THE ALTERED FLEA

Friday, May 25, 2012

The Art of Appreciation

Twice a week I volunteer in a classroom at a community Pre-K program. There are 17 children, most from non-English speaking families. The teacher is amazing. She is patient, kind, cares about each child, and is preparing them for success in Kindergarten next year. Without this program, these children would start kindergarten way behind their peers. It's hard to believe our school district has plans to cut the program next year. But that's not what this post is about.

Teacher Appreciation Week comes and goes. There aren't room parents for this class. So I decided to help the students show their love for their teacher with this project. It's simple enough, but goes a l-o-n-g way in showing their appreciation.

I brought punched scalloped and plain circles, mini letter rubber stamps and a black ink pad to school one day. Each child chose their color combination of their "flower" and stamped their name on it. So it was also a lesson in ABC's. Then I glued a coffee stirrer stick between the flower and another scalloped circle to create the flowers.

I painted a terra cotta pot and saucer using yellow acrylic and chalkboard paint. Two coats of each fully covered the pot. I also painted a tag with the same yellow paint and stamped the teacher's name on it.

I embellished the top rim of the pot with a yellow measuring tape. Because the rim is larger at the top than the bottom of the rim, I cut the measuring tape every two inches or so, and glued them separately to compensate for the angle. When glued, you cannot even tell the measuring tape was cut. I used Mod Podge for the glue, and again for a final glossy coat (but not on the chalkboard paint).

All that was left was to pot the plant and stick the "flowers" in the pot.

A coordinating tag that reads "Thank You for helping us to grow."

The teacher was so touched to receive the gift.

And the students were anxious to find the flower with their name.

Partying here:

The Hankful House

The Shady Porch

Romance on a Dime TIOT

The Gunny Sack Time to Sparkle

Positively Splendid holiday-gift-idea-exchange-2012

The CSI Project Chalk & Paint Party

Alderberry Hill Make the Scene Monday

Blackberry Vine Tuesday To Do

Salt Tree Open Call Tuesdays

Mop it up Monday

Thursday, May 17, 2012

An Oldie but Goodie: Graduation Canvas

An Oldie but Goodie

Here it is mid-May. I haven't posted diddly since early April. Good excuse? Actually, yes! Went on vacation. And then stuff. family. more stuff. So until I get my act together and write posts featuring new projects, here is an oldie but goodie I hope you will enjoy!

Keep Calm [and Ride On]
[original post date: August 15, 2011]

Being a student in a small college town has its perks -- like riding your bike from your apartment to class, meeting friends downtown for coffee, and stopping at the library for a study session, and then cycling back home, all while exercising your brain and your body.

In June, our older daughter graduated from this bicycle-friendly academic world that she enthusiastically embraced for four years. Is she ready to go out and make her mark on the world? Well, ready or not, here she comes! And in this day of high unemployment and economic despair, I am happy to report she just landed a professional job in her field of study.

As a mother, it is ~~nerve-wracking~~ exciting to cheer from the sidelines, as one's children take their first steps towards becoming self-sufficient in the "real" world. I know she'll be fine. I'm not so sure about me. Thank goodness I have my creative therapy. Thus, I present my altered art canvas entitled, "Keep Calm and Ride On."

This two-piece canvas uses the college graduation announcement and one of my favorite photos from that special day. The photo captures her walking away, while taking a quick glance back. I love how this represents her moving forward with her life, while always treasuring her wonderful college days.

The supplies:

12" x 12" and 12" x 4" artist canvasses

four eye screws

acrylic paint

cardstock - two solid colors and coordinating paper [I used the college colors]

chipboard letters

large and small Prima flowers

Buttons and hemp cord or embroidery floss

tassel (found at Dollar Store)

decorative pearl brad

3 different coordinating ribbons, 16" in length

acrylic parentheses

bicycle stamp and black Staz-on ink

college announcement

photo

The process:

Paint both canvas pieces. Let dry.

Cut solid color cardstock 1/2" smaller than larger canvas. Cut coordinating papers to fit accordingly.

Decoupage cardstock and coordinating paper to canvasses.

Stamp [bicycle] image onto printed paper. Trim and mat with solid paper, adhere to canvas.

Mat photo. Position in place, but do not yet adhere.

Apply chipboard letters [I looped the tassel to one of the letters] and acrylic parentheses.

Using hot glue, adhere buttons to wheels on bicycle image.

Decoupage announcement and text onto canvas. Hot glue layered flowers and small button, slightly overlapping onto announcement and text.

When dry, decoupage entire canvas which adds luster and holds chipboard letters in place.

Using 3D foam squares, adhere matted photo to canvas and hot glue pearl brad.

Measure and mark 3" in from sides on canvas edges [bottom edge for large canvas and top edge for smaller canvas].

Twist eye screws into canvas at marks, so canvasses line up.

Cut ribbon into 8" lengths. Tie three ribbons together, inserting ribbon through matching eye screws.
This connects the canvas pieces. Trim ribbon ends at a diagonal.

The altered artwork canvas is now ready to display and can easily be mounted on the wall.

Now one question remains: Who gets to keep it? The proud Mom [Me] or the new college graduate [She]?

Partying with:

Craftionary Friday Fun Party
Katherine's Corner
Project Queen
Ginger Snap Crafts
Romance on a Dime

The Answer is Chocolate BFF Open House

The 36th Avenue Party Time
Serenity Now
Tater Tots & Jello
Homemaker in Heels Craft Soiree
Cowgirl Up Link Party

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Passover Planter Placecards

This weekend brings many families and friends together. My family celebrates Passover, where we retell the story of the Exodus with blessings, songs and specially-prepared foods. When we were kids, my parents invited many friends and relatives to join us for the seder. Because we had about 30 people, we moved our living room furniture into the dining room, and turned our living room into a large dining hall. We also used place cards to assign everyone a seat. That was always my responsibility...which I took very seriously.

This year, I decided to rekindle my job and make place markers using small terra cotta pots. You can see from this photo with the ruler, the biggest pot only measures 4" tall.

I painted the three pots in different combinations of blue and white paint, and added pictures and text that I printed out on clear sticker paper. After coating each pot with modge podge, I wrapped blue and white baker's twine around two of the pots.

Use terra cotta planters for spring centerpiece

I printed names on white cardstock, then mod podged the cards onto wooden plant markers painted blue.

A green herb (such as parsley or cilantro) is used on the Passover table to symbolize spring. So I decided to plant herbs in each pot.

I'm going to use the largest pot as a centerpiece, so I made a label that reads "Kosher for Passover".

I decided the smallest pot was just too tiny to hold a plant, so I used the medium sized pots for the place markers. These festive pots and plant markers should add a nice touch to my parents' seder table.

Whatever you celebrate this weekend, have a wonderful time with family and friends.

May be sharing here:

and

summer scraps the-creative-exchange-linky-party

Being a Wordsmith Traffic Jam Weekend Party

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Spring is for the Birds!

Spring has sprung. The flowers are a bloomin', the days are getting longer (YEA!), the outdoor cafes are busy with coffee klatches and tea totallers, and allergies have set in. You could say that spring is for the birds! So let's welcome our tweety friends with an altered birdhouse.

Several years ago, I saw large wooden birdhouses on clearance and snapped up as many as I could hold. I pulled one out of my stash with a paper pack, paint and a few embellishments, and went to work.

I had two shades of red that would complement the paper,

ultimately deciding on "Barn Red." [Duh]

Using a foam brush, I painted all the edges and the eaves of the birdhouse.

Next, came the tricky part: making a template to fit the pointed front and back of the house. I couldn't trace it because the eaves jut out. So digging deep into the left side of my brain, I tapped into my algebra skills; and after a few tries, came up with the perfect template with just the correct angles. [Insert happy face.]

The sides and roof were easy to measure with a ruler, as they are all right angles--just measure twice and cut once. Actually, I cut twice, as there are two sides of each! I also used Chestnut Roan liquid chalk to edge the paper.

On the template, I again carefully measured exactly where the circles should be to fit over the 1" hole and tiny perch. Folding the paper in half lengthwise, I punched out both circles and then replicated that on the printed paper.

And now the fun begins: Mod-podging the paper to the bird house.

To add some interest to the roof, I cut out a border from one paper, and adhered it to corrugated cardboard before podging it to both sides of the roof lines. Then more podge all over the birdhouse. If it sits outdoors, it is a good idea to use Outdoor Mod Podge.