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A Birdie Vase

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 by Alyice

I originally made this vase to sell in my etsy shop. But after deciding I needed a place to stash my newly acquired “fake” bouquets—which will be used for props, I opted to keep it. In truth, the more I looked upon this beauty, the more I wanted to keep it. I just love the fun, festive colors—and the texture! I sure wish the texture came across in the photos; it’s what makes my pieces so much fun to own.

Keep Creating

Posted in The Art Jars | Comments Off

Thanks For Child Development Course

Monday, October 19th, 2009 by Alyice

In my daughter’s high school she is taking a class that prepares her for the real world. In this class there is a section on child development. During this section, teenagers learn all about raising a family, including what it’s really like to care for an infant.

This week-end was my daughter’s turn to bring home a fake mechanical baby designed to cry and pee and poop and demand all the attention a real baby would demand. His name was Cody. (Nope, she didn’t pick the baby’s name, it came with the baby.)

The first thing out of my daughter’s mouth when she arrived home with the baby was, “We’re not going anywhere all week-end.”

“Ha, Ha,” was my response. “We’re going shopping, we’re going to eat out at a restaurant, and we’re going to the movies.”

“Why?” she asked with a disgruntled tone.

“Because you cannot truly get the real experience of what it’s like to have a baby if you don’t tote it around with you everywhere you go.”

Since the baby was my daughter’s responsibility, she bravely tackled all the “mommy roles” including buckling the baby in and out of the car seat, feeding, burping, changing diapers, carrying the baby everywhere we went, waking up several times during the night, and even having to “hold the baby” simple because the baby needed a little tender loving care. And everything was recorded via an ID bracelet and a journal sheet.

First stop, the local gas station. She would not get out of the car. So she sat in the car, with the heater on (it’s 32 degrees here), until I came back—five minutes later.

Second stop, dinner. My son came down from college so we opted for his favorite restaurant: an all-you-can-eat buffet with sushi (well, California rolls). The waitress starred. She starred so much I finally told her it was a school project and the baby wasn’t real. My daughter got upset at me for bringing attention to her “project” as it made her uncomfortable. Then she started noticing the stares from patrons of the restaurant and she got really uncomfortable. During this time, the baby needed to be fed, burped, and changed.

Third stop, the movies. Over all, the baby did pretty well at the movies—we went at just the right time. Still, the baby needed two diaper changes, two feedings, and to be burped. My daughter hated that she had to miss part of the movie because she had to leave so the baby didn’t distract the other patrons.

Fourth stop, Michaels. She opted to put the baby in the basket instead of holding him. People starred. At first glance, he looked like the real thing. At fourth glance, they looked at my daughter with a weird expression—perhaps wondering why she, a high school student, was transporting a doll around with her.

Fifth stop, Wal-mart. Again the baby went into the shopping basket. She kind of liked the idea of being able to use the basket with the baby carrier instead of having to lug the car seat in with her, or carrying the baby in her arms. People starred, but my daughter learned to tune them out. The baby needed nothing from her, but for her to keep it safe during the entire Wal-mart experience.

Sixth stop, McDonalds. We opted to eat inside, after having just put the baby into the car seat three minutes earlier. My daughter decided she hated the idea of getting in and out of the car so quickly and begged that McDonalds be our last stop of the night. During our meal, some kids in a nearby booth starred. My son took full advantage of the opportunity to hassle my daughter about having a baby at 14 ½ years old—telling her that she should’ve waited to have sex, then grilling her about the baby’s father. My daughter opted to go along with the gag—perhaps the kids would stop staring, or perhaps they’d learn a valuable life lesson and just “WAIT!”

During the night, the baby woke my daughter up several times.

The next day, she begged to stay home. I concurred but not without a little reality check. I decided to give her some chores to do so that she could discover what it was like to try to care for a house and a baby at the same time. It took her nearly two hours to do one sink of dishes. Every time she washed a few, the baby called for her attention: a diaper change, a feeding, a holding.

That night, the baby kept her, and I, up several times as she opted to sleep on the sofa where I got the pleasure of hearing every single cry, coo, and sucking of the bottle.

By the third day, my daughter determined that babies, real or not, were A LOT of work. And not only were they work, but they sucked up all your time, leaving you very little time for other things.

Her conclusion: “Mom, I’m glad I decided last year to wait on having kids until after college or I get married. I’m glad I am wearing my ‘promise ring’ to remind me of the vows I made to myself.”

So yeah, the whole fake baby thing can be a bit daunting—and yes, it would have been easier to just stay home all weekend—but the rewards of truly experiencing it are so worth it!

Oh, and by the way, my son came to the same conclusion six and a half years ago, when he experienced the whole ordeal during his stint in middle school. And from what I’ve been hearing on the streets, I think middle school, not high school, is the right age for such a course!

Give thanks…

Posted in It's Gratitude, Dude! | 2 Comments »

Create A Halloween Witch Postcard

Sunday, October 18th, 2009 by Alyice

Last month, I joined Swap-bot; an online community of hobby and professional artists who enjoy challenging their artistic abilities by signing up for a themed art project, then swapping their creations with others from around the globe. Personally, I think I’m a little out of my league when it comes to some of the swaps, but nevertheless, I opted to join. My goal is not to be the best, but to push myself beyond my comfort zone—and in the process, improve as an artist.

So with that in mind, I attempted to create a little folk art witch and thought I’d share the process with you as it would be a really fun project to do with your kids—ages fourteen and under, of course. And as you can see, no real artistic talent is necessary!

Supplies:

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9 x 12, 90 lb. watercolor paper
8.5 by 11 matte photo paper or cardstock
pencil
glitter
paint brushes
white gesso
modeling (or molding) paste
thin tipped putty knife
acrylic paints
(black, orange, purple, flesh, white, brown, green, yellow)
computer program
(like: Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop Elements)
sealer (Mod Podge matte)
stamps

To create this folk art witch postcard, follow the instructions below:

Cut watercolor paper in half.
Paint the watercolor paper with a thin coat of gesso.
Let dry.
Paint the background a nice shade of green.
Let dry.
Sketch the witch, broom, and moon onto painted surface with a pencil.
Grab a small amount of molding paste with putty knife.
Fill in the design with a thin layer of molding paste—this creates a 3-D effect. (Tip: I like to fill in one area and etch into the design, then move to a non-touching area of the design and fill in that area. When those areas dry, I go back and fill in the touching areas. That way, I can see where one aspect of the design begins and the other ends.)
Let dry—depending on humidity, dry time can be anywhere from a few hours to overnight.
Go over raised design with acrylic paints. (Tip: to create streaks in hair, use a small-tipped paint brush to add black paint, leaving gaps to later be filled in with purple paint. Once dry, dip paint brush into orange paint and add a few random streaks of color.)
Let dry.
Add Halloween text: Happy Halloween, Boo!, Trick or Treat, etc.
Let dry.
Scan the image into your computer using the highest level.
Open computer software program and fix contrast and clarity.
Once you have the desired colors, add texture and/or a picture frame.
Resize the image to 5.6 x 4.25—just the perfect size for a postcard —and use the unsharp mask. (Tip: in Paint Shop Pro, click on image, then resize. Next, unselect “lock aspect ratio” so that you can manipulate the size correctly. Then under “print size” insert the correct size.)
Save image—make sure you save as 300 dpi for best picture clarity.
Print the image on cardstock.
Let ink dry.
Paint a thin layer of Mod Podge over image. (Tip: If you live in a really hot area of the country, spray a light coat of varnish over the Mod Podge once dried to prevent it from getting tacky during transit.)
Optional: while Mod Podge is still wet, lightly sprinkle gold glitter specks on the green background area.
Let dry.
On the back side of the card, put a thin line down the middle of the postcard.
On the right side, place the address and stamp.
On the left side, write a quick note and sign your name.
Place in mailbox.

When you’re done with this Halloween project, you’ll have a small 3-D artwork suitable for framing and several print copies ready for mailing!

Keep Creating

Posted in Art How-Tos Halloween, The Cards | Comments Off

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AlyiceEdrich.com
I'm a freelance writer, mixed media artist, SMVA, and the owner of The Dabbling Mum.

Copyrights

All material on this blog belongs to Alyice Edrich, unless otherwise noted. No project, artwork, or text may be reproduced or displayed elsewhere without the consent of the creator. That includes making derivative works for resale. Please use project tutorials for personal use and/or gifts only.