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October 28, 2009

The Write Craft – Writing for Children

Filed under: Uncategorized,writing — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 9:31 pm

What was your childhood like? Was it full of adventure? Did you take regular holidays? What do you remember about being a kid, what stands out in your mind?

If you want to write for children you can but there are a few things to consider and a few questions to ask yourself.

Creativity doesn’t always come naturally and it doesn’t have to there are many things you can do to inspire yourself and gather ideas together. Don’t be fooled into thinking however that writing for children is easier than other types of writing. You will find it to be quite the other way around.

Ask yourself what your motivation is. Is it your love of children or maybe you’re just a big kid yourself. You will need to have passion not only for writing but for writing in a way that reaches out to children. Your story or stories will have to fill a need in their lives whether that need be for pure entertainment, silliness and laughter or reassurance, courage and love.

You will also need to have respect for children, they may not have a lot of life experience but you can’t fool them. Today they have so much more of the world right in front of them and even though they take so much of it in they really do still want to be kids.

If when you write you can draw on your childhood memories and imagination while at the same time consider what today’s kids are interested in you are off to a good start.

Tomorrow – What do children want to read?

Have a Great day :)

October 19, 2009

Paper Crafts

Filed under: Paper Crafts — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 11:51 pm

Papier mâché is another beautiful paper craft. You can make beautiful plates, bowls or containers for gifts or decoration with a little creativity, some old newspapers and a dash of patience.

You Will Need

  • A mould – a bowl, container or plate of your choice
  • Cling wrap
  • Vaseline
  • Wallpaper paste
  • Newspaper
  • Scissors
  • Glue brush
  • Craft knife
  • Paint and brushes (poster or acrylic)
  • White emulsion
  • Clear Varnish Spray

What To Do

  1. Choose your mould and give it a coat of vaseline then line it with cling wrap. Fold the wrap over the rim of your container or bowl, it will be easier to lift out your mould when ready. Make up your wallpaper paste and prepare your newspaper by tearing it into small squares.
  2. Cover the plastic film with paste and then apply a layer of pasted newspaper. Make sure you overlap the edges of each piece of newspaper as you paste. Paste five layers of paper and then leave to dry overnight in a warm location. Repeat each day until you have the thickness you want. Make your last layer as smooth as possible.
  3. Your papier  mâché will need to dry for several days in a warm place before you remove it from the mould. It has to be completely dry or it will not hold its shape. Carefully use the cling wrap to lift your new bowl or container out of the mould then remove the wrap.
  4. You may need to use some scissors or the craft knife to trim or tidy the edge so that it is even. Be careful here it is easy to take off to much. When you are happy with the edge paste one layer of pasted newspaper pieces over it so it is really smooth. Allow to dry throughly for a day or longer if necessary.
  5. Paint two coats of white emulsion on both sides of your new bowl or plate, this creates a smooth surface and also hides the newsprint. Paint your background colour, give it at least one coat and allow it to thoroughly dry before creating your design.
  6. Plan, draw and then paint your design onto your bowl or plate. if you don’t feel confident with this part of the process use a cutout design from gift wrap or a magazine.  Coat the design in wall paper paste and stick in place. Leave to dry.
  7. When everything has dried thoroughly spray with clear varnish, to protect it, giving it two coats for a glossy finish. You should now be very happy with your completed papier mâché creation.

Well Done :)

October 14, 2009

Découpage

Filed under: Craft Ideas — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — @ 5:59 am

Découpage is the art of turning everyday items into decorative pieces that add a touch of romance to the decor.

Following is a list of general items and instructions that are required to complete most projects.

General Materials List

  • Item to be decorated
  • Clear Sealer
  • Sanding pads – Coarse, medium and fine
  • Tack cloth
  • Fine point curved cuticle scissors
  • 5cm and 10cm hard rubber rollers
  • Craft sponge brushes
  • Sea sponge – large and fine
  • PVA, Clag
  • Chux cloths
  • Water based varnish
  • Oil based varnish
  • Brushes for varnish – good quality ones are best for this
  • Blu-Tack
  • Greaseproof paper
  • oil based coloured pencils
  • pencil and ruler
  • Acrylic paints
  • Cracking medium
  • Gesso
  • Micro-mesh kit

General Instructions

  1. Seal the surface of item to be decorated with all-purpose sealer, paint or gesso.
  2. Sand gently with coarse sanding pad. Clean with a damp cloth then wipe over with a tack cloth to remove dust.
  3. Paint the background in desired colour and allow to dry. Sand and apply another coat of paint.
  4. Seal painted surface with all purpose sealer.
  5. Seal découpage paper, front and back, with sealer.
  6. Use sharp manicure scissors to cut out motifs. Arrange images as desired for your project. Use blu-tack while deciding your design.
  7. Mix clag and PVA, 4:1 and apply generously to images and surface of item. Place your images on the item and apply more glue. Smooth the surface of image and remove air bubbles and expelling excess glue. Apply roller gently to the surface to ensure it is smooth and free of bubbles. Wipe carefully with a damp cloth, so as not to move the image.
  8. Using a weak vinegar and water solotion wipe over the surface to ensure all glue is removed. This prevents mould forming after the item has been varnished. Let dry. Any patches can be coloured with oil pencil.
  9. Use sponge brush to apply two coats of sealer. Let dry.
  10. Working in a ventilated dust free area apply acrylic or polyurethane varnish to protect your finished work. Apply smoothly and carefully work in even strokes from end to end without lifting brush from surface. Allow to dry following manufacturers instructions. Repeat about 30 times, at right angles to each  previous coat. Sand in between each coat also at right angles to previous sanding, using the course, medium than fine sanding pads. Wipe with tack cloth before reapplying each coat until you reach your desired finish.
  11. Polish with Micro-mesh or beeswax.

August 27, 2009

Greeting Card

Filed under: Craft Ideas — Tags: , , , , , , — @ 5:58 am

Greeting cards can be great as a gift on their own as well as adding something special to any gift. Coloured and textured papers, simple decorations, ribbons or bows are all it takes to come up with the perfect card.

Materials

Craft glue, White card, Ruler, Clean scrap paper, Ribbon, Scissors, Paper punch.

1. Cut out a piece of card large enough to be folded in half and fit your design on the front. Test out various designs before gluing anything down.

2. Fold the card rectangle in half lengthways and press it with your fingers. Carefully preessing down  on the fold using a ruler will make it look more defined.

3. Create your design – an idea you can use – place a piece of paper in a contrasting colour in the centre of your card and stencil or glue a picture that suits the occasion. For example, balloons or cake for a birthday. Paint over the stencil with a brush. Reveal your image by removing the stencil.

4. Small matching gift tags are a nice added touch. Decorate with some ribbon by punching a hole in the corner and tying a bow.

5. Small coloured beads, glitter or scrapbooking decorations can be used for a uniquely  creative design.

Enjoy :)

July 31, 2009

More Fun with Paper

Filed under: Kids Painting and Crafts — Tags: , , , , — @ 5:27 am

Making Snowflakes

What You Need:- Squares of paper, different colours or previous drawings or paintings, scissors.

What to Do: – Fold paper in half and then in half again. Fold diaginally to make a triangle. Cut out small pieces around the edges. Ensure the paper is not too thick for small hands. Unfold paper to see snowflake.

Fold, Dip and Dye

What You Need: – Paper towelling or napkins, food colouring or vegetable dye, shallow containers for each colour.

What to Do:- Mix food colouring or dye with water in containers. Fold paper in half and in half again, Dip each corner, one at a time,  into a colour, unfold the paper to see the design. Try dipping snowflakes into colours.

Weaving

What You Need:- Strips of paper, crepe or cellophane works well, string or wool, a frame is needed for this.

What to Do:- Make a frame out of the side of a cardboard box with slits cut into the edges of the top and bottom. Run string from top to bottom secured at the edges. Weave paper in and out of string.

Paper Weaving

What You Need:- Strong paper, strips of paper, scissors, paste, tape, glue.

What to Do:- Fold sheet of paper in half, start at fold cut slits across paper, stop about 2cm from edge. Don’t worry if its not straight or even. Weave paper strips in and out of slits. Glue, tape or staple each strip at both ends. Use different colours, textures or contrasting strips of paper for weaving.

Have Fun :)

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