Reuse - A fun Eco-Friendly Thanksgiving craft idea using paper, cloth and other scraps!

Fired Ink Art - Simple step by step abstract art photo guide!

What you will need

• Cookie sheet with foil
• Adirondack Alcohol Ink
• Glass from picture frame or tiles
• Alcohol in dropper or spray bottle
• White Card stock
• Lighter

1. Put foil on cookie sheet and place glass on it.
2. Squeeze a generous amount of alcohol to cover the glass.
3. Apply ink colors in design you desire.
4. Tilt the glass to mix the colors. Add more colors and alcohol if needed.
5. When you are happy with the color combinations, Lit the fire!
6. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
7. Place piece of white card stock on working side of glass and frame your art!!

Thank you so much Dear Jen and Amy for all colorful projects and fun filled moments:) Much Love!!

Colormehappy!  

Play Dough in the making - A fun-filled, green and creative activity to make learning and fun go hand in hand!

What you will need

•  4 Cups all purpose flour 
•  1.5 Cups of water (Approx.)
•  1/2 Cup salt
•  3 Tbsp of canola oil, you can also blend essential oils.
•  Organic food coloring/Natural food colors from beets, annatto, turmeric, flower petals etc.
•  6 Tsp cream of tartar

1. Pour dry ingredients into a large saucepan and mix well using whisker. 
2. Add wet ingredients (except food coloring).
3. Over medium heat stir constantly until a dough ball forms by pulling away from sides.
4. Take it off the stove to cool.
5. Knead and split the dough in small balls 
6. Add food coloring and knead to mix colors well.
7. Store the dough in an airtight container. 

Simple play dough recipe without using cream of tartar

For each color what you will need

• 1 Cup all purpose flour
• 1 Cup corn starch
• 1 Cup of water (Approx.)
• 2 Tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup salt
• 2 Tbsp of canola oil, you can also blend essential oils.
• Organic food coloring/Natural food colors from beets, annatto, turmeric, flower petals etc.

1. Mix dry ingredients well using a whisker in a large mixing bowl. 
2. Add the wet ingredients (except the food coloring) and knead. 
3. Split the dough in small balls and add food coloring for colors.
4. Knead to mix colors well.
5. Store the dough in an airtight container.

Note - Measurements of water and food coloring are Approx., It depends on what kind of flour you are using and how much color you will like to add. Add water slowly while kneading and stop adding when you reach the play dough like consistency.
Adding tartar is not a must but it makes play dough stretchy and fun to work with.

Feel free to experiment! You can also add glitter or crayon shavings (the leftover from sharpened crayons) for marbled look. 

Thanks for visiting and have a colorful day!:)

Colors of Freedom: An Independence Day art project!

Featured in Times-Republican!

Fourth of July is marked nationwide by congregating with loved ones, shopping, backyard barbecue galore and spectacular display of fireworks. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for us to discuss with our kids what independence means and why we all need to appreciate the freedom we enjoy every day.

Symbolic use of colors in flags represents the values that country stands for. This month’s project is a creative, colorful and fun to do art that teaches what colors and values we as a nation take pride and stand for.

Red – Hardiness and Valor

White – Purity and Innocence

Blue – Vigilance and Perseverance

What you will need

• Cardstock
• Markers
• Red, white and blue buttons

• Glue

• Scissors (for bookmarks)

Using markers write on cardstock the meaning of colors. For younger children you can also take a print out. Stick the buttons using glue and give a finishing touch using markers. Makes fun greetings, bookmarks, folders and wall art.

Wish you all a very happy 4th July!! 

Thanks for visiting and have a colorful day:)

Wish you all a very Happy Independence Day!

Super fun Colormehappy Workshop at Montessori school!

Celebrating the life of Sir Martin Luther King, Jr.- Motivational Quotes and a simple craft for the classroom!

• The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
• The time is always right to do the right thing.
• Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
• Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
• Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?
• Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
• I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
• In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
• We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.
• Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.
• Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
• If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.

For the mosaic craft what you will need

• Sheet of paper for background
• Construction paper (  Brown, Black, White, Pink sheets or scraps for cutting)
• Pencil
• Marker
• Eraser
• Glue
• Scissors
• Picture of to Martin Luther King, Jr. to show kids

Let kids draw on the construction paper, cut using scissors and glue the pieces on a sheet of paper.

Thanks for visiting and have a colorful day!

Dream catcher - Colorful world of stories!

Featured in Times-Republican

Being a mother of two lovely daughters is one of the best things ever happened to me in my life. Their colorful and joyful stories, silly grins and giggles, fill my days with so much love and happiness.

I see them cracking silly jokes and laughing till their tummies hurt and wonder why and when in life we grow up and stop living like a child? We get stuck on things and cannot let go, we forget to forgive and start worrying too much. Why does growing up really needs leaving our innocent, beautiful heart and world behind. Even the jokes should make perfect sense:((

Dream Catcher is a joyful artwork from my daughter’s colorful world of stories! I feel blessed that I get to experience through my daughters what I left far behind in the life and even forgot how it felt.... to be a child!

To create your own masterpiece, take mundane materials from your life, run them through your imagination and let your personality shine through your work following these simple steps.

• Choose a design

• Draw pattern with pencil

• Outline with markers

• Fill in with crayons

Revisit your lives through your art work... it's so much fun:)) Thanks for stopping by and have a colorful day!!

Starfish - A thoughtful art project!

Featured in Times-Republican

I am surrounded with friends and family who do not share the same passion of green and organic living as me. I tell you, it can be very difficult to be able to live your way as others are either trying to question your thinking or justifying their actions.


Often the question get raised, what can a single person do? Or what difference it will make?

It’s not an easy conversation especially when people have preconceived minds.

I feel so blessed that I am raising the kids who share my passion towards the happier and healthier world. Few days back my daughter got a lovely gift for me and she told me” mommy thanks for making us the throwers of starfish”. I wondered what it meant.

When I opened the gift, it was a beautiful story titled ‘Starfish’.

I got so touched with the story. It’s a beautiful read so I thought of sharing with you all.

A man saw a boy throwing starfish into the ocean, he asked the boy why he was doing this and the boy said, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

The man looked at the miles and miles of beach and saw starfish everywhere. “You just saved one starfish. You can never save them all. What difference will it make?”

The boy picked up another starfish and threw it in. He smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one.”

As we become throwers of starfish, we too have the power to change the world!

This month’s art project is also inspired by this story.

For this project what you will need

• Cardstock
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue
• Paints or markers
• Paintbrush

Draw starfish on cardstock. Cut using scissors. Dip paintbrush in paints and dab it gently on the paper for polka dot impressions. Write the story or print for the base. When dry, stick starfishes using glue to the base.

Be colorful, joyful and the change you wish to see in the world!

Thanks giving art and craft idea for large group of kids - Each child decorates their own feather!

Pom Pom Monsters - A simple and creative eco-friendly alternative for balloons!

For tissue paper pom-poms monsters what you will need

• Colorful tissue paper
• Scissors
• String/pipe cleaner/florist wire
• Construction paper
• Pencil n eraser
• Scissors
• Glue
• Your creativity:)

Layer 6-10 sheets of tissue paper on a flat surface.
Fold widthwise in an accordion-fold pattern.
Fold in half and cut ends using scissors.
Tie a string in the center and fluff the tissue by gently pulling apart the layers of tissue for floral effect.
Draw monster faces on construction paper, cut n glue!

Please reuse or recycle them! We did at our book fair:)) They will be reused for the next event:)

This project is done by book fair volunteers:) Thank you!

Thanks for visiting and have a colorful day!

 

Now or Never - A thoughtful art project for new year with endless possiblities!!

Featured in Times-Republican!

Have you ever noticed that thinking of past no matter pleasant or unpleasant only brings regret and misery? The beautiful moments we lived in the past fill us with misery for not having them now and the thoughts of what we could have and should have done fills us with regret.

Similarly, thinking of future leaves us with anxiety of what is going to happen and how we will deal with it while we can do nothing about it.

Life is what is happening to us right now and we can only be happy living in the present moment.

This New Year take resolve to be happy and spread happiness by living in the moment…NOW!

It’s beautifully said that if you feel free you are free. If you feel bound you are bound.

This month’s art project is a scrabble art.

What you will need is

• Letters for message from scrabble
• Glue
• handmade paper

Using glue, stick the letters onto the handmade paper. It’s a simple and creative art project with endless possibilities. You can use it for wall art, greetings and picture frames.

Wish you all a very colorful and joyful new year ahead!

Peek a booooooo Chick!

What you will need for this cool chick

• Construction papers
• Glue
• Scissors
• Marker
• Pencil

1. Draw a chick on yellow construction paper.
2. Cut and stick chick on the blue construction paper. Finish with a beak using orange construction paper and eyes using marker.
3. Using pencil draw an egg shape on the white paper.
4. Poke pencil in center of white paper and then hand tear for opening.
5. Place the opening on chick and stick the egg onto blue paper using glue.
6. Use green construction paper strip for grass.

You can also make a chicken using finger prints.

Update - Colormehappy face painting simply rocked at fun fair fest!

Spreading smiles through art in community:)

Thanks for visiting and have a colorful day!


 

Handprint Bunny!

This little bunny is special,
It will hop, jump and play,
It giggles whenever you tickle it,
And loves you night and day,
But it won't stay this little...
This small bunny is sure to grow,
Please put it somewhere special,
So that you will always know,
How much this bunny loves you,
From its head down to its toes!

~ from colorful moments to cherishable memories-my kiddos preschool collection!

Thanks for visiting and have a colorful day:)

Color me happy – A green recycling art project

 Featured in Times Republican

Recycle your unwanted crayons and share the responsibility of a clean and green earth.
In this easy and fun to do project we will create fun shaped crayons by just melting and remolding unwanted crayon stubs that would accumulate and just be thrown out and sit in landfill forever. It’s perfect for any occasion and a wonderful group project.

 

What you will need is
 

• The crayon stubs

• Muffin or cookie pan ( you can also select fun shapes like hearts, gingerbread, flowers etc.)
• Muffin Liners

• Oven

1. Peel of the paper from crayons.
2. Chop crayons into 1/4 inch pieces

3. Place muffin liners in muffin pan and fill the liners in the pan with colorful crayon pieces spacing out different colors.

4. Preheat the oven at 250 degrees.

5. Bake crayons for 12-15 minutes. (Leaving crayons in oven for too long may result in one solid color)

6. Let it cool for an hour.

7. Once they are cool remove them from pan and separate the liners.

Enjoy all new colorful crayons! 

 

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Lucky - Leprechaun!

Wish you all a very colorful and joyful St. Patrick's Day!

Super fun and creative coloring technique using permanent markers and hand sanitizer!

What you will need

• Permanent markers
• Hand Sanitizer or alcohol
• Q-tip
• Cotton fabric

Color using markers on fabric. Overlap the colors for cool impressions.
Squirt some hand sanitizer and spread using Q-tip. let dry!

Thanks for visiting and have a colorful day!

Flip flops - Super fun, creative n colorful summer craft project!

Summer is usually everyone’s favorite time of the year. Days by the pool, trips to the beach, leisure vacations and picnics with friends and family are on everyone’s things to do list. Long sunny days provide us with an opportunity to spend more quality time with our loved ones.  This month’s project is a perfect way to turn those loving moments into beautiful memories. It can be used to personalize journals, scrapbooks, album covers and pin boards etc.

My daughters create a summer journal every year. This is going to be 2014 summer journal cover with their personalized foot prints. They absolutely loved the idea and enjoyed doing the project.

What you will need

• Colorful foam sheet
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Beads
• Pipe cleaners
• Flip flops for tracing

Using a pencil trace a flip flop on the foam.  Cut out using scissors. Poke 3 holes in the foam to insert pipe cleaner.  Cut pipe cleaner into 2 halves (for a smaller shoe). Insert beads in pipe cleaners, leaving an inch of space on both ends. Now, put both ends of pipe cleaner through the holes.  Twist and adjust ends.  Use a sticker or tape to secure the three ends on opposite side.  
Thanks for visiting :)

Wish you all a very colorful and joyful summer!

 

April showers bring May flowers - Colorful finger print flowers using ink pads!