Dimensional Name Art

Check out my latest name art project! It's hard to tell in the scan, but the letters are popped up off the page. It's really cool, if I do say so myself. And it was really fun to make. 

Here's a picture from the side that shows the dimension a little better:

Read on to make your own! Affiliate links below. 

Dimensional Name Art

Materials: 

• paper
• scissors
• removable adhesive
• acrylic paint
• stencils, stamps, sponges, plastic fork, etc. 
• black foam adhesive

Steps: 

Cut out the letters of your name... 

... and then use removable / repositionable adhesive to attach them to the background paper. 

Use a sponge to pounce paint onto the paper. Work up and down - avoid any sideways swiping that would disturb the letters or get paint underneath them. 

Continue adding paint on top using stencils, stamps, a plastic fork, or anything else you have on hand. For my project, I used a hexagon stencil (purple), a circle stamp (blue), a small piece of sponge (orange), and the fork (grey). While you don't need to cover every tiny space, you want each letter to have different patterns and colors. 

Let the paint dry, then carefully remove the letters. Fill in the spaces where the letters were with black paint. 

Add foam adhesive to the back of each of the letters. When the black paint is dry, adhere each letter just a millimeter lower and to the right of where it was. This will allow a little bit of the black paint to show, making the letters pop. 

I loved making this project and am excited to add it to my (large) collection of name art for kids!

Little Dipper Constellation Ornament

There is only one state which has named an official state constellation. Do you know which state it is? Here's a hint. The constellation they selected is the Little Dipper, to honor their nickname as the North Star State. Read here to discover which state it is, then learn how to make an ornament inspired by this constellation. Affiliate links below. 

Little Dipper Constellation Ornament

Materials: 

• wood slice ornament
• acrylic paint (Navy Blue)
• sponge
• 0.7 white Posca marker
• rhinestones
• craft glue
• silver cord

Steps: 

Mix a drop or two of paint with water to make a wash. Use a sponge to stain the wooden ornament. You should still be able to see the rings of the wood. 

While the paint dries, draw the constellation on a piece of scratch paper, cut to fit onto the ornament. Select rhinestones for each star of the constellation. It's a nice touch to use larger rhinestones for the larger stars.  

Set the rhinestones aside and turn your constellation upside down. Use the pencil scribble transfer technique to make a pattern on the wood ornament. 

Trace the pencil lines with the white Posca. Add tiny white dots randomly on the ornament, then glue the rhinestones where they belong on the constellation. Tie a loop with the silver cord and your ornament is done. 

While I made the Little Dipper because it's the state constellation of Minnesota, this project can easily be adapted to make any constellation. Try zodiac signs for especially nice ornaments; they make a wonderful gift.

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While researching constellations, I came across an absolutely fascinating blog post called Visualizing cities as constellations in the night sky. Check it out!

Hidden Journaling Mixed Media Project

Not all National Scrapbook Day challenges require participants to make a scrapbook layout. Some allow cards, traveler's notebooks, mini albums, journal pages, or even general crafts. The Hidden Journaling challenge at A Cherry on Top was open to any creation, as long as it featured hidden journaling. Most of us tend to create scrapbook layouts about happy subjects, so this is a chance to explore more difficult topics in our artwork. 

This is my finished piece: 

I started by writing my journaling on a piece of white cardstock, using a black Flair pen and messy cursive (affiliate link here and below). Then I used my fingers to cover most of the writing with acrylic paint in shades of blue and grey. I used black stencil butter and a drafting stencil (inherited from my dad) to further cover my writing. When that was dry, I added marks with purple and blue Stabilo Woody pencils. 

I tore the paper into pieces. I glued the base to purple cardstock, then added smaller bits on top to make an arrangement that felt right. Finally, I added word label stickers.  

• I'm fine, thank you. 
• I'll be okay. 
• This is real life.  

Making this project was cathartic and a surprisingly powerful tool for exploring my feelings. I love challenges that push me way outside my comfort zone. I'm glad to have made something so different and so unique for National Scrapbook Day. 

Painted Popcorn Craft

Indiana is the largest popcorn producer in the United States. Several major brands, including Orville Redenbacher's, originated in Indiana. So it's no surprise that Indiana named popcorn as its official state snack. Illinois is also a major popcorn producer that has named popcorn as its official state snack. I love popcorn and thought it would be fun to design a popcorn craft focused on the 4th graders in Indiana and Illinois studying their state symbols rather than the preschoolers who typically make popcorn crafts. Affiliate links below. 

Painted Popcorn Craft

Materials: 

• cardstock (white and red)
• microtip scissors
• 1" circle punch
• acrylic paint (yellow and white)
• 0.4" paint pouncer
• craft glue
• Flair pen (red)
• colored pencil (brown)

Steps: 

Cut a rectangle from white cardstock, approximately 3" x 4". Cut a square that is about 3.5" then cut a wiggly edge on all sides. The easiest way to do this is to keep the scissors still and move the paper back and forth. Punch a white circle. Cut four strips of red cardstock, each about 3/8" thick and longer than 4". 

Protect your work surface, then dip the paint pouncer in yellow paint. Pounce it randomly on the wiggly cardstock. 

Without cleaning the pouncer or letting the paint dry, dip the pouncer in white paint and continue pouncing randomly until the cardstock is covered. Be sure not to cover up all of the yellow. 

While the paint is drying, glue the red stripes to the white rectangle to make the popcorn box. If you were to glue the popcorn to the box right now, it would look like this. 

Center the words POP and CORN on the punched circle using the red Flair pen. Then color around the outside edge of the circle. Glue it to the popcorn box. 

Use a brown colored pencil to lightly outline some of the popcorn kernels, following the lines created by pouncing. Add little brown triangles between some of the pieces to show where there would be shadows between kernels. Add a few small curves here and there to mimic popcorn hulls. Then use the scissors to refine the shape of the popcorn. Follow the colors, thinking about how popcorn would actually sit. When you are happy with it, glue it to the top of the popcorn box. 

I really enjoyed this project. Paint pouncing is FUN! After making it, you'd better believe that I ate some popcorn!

Crayon-Resist Swallowtail Butterfly

I liked the results of my wax-resist Colorado hairstreak butterfly so much that I used the same technique to make a different butterfly. This time, I chose the Eastern tiger swallowtail. It is the state insect of Virginia, the state butterfly of Delaware, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and both the state butterfly and mascot of Alabama. Affiliate links below. 

Wax-Resist Swallowtail Butterfly

Materials: 

• watercolor paper
• crayons
• black paint
• microtip scissors
• colored pencil

Steps: 

Because I wanted my Eastern tiger swallowtail to be accurate, I printed out a picture first at the size I wanted my finished project to be. Then I used the window to trace the butterfly onto watercolor paper. 

Next, I used yellow, orange, black, blue, and white crayons to color in the butterfly. Since this is a wax-resist project, press hard and leave a thick layer of wax where you want the paint to resist; color lightly in the areas where you want black to cover most of your crayon marks. 

Create a wash by mixing a few drops of black acrylic paint into some water. Brush the wash over the butterfly. The paint will resist the areas with crayon. When the paint is dry, cut out the butterfly. 

The wash dried a little lighter than I wanted, but it was an easy fix. I used a black colored pencil to darken the areas that needed to pop. Here you can see the difference between the right side that I've colored and the left side that has just the wash. 

Here is is with both sides colored. 

The Eastern tiger swallowtail is such a pretty butterfly! I'm really happy with how my project turned out. 

Tomato and Strawberry Easter Eggs

Today's Easter eggs based on state symbols are so easy to make that you get two-for-one. First up is a tomato, the state fruit of Arkansas, Ohio, and Tennessee. Second is the strawberry, the state fruit of Delaware, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Oklahoma. Affiliate links below. 

 

Tomato Easter Egg

Materials:

• egg (raw, hardboiled, or empty)
• acrylic paint (red)
• felt (green)
• scissors
• craft glue

Steps: 

Paint the egg red. While it is drying, cut out a multi-pointed star shape from felt for the tomato's leaves. Cut a thin strip for the stem. When the paint is dry, glue the leaves to the side of the egg and the stem on top of the leaves. 

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Strawberry Easter Egg

Materials:

• egg (raw, hardboiled, or empty)
• acrylic paint (red, yellow)
• felt (green)
• scissors
• plastic fork
• craft glue

Steps: 

Paint the egg red. While the paint is drying, cut out a multi-pointed star shape from felt for the strawberry's leaves. Cut a thin strip for the stem. 

When the red paint is dry, use a plastic fork to apply yellow dots to the egg to mimic the strawberry's seeds. 

When the yellow paint is dry, glue the leaves to the rounded end of the egg. Glue the stem onto the leaves. 

Deer Easter Egg

For my next state symbol Easter egg, I chose a deer. The white-tailed deer is the state animal of Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, the state game animal of Oklahoma, and the wildlife symbol of Wisconsin. Affiliate links below.

  

Deer Easter Egg

Materials:

• egg (raw, hardboiled, or empty)
• acrylic paint (brown)
• brown cardstock
• scissors
• colored pencil (white)
• black paint pen
• craft glue

Steps: 

Paint the brown. While the paint is drying, cut out a pair of antlers, a pair of ears, and a tail. Make each a little longer than needed; fold back a small tab at the base. (This is where you'll be putting glue.) Use a white colored pencil to color the inside of the deer's ears. Color the edges and the underside of the tail white. 

Use the paint pen to add a nose to the pointed end of the egg. Add eyes and a mouth. Glue the ears,  antlers, and tail in place. 

Ice Cream Cone Easter Egg

Ice cream cones have been around since 1904, when visitors to the St. Louis World's Fair tried a revolutionary new treat. Vendors folded waffles into cones and filled them with ice cream. In 2008, 104 years after the birth of this now-ubiquitous treat, Missouri named the ice cream cone their official state dessert. Honor the ice cream cone by making an Easter egg version. Affiliate links below. 

 

 

Ice Cream Cone Easter Egg

Materials:

• egg (raw, hardboiled, or empty)
• acrylic paint
• cardstock (tan)
• colored pencil (tan)
• scissors
• craft glue
• binder clips
• Sharpie

Steps: 

Start by painting the egg your desired color. While that is drying, work on the cone. Use a ruler and a colored pencil to draw diagonal lines on the cardstock, first in one direction and then the other. There's no need to measure - just get some lines on there to mimic the look of an ice cream cone. 

Roll the cardstock into a cone shape, making sure the lines you drew face out. Measure the cone against the egg and adjust the wide end of the cone accordingly. I ended up cutting down my paper significantly. You may want to make a template with scratch paper first if you don't have another use for the excess cardstock. Glue the cone and add a binder clip to prevent it from unrolling while it dries. 

Use a Sharpie to add flecks of chocolate to your mint chip or chocolate chip ice cream, or skip this step if you chose a different flavor. When the glue on the cone is dry, trim to the top to make it even and nestle the egg inside. 

Another fun Easter egg idea, inspired by a state symbol!

Harbor Seal Easter Egg

I enjoy coming up with creative ways to decorate Easter eggs. This year, I'm challenging myself to decorate my eggs using state symbols. First up, a harbor seal. 

In 2016, the harbor seal was adopted as the official state marine mammal of Rhode Island. Did you know that harbor seals can weigh up to 300 pounds and live up to 30 years? Females give birth to a single baby between March and May. Babies weigh around 20 pounds at birth and can swim and dive within hours of birth. They gain almost a pound a day during the 4-6 weeks their mothers nurse them. Harbor seals eat a variety of seafood; they will swim more than a hundred miles upstream in large rivers in search of migrating fish. Affiliate links below. 

Harbor Seal Easter Egg

Materials:

• egg (raw, hardboiled, or empty)
• acrylic paint (grey)
• white chalk
• paint pen (black) or Sharpie
• fishing line
• craft glue

Steps: 

Paint the egg grey. When the paint has dried completely, orient the egg with the pointy end facing you. Rub some chalk on your finger (or on a cotton ball) and apply it to where the seal's eyes and cheeks will be. 

Use a black paint pen to draw the seal's eyes, nose, and mouth. Add random spots around the body, then add lots of tiny dots where the whiskers go.  

Cut six (or more) short pieces of fishing line for the seal's whiskers. Add dots of glue and press the whiskers in place. You'll need to hold them for 30 seconds or so while the glue sets up. 

Tennis Racket Craft

If you've never been, I highly recommend a visit to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. Tennis fans will love it, obviously, but even if you know nothing about tennis I guarantee that you will love it too. I learned so much about the sport. Tennis wasn't represented amongst the many Sports Crafts for Kids I've made over the years, so it was time to change that. 

I first played tennis in high school PE. Or maybe middle school PE. Either way, I enjoyed it, relatively speaking. In college, one of my roommates was on the tennis team. After I bought a racket, a third roommate and I would play against her, 2 against 1, and she would beat us every time. Easily. A few years later, I took tennis lessons through the city for a few months. It was fun, but I didn't end up playing again for about 15 years when 8-year old Trevor was interested in learning. He and I played a couple dozen times until he was about 10 and I haven't played since. I still have my racket though; it has the same colors as today’s craft. Affiliate links below. 

Tennis Racket Craft

Materials: 

• chipboard
• microtip scissors
• Folk Art paint
• colored masking tape
• retractable craft pick
• embroidery floss
• craft glue

Steps: 

Sketch a tennis racket onto a piece of chipboard. As you can see, I drew loose ovals until I found a shape I liked, then added the handle at the bottom. If you prefer, make a pattern on a piece of scratch paper or print out a picture and use that as a pattern. 

Cut out the tennis racket. To make mine symmetrical, I cut one side, then used that scrap to cut the other side. That allowed me to fix any imperfections. 

Trace the head of the tennis racket onto a piece of scratch paper, then paint the racket with your preferred color. While you are waiting for the paint to dry, plan out where you want the strings to go. I started with a line in the center, then approximately every 1/2" outward from there, giving me a total of 7 vertical strings. 

When the paint is dry, wrap pieces of colored (or plain) masking tape along the handle to make the grip. 

I had planned to poke holes in the chipboard and sew fishing line through them to make the strings. This failed. I had to use a needle with a fairly large eye in order to fit the fishing line, which threatened to tear the chipboard. I tried a couple of other ideas but eventually abandoned the ideas of holes altogether and switched to embroidery floss and glue. Do yourself a favor and go directly to the floss/glue. 

After a bunch of experimentation, I decided this is the easiest method: Use the craft pick to poke holes into your scratch paper pattern. Clip the pattern to the racket and color in each hole to mark where the strings will go. Remove the scratch paper and put a dollop of glue in that spot. Add a piece of embroidery floss, slightly longer than needed. Let the glue dry completely. 

Tape the racket to the table. Add dollops of glue along the bottom marks and stretch the floss into position. Tape the excess to the table to keep it stretched while the glue dries. Then snip off the extras. 

Repeat the same process with the horizontal strings. I thought about weaving them, but decided I didn't want to test the strength of the glue. It probably would have held. But it looks fine with the strings not woven. If you prefer accuracy, go for it! 

The finished racket!

Speaking of "racket"... as I was writing this post, I spelled it "racquet" about half the time. The more I thought about it, the less confident I was about which was correct. I looked it up. Based on what I learned, I changed my racquets to rackets. For purposes of SEO, I should probably write "tennis racquet craft" at least once in this post. There. Whether you're looking for a racket craft or a racquet craft, I hope my project inspired you to give it a try!

Decoupage Backgrounds for Cards

Recently, I've shared how to make flowers, a dolphin, and a cross using decoupage. You can use the same techniques to make backgrounds for cards. Affiliate links below. 

Decoupage Backgrounds for Cards

Materials:

• Neenah Bristol vellum
• paper trimmer
• tissue paper
• Mod Podge*
• decoupage brush
• craft glue
• stickers *

Steps: 

For each card, cut a piece of Bristol vellum in half to make two pieces that are 8.5" x 5.5".  Fold one of the halves in half in order to make a 4.25" x 5.5" card base. You'll use the other piece for the decoupage. 

You can decoupage with sheets, strips, or torn pieces tissue paper. You can mix colors or use just one color. If you are going to use strips or pieces, tear those before moving on to the next step. 

Pour some Mod Podge into a cup and dilute it with a little bit of water (about 3 parts Mod Podge to 1 part water). If you're using an intact piece of tissue paper, paint a coat of the watered-down Mod Podge onto a half-sheet of paper. Carefully lay the tissue paper onto the moist paper. Load the brush with more Mod Podge and paint a coat over the top of the tissue paper. Use the brush to smooth any wrinkles as best you can. Don't worry about any overhanging tissue paper. If you are using strips or torn pieces, work on one area at a time. Paint a coat of Mod Podge onto the bottom inch of the paper, lay down a strip or piece of tissue paper, then paint over that to seal it. Add Mod Podge to the next section of the paper, then add the tissue paper, slightly overlapping the previous piece. Seal it. Repeat until you've covered the entire half-sheet. 

When the decoupage is completely dry, trim the decoupaged sheet to make a 4" x 5.25" piece. Adhere it to the card base. Decorate with stickers. 

* For the Happy x 3 card, I used Gloss Mod Podge and stickers from Happy Planner - Celebrate. 

* For the unicorn card, I used Matte Mod Podge and stickers from Echo Park's Birthday Girl. 

* For the make a wish card, I used Sparkle Mod Podge and stickers from Echo Park's Happy Birthday Boy.