Paper mosaics

The art of mosiacs is amazing and the images that can be created using tiny pieces of pottery and tiles are beautiful.  I particularly love the amazing colourful pieces from europe.

Source unknown

Source unknown

In another life time, I travelled to spain and spent time in Barcelona.  This city is very famous for the Gaudi Mosaics and there is an entire park devoted to these amazing sculptures and art work.  Gaudi also designed many unique buildings in Barcelona and they are often adorned with his beautiful mosaic works of art.

Source unknown

Source unknown

These gorgeous creations are sooo easy to make with your kids at home.  All you need are lots of coloured paper cut into a variety of shapes. You can buy coloured paper at Big W or Crazy Clarkes. The kids can cut or tear pieces to fit their design.  I use glue sticks as these are much less messier than pots of glue, however you can choose what suits your little peeps best.  For a while there I only let Joe use double sided tape as he used to love eating glue sticks and all sorts of glue!! Strange child he was.

Here are some examples of paper mosaic artwork I found on pinterest!  I love pinterest by the way.  If you have not yet discovered pinterest you need to go and check it out now!

www.pinterest.com

I have put the website/blog links for all of this images, where you will find great tutorials and step by step instructions to help you and your little peeps create amazing and beautiful mosaics.  Be sure to share any of your creations here or over on our facebook.  We just love kids and their creations.

Have a great week lovelies and we shall see you back here next week with some exciting christmas craft and present ideas.

http://www.jfpl.org/kids/polImage.cfm?Event_Id=151&Size_Code=small

http://onpolkadotlane.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/crafty-kid-fun-paper-mosaic-art.html

http://dalimoustache.blogspot.com.au/search?q=Paper+mosaic

 http://thecleverfeather.blogspot.com.au/search?updated-max=2012-05-16T11:24:00-05:00&max-results=15

Just another beautiful day……..

I am sitting here working at my desk and through the window I see deep greens, dark luscious browns and the most beautiful blue sky that you can imagine.

The view from my window is not an amazing one.  I have a lovely view of the faded wooden fence and the cream speckled bricks of the neighbour’s house.  A cream colour bond roof (very typically suburban Australia) and yet when I raise my eyes that little higher, that is when the beauty is revealed. 

We live near a creek which is lined by the most amazingly majestic trees you can find.  A remnant of the days when this part of the coast was covered in dense rainforest, back in the days before the colonisation of Australia and the clearing of land for farming and grazing became common place.  Trees bearing pinecones just waiting to be collected by eager little hands and decorated ready to be hung on the Christmas tree.

This tree line curves around the side of my house and to the back garden where a tall, wide and proud mango tree stands beginning to flower, with the promise of ripe and juicy fruit in the coming months.  Ahh…. any of you who have experienced that first juicy mango of the season knows the feeling.  It also reminds us that Christmas is not that far away.

I sit and continue to gaze at the tall leafy branches that reach up to touch the fresh, clear blue sky and I sigh, a deep sigh.  A lot is said in that one sigh.  Peace, calm, warmth, happiness but above all of these for me inspiration. 

A few years ago I began exploring my creative side.  The side of my personality that had been ignored by the traveller, the partier and then the career woman, the home owner the wife and finally the mother and keeper of all things house!!!

The creative side was finally given an opportunity to shine and shine it did.  At first it was paper craft and then crochet, stitching, oh my goodness the crafts I have dipped my toe to is endless and I have loved every minute.

I never used to appreciate the images, the colours, the textures, the shades and the patterns that were surrounding me each day.  Now I find inspiration everywhere I look.  Some days I am more open to the beauty and inspiration than others but even just by looking out the window, I am inspired by colour and the beauty around me.

Inspiration comes to many in different ways and for me my inspiration comes through colour. The colours from a delicate yet bold flower, the lime green shoots of new grass, the deep brown of the textured bark of the pine trees. I could keep on listing the sources of my inspiration all day.  It is continuous and endless and I love it. 

Colour is the most important feature of a design for me and being inspired by colour is who I am and how I create. 

Today I want you to sit, make a creamy beverage of choice (mine is coffee) and take some time to think about what inspires you.  What makes you draw that sharp breath of pleasure that awwww feeling you get when you see something that is just delightful.  Gather some images, take some photographs, and write some words.  Think about what inspires you, really sit and think about it.  Devote some time to it and I promise you that you will feel better for it and I am pretty sure you will feel the need to be creative in whatever way being creative means to you.

Have a wonderful day and remember to live each day with inspiration and creativity and happiness.

The children can be arguing around me yet when I sit at my little creative space and get busy the rest of the world just slips away.  And that is the beauty of being creative!  Letting the rest of the world just slip away for a short time.

Wow that a bit deep but just felt the need to share.  Have fun being creative!

Beautiful Babushka Dolls

Oh my goodness!  We have a new design to share with you all this week and I think it might just be our new all time favourite.  LOL! That seems to happen with each new design we create lately.  The colours are gorgeous and the dolls are to die for.

Introducing the Kids Art Beautiful Babushka Dolls design range.  As with all our designs this one is also available in canvas, clocks, prints and growth charts.  We hope you love it as much as we do!

These gorgeous babushka dolls have been individually created using a very pretty pink colour pallette and include a pop of aqua! Everyone loves pinks and aquas and the designers here at Kids Art are no different. These gorgeous dolls are bright and very cute and would look great in any girls bedroom. You can individualize your Beautiful Babushka design as well, which makes a perfect gift for all those special little ladies in your life.

Placemat

Canvas

Canvas

Canvas

Growth Chart

Growth Chart

Canvas Set

Canvas Set

Canvas Set

Growth Chart

Growth Chart

placemat

clock

Placemat

My favourite piece of this design set is the four canvas set, each with a beautiful doll on it with a background colour!  But then I do love them all!!!

We hope that you are all enjoying the holidays with your little people and are perhaps trying out some of the art ideas we have shared with you here on the Kids Art blog.

We will back next week with some more fun and useful art ideas to do with your kids!

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