My first altered matchbox…and Storytime at work!
Saturday morning I led a storytime, reading three adorable books by Peter H Reynolds, (sold in a set called a Creatrilogy!), all about kids, art, and how much fun ANYONE can have with art… We had 15 or so kids attend, I think, or all ages, less than 1 year to about 12 years old…a good turnout. (And they are not just kids who happen to be there, now, but kids actually coming in for Storytime!) The kids really seemed to enjoy the books (I know I did). Then we did a sticker craft, using dot stickers, because one of the books is all about a little girl who paints only dots. But the best part (even better than the cookies we had) was painting. The second book was about using colors, the third about how things don’t have to look exactly perfect in our pictures. We had ordered 24 Crayola* paint sets (sold here, on Amazon), and some nice quality 100% cotton watercolor sheets (sold here on Amazon) I had worried about it being too messy, but even the younger kids were very focused and there were no problems. They made some really nice paintings. (*If you need sets of watercolor paints for a group, these crayola paints are a very good price, about $1.50 a set, but know that the brushes, while much better than the hard plastic ones from my childhood, shed something fierce. The kids didn’t care)
(Okay the older one in red is actually one of our team members, helping out 🙂
Once home, I worked on a swap I have to send out this coming week, for swap-bot.
(Swap-bot has been a great motivation for me over the 10 past years or so, inspiring me to try quite a few artistic or creative things I would not have attempted on my own, or even thought of on my own. In fact I don’t think I’d be painting or drawing at all without it, and I have met some awesome ladies there)
Anyway, I’d been putting off this altered matchbox, because I haven’t made one before. (I signed up specifically because I haven’t done one. Then kind of regretted it!) Naturally, once I began, it wasn’t difficult at all, and I enjoyed myself, and although it isn’t great, it’s fine, I think. The theme was chosen for me, Stevie Nicks’ song “Crystal”… I’m embarrassed to admit I wasn’t really familiar with the song or even really with Stevie Nicks, (another reason I procrastinated), but it was fun learning about both.
I added a few tiny shells and sea glass inside because of the line “drove me like a magnet to the sea”, the only line that really spoke to me. (I collect seagrass bits AND shells, especially heart shaped shells, so I had plenty to choose from!)
Then did my journal page. To be honest I had decided the matchbox was enough “art” for the day, then just before bed thought Wait, why am I not journaling it? So:
Now. Off to start my Sunday!
ThreeSixFiveArt 