The Gift of Creativity

Little Crafter got some fantastic gifts for his birthday.

It was really special to see how well our friends know him; he got lots of Cars and Thomas toys, books, and games, and even some new Ravens gear.  Several friends gave him fun new art supplies, like a white board, a doodle board, Color Sticks, and Color Wonder.

One of our mutual favorites was the gift sent from a sweet family we know in Texas...they gave him the gift of creativity in the form of a $20 Michaels gift card.  I'm thinking that's not a common gift for a 3-year-old, but you should have seen his face light up!  He wanted to go spend it right away.  Here's what he came home with:

a wooden stool, a wooden shelf, a mini flower pot, a Christmas ornament, and TWO 18x24 canvases!

Yes, we got all that for just a tiny bit over $20, thanks to sales, deals, and coupons.  Yay, Michaels!

As patience isn't Little Crafter's strong point {or his mama's either}, we set right to work.  Take a look at some of our creative adventures with his gift purchases.

MASKING TAPE CANVAS PAINTING

These tape paintings have been all over Pinterest lately and I've been itching to try one.  Here's our attempt.

Materials: canvas {any size}, acrylic paints, paint brushes, masking tape or painters' tape

STEP 1: Create a design using tape all over the canvas surface.  Make sure tape is pressed down firmly so paint can't go under it.

STEP 2: Paint canvas with desired color[s].  Don't you just love my disgusting pink carpet in the craft room?  Ugh.  All 3 upstairs bedrooms had that when we moved in...now this is all that's left of it.  I thought maybe if I let Little Crafter use it as a drop cloth, hubby would finally let me redo the flooring...lol.

STEP 3: Allow paint to dry thoroughly.

STEP 4: Remove tape.  Try to remove it in the order you put it on to avoid extra pulling.

STEP 6: Hang and enjoy!

I just loooove the way it turned out, and I'm sure you can guess how proud a certain someone is of his art!



Here are a few more of our projects.

PAINTED WOODEN SHELF

He wanted a place to hang the beads he got at the carnival and his behavior bead necklace when he's not wearing it.  I like to call this his "blue period"...lol.

FROG STOOL

This one was a team effort.  I sketched the frog and letters and did the outline painting.  He painted the legs and background, and also helped paint the frog.  My one complaint is that it's not very sturdy.  I thought it was the same as his other wooden stool, but the legs have a different placement and he fell off of it twice this morning when he was trying to put his Pop Tart in the toaster.  Mama fail.  At least it's cute to look at...

SEASHELL ORNAMENTWe used his plastic ornament to make a memento of our beach vacation.  You may remember seeing this several days ago...if not, a full tutorial is here.

Now all we have left is one more canvas and the flowerpot.  We have plans for turning the pot into a pumpkin, but I told him he has to wait until September first. :)  The best news, though, is that just when we thought all the birthday presents were over, he got another Michaels gift card from some family friends...he's already planning what to buy with it!

Meanwhile, speaking of craftiness, don't forget the Fall Craft Challenge coming up in just a few short days!  Grab a button and get ready to play along!  Also, be sure to stop by Luxe Boulevard and enter the bird nest giveaway before it's too late.

Hope you have a great day!

PS - Like what you see?  Follow along for the journey!  Just 16 more friends and it'll be time for some major giveaways to celebrate!  Also, if you'd like to vote for me at the Parents magazine Best Kids Craft blog contest, I would be so honored!