Heart In Hand Valentine

"Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure."

Paolo Coelho, The Alchemist

If you have been following along since the beginning of this blog you might remember that I am a big city girl (born in NYC and raised in LA) who dreams of the country. I want a white farmhouse with a big old barn that I will convert into a giant art space. There will be tons of natural light and plenty of room to paint, print, build, throw (pottery), and shoot (photos). I will have a pasture with horses, chickens, a couple of goats, two dogs, three barn cats, and a cow. I have envisioned this place since I was a little girl. The picture is so clear to me that it doesn't feel like an "if" only a "when". Do you want to take a peek?

Last February I landed an interior design job that took me pretty darn close to living my dream. I got to spend a week in a small farm town 45 minutes NW of Portland, OR decorating and designing the interior of a farmhouse. I found a piece of my heart in that magical emerald green town and collected many a treasure. I didn't end up using any antique heart in hand paper cuts in my design but I pinned a bunch of them to use at a later date. 

      Antique Heart In Hand Love Token Circa 1840

"Heart In Hand" is a traditional folk art motif, associated with the Shakers, the Amish, and the Pennsylvania Dutch. The imagery is said to represent friendship, love, and truth. The process is known as Scherenschnitte which means “paper cut” in German.  The art form was developed in Germany and Switzerland in the 16th century and brought to America in the 18th century, primarily by settlers in Pennsylvania. Aren't they beautiful? I am going to show you how to make this lovely traditional folk art piece with an ART CAMP twist.

Materials:

• colored paper
• scissors
• glue stick

1. Gather your paper palette.  2. Sketch out your hand shape (think glove) on a piece of card stock.  3. Cut out your hand.  4. Create a template so you can repeat the pattern on your assorted colored paper, cutting out as you go.  6. There are a couple ways to approach the design. If you want to go traditional you will create slits in your hand so that you can weave paper through your heart and at the wrist.  7. If you want to go more modern, you can just cut out shapes and collage. There is no wrong or right way. Play with layout and color before you commit with glue.  8. Think about adding a love note or a monogram.  9. You can make these note card style or a folded greeting card (see pictures below)

Make a hand template or print this one out.

Traditional heart in hand weave made by cutting ^ slits in the palm and v slits in the heart and then weaving the two together.

If you want to make your valentine into a folded greeting card you will fold your piece of paper in half and trace your hand shape. When you cut your hands out you will  leave two connecting joints--1 at the wrist and 1 at the thumb.

Collage style heart in hand that includes a little hand cut text. 

Collage Scrap Roosters

When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.

- Chinese proverb

This Saturday is Chinese New Year so we will be celebrating the lunar new year in the art room this week.  In Chinese Astrology, each zodiac year is associate with an animal sign and one of the five elements: gold (metal), wood, water, fire, or earth. 2017 is the year of the Fire Rooster. My oldest daughter is a rooster so she has been proclaiming that "this is her year". I haven't had the heart to tell her that the Chinese believe that the year of one's birth sign is the most unlucky year in the 12-year cycle. 

This year I am veering slightly from the traditional Chinese New Year projects that I have done in the past (think dragons, drums, lanterns, scrolls) and bringing you a fun, modern collage. I am not including my usual step-by-step because it is not that kind of project. It is all about the process of digging through scraps, tearing, piecing shapes together, and using texture and color in unusual ways...F U N !

Materials:

• collage piles--scrapbook paper, painted paper remnants, magazine bits, painted cardboard pieces, newsprint
• glue stick 
• scissors (I would encourage you to tear more than you snip)
• rooster examples--print out some different rooster images so that you get a feel for all of the different shapes that make up the bird (If you search rooster illustrations you will find a huge variety to pull from) 
• bristol paper, mixed media paper, or card stock (You want a thick, firm base to glue onto) 

DIY "My Color is Rainbow" Pillow Friends

" A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle."

- James Keller

I am so excited to be sharing a very special DIY with you today! My dear friend, Agnes Hsu, wrote a children's picture book called "My Color is Rainbow" and it came out last Thursday and is already spreading a message of kindness, love, and acceptance far and wide. This book is a beautiful, sparkly gem of a book and I am not surprised in the slightest because Agnes is a beautiful, sparkly, gem of a person. The story follows Little White Arch and his trusty blue unicorn pal on a colorful journey of self-discovery. The book is wonderfully illustrated in a bold, modern style by Yuliya Gwilym. It is brimming with color and playful shapes and is a perfect tie-in for K-5 art curriculum. My youngest is learning to read and she is able to handle most of the text on her own with just a little help from me or big sis.

You might be thinking but why the candle quote (or not)? Because 3 months ago I met Agnes for a cup of coffee in Westwood and she sparked my flame. That chance encounter with her (we had never met in real life, only on Instagram) is the reason this blog is up and the reason I have been pouring my ALL into my work every single day since. Agnes won't take credit for it... she thinks it was just a matter of timing and that I was ready to go long before we met, but I know in my heart that this creative flow I am riding was inspired by meeting her. Agnes is constantly acting on her inspiration and getting things DONE. This lady is a force of nature. She is an inspiration in her own right but the best part is that she is generous and inclusive and she wants to see the people around her manifest their dreams too. She is a rare and beautiful bird and I am so grateful to know her.

You can buy "My Color Is A Rainbow" on Plaeful or Amazon.

So let's make some hand-painted, no-sew pillow friends, shall we?

Materials:

• canvas drop cloth
• acrylic and tempera paint
• Sharpie marker
• white and black felt
• scissors
• glue gun
• batting for stuffing the pillows

1. Fold your canvas or fabric in half.  2. Draw your pillow shape on your canvas with Sharpie or a fabric marker.  3. Cut your shape out of the doubled up fabric (this should give you two copies when you are done cutting).  4. Paint your pillows (we used tempera discs for the rainbow and acrylic for the unicorn).  5. Let your fabric dry completely.  6. Start to glue the pillow seams, little by little, stuffing sections as you go and then gluing a little more.  7. When your pillow is completely stuffed you will close out your final seam.  8. Add your felt embellishments (face on rainbow and mane and eye on unicorn).  9. Grab your copy of "My Color is Rainbow" and snuggle up with Little White Arch and his unicorn friend.

Egg Carton Flower Wreath

VENI. VIDI. AMAVI.

(We came. We saw. We loved.)

The girls went back to school yesterday, which means that I had time to write, exercise, and meditate this morning. Which means that I could actually pick up the phone, not once BUT TWICE, and I got to say yes to a lunch date at the end of the week. It also means that I have time to catch up on the back log of work that has been waiting patiently for my return. Before I start today's tutorial I just want to say that I know it might seem a little weird that we just rang in the new year and here I am sharing a "Valentine's Day Project" 30+ days before the day. But here's the thing--between now and February 14th we are going to continue to face a lot of big, important stuff. We are going to need to use our dollars, our energy, and our voices to hold the line, to protect human rights and while we do this most important work we are also going to need to remember that there is still love, and sweetness, and beauty in the world and we need to make time for it. Love is still here amidst the pain, the ugly, and the uncertainty and it is an almighty and powerful force. So how about we decide to celebrate love, not just on the day that's been set aside as a holiday, but every chance we get? Are you in? Okay, let's get to it..

I have been haunted (in a good way) by an Anthropologie display I saw awhile back. It was this gorgeous installation of beautiful, simple strands of blue and mauve hand-painted egg cartons. I pinned it knowing that it would one day inspire an Art Camp craft and Sunday was the day. I decided that it would be another great opportunity to gather my crew for a family craft session. As a group we have definitely played with our fair share of recycled materials, but none of us had ever re-purposed egg cartons in this way so it was kind of a free-form experiment. Each one of us contributed to the project in our own way. H really loved mixing and painting, R decided that she wanted to make a rose which required her to spend a lot of time layering and manipulating her egg carton pieces until she got the petals "just right", P was the master fabricator spending most of his time cutting, and I handled the finishing touches; texture, details, layout, and assembly. Collectively we really enjoyed this project and we think you will too!

Materials:

• 3-4 cardboard egg cartons per wreath 
• acrylic paint
• paint markers
• Kwik Stix
• washi tape
• silver duct tape
• cardboard cut in a circle or a heart shape 
• glue gun

1. Start by separating your carton sections with scissors and blending colors for your paint palette. 

2. Trim your carton sections to look like flowers. There is no right or wrong way to do this. We kept some of ours very simple--some in classic flower shapes and some were very experimental. We really took a free-form approach. Think about scale and variety. Think about layering some and flattening some. The recycled paper cartons are very soft and easily manipulated...just play around with flower shapes!

3. Once you have created your flowers it is time to paint.

4. If you are using acrylic paint or tempera sticks your paint will dry very quickly. Once it dries you can add details to the centers of your flower buds.

5. On some of the blooms, we added little dots of washi tape and silver duct tape in the center for a little pop!

6. Cut leaf shapes out of the remaining egg carton scraps.

7.  Add veining details on your leaves with a fine point pen and then layer metallic tempera stick or oil pastel on top  for a very cool effect.

8. Cut out your cardboard wreath bases. We made a circle and a heart shape.

9. You can paint your wreath base to match your blooms or choose a contrasting color. We used pink and white Kwik Stix to color ours.

10. When your base has dried you can start to attach your blooms and leaves with a hot glue gun.

11. Time to spread the love and hang your wreath!

3-D Collage Penguin

"Though she be but little, she is fierce."

-William Shakespeare

My youngest is a mama's girl to her core. She mentions on a regular basis that she would like to unzip my skin and live inside my body so we can be closer. When she hugs me she squeezes the sides of my neck and pulls my head toward hers, wide-eyed, teeth clenched, she says, "I love you too much! Never let me go!" She is five but it feels like she needs me more now than she did in the baby years. She craves "mama alone time" a lot these days and I try to make it happen whenever I can.

Ri turned 11 a week ago and suddenly she is sleeping in like a teenager...like she wakes up asking for "brunch" instead of breakfast sleeping in. So the early morning hours have been all about the H. She has been more into performance art lately and less into the arts and crafts. It might have something to do with the fact that our home transformed into an art factory for the entire month of December? Is there such a thing as being exposed to too much art?! Anyway, it has been awhile since she seemed genuinely excited to sit down and make something so I was delighted when she was really into the idea of making penguins. H likes to direct the show.. and all of the players.. the lighting.. and the soundtrack... so she had some IDEAS about these penguins we were going to make. They had to be able to stand, not "flat ones", and she wanted to make two "a mama and a kid (NOT a baby)" and there would be "no dad or sister penguins". Subtle, H. Real subtle. 

So we present to you the "mama and the kid" stand up, not flat, not a sister or dad in sight, 3-D collage penguin...

Materials:

• Kwik Stix tempera crayons
• cardboard
• scissors
• collage scraps (sorted in black, white, and golds)
• glue stick

1. Sort your collage scraps into "penguin colors".

2. Sketch out a penguin shape on two pieces of white cardboard. One is a profile view and one is straight forward (no beak showing but you will have wings on this one). H wanted two penguins so I had to double up..................4 pieces of cardboard and 4 sketches.

3. Cut the penguin shapes out.

4. Use a black Crayola marker to mark where the penguin's black part ends and the white part begins, the "tuxedo" as H calls it. 

5. Color in the black parts with tempera sticks, oil pastels, crayons, or paint. Please note that you have to color and collage both sides of the penguin. This is where the Kwik Stix come in handy because they cover the surface really well and dry super quickly.

6. Allow the black to dry fully before gluing the collage pieces. 

7. Add in your collage bits and pieces. H used scissors but she mostly tore the bits with her hands producing some fun tearing effects. She also layered some tempera on top of her collage from time to time. She used a simple Elmer's glue stick for glueing. 

The Silhouette Portrait

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you."

- Walt Whitman

We are in the final stretch of winter break. It's been pretty action-packed so far, so it was a welcome change of pace when the girls opted to read and work on puzzles this morning.  

Hard to believe that we are only five days into the new year and it's already time to start thinking about hearts, arrows, and love notes. Before I launch into Valentine's Day mode, I wanted to share one of my favorite craft projects with you. It is a modern spin on the timeless art of silhouette portraits. This one makes a great party craft activity that doubles as a takeaway party favor (win/win). I don't know about you but I am a big fan of party favors that aren't made of sugar or plastic. These portraits are treasures that won't get shoved in the bottom of a toy box or pitched in the trash. 

If you have photo editing software you can turn a jpeg image into a blacked out silhouette in a snap but I wanted to show you how you can do it really easily on your smart phone, cutting out the need for a computer and software entirely.  

1.1 I took a profile picture  on my iPhone.  1.2 I  went into the color settings in my iPhone's (standard) photo app and selected the "Noir" photo filter.  1.3 I selected the darkest setting under black and white.  1.4 I moved the intensity setting all the way to the right (highest possible).  1.5 Then I increased the saturation as far as it would go.  1.6 I adjusted the shadows and Voila! A silhouette template ready to print from my phone in under a minute.

2. Adjust the scale of your print settings to fit your background. Print out your picture and cut out the profile silhouette.

3. Trace your profile onto your background.  I am going to show you how to do three different versions of artsy silhouettes.

L - R: 1. black paper silhouette mounted on flower print scrapbook paper 2. negative space silhouette on wood  3. painted paper silhouette decoupaged on wood

A. WOOD GRAIN CAMEO - Here we have traced our silhouette on a wood mount. Painting around our portrait, we create a negative silhouette.  We finished off the piece with black details on the sides. This is a classic cameo style portrait made modern with the unfinished wood grain portrait.

Materials:

• smart phone with camera
• printer
• small wooden plaque 
• black acrylic paint + paint brush + water cup
• fine point scissors
• pencil

B. CLASSIC BLACK PAPER CUT WITH A FLORAL POP - Here we have traced our portrait on black craft paper, cut out our blacked out image, and mounted it on a floral background.

Materials:

• smart phone with camera
• printer
• black scrapbooking paper, card stock, or fine art paper
• bold floral print scrapbooking paper
• fine point scissors
• pencil
• glue stick
• frame or matte for hanging

C. ABSTRACT DECOUPAGE - This option is a great one to do with the little ones because it allows you to combine their paintings with their portraits. Trace your portrait onto a colorful abstract painting. After you cut out your abstract portrait you can mount it to wood, canvas, or paper with Mod Podge. Make sure to seal your decoupage with a thick coating of Mod Podge.

Materials:

• smart phone with camera
• printer
• painted paper
• small point scissors
• wood plaque, canvas, or card stock for background
• Mod Podge to glue and seal your decoupage + small foam brush for application

Can you see why I love this craft so much? The results are so stunning and you can do it so many ways. These portraits make great gifts. Got a favorite furry family member? Make a pet portrait. Got a kid who is crazy about sports? Make a sports portrait...SO good!

 

xx

a.

DIY Unicorn Necklace

"We are mosaics--pieces of light, love, history, stars--glued together with magic and music and words."

 

Anita Krizzan

My house is quiet for the first time in two weeks. It feels very strange. I can actually hear the clicking of the keys on my keyboard. The sound of birds outside my studio window. The hum of our fridge. The whir of the laundry machine. I just finished vacuuming up the last bits and pieces of Ri's birthday/NYE celebration. It was a happy mess; glitter, sequins, feathers, bits of yarn, ribbon and scraps of wrapping paper. Evidence of all the fun we had. Ri said it was her best birthday ever and I gotta say it was pretty magical. We kicked off the party with La La Land...... have you seen it yet? I can't remember the last time I had that much fun at the movies. Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, singing, dancing, and charming their way through a punched up colorful East Side of Los Angeles. The music, the set design, the chemistry!!! I would have happily stayed in my cozy theater seat and watched it all over again after the credits rolled. The girls loved it as much as the grown ups. Ri can't wait to learn the piano scores. You gotta go see it...on the big screen.

Ri's birthday parties usually include an art component (shocking I know). This year she asked me to come up with a wearable art project.

Introducing yet another awesome thing you can make with painted, recycled cardboard...

 

Materials:

• painted cardboard cut into strips and squares
• chalk markers
• scissors
• glue gun
• yarn for necklace + tassels

1. Select the painted cardboard piece of your choice.  2. Trace a geometric shape or a simplified angular animal shape onto your cardboard in pencil.  3. Cut out your shape with very sharp scissors or a box cutter.  4. Add details to your shape with chalk or paint markers (dots, dashes, hearts, clouds).  5. Create your tassel (see below for a step by step).  6. Attach your tassel and necklace to your pendant with hot glue or by hole punching your cardboard and knotting your thread. 

How to make a tassel:

If unicorns aren't your thing, here are some other ideas:

DIY New Year's Eve Crowns

"And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been."

-Rainer Maria Rilke

We are in full tilt birthday party prep, so today's tutorial is going to be a quick one. I wanted to come up with a NYE star crown that was quick, kid-friendly, and fun...bonus points if it entailed using up some of the empty cardboard TP rolls that are taking over my studio drawers. Mission accomplished! 

xx

a.

Materials:

• cardboard TP rolls

• paint, Kwik Stix, chalk markers

• ribbon and/or skinny elastic cord

• glue gun

• cut paper stars

• skinny gold or silver wire

1. Paint your cardboard tube.  2. After your paint dries cut one end of your tube in a zigzag crown shape.  3. Hot glue 1-3 bent wires to the inside of your crown.  4. Cut out paper stars and add glitter or designs.  5. Hot glue your star shapes to the end of your wire pieces.  6. Attach ribbon or elastic band to the lower inside section of your crown (party hat style).  7. Place crown on your head like you are royalty.

Jasper Johns Inspired New Year's Collage

"It’s just simple. You just take something, and then you do something to it. Then you do something else to it. And then something else. And then something else. Keep this up and pretty soon you’ve got something."

-Jasper Johns

Hi, old friends. I gotta say that it felt a little strange to go three whole days without a blog or social media post, but boy did I need the break. The twenty four day series was a test of creative endurance that fell smack dab in the busiest time of year! I am so glad that I went for it without even considering what it would entail. Here's to occasionally leaping before you look.  

The past two days have been pretty unplugged. We have kept it super simple; lots of quality time with the girls, reading, weaving on the new little loom, a little Netflix, and I can't forget the sweet, sweet (constant) sound of H singing and strumming on her new ukelele (she would want you to know that it's lavender and there is a wooden dolphin on it). Did I mention Ri's birthday is on the 30th? Yeah, she was born the day before NYE. So somehow over the past three years her birthday party has evolved into a two-day sleepover party that also encompasses New Year's Eve... and there are blanket forts and/or tents involved. It is pretty epic.

So my plan this week is to share a couple of New Year's Eve-ish projects and a couple of party craft projects that I think you will enjoy. The first is this mixed media project that lends itself so beautifully to the celebration of the new year but it can be done at any time of year.

Materials:

• high quality drawing paper (I really like using a thick Bristol, watercolor, or printmaking paper for mixed media projects) 
• oil pastels
• Kwik Stix tempera crayons
• charcoal pencils
• numbers -  stencils, templates, cardboard cut-outs, or a mix of all three
• scissors
• glue sticks
• collage scraps and cut out stars

These 6 images are from a larger series that Jasper Johns created in the 1960s filled with numbers and deconstructed flag shapes. Notice the way he used colors and texture.

1. Numbers. If you are doing this as a New Year's project you could choose a 2, 0, 1, and a 7. You could also do this for a birthday party project and use your birth date numbers. Or you could pick your lucky numbers... you get the idea. We used 4 different fonts to create our templates:

2. Trace your paper templates onto card stock and/or cardboard.

3. Lay out your numbers and stars on your background paper.

4. When you are satisfied with your layout, glue your shapes to your background paper.

5. Start using your materials to lay down color and texture.

Ri decided to go with a muted color palette of black, cream, yellow, rust, and grey. H decided to go BRIGHT.

Both of the girls really loved this project. We all highly recommend adding Kwik Stix tempera sticks to your art supply stash. They are super rich in pigment, they totally add a paint quality to the work without the mess, and they dry in a couple minutes. We are big fans! 

xx

a.

Day 24: Handmade Napkin Rings

"See the light in others and treat them as if that is all you see."

- Dr. Wayne Dyer

Yahoooo.. Day 24! Today's DIY starts with a recycled crafter's staple: the cardboard inside of a TP or paper towel roll. Add a few strokes of a brush pen and tie on some pretty holiday flair and you have yourself a chic boho napkin ring in under 15 minutes!

Materials:

• cardboard roll
• hand torn fabric scraps
• black brush pen
• festive touches: embroidery thread, leftover salt dough ornaments, holly berries, jingle bells...
• glue gun
• scissors

By day 24 I have run out of long form tutorial steam so I give you the photo-collage:

1. Cardboard roll.  2. Cut cardboard roll.  3. Cut a small slit in your fabric and hand tear so that you get the frayed edges on your fabric strip.  4. Take a brush pen and draw simple patterns on your fabric.  5. Apply some hot glue and secure your fabric to your paper ring.  6. String your toppers on some natural thread and tie around your ring.

Sending warm holiday wishes to you and yours! 

xx

a.