Water Colour Resist Painting

Hello everyone.  We hope you have had an amazing week.  We have been busy, busy here at kids art filling orders and sending off lots of special canvases to special little people.  Remember to go and have a look at our website and online store to see our full range of designs and products.  Kids Art is a must see store for Christmas shopping this year.



http://kids-art.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_40&products_id=287

This week we are very excited to share that we have been featured on Decorators Catalogue.  Our ever so cute Noah's Ark range has been featured here.

http://www.decoratorscatalogue.com.au/

Last week I mentioned that I would begin a set of blog posts featuring different art techniques you can easily do with your kids.

The first technique I would like to share with you all is called Water Colour Resist Painting.

You will need:

• a light coloured wax crayon
• card stock or paper
• water colour paints
• wide brush
• water for rinsing brush

Draw your design onto your card or paper using your crayon.

Choose your colour and paint across the paper/card, lifting your brush each time.

We used a variety of colours to give an ombre type effect.  This is very on trend at the moment.

I just love this activity as it is very minimal fuss.  Water colours are easy for kids to use and create little mess! They also wash out easily.  It does not require a lot of tools or equipment and the kids just love it!

Here is what Miss G created today.  

Have a great week and we are really hoping to be able to share a new design with you next week.  

Kids art and craft organisation and storage

This week we are going to look at storing and organising your children's art and craft resources.

I have always been a firm believer in allowing children to have full access to art and craft resources as it is such an important way to foster creativity and encourage independence and responsibility.  So from as early as I can remember there has always been a steady stream of creative stuff around the house.

My first storage solution was turning the nappy change table into an art trolley.  Well that was an epic fail, as it was always a mess and sat out in my very small house for all to see.

That was when I realised that it needed to be out of sight, so that it did not become sooo annoying that I just wanted to throw it all in the bin.  And believe me this happened on a few occasions.

So a cupboard was chosen.  It is the type of cupboard designed for brooms and vacuum cleaners, so therefore it was missing shelves.  Easy fixed, I added a very cheap bookcase purchased from the op shop and created a perfect spot for the art and craft STUFF to live.

Over the years many of my friends have thought me mad letting the kids have free access to the art cupboard and yes my house is not as tidy or perfect looking, but they have now learnt to manage the situation independently and only need a reminder to put their stuff away.

Finding a space for the craft stuff is the easy part, then comes the organising and storing of different craft materials, glue, scissors, the list is endless.  I have stuck with my trusty Crazy Clarkes mini baskets and I love them.  We also have a huge useful box full of all sorts of interesting things my mum collects for the kids to use in their creations.  This has also been a huge help with homeschooling in the early years as there are always resources of some kind on hand.

Now I know that I am not alone in this epic quest of a well organised, child friendly craft cupboard, so I have put together some great art and craft storage ideas for you all to check out.

I hope this is helpful and if you have any great ideas that you can add please share them here or over on our facebook page.

Independence, responsibility and creativity.  If we are able to foster these traits in our children I think we are doing ok!

You gotta love IKEA! These storage draws are great and allow easy access for small hands.



http://indulgy.com/post/ozkIsdu5M1/journal-storage

I just love this cupboard.  You need to remember that it has to be easy access and easy for the kids to put away by themselves and this allows for all of that!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gentlydownthestream/3829192542/

This is another great idea!

http://mericherry.wordpress.com/category/kindergarten/page/2/

If you are working within a strict budget, getting family members to collect food containers is a great way to avoid spending extra money and they provide neat and easy access and can be laid out on the craft table very easily.

http://www.tealandlime.com/2011/07/whats-in-the-arts-and-craft-bins/

I love this idea! If you are short on space this is really useful.

http://blog.hellolittleone.com/get-organized-good-ideas-for-how-where-to-store-your-stuff/

This is so good for stopping containers falling over when little hands are crafting.  Old tins can be purchased very cheaply at op shops!

http://www.pinterest.com/lastday/

Well I am sure these ideas have been helpful to some if not most of you.  Have a good week and we shall see you back here next week.  Next week we are going to be talking about different art techniques and the way you can introduce them to your little people in fun ways.

The design fairies have been very busy here at Kids Art and soon we will have some very cute new designs to share with you all.

Have a great week everyone and happy crafting!

The Kids Art Team xxxxxxxxxx

Cute Hoots!!!

Who doesn't love owls!!!  Right?  Chantelle has been wanting to add some cute little owls to her design range for some time now and here they are!

Introducing our Cute Hoots designs.  These are too gorgeous and have just the right shade of pink don't you all agree.

Click on the link below to visit our online store!

http://kids-art.com.au/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=14_88

Personalised Canvas

Clock

Canvas Sets

Canvas Sets

Place Mats

Celebration Banners

Growth Charts

Our Cute Hoots also comes in blues for that special little man in your life!

Place Mat

Growth Chart

Clock

As you can see we have been very busy here at kids Art Central and we hope you love our new designs just as much as we do.

Head on over to our website to snap up your very own Kids Art creation!

http://kids-art.com.au/

Have a great week and we shall see you back here next week with some more great ideas for creating great art and crafts with your little peeps!

Displaying your kids art work revisited...

Hi everyone!  A couple of weeks ago I shared some great ideas for displaying your child's art work.  Well I was cruising through pinterest this morning and I found this amazing photo book design from Shutterfly.

If you click on the link below it will take you straight to the website and page you need.  I have also included some pictures of the product for you all.  This is sooooo cool!

http://www.shutterfly.com/custom-path/stylecatalog.sfly?fromLocation=lightbox&order=false&defaultBookTitle=My%20Photo%20Book&bookInitID=1378178744207&bookSize=11x14&coverType=USER_CUSTOM&occasions=Our%20Top%20Picks







Have a great day and check back here tomorrow as we have some super cute new Kids Art designs to share with you.  Here is a clue!  HOOT HOOT!

Hand Painted Fathers Day Gifts

Here at Kids Art Central we love art and we particularly have a passion for Kid's Artwork.  We love to encourage and inspire our own kids to explore their creative natures and that means you actually have to bite the bullet and let them make a mess.  Control freaks beware.  This could cause you massive anxiety, but never fear I have some great tips to keep things simple and minimize the crazy mess of ...........................

THE DREADED PAINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The kids decided this year that they wanted to paint some artwork for their dad for father's day.  My kids are older now so paints are not as scary as they used to be.  

So I went straight to pinterest to get some inspiration and found a collage of small painted square canvases.  I spoke to the kids and suggested that they paint portraits of our family on some canvas.  Miss 8 decided she would like to do this and Mr 6 decided that he wanted to paint things that dad might like, for example a caravan and a boat etc.

And so the process beigns.  You need to have an organised set up.  I have a couple of plastic party table cloths left over from birthday parties.  Each year I throw out the old ones and replace them so that it keeps them relatively fresh.  These are very important.  They are water resistant so you won't end up with loads of soggy newspaper.  They are huge and cover a dining room table as well which I love.

Secondly you need to get yourself to your local $2 shop and here you will find everything you need.  Here on the Sunshine Coast we have Crazy Clarkes and King Kong and these are both great sources for art supplies. 

Here I stock up on $6.00 packets of small tubes of acrylic paints and these are great!  They also come in a huge variety of colours and are very cheap and easy to clean up.

You also need a good range of brushes, sponges and paint pans and a nice sturdy container for water.  If it is not sturdy with a wide base, it will most definitely get knocked over.

The most important item for this project was small canvases.  I purchased a set of four 15 by 15cm canvases for $6.00 at Crazy Clarkes!  I seriously love these stores.  All that was left to do was create a master piece and that is just what they did!  LOL! If they do say so themselves!!!!  There is no shortage of confidence in this house.

I nearly forgot the most important thing.  An old shirt or paint smock for painting in!  This is one of the most important items to have in your paint box.  When finished I make them clean everything up and it gets packed away back in the paint box, ready for the next time they want to paint.

I will admit that when the kids were younger it did take a bit more effort from me, however a paint shirt, an easel, some crayola poster paints and some sealable paint pots, made it all possible.  Oh and a portable clothes airer is really helpful as well for hanging the finished paintings on to dry.

We will package these up and then I am sure like every other father's day gift that has been presented since kindy days, it will have pride of place on the wall on his side of the bed!!!

Next week we will have some very cute new designs to share with you all and don't forget to subscribe to our monthly Kids Art newsletter.  On the first of each month we share new products and designs and we also off some exclusive discount codes that ban be used in our online store.  So subcribe today to ensure that you don't miss out!

Have a great week everyone and I will be sure to get some pics of the kids father's day art hanging on the wall!

Display Ideas for your Kid's Creation...

As we just love Kids and Art here at Kids Art (obviously) we thought it would be cool to share with you some of our favourite art and craft activities, products and organising ideas with you all to help you foster those budding little artists that we live with.

Anyone who has kids, grand kids or nieces and nephews will know, as soon as those little peeps can etch a mark on a page, a collection of priceless pieces of paper begin piling up on fridges, in folders or in the special memory boxes.

If your little peeps are anything like mine I have piles and piles of priceless artwork lying around the house. Now I have a huge problem with clutter to start with.  Any piece of paper that enters my house is like a Gremlin that multiplies when it comes into contact with water (So love those movies).  So when you add kids artwork to that mix!  Oh my goodness those clutter piles get bigger and bigger and bigger.

The first idea that came to mind that I am sure everyone has trouble with is how to store and display all that artwork.  If you are like me and feel too guilty to throw any of it away and Mr 6 freaks out every time I try and get rid of anything you will just love some of the cool ideas I have gathered for you all.


Source unknown


http://www.simpleasthatblog.com/2013/04/project-simplify-wk-3-organize-display.html?_szp=341808


This I think might just be my favourite idea I have discovered.  The aim of this is to take a digital photo of every piece of art your child does and then make a digital collage of that artwork.  This means that you only have to keep the really special pieces in your memory box and the rest can hang in a very sleek and modern display.  You can make your collage as small or as large as you like depending on your budget and available space.



https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGK3qsXZfJg6BWFJ7Ve4rlsvsvdeACtzm6FGDBtdU-Z6of4foX5KHXnYhRZ2aTdiY08-9sCeDLp56LNRovFo09jv3axXuuBLLRR8hshjQGB5omguyQqFOXfwr37M7ntKME6QSqPa4CrlE/s1600-h/DSC07028.JPG



http://pre-kteacher.tumblr.com/#9198208065

This is great for those of you who love to make a feature cluster of frames on your walls.



http://pufir.tumblr.com/post/53496751274

This idea is great and you can pick these type of line rails up at IKEA!



http://www.jacquelynclark.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/744575-1_z.jpg

This is great and I love using my many rolls of washi tape to attach the artwork to the walls.



http://slowmama.com/home-design/childrens-artwork-should-it-stay-or-should-it-go-now/attachment/little-green-design/



http://sarahndipities.blogspot.com/2010/10/friday-finds-bulletin-board-frames-wall.html

I love the idea of turning old frames into cork boards.  Op shops are a great place to pick up all types of frames and coat of paint and some cork is all that is needed.  I would paint my cork a colour as well and that creates a lovely backdrop for your artwork.

Well I hope you found something that suits you above.  There are sooooo many different ideas out there for displaying your child's artwork.  Have fun and please post if any of you use any of these ideas or if you have any great ideas that you can share with everyone!

Have a great week!

Celebration Banners

Everyone just loves a celebration. Whether it be a christening, a first birthday or a baby shower, we love to gather together and celebrate these special occasions.

The latest trend in celebrating is the ever popular party table or dessert buffet! In particular themed parties which we know you all love!!!!!!

Here at Kids Art we have it covered.  We have designed a range of party banners that can be personalised to suit your special occassion.

Our Kids Art Personalised Party Banners are printed on quality water resistant polyprophylene film normally used as point of sale and banners for outdoor use.  Not only is it water resistant, it also offers a high degree of resistance against ripping or tearing.  The dimensions of the banner are 107cm wide and 30cm high. These are a great keepsake and can be used year after year if wanted.

Here are some examples from our range of Kids Art Personalised Party Banners.  Click on the links and they will take you straight to our online store.

http://kids-art.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=90&products_id=606

http://kids-art.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=90&products_id=603

http://kids-art.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=90&products_id=615

Have a great week everyone and we shall see you back here next week.

Don't forget you can now subscribe to our Kids Art Monthly Newsletter and receive our latest products and exclusive discounts right to your inbox.  You will find the subscribe tab on the top left hand side of this blog post.