Silly Self-Portrait

Make a funny face, take a photo, print it out, trace it, and color with pastels for a fun, easy self-portrait. Great job, Marcella! hee! hee!

Cupcakes... yum!

Decorating cupcakes is almost as much fun as eating them!

Homage to Dorit Levi's Golfer

Whenever Grandpa and Grams cruise on the Holland America line, they enjoy attending the art auctions on-board. They bring home the preview booklets for the girls to learn more about art and artists.

Marcella thought Dorit Levi's Golfer was a great painting. Here is her version which she drew while looking at a 2" x 2" picture. Notice the use of oil pastel on the golfer's clothes that resists the watercolor. You have a great eye for color and detail, Marcella!

Abstract

First, while the girls listened to music, they thought of a feeling they could express with watercolors. Taking their cues from the beat, they used white oil pastels to "doodle". Then they chose a red, a yellow, and a blue to keep their colors clean.




Here's Cameron's beautiful results.









Cameron had so much fun that she painted two more. Notice the beautiful watercolor washes.

Pumpkin Art

We bought five pumpkins from The Pumpkin Patch at our church, St. Bartholomew's Episcopal. The girls used acrylic paint to decorate a witch with flirty eyelashes, two cats, a pirate with a real earring, and Dorothy. No carving needed!

Butterflies & Dragonflies

I bought these black plastic butterflies from a close-out table in a garden store in Blowing Rock, N.C. The girls knew that color and glitter could transform these Plain Janes into works of art.
They now hover over my flowers and brighten the garden.

Flip Flops

Marcella needed to decorate this giant flip flop for school...







So, we gave Cameron one too.






They used tissue paper, ribbon, foamies, magazine pictures, paper crafts, stamps, and rhinestone studs to get the job done. Cameron put pictures of waterfalls on hers. She says when her feet get hot, the water will cool them off. These girls sure are creative!

For the Birds

I bought these cute birdhouses from Michael's. The girls used acrylics and their creativity to give the birds beautiful, colorful homes.




Be sure to coat with a clear varnish before putting them outside.

Beautiful Necklaces

Using these tools ...






and these beads,





the girls made these necklaces!







Marcella also made a necklace for herself.
Beautiful!

(Note: Hannah got sunscreen in her eye, so that's why she's wearing the patch. She's going to the hospital this week to get her eye fixed.)

Trinket keeper

I bought some air-dry clay so that we wouldn't have to bake these little pinch pots in the oven. The girls made lids to that they could keep their trinkets safely inside.




Here they are drying. Cameron decorated hers with a sea-star, Marcella put a flip-flop on hers, and I put a starfish on mine.




After two days, they were ready to paint with acrylics.








The last step was to put on a shine with clear nail polish after the paint dried.








Aren't they cute?

Sunflower paintings

Sunflowers always brighten our day, and these sunflowers inspired Marcella to paint this flower.

More Garden Art

Marcella decided we need more garden art this summer. Here's her sparkly butterfly painted on a popsicle stick "mat" with acrylics. Don't forget to add glitter!

Paper Baskets

Last month Cameron made this cute paper basket
1. Fold a square piece of construction paper in thirds.
2. Open and fold in thirds the other way so that you show 9 squares.
3. Cut on the 2 folds on each of opposite sides. Stop when you get to the center square.
4. Cut 8" x 1" strip for handle.
5. Use center square for bottom & fold up sides. Use small hole punch on sides & handle. Use a small brass fastener to hold handle in place.
Voila!

Cameron decorated hers with some American Girl paper flowers.

Artisan's Fair

The girls & I went to the Living History Park Artisan's Fair yesterday. We saw beautiful photography, oils, watercolors, music-box paintings, and jewelry.

We also talked to the artisans from the 1700s. The toymaker patiently explained how each toy worked.


A tap-dancer!

This "mother & baby" rocker
was fascinating.

Tie-Dye Art

We're getting ready for The Tremmel 5/1 Party (aka "The Marcella Party") in Raleigh, NC. The girls made tie-dye T-shirts for their cousins. Tie-dying is so much easier these days using complete kits from the craft store.


M & C had fun folding and scrunching the T-shirts. M is an expert at swirling, creating a bull's-eye, and putting on those rubber bands.

Next, we took the project outside. Following the kit's directions, we added water to the dye and shook it up. Then, the girls squirted the dyes on the folds in the shirts being careful not to "muddy" the colors.

After four hours of marinating in plastic bags, the girls hosed down the shirts to get rid of excess dye. C has powerful muscles and can wring out shirts like nobody's business.

Ta-da! Beautiful tie-dye T-shirts!

Garden Art

Last Saturday, the perfect spring day at 75 degrees got us out in the garden. Grandpa tilled the soil; and Marcella, Cameron, and I planted flowers. Marcella selected a 9-pack of red salvia, and Cameron opted for the lavender petunias. We threw in a couple of marigolds for good measure. Then the girls had a great idea; they decided to use some old bricks as a border. They added a cool pink and yellow pattern on the bricks with their sidewalk chalk. This beautiful flower garden is off the patio, right outside the girls' bedroom window.

Easter

The girls made these cute egg holders (from kits) and decorated this Easter egg "tree" (an old branch painted white & stuck in a pail with florist's foam). Can you see the tiny red bird perched on the vine? Marcella found this on the playground. She washed it and saw that its tiny feet grabbed our vine perfectly! Happy Easter!

Culinary Arts

Cameron selected these recipes from the Pink Princess Tea Parties cookbook (Barbara Beery). We made Perfect Pink Lemonade (using the juice of my mom's lemons from Florida) and Ladybug Cookies. The cookies are made by icing vanilla wafers, adding chocolate chips for spots, and placing Whoppers at one end for the heads. Cameron said, "We made a big mess, but it sure was fun!" Marcella says the best way to eat these cookies is to put the head on the top and shove the whole ladybug in your mouth for one gigantic tasty treat! Yum!

Valentine Crystal

The girls painted wooden hearts (from Michael's). They added glitter and some lacy designs from a paper doily on the front. On the back they HAMMERED a thumbtack at the top and at the bottom. A pink ribbon was attached to the top thumbtack; on the bottom, they strung beads on jewelry wire and added crystals from the old chandelier that was in our dining room. Now, these Valentine Crystals are hanging in bedroom windows, making colorful rainbows on the wall.

Christmas Paintings

The girls wanted to create an ornament painting. We used 4x4 wrapped canvases and acrylics. They had fun adding glitter, of course! These paintings made great gifts for their teachers.