Rainy Day Paint Treatment

Don't you just love seeing ink on paper being splattered by heavy drops of rain? We decided to do some painting on a rainy day and let the summer showers put the finishing touches on Little Bit's artwork.

Using our customary pallet of primary colors (I like for Little Bit to see how they mix into other colors) she dipped, dabbed, and swirled the paint around the paper.

Here is the picture before we let the rain do its thing.

It was a good rain; not too strong, but heavy enough to be able to see immediate results. I put the paper on a flat cookie sheet so that I wouldn't have to peel a soaking wet piece of paper off of the concrete and risk tearing it.

It took a few hours to dry, but I thought the outcome was really cool. The water changed the tone of some of the colors, and the yellow ended up much more vibrant.

I love projects like these because I get to show Little Bit how flexible art is.

This activity was inspired by the book Science Arts. What are some other treatments we could do to a painted piece of work?

Soliciting Votes

Just wanted to pop in for a sec and ask y'all to go vote for Choosing My Own in the 5 Minutes for Mom Summer Photo Contest. She's an awesome blogger with some of the cutest kiddos I've ever seen, and her photos are always soooo good!

So, go on now.

Go vote.

Thanks. :)

Many, Many Thanks!

I've been slack in my blogging lately and have let some important things go unmentioned for a while. Please allow me to redeem myself.

First off, I am the ever-so-grateful recipient of two awards!

Jenny, at Daily Dose of Motherhood, has honored me with the Arte Y Pico award.

I have no idea how to pronounce it, but it sounds really cool, doesn't it? Makes me feel sort of cultured! Thanks, Jenny!

Also, Melissa at Chasing Cheerios passed the Brillante Weblog award on to me.

You ladies really know how to brighten a lowly ol' blogger's day! I can't tell you how grateful I am that you thought of me. I happily accept them with many thanks.

I shall now pass them on to a few other ladies whose posts I always find myself eagerly awaiting:

• If I Only Had Superpowers
• Our Green Nest
• Thimbly Things
• The Artful Parent
• Choosing My Own
• No Time For Flash Cards

Speaking of being a lucky gal...I won something! I'm not the type to enter blog contests just to enter, because I know I won't win. But if there's something I'd actually like to have, I'll usually jump through whatever hoops are necessary, even though I'm still pretty sure I won't win. But, wuddu-ya-know? I won a nifty embroidery pack from Needle N' Thread! My package arrived a few days ago, complete with embroidery floss, tea towel, stitching book, and needle. And, if I can get past the fact that I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to stitchery, I might actually do something with it.

If you're into that sort of thing, go check out Needle N' Thread. She has lots of tips, projects, and giveaways related to stitching. Thanks, Mary!

And thanks to all of you who pop in every now and then to see what we're up to over here!

Through a Child's Eyes

The other day Little Bit was so excited to show me the kangaroo she found on our back patio. Do you see it?

 

Tape Collage

Ordinarily, we all wake up together (i.e. a certain little toddler wakes up and makes sure that the whole house knows she's a wake) and we eat breakfast together then continue on about our day. This morning, however, I was able to get Little Bit downstairs before she woke up Bitty Baby. We went ahead and ate breakfast, but that meant that when Bitty Baby did wake up, I had to find something for the toddler to do while I fed the baby.

I remembered seeing a tape collage activity in this book and decided it was just the quick, non-messy activity that I needed. I grabbed all the different types of paint around the house that I could find and tore up some pieces. Then I grabbed a sheet of construction paper and set Little Bit up at the table.

Some of the tape was a little tricky for her to work with, but I think it just made for a more interesting piece. She enjoyed handling the sticky material and seemed very deliberate in deciding where to place each piece of tape.

When she was finished she wanted me to take a picture of her "artwork" but couldn't quite figure out how to hold the paper so that I could actually see it.

I showed her how to hold the paper with both hands in front of her and told her to smile. This strained, contorted face is her trying to smile big for the camera.

She kills me.