April 10, 2009

Bringing in the Spring

More spring pretties:

We're getting a little impatient for spring, now, so this past week we worked a bit more on creating our Inside Spring.

We glued some tissue paper blossoms on a branch

to go along with the ones being forced. Lo ripped little pieces from our tissue paper, crumpled them and gave a little twist to the bottom so that I could glue-gun them to the branch right on top of the actual buds. Kids can also use regular glue-it's trickier and since Lo has been sick she didn't have the patience for that! :(

Last week we started making Spring batiks on fabric. This one is quite easy. Using Elmer's glue(the blue kind that fades when dry is ideal-believe me! As you can see, we used white and it was difficult to see) kids can squeeze out or paint a Spring scene.

Lo made a flower garden on a sunny day and I made some budding birch trees. We let it dry over night and then painted them with watered down acrylics.

After drying another night we washed them to remove the glue. The colors faded quite a bit, much to Lo's chagrin, but I liked the effect! We attached them onto alder branches and left the edges of the fabric torn for a rough look. Wouldn't it be cool if they blossomed! Art in transition!

Aaaaaaaand, here we have your standard run-o-the-mill tissue paper and pipe cleaner butterflies. Perfect activity for Lo's lack of energy but quite pretty and cheering after we hung them on a branch by the window!


9 comments:

Lisa Anne said...

I love the glue and paint batik idea. I love sticks for decorating, I am always dragging in branches to hang on the wall or arranging sticks in vases, perfect winter arrangement.

Anne said...

The blossoms look beautiful! When I first looked at them I thought they where real.
Thanks for the batik idea I would like the try that.:)

Anonymous said...

It's hard to find things to do with sick kids...you did so well!

tiff said...

You are such a creative mama...more ideas for me to do with my own kiddo's and my classroom kiddo's...thanks for the inspiration "waldorfy mama" :)

beautiful photos!

Crescent Moon said...

Those tissue paper flowers looked so real, I wouldn't have known they were paper if you hadn't said so.

We've done wax batik before, but your way, with the glue, looks so much easier and safer.

Garden State Kate said...

Love the "making your own spring" thing!

me said...

Maybe you know this already...but you can use the glue-batik technique with dying too. The gel glue holds together just long enough to heat set with kool-aid in the microwave! :) Let it dry completely first and then you can follow normal kool-aid dying in the microwave. Who knew glue was so useful?? :)

Atouria said...

Love all your crafts! I never new that you could use glue for batik! This is something we'll definitely have to try - especially as my LO gets older.

I have to agree with everyone above at how real your flowers look!

Thanks for the inspiration!

Tammy said...

I thought the tissue paper blossoms were real before I read you made them with Lo. They are so well done. Good job, Mama!