should update this blog more often!  At this point in my life I just can't squeeze the extra time.  However, to see all the new things on our website you could just go to www.happyfamilyart.com  In the meantime, I am going to commit to doing a monthly update. 
Here is the update for April, 2014!!!
Let's see what we did.

We visited the Morris Museum in NJ: http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Our-Visit-To-Morris-Museum-NJ.html

We also went to IPlay America for some fun in an arcade and indoor rides.  It was great.  Read more about it here: http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Our-Visit-To-IPlayAmerica.html

 

We made quite a few great crafts.  Like these recycled portfolios: http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Recycled-Art-Portfolios.html

And these lovely flower hairbands made from recycled t-shirts: http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Recycled-Tshirt-Headband.html
 



 

Of course there is an art project there as well, Watercolor Water Lilies: http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Painting-Water-Lilies.html

 

 

I also added a few new sections.  One of them is all about art history for kids.  These are new, so there are only a few things there.  So far we have an art lesson on Georges Seurat: http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Georges-Seurat-Art-Lesson.html
 

Another is on Louis Comfort Tiffany: http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Tiffany-Stained-Glass-Art-Lesson.html

 

I also added a section on Photography.  I dubbed it a 1000 Photos Project.  I am hoping to improve my photo taking skills as I climb to a 1000 Photos.  Here is a link for that section, I do hope you like it: http://www.happyfamilyart.com/1000-Photos-Project.html

 

I think that is about it for the month of April! I hope you enjoyed it, and stop by again!  Also, I love comments, and don't be shy about using the contact me page with any questions!  Thank you, and see you at the end of this May!



Magic Wands

 

Everyone needs a little magic.  I made these out of paint swatches and wooden skewers.  If you would like to see how, click here: http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Magic-Wands-Craft.html

Awesome Sparkly Felt Crowns

It was cold around here last few weeks. REALLY COLD!!! So cold, in fact, that we had to stay inside for quite a few days. Since we were home I took out some crafts for me to play with. Crafts that were too girly for my boys to even look at. Lots of sparkles, sequins and other shiny things. I decided that I NEED to make a felt crown. You know, so that I could wear it around the house whilst doing dishes and such. Wait, but I didn't only make one crown, I went ahead and made FIVE! See what happens when I stay home for too long: I start playing with scissors and glue, and sequins. 

To see how I made them look here: http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Felt-Crown-Craft.html

Art Games

I tried this game yesterday with kids: In a bin I had all kinds of different words written down on pieces of paper (folded so that they couldn't see the words right away). I like a good mix of animals and household objects. The kids would p...ull out two pieces of paper and draw a combination of the words they got. They had a few minutes to sketch it out. After they did about 10 combinations each, they got to pick their favorite one and draw it out on a different paper, and color it in. It was a lot of fun! My favorites were definately the Book Chicken, the Elephant Trees, and the Cat Spaceships. There was also Alien Ice Cream, Balloon Pony, and many more. The kids had a blast doing it.

We also played the broken telephone with art. One kid would come up with a rather detailed idea for a picture, like a Big Blue Shark Playing a Loud Flute Under Water, and whisper it to the next kid, and the next and the next, etc. At the end everyone had a different idea. It is a broken telephone after all. :)

For the first game and more cool art games see the article below by Becca Swanson:

http://voices.yahoo.com/10-art-games-play-classroom-7177042.html

I have been busy

Past few months I have been very busy building my site: www.happyfamilyart.com 
There are so many new projects on there, and yet more to come. 
Here are a few of the most recent ones:

Learn how to draw this wonderful Landscape in Colored Pencil:

 

 

http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Landscape-In-Colored-Pencil.html

 

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Or you could make a few notebooks as stocking stuffers:

 

 

http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Handmade-Notebook.html

 

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Or you could check out my awesome list of kids books that includes our favorites through the kids ages:

 

 

http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Great-Books-For-Children.html

 

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You could also read the Tips For Nurturing Creative Kids that I wrote over here:

 

http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Tips-For-Creative-Kids.html

 

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There is also a few new art works, and mosaics:

 

 

I hope you enjoy it all!!!

Tissue Paper Collage

After I made the piñata for my son's birthday I had a lot of tissue paper left over. It is all colorful and pretty, and my hands were just itching to do something with it. Tissue paper collage was the first thing that came to mind. I love all the colors, and how tissue paper is transparent. I also absolutely love Eric Carle's illustrations, you can find them on his website here: http://www.eric-carle.com/home.html I think they are great! While I am not used to working with tissue paper, and this is a first for me, I wanted to give it a try.

Actually, I made two of them, but I liked the second one better.  The first one was more of a learning experience.  I put both of them on the website, just in case.

 

To see the step by step instructions please visit my website here:

http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Tissue-Paper-Collage.html

Beach Themed Candleholders.

Every time I am at the beach with my kids, I always pick up pretty shells and pieces of sea glass. Frankly, I don't know why, I never have any specific purpose for them in mind, it has just become a habit for me. At the end of summer, my purse pockets are filled with little rocks, seashells and pieces of sea glass.

After the super storm Sandy knocked our power out for eight long days, I found myself in a desperate need for candleholders. Not usually one to use candles for fun, I didn't have any around the house. We made do with jars and lids at the time, but now I found myself on the kick to make candleholders. The ones with the seashells turned out to be one of my favorites.

They are all easy to make and produce a beautiful result. 

 

 

To see the instruction, please visit my website here:

http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Seashell-Candleholders.html

Rachel's Awesome Sewing

Sewing with kids is an awesome way to spend time together. While my boys aren't into it, their cousin, Rachel, absolutely loves it! With a bit of help and encouragement she has already made a bunch of pillowcases, two dresses for herself and a whole lot of clothing for her bear. Check it all out below:

 

 

 

Simple Beaded Earrings

These earrings are simple to make and fun to wear.  There are endless possibilities as to which kind you can make.  I made a batch of them for my kids' craft market day.  There are some with beads, some with wire, some with feathers.  Quick, easy, fun and inexpensive. 

 

To see the instructions on how to make them, please look at my website right here: http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Simple-Bead-Earrings.html
Enjoy!

 

Recycled T-Shirt Doggie Toy

This project is super easy to make, and is a great way to recycle a few old t-shirts. If you have a dog, making an awesome dog toy out of old t-shirts is super easy, and free. So before running to the store to get a tug-of-war rope for your furry loved one, give this a try. Plus, your pup will love it even more because it will smell like you!

 

This is a photo of our big doggie (we have three: tiny, medium and big), enjoying his new toy.

 

To read the instructions, please visit my website right here:

http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Recycled-Tshirt-Dog-Toy.html



Awesome Birthday Pinata!

My youngest had a birthday party recently.  Actually, since two of his close friends had birthdays within a day of him, their moms and I decided to throw a big collective birthday party. The boys share almost all friends, with an exception of a few. As you can imagine the turnout for the party was enormous. There were close to 50 children.  We all pitched in, and had pizza, salads, fruits and berries, a beautiful chocolate cake, and a 'no presents' rule so that folks wouldn't feel overwhelmed by having to get gifts for three kids.  It was a good party, everyone had a good time.

His favorite thing for every birthday is having a Piñata that he can break open with his friends.  We didn't do any party favors, and decided that the prizes in the Pinata would serve that purpose.  Now the question is: where do you get a Pinata that size, one that is strong enough for all the kids to have a turn at hitting it (and some kids are older and much stronger).  I looked around online, and after seeing the prices and the sized that weren't big enough, I decided to make one.

It turned out to be better and way cheaper than buying one. While it did take some time for me to make it, I feel like it was worth it! The Piñata I made came out strong (it held up through all the kids and even some parents), beautiful, and definitely big enough for everyone to enjoy!

At first I was going to make a very simple one: just take a large square box, strengthen it with papier-mâché, then wrap it all pretty like a present and let them whack it with a bat. However, my kids had a different idea in mind: they wanted a car shaped piñata. Go figure. So, with the help of my kids, here is how I made my beautiful car shaped piñata.
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You will need a large piece of strong, good cardboard. I happened to have one from a shipment of something or other in my garage. It has to be big enough to cut out two sides of the piñata, and the center for it. You will also need a roll of packing tape, some recycled brown paper bags from a store, newspaper or recycled paper for papier-mâché, tissue paper, some recycled wrapping paper and a few construction paper sheets (I used 12x18 inch construction paper: 2 black, 2 blue, 1 red, 1 orange), also some flour and water to make the glue.

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To begin take your giant piece of cardboard and draw the shape of the piñata you would like, in my case it was a car, but the less curves, dips and bends you have the easier it will be to make. Cut the shape out. I started cutting it out with scissors, but that was too tough, so I used a small sharp knife instead, box cutter would probably be better, but since I don't have one, knife did the job. Once you have one side cut out, put it on top of the remaining cardboard, trace it and cut it out again. You should have two sides that are the same.

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To continue reading the instructions, please visit my website here: http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Pinata.html

Saving Summer!

I love summer and usually get sad when it is over.  Last year the kids and I made these just before it got cold:

 

 

I got large clear Christmas glass balls in ACMoore and then we put a bit of ground in them and carefully arranged a few small plants from our backyard in them with chopsticks.  A few broke in the process, so please be careful with glass pieces!  Otherwise they came out great.  You do have to make sure to spary some water into them, and occasionally check to make sure they are not to dry!  They lasted quite a bit!  All the way until spring brought new plants.

 

Don't forget to like us on facebook: www.facebook.com/happyfamilyart

Please visit our website: www.happyfamilyart.com

 

Playing with scissors

 

Research shows that our brains and bodies need a vacation here and there.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200305/why-your-brain-needs-break

 

A break to recharge. Here is what happens when my brain takes a siesta: my hands start playing with scissors, needles and matches, and make things like this:

Beaded Felt Pins

Check out these beautiful beaded felt pins that I made!

 

I also wrote up instructions with photographs to show how to make these.  You can find the instructions on my website here: http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Beaded-Felt-Pins.html

 

Also, the pins that I have finished can be bought in my Etsy store, right here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HappyFamilyArt

Candleholders

I made some candleholders as gifts this year for the Holidays. I love the colors on them.
My big kid made one also, which we will keep for us.
I also made a few extra, which will go up on Etsy soon!
They were fun to make, but a bit of work:

 

Beaded Necklace!

I just finished putting up the instructions for this beautiful beaded necklace pattern.  It came out very pretty, and is not at all difficult to make!
 

 

 

 

To see the step by step instructions on how to make this necklace, please visit my website here:

http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Beaded-Necklace.html