Frilly paper Garland

A quick and easy traditional papercraft!

Art website

Suggested by a friend, Linda Pearl from Alabama.

This is an extremely cool site which allows you to use a computer to paint like Jackson Pollock! Check it out :

http://www.jacksonpollock.org/

Paper Ribbon

Ribbon is shown on the medium size box from last week. Adjust the width and length as you like for larger or smaller size. I once made a hearth decoration this way using 18 inch long construction paper that was cut into 3 inch wide strips.

Materials needed:
1 piece of paper - for this I used 8 1/2" x 11" colored computer paper- cut 6 strips 1/2 inch wide and 8 1/2" long
Glue

Method:

Clicking on the picture will enlarge it.

Papercraft - Origami Gift Box with Lid

I'm back! (didja miss me?) It got really discouraging when I got no feedback whatsoever. It just seemed pointless so I quit - for a little over a year. Last week though I was asked to start up again, It turns out that I do have an audience after all - so this is for you, Ellen!

This week's project is a very useful one for kids and adults alike, especially at this time of year. The only material needed is computer paper. When I taught, I used this plan with my 8 year olds.
The photo shows boxes made from full, half and quarter sheets of regular white printer paper. If you want to make the largest box though, I would suggest using tag or card stock as it's not very sturdy otherwise.

Click on the directions photo below for a larger view. If you're still confused, click here for a video.

Projects - Scratch Boards

My students loved this! It's even cool enough for my 12 and 14 year old kids.

You will need:

1 piece of heavy, smooth paper (posterboard, piece of a manila folder or card stock computer paper)

Crayons

black or other dark color tempera paint (I get mine from the dollar store) - Optional

dish soap-Optional

Method:

Color the paper brightly by pressing down hard with the crayon. Leave no uncolored space. (with the purple butterfly, I stopped the preparation here.)

For the black ones, I made spots of different colors. Mix the tempera with a few drops of dish soap (allows it to stick to the waxy crayon surface) and paint over the entire thing. Wait for it to dry.

Use paper clips, butter knives or whatever to draw your image.

Projects - Magic drawing board

All my daughter wanted for her birthday was the magic drawing board she saw on television. When you pushed your finger along the black surface, colors would magically appear in the shape of your drawing. Well, I bought it for her and it was a piece of brightly colored plastic covered by a thinner layer of clear plastic with about 1/16 inch of very thick black ink in between. where you rub hard on the clear plastic, the ink separates and you can see the color under it. The ink is so thick though that it hurt my daughter's fingers to push hard enough.
So I made one.

Magic drawing board

1 piece of heavy cardboard
1 gallon size zip lock freezer bag
few spoonfulls of fingerpaint - dark colors work best
Duct tape

Use markers, paint or whatever to color the cardboard (optional) put the fingerpaint in the bag and zip shut, removing any air. smooth the fingerpaint into the entire bag. Tape around the edges onto the cardboard. You're done! (That'll be $14.99 please - joking of course)

Recipe - Fingerpaint

One recipe just leads to another I guess.

I've used this in the classroom to help with the budget, and at home because it seemed silly to buy what I could so easily make.


Fingerpaint

1/2 cup cornstarch (80 g corn flour for my Aussie and British friends)
1 quart water (1 liter)

Mix the corn starch with a small amount of cold water in a pan until smooth. Add the rest of the water and bring to a boil. Cook until clear, stirring occasionally. * optional- if you plan to keep this for a while, add a few drops of oil of cloves or wintergreen to keep from souring.

Cool, divide and add food coloring, liquid watercolors or tempera paint.
Paint away!