TUTORIAL: Quote Painting

I saw the quote:  "I will be grateful for this day" a long time ago.  I liked it so much that I wrote it on a post-it and stuck it on the corner of my laptop so that everytime I went on the computer I would see that and remember to be grateful.  Well, those post-it's don't last forever and it started to fall off.  I wanted to find some way to make that statement a more permanant fixture in my life (without getting a tattoo).  I have seen some drag type paintings around and figured out a way to do it for myself.

What you will need:

*Two contrasting colors of acrylic paint.  I chose teal and purple.

*White acrylic paint

*Paint medium

*1" brush

*canvas

*stencils

*foam brush

Prepping

Mix your paint with the medium.  I stick to a 2 parts medium to 1 part paint.  This will save your paint and also will make it easier to spread along the canvas. 

  Make a blob of each of the following: 

*First color(teal)/medium 

*Second color(purple)/medium

*Second color + white/medium. 

You want two shades of your second color.

 Start by priming your canvas with one of the colors you selected.  It will show through so I chose a bright color that would really "pop".

Next take your darker shade of your second color and dip your 1" paint brush in.  Start at the top of the painting and drag the paint down the canvas.  Repeat across the top.  You will want it to look jagged so experiment with different amounts of paint on the paintbrush as you go along.  After you finish with the dark shade, start again using your lighter shade.  Don't worry about washing off the paintbrush, it will help blend the colors.  Repeat across the top with the lighter shade.  Press harder so that it mixes a little with the darker shade. 

 Repeat on bottom of canvas.

 When doing the sides of the canvas, don't drag all the way on the corners.  Just lightly paint the corners and only drag partially, so as to just give the allusion of the "drag."

 Repeat again on the other side.

 Paint the sides of the canvas to match.

 Tape your quote/statement stencil to the canvas in the place you want it.  I used my handy-dandy Cricut to make my stencils, using the Zoo font!!!  Using your foam brush paint in the stencils.  I was going to use white, but decided on a really light shade of purple that I mixed up.

Hang on your wall and Enjoy!!!

Fairy House and Imagination!

A few months ago, Aubrey asked to build a fairy house like the girl in the new Tinkerbelle movie.  After taking some wood from my dad's workshop (a little too nice for a fairy house, but free), we set to work to try and figure out the simplest way to build a beautiful fairy house.  Of course I had my wonderful husband help out, especially with the power tools!  When it was done, we started painting it as a family.  Aubrey had a lot of fun and was creative with the paint! 

After the fairy house was finished, well, it sat for a couple of months.  Finally, I was inspired enough to help Aubrey find the perfect spot!  She planted a couple of mini-pumpkin seeds outside the garden this year, and she felt that the perfect spot would be by the plants.  When she had placed it where she wanted it, she exlaimed "We need to find stuff that the fairies will like!"  So off we went, gathering pinecones, flowers, and mulberries for the fairies! 

Aubrey helping cut the sides.

Before the paint.

The finished project with fairy offerings!

Beautiful wildflowers by our house!  I couldn't resist including this picture, it will be very refreshing to look at once winter and the snow are here!

Aubrey and her first mini-pumpkin!  She keeps saying "It is gonna be soooo huge, Mom!"  I have had to explain numerous times that it is a mini-pumpkin!

We haven't gone back to check for fairies yet, but I know Aubrey is excited!  I love that this fosters her imagination and creativity.  I'm sure that we will be checking it frequently to see if the fairies have left anything for us.