Use Adjectives to Craft Season Shapes!

Do you have a craft lover like I do? Isaak simply loves crafts. The trouble is, is that many crafts are geared more towards girls. There needs to be more of a market towards boys when it comes to crafts.

Often times Isaak makes up his own craft projects. Recently he made a yoyo out of an empty ribbon spool. I didn't think it would work out very well, but he was excited to give it a try. That's not his first attempt at something that didn't quite work out. He made a paper kite once that he swore would take off.

I love his imagination, and heart all his paper projects.

I have a new craft idea to share that can be used for boys and girls.

Use Adjectives to Craft Season Shapes! 

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… If your child is interested in the four seasons, try this fun activity that mixes writing and art! Two of Isaak's favorite things!

Cut out and decorate shapes that represent each season, then use adjectives to describe them. This is best for second graders because they've learned about different seasons, have the beginning skills to write, and the motor skills to cut.

This craft is a fun way to practice writing paragraphs.

For decoration, you can hang all four seasons at once, or put one season up at a time.

What You Need:

• Pad of white paper
• Pen or pencil
• Different colors of construction or scrapbook paper to fit the different seasons (in this case they used yellow, brown, red and white)
• Safety Scissors
• Glue or Glue Sticks
• Markers or Sharpies
• Cotton balls (optional)
• A Hole punch
• Yarn or String

Directions:

Ask your child to describe the different characteristics of each season. What kind of changes would you notice in the weather?

Examples: Leaves falling off trees, pumpkins growing, flowers sprouting, grass turning green, snow and snowflakes coming down, and so on.

Hand your child the pad of paper and a pen and have her write down 10 adjectives to describe each season. You could make this a 10 day project. Focus on one season per day. You could even provide a snack for each day to go with each season: Spring - Mango Orange Smoothie, Summer - a S'more, Fall - Pumpkin Pie, Winter - Snowman Sugar Cookies just to give you some examples.

If you follow along with the example shown above: Begin with the piece of red construction paper. Use a pencil to lightly trace a flower shape onto the paper; the shape should be large enough for your child to write a paragraph on one side. Use the yellow paper to cut out a sun shape for Summer, the brown paper to cut out a leaf shape for Fall, and the white paper to cut out a snowman for Winter.

Cut the shapes out of the paper.

On each shape, decorate one side with the markers.

On the other side, invite your child to describe the season in a short paragraph using the adjectives she brainstormed earlier. Encourage her to mention what the season looks like, what it feels like, what she does in those months, what she likes and dislikes about each season, and to add in any of the holidays in the seasons.

Punch a hole in the top of each season shape.

Tie a piece of yarn or string through each hole, and then hang them around the house for the whole family to enjoy!

What Do You Get Out of This Activity:

• It's a great activity for both boys and girls
• You're building memories with your child, or grandchild
• They are practicing what they've learned in school
• They are using their fine motor and writing skills
• It's a fun decoration to hang in the house

What's your favorite season? Mine is summer. I love the heat - most of the time. My birthday is the first day of summer, so it's my season of joy. I also enjoy that so many fruits and veggies are in the stores during the summer.

Disclaimer: I was asked to write this post from education.com. They supplied the activity. I was not paid to write this post.

Adult Coloring Greeting Cards by @ColorfestCrafts Boxed Set Review

If I had more time, I'd color more. It's fun, relaxing, and inspiring. When I color I don't have to think of a concept, and my mind is free to come up with other ideas for illustrations that are all mine.

Recently I got Adult Coloring Greeting Cards by Colorfest Boxed Set of 12 Unique Artist Design With Envelopes to Review.

The Greeting Cards do not come with the gel pens shown.

Colorfest Makes: Greeting Cards, Watercolor Pencils, and Gel Pens.

The Greeting Cards Come With 12 Designs:

• 2 Different Dog Designs
• 2 Different Cat Designs
• 2 Different Flower Designs
• 2 Different Dragonfly Designs
• 2 Different Butterfly Designs
• 1 Heart Design
• 1 Dove Design 

They are all different, but have a similar style. I do wish the ones that had 2 of the same subject they thought of something different to do. There are endless options, but I thought of: An Igloo, a Train, a Snowman, a Sloth, a Panda, an Ice Cream Cone. What would you add to the set?

Color Time:

We took Mica to get a haircut last night for picture day today. While Isaak and I waited we colored. I said, "Isaak I have a job for you." He gave me a sigh. When he saw that I wanted us to color, his eyes lit up.

Isaak colored the cat card for his teacher:

I colored a flower for someone that will need a card:

I colored with a lot of hatching lines. Isaak asked about my method of coloring. I talked to him about hatching, cross hatching, bracelet shading, and solid shading. 

It was fun to color. We didn't finish them, while Mica's hair was getting cut. We went home and we colored some more. 

Each Card Comes:

• With thick paper stock. This ensures that there is no bleeding through when gel pens, or markers are used.
• With a blank inside. You can make the card whatever you want. 
• With a white envelope.

The Cards Are:

• $38, but on sale for $18.98. They are sold on Amazon. If you are an Amazon Prime member you can get shipping for free. 
• They are made in China. I wish they were made in the US.
• Used for any occasion. I think we'll use ours for Teacher Appreciation Days, or to lift someone's spirits up.  

Disclaimer: I got this product for a discount in exchange for an honest review. I only agree to review things that I find fits this blog.

Dauber Dawgs Dot Markers Review

Isaak loves playing with different mediums, and materials. The trouble with him is that he gets bored, and distracted easily. We have a lot of different things around that he can work with.

Recently I got Dauber Dawgs Dot Markers for Isaak to review. 

Isaak new exactly how these markers are used. He has apparently used similar ones at school.

It comes with 8 colors:

1. Purple
2. Red
3. Pink
4. Orange
5. Yellow
6. Brown
7. Green
8. Blue

I like that the colors are the color name instead of funky names like Blueberry Blue, or Pea Green. They should be listed just their color name because kids are using them that are possibly just learning their colors. Isaak knows his, but these markers can be used by toddlers to.

I also like that the lid and label match the color that they make. 

Color Sheets:

Dauber Dawgs has 100 color sheets that can be downloaded and printed off. I did see some negative comments where customers thought there was going to be some color sheets in with their package. Printing 100 sheets can get expensive. 

Maybe they could have 10 coloring sheets come printed with the package, and the rest available on their website. 

Isaak likes to just color out of his imagination, so this didn't really effect him. 

Here's what Isaak came up with:

It would be best to use thicker paper with them, so no warping occurs. 

This is part of a book Isaak is working on.

The Markers Before and After Use:

This was before use. I only dabbed it down on paper once.

This was after use.

Washable?

They are supposed to be washable. Isaak used them on a book, so that he wouldn't get marker on the table, or floor. The book had marker on it that wouldn't wash off. Isaak's hands had marker on them that wouldn't wash off. Overall he didn't make too much of a mess. It washes off to an extent. 

Here's the box that Isaak colored on, but tried to wash off. There's still pink on the box.

Overall this is a great addition to my creative boys art stuff.

Best Ages:

They are best for toddlers and preschoolers. Isaak's a little old for them (almost 8), but he still enjoys them. Any age can use them.

Cost:

They are $23.99, but are on sale for $15.97.

What's your favorite thing to color with?

Disclaimer: I received a discount for the markers that were discussed in the review. The opinions are 100% mine.

ONME 36-color Set of Oil Art Colored Pencils Review

I got a new set of ONME oil art colored pencils. I love these!

They are high quality drawing pencils for writing, drawing and sketching.

I plan on using them for sketching.

I sketched up a possible t-shirt design for Isaak. I say possible because he hasn't seen it yet. At school the lunch ladies call him, "Isaak the great that holds a bear cup in his hands." I asked him, "Why?" He said, "I don't know I just like it, and asked them to call me that." So...they do. I asked him the other day if he'd like a t-shirt that said that. He said, "Oh ya!" right away.

He might want it more literal with a bear on a cup.

The magenta pencil looks dark purple, so I thought that what I was coloring it at first. It really didn't matter to me because it's just a sketch. If it were a finished drawing I'd test all the colors out on a scrap paper before coloring with them. It's pretty common to get different colors with art supplies. Acrylic paint is the worst with that. It always dries darker than it looks in the tube.

These pencils are eco friendly. They come in a brown tube, and the pencils are encased in a wood that's not painted. Since these are eco friendly they are great for pregnant women, and children over the age of 3. Under the age of 3 is a risk due to the sharpener, and the tips of the pencils falling off, and possibly causing them to choke.

This is a set of 36 assorted colors. There is a lot of variety! I can always overlap colors to get other colors.

If you are into the trending home/adult coloring books these are for you. A wonderful pencil set for coloring Secret Garden, Enchanted Forest, and Lost Ocean Coloring Books. 

They come sharpened and ready to sketch away. There is a small sharper that comes with the set. I love it because the electric sharpeners are not good for colored pencils. They eat too much away, and break their colored tips. 

You can blend these with water, turpentine, or mineral spirits. I use a product called Gamasol that is allergy friendly. I didn't blend the image above because it's just a sketch. 

Cost:

$44.97 and now $16.99. 

Makes the Perfect Gift:

I like to have a lot of colored pencil sets around to give to kids for birthday parties. It makes an excellent present paired up with a cool coloring book, or sketch pad. I think many parents appreciate their kid getting art supplies over toys.

I like this set so much though. I think I'm going to keep it. 

Disclaimer: I received these color pencils for a discounted price for the purpose of this review. The opinions are 100% mine.

A Sad Weekend

I'd like to say that this weekend was practically perfect in every way, but that would be untrue.

My Mom's cousin was laid to rest last Thursday. The funeral and wake was 3 hours away, so I didn't go. They had a ceremony here in our town on Saturday. I went to that. I saw this woman probably 3 times a year, but grew closer to her in this last year because she commented, or liked nearly every facebook post I wrote.

I cried, not for myself, but for her Father/my Mom's uncle that she was super close to. I can't imagine what life will be like for him now. Thankfully he does have good friends, and my Grandpa is still here for him.

My Mom's cousin was a single lady, with no kids. I take that back...she had lots of kids. She was a school teacher for special education. She touched the lives of kids, who I've never met. Since her dad is older, and her only sibling lives in Maryland we were nominated to go through her things. While it felt odd going through someone's things that had passed away, I felt another closeness to her to.

She liked dolls. She actually made doll clothes that were sold world wide. Dolls were found, Barbies in their original boxes were stored away. I told my Aunt to hang onto them. I got one Kewpie type doll.

Travis helped carry big furniture things away with my cousin who just bought his first house.

Mica was sucked into her movies. We carried a bag full of movies home. He's a movie buff for sure.

Isaak wanted her colored pencils, a few adult coloring books, necklaces, and board games. We now have to learn how to play Clue 2 (which I never knew existed), I have to reteach myself how to play Taboo, and Cribbage (which I've heard of, but never played). 

Travis took some tools, and a bin that held many of her craft things.

I took a few kitchen items like a small bread pan, a Spritz Cookie Press, and lots of mason jars for canning pickles and June Berry Jam.

It was bitter sweet. I feel blessed to have been able to go through her things.

AmazaPens 24 Gel Coloring Pens

I've never used a gel pen that I've liked. Now I finally found a set that works really well!

AmazaPens has a variety of pens that work great! It comes with 24 Gel Ink Pens:  

• Black
• Grey
• White
• 3 Purples
• 4 Blues
• 2 Reds
• 4 Pinks
• 1 Orange
• 3 Yellows
• 4 Greens

The colors that have a sparkle look to their lid are sparkly when you draw with them. The set comes with 12 Glitter, 6 Neon, and 6 Pastel.

I put them in color order. I used to put my crayons in color order like this when I was a kid.

Cost: $29.99 and on sale for $19.99. This would make a great gift for someone for the holidays coming up. I could see teachers loving this set. 

Get busy with craft or art projects. You could do what I did, and relax with an adult coloring book! Silky smooth application with easy flowing tip. Perfect for handcrafted gift cards, invitations, or simply give the kids some paper and kick back while they color!

The set is non toxic and acid free. The colors will not eat holes through your paper as time goes on.

These pens are longer lasting then other ones on the market. If you are tired of your pens drying out just use these. You won't have problems with them drying of in the middle of a project. AmazaPens have 40% extra ink than most colored pens so they LAST LONGER and won't run out just as you're getting inspired! I did find that the lighter colors were harder to put down then the darker colors.

They have a soft rubber grip that feels great to hold and will let you draw, write, journal or just scribble for hours on end! I found them to have a very comfortable grip.
 
Glitter pens have 1mm ballpoint tips, neon & pastel have 0.8mm tips. Great for Mind Mapping, Writing, Adult coloring books, scrapbooking and all other artistic creations! Use along side your coloring pencils and markers. I used them along side of a regular school red pen. I had started my coloring with the red pen, so continued it.

These are pen that I will share with my kids. Isaak loves art, and Mica sometimes has to color coat homework assignments. 

 

Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free in exchange for a review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.  

Adhesive Vinyl Sheets by Angel Crafts Review

I found a new art medium I love. It's 6x12 Adhesive Vinyl Sheets made by Angel Crafts.

I've been wanting to try vinyl sheets, but never really knew where to get them. I love this set because of the color variety. They send 35 sheets in a pack + 5 free sheets.

35 Gloss Colors Consist of (I'm grouping them in like colors): 

• Whites: Gloss White, Matte White
• Blacks: Matte Black, Gloss Black, Flat Black
• Grey and Silver: Silver, Medium Grey
• Brown, Gold and Beige: Brown, Gold, Beige
• Reds: Tomato Red, Wild Cardinal Red, Poppy Red
• Yellows and Oranges: Sunbeam Yellow, Sunflower, Matte Yellow, Tangerine
• Greens: Kelly Green, Forest Green, Dark Green, Lime Green
• Blues: Blue, Plum, Azure Blue, Teal, Olympic Blue, Sapphire Blue, Peacock
• Reds and Pinks: Red, Burgundy, Magenta, Fiesta Pink
• Purples: Violet, Royal Purple, Lavender 

Yellow to Red Orange

Pink to Red to Dark Red

Light Green to Dark Green

Light Blue to Dark Blue

Light Purple to Blue Purple

The Neutrals

I debated what to do with the vinyl. I thought about making a stencil for a trunk I have. The motivation just wasn't there for that project right now. I've been in more of a painting mood lately. 

I decided to make a sea turtle with a sandcastle coming out of it's shell. I'm not 100% sure I'm done just yet. I think I may want to add baby turtles in the background. Any dark spots you see on the turtle is cut out vinyl. It stuck well. I was able to do slight paint washes over the spots, which I happened to love.

I also used: 

• Paper punches, which may in the future be vinyl punches for me
• Tooth Picks cut down
• Rubber Spanish moss
• Acrylic Paint
• Matte Medium
• Pumice Medium
• Sand 
• Black Sharpie

I am so happy with how the vinyl on the turtle just pops! It was so easy to cut. I used a small sewing scissors to cut it. I loved how it stuck it's self to the surface. I'm so used to putting a clear paint medium down to hold stuff down. I didn't have to do that. It saved time because I didn't have to wait for anything to dry.

It's $16.95 for the set of 40 vinyl sheets. I love all the colors they sent. You can use this for other things like Home Decor, Signs, Letters, Banners, Striping, Decals, Window Graphics, Tiles, and so much more! 

What would you use this vinyl for? Any ideas? 

 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.