Ready for Our Next Fox 28 Segment!

By Tessa, age 5.

In a few short days, one of my little artists, Shauna, and I will be heading over to Fox 28/ ABC 6 Studios for Children's Art Studio's monthly craft segment. If you are in the Columbus area, catch it Monday, February 21, at 8:15am on Good Day Columbus.  We're making Mardi Gras Masks, and of course, they're totally kid-friendly.

Unfinished Mask by Shauna, age 6.

First, browse three printable mask templates to see which you like best. Or of course, you can make your own version by drawing half and folding down the middle before cutting (so it is perfectly symmetrical).

• Mask #1
• Mask #2 (thanks to Kaboose)
• Mask #3 (great for a little face)

Supplies

1. One piece of felt (any color, but we went traditional Mardi Gras)
2. Craft Glue or Glue Gun if there is a parent using it
3. Any ribbon (we used gold and purple)
4. Marker
5. Masking or painter's tape
6. Scissors
7. Feathers
8. Optional - sticky shapes
9. Optional - glitter
10. Optional - pompoms
11. Stapler

Here We Go

• Cut out your paper mask. To cut out the eye holes, just fold the paper in the middle of the eye and cut a slit so kids can put their scissors through the slit and finish the job 
• Lay the paper mask on to the piece of felt. 
• Trace with a marker 
• Cut mask out of felt.

Shauna did this completely by herself.
By the time I got the camera, she had done these steps without any direction from me. It was beautiful!

• The next stuff is all up to you. We added gold string around the eye holes. We added pompoms in a pattern around the border. We had to add purple feathers, of course. Have fun with this.

I don't know why that Scotch tape or the Elmer's glue are in  the photo. We honestly didn't use either.  Oops!

• If you are adding feathers to stick out of the top, flip your mask over so you are looking at the back.
• Add glue and attach feathers
• Next, cover this glue and pointy ends of the feather with tape.
• This way, kids won't complain that it hurts or itches.

• To attach the string to make the mask wearable, hold of the mask to kiddo's face and measure length. 
• Cut and staple to one corner on the back of the mask

• Go ahead and put the tape over this too - the staple could be itchy too.
• Hold against mask wearer's head again and staple on the other side.
• It's as simple as that.

Now, go and have your own Mardi Gras party (of course Family Gras style)!

Thanks for the inspiration Alpha Mom, Kaboose, and Glue Gun Crafts.

Enjoy - Xo, Anna

We've Inspired Others :)

Check out this awesomely written blog tutorial featuring Children's Art Studio by Miss Kate Lindsmith - blogger extraordinaire! Learn a little craft you can do yourself, and stop in to Petite Green Baby @ Polaris to pick up eco-friendly baby products and art supplies while you're at it. Xo, Anna

That's a 4 year old!

Household items - I bet you've got everything laying around at home.

Children's Art Studio's First Grown-up Night: Wine Your Art Out! (March 10)

Grab your best friends, invite your colleagues, plan date night with your love, and tell your relatives all about...

Children's Art Studio's Grown-up Night:

Wine Your Art Out!

BYOB and join us for an evening of entertaining art instruction! You'll go home with a handmade piece (that you'll actually want to display) and conceivably, find a new talent you'll crave to explore. Want to know the best part? Bring your favorite drink to sip while you dabble. (Ahem, cheers to that!)

The evening's featured painting is to above. You choose the colors and your favorite word or saying.

Where :: 2831 E Main St. (Children's Art Studio) Columbus 43209

When :: Saturday, March 10th 7-9pm. Doors open at 7:00, painting begins at 7:30.

How much :: $30 per person or bring a friend, $50 per couple

Why :: 1) Your worries will melt away. 2) You'll laugh. 3) It's worth a shot.

What if I can't make the date? There will be more. Check back later.

What if I don't want to paint the featured painting? No worries, there will be further themes and varied instructors. Or, you can paint whatever you want, no rules here.

Not artistic? A little nervous? Don't worry. We will guide you step-by-step to recreate the featured evening's painting. It's easy, fun, and stress free. By the end of the Wine Your Art Out, you will be amazed at the artwork you have created.

Register here! Internet Explorer users, PayPal will get you registered. For you Google Chrome and Safari users, PayPal is not compatible. Just email me and we can get it taken care of, thanks!

xo, Anna

Artistic Inspiration :: 2/8/12

Finding the beauty of winter. It's a struggle for me, but taking this photo helped. :)

I Love Me Some Birthday Parties!

January has been an AWESOME month for Birthdays at Children's Art Studio. The studio has been busy nearly every weekend! :) Just wanted to share some photos/how-to's so you can have as much fun as we do. See below! XOXO- Anna

 Thanks to Andrea for having (little) Anna's Birthday with me! It was a fabulously artistic group of 9 kiddos that had some solid art time. We made fantastic flower collages on wood. Steps go like so:

1. Get a piece of wood from Lowe's, I just have them cut a big board for me into 1 ft. pieces
2. Kids use paint roller (little mini ones are perfect) and "roll" the edges of the wood to create a frame.
3. Now, take newspaper pieces and draw different shapes to build your own flowers. (3 layers to make one flower)
4. Circles on top of circles are a very easy route. 
5. Cut out of newspaper.
6. Watercolor these shapes/flowers.
7. We used water/glue mixture to add strips of construction paper and/or magazine to the wood to create a textured background.
8. Add stems with strips of green construction paper, glued down and added a button for the middle. :) 
9. See how to hang the artwork here from a previous post.
10. Done. All fantastically gorgeous.

____________________________________________________

Thanks to Tracy for having Collin's Birthday at CAS! Again, we had a whole lot of art time at this event, and kiddos even learned how to mix their own cement for a stepping stone. Collin LOVES Mario Brothers, so to start, we made a Piranha Plant Magnet coming out of a "pipe" (I said flower pot, and quickly Collin corrected that statement!)

To make your very own Piranha Plant Magnet:

1. Cut red card stock into a circle

2. Cut a triangle out of that circle for the mouth

3. Cut and attach green stem 

(we just used regular Elmer's Glue)

4. Make a green "tube" from card stock

5. Add white triangle teeth

6. We used a 1 inch circle punch to make the dots

7. Cut a strip of magnet and attach to back. 

To make your very own Stepping Stone:

1. Buy Quikrete (I'm biased, go to Lowe's)
2. Get a stick/spoon/bucket that you will dispose
3. Mix 2-1 part concrete to water and mix
4. Continue until you achieve a brownie-mix consistency
5. Pour into a pie tin (one dollar each at Deals$)
6. Decorate with any item except wood
7. We broke ceramic plates to use also...
8. Press items firmly into concrete.
9. Let dry for a few days and remove pie tin.
10. Set outside as a beautiful garden piece :)

____________________________________________________

Thanks to Ebony and for celebrating Laila's 4th Birthday with lots of friends and family! We were at our max with 30 people in the little studio space. Woo-hoo!

As you can see, we did some really pretty luminaries for this party. This is so very simple. 

1. Get any old vase, candle holder, plate, votive - whatever you can find and add tissue paper.
2. Water down some glue and add it to the vase before tearing tissue and attaching
3. Add glue on top of the tissue and it will make it nice and smooth
4. I don't have any finished products to show - I was far too busy to snap photos! So sorry
5. We added gems, glitter, buttons, beads and ribbon to embellish.
6. Don't forget to top off with a candle inside.

____________________________________________________

One last explanation - then go get busy. Thanks to Amanda for having Natalie's 5th Birthday at CAS. This was an awesome, organized, and very pleasant group of kiddos :)

• We started with a piece of wood (I told you I love these wood projects!)
• Painted. No rules.
• Added little tissue paper squares and "wish" tickets for a little collage look
• Then kiddos pounded in some nails - they seriously love this part (and parents are always impressed)
• Last step was to add string/yarn to these nails and play "connect the dots" (or nails)
• The hardest part for little fingers is to tie the string to the first and last nail, adults may have to help with this part

Amanda Hoy - thanks for this awesome picture. I will hire you one of these days :)