thursday things - fun with postcards

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recently thehobbit read about a fun activity - how to walk through a postcard! i believe it was in one of his murderous maths books. when he told me what he'd read, i knew how it would be done, but didn't let on that i did. instead i let him astound & amaze me. on occasion i can be a good mama. on occasion.

i don't see instructions on the mm website, but here are some, courtesy of a google search. the above photo shows thehobbit nearly finished with cutting the postcard. if your child is on the younger side, please help with the cutting. i am not concerned with safety (i assume you know how to keep a wee one safe with scissors), i am merely warning that if the cuts go too far, the postcard will be ruined, & crying could ensue.

even though he believed what the book told him, he still was amazed to be able to walk through his postcard. excuse the fuzzy photo - it was cropped to omit his face. the goofy look of utter joyful amazement on his face; though you & i would find it adorable; offended his teen-aged sensibilities. i was surprised that he allowed these photos at all, seeing as he was wearing his jams at the time. most likely he didn't notice that, as horrified as he'd been by the look on his face. ;)

i highly recommend this activity for kids of all ages (yes, even your age). if you post photos of this on your blog, leave a link in my comments section, so we can all see!

more fun with postcards:

* make fabric postcards this link shares a list of many tutorials from which to choose!

* collect postcards here you'll find quite a lot about collecting, including a brief history. i have collected postcards for over half my life now. beyond buying cards from places i've visited (even on road trip toilet breaks), i have had friends & relatives mail them to me from their travels. this is a great activity for homeschoolers, by the way - think: mapping them as they come in!

* make postcards from cereal boxes this crafter shows a tutorial for simple cards. fun, but i would add artwork or fancy paper to the image side. i'm thinking glorified atc, like i chatted about way back when.

* i imagine one could turn a photo into a postcard as well. i don't mean the ubiquitous photo-cards people send at the end of the year. what i'm imagining are cards done as the fabric ones, or the atc ones are done. in case you are unfamiliar with atc, that is short for artist trading cards.

have some postcardish (real word) fun this summer! & if you are a certain tinker (you know who you are), headed for fabulous places this summer, well, you have my address.

~peace.

thursday things - spoooooky!

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this week's thursday things is spoooooooky. just a few things i came across, & thought you would like. enjoy!

* i bought this spooky pretzel mold yesterday. we dip pretzels every december, but when i saw this, i knew the tradition would be moved to october. this year we'll be dipping for hogwarts. i found a lesson on the science of melting chocolate. fun & yum. i'll post all of that on the hh blog. (i got the mold 50% at a craft shop.)

* i ordered this halloween-themed, spooky science kit, & hope to have it by friday. we unschool, so the money i would have spent on text books & worksheets, i instead spend on fun kits.

* ok, this spooky vampire on a stick is too wonderful! not so spooky are the mustaches, which are even better.

* elfling needs this spooky scaredy cat. definitely.

that's all for today. my spooky elfling is up from his nap, & in need of spooky snuggles. have a spooky day :)

~peace.

en plein air

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an out-of-doors family art studio is in the works. it's quite exciting, but there is still much that needs to be done. to keep thehobbit from bemoaning over & over how. long. this. is. taking! i've set up a mini studio for his current obsession: painting.

if you'd like to join the warm weather fun (apologies to my upside down readers), feel free to be a copy-kat. i used a wooden fruit crate turned on its side, because i had a few lying around. any small table will do, but if you look at the photo above, you'll see that the other side of the crate keeps supplies off the ground.

we have a heavy marine layer at night, so the supplies will be stored in a plastic bin when not in use. the bin should fit nicely on that bottom 'shelf'.

the best part of this whole project is the paper. little paper! i found a bag of card stock remnants at a discount store; various colors, some with texture, & all thick enough to handle painting with watercolor. little remnants! i think the largest is 6 inches across. kids love little anyway, but facing a little blank canvas is less daunting than a big one. everyone can manage a little masterpiece, & in the end feeling proud of the accomplishment.

i've corralled the paper in a cardboard tray that fancy mushrooms had come in; it's the perfect size. if you haven't a tray small enough, look in your pantry. you could cut a snack box in half, horizontally, to make one of your own.



set out a water bowl, a rag for drying brushes, paint sets, & a selection of brushes. those that come with the watercolor sets are not good for bigger kids. instead, offer quality brushes, in different sizes. make sure there is at least one very thin brush, for details.

you needn't spend a lot of money on this set up. check your craft store or amazon for supplies. heck, check your dollar store, you may get lucky.



once your child is in the appropriate attire for painting little masterpieces; in this case a dirty shirt found beneath the bed, jammie bottoms, & a fancy hat; let him/her have at it!


as each painting is completed, hang it to dry with clothespins. it was too windy to hang thehobbit's on the line, so we opted for the fence. i even broke out the package of mini clothespins i'd been saving - sticking with the theme of little.

if you don't have a fence, or a line, you can tack string onto a wall, & hang the paintings on that. or even on a willing bush, or tree!

of course i realize this set up works only for a single child. those of you with hordes of children will need either many fruit crates, or a one large surface. perhaps a coffee table you're no longer using?

we are going to use our old coffee table in our out-of-doors studio. it can be used as a creating surface when thehobbit has friends over, for sitting upon when using an easel, or for an impromptu picnic. i'm sure a small table & a set of chairs would work better, but we're trying to use what we have in the garage.

as you oldies will recall, i'm not a summer gal. i prefer cooler weather, & gray skies. however, this mini prelude to our studio under the sky is making me thrilled that summer is nearly here.

i hope this inspires you to set up your own area for creating outside. & no! you don't need a yard to do this. a patio, or even a balcony would work just as well. think creatively, & you'll find a way. please leave a comment (with a link to photos) of what you come up with. if you already have an area set up, leave a comment right now! i want to steal see!

~peace.

paintings :: the paintings in this post were all created by thehobbit.