Valentine’s Mixed Media Art
Well, friends, today had all the makings of a grumpy, gloomy day in Artsy-Land. The disappointment of last night’s Ravens game, combined with heavy fog, chilly wind, and a slushy icy mess wasn’t doing much for my mood. But when Little Crafter suggested breaking out the paints and the canvases his grandma gave him for Christmas, it did wonders for cheering us both up!
First, he painted an 8×10 canvas with his three favorite colors: red, blue, and purple. As he was finishing up, I found a container of blue glitter that had somehow gotten mixed in with our paints. He was all over it, wanting to sprinkle it on his painting. I let him go to it, and we both really liked the result:
Which got me thinking….”Hmmmmm…mixed media! What else could we use…maybe something for Valentine’s Day? A heart! Out of scrapbook paper, maybe? And music. A song…ooh! He’s obsessed with “Gimme Some Lovin’…” So, down we went to the printer. It was impossible to find free sheet music for that song, so instead we just printed out the lyrics, and we got some sheet music to “Jesus Loves Me” while we were at it.
Neither of us were really sure what we’d end up with, but we
just played around and here’s the end result:
…and how to make your own!
MATERIALS:
– blank canvas {ours was 16×20
– paint and paintbrushes
– Mod Podge
– assorted glitter {our red came from CraftProjectIdeas.com}
– your choice of embellishments; printed lyrics, sheet music, shapes, etc.
STEP 1: Paint canvas background using any colors you like.
Little Crafter used red, white, light and dark purple.
Here’s how it looked before we added anything else.
STEP 2: Place your other elements where you want them to go. Apply Mod Podge to canvas, then ‘glue’ elements down. Then, apply a thin coat of Mod Podge on top.
STEP 3: Apply glitter while Mod Podge is still wet.
I never actually realized how sketchy “Gimme Some Lovin’ is in places…we sang it in high school showchoir, and so a few months ago, when I wanted a hug from LC, I started singing it to him. He loooved it and we like to sing the chorus together. When I printed it, I saw where it talks about “everybody’s gettin’ high,” so we just glittered over that part…yikes!
STEP 4: If desired, paint around edges of music/pictures to blend. You can add more glitter to the wet paint if you like…and oh, did this little guy ever like. He glittered the entire table, chair, dining room, and himself!
I definitely preferred it when he used the nice glitter tubes that CraftProjectIdeas.com sent us back at Christmas time because they contained the mess {They also happen to be the material of the month on their website!}. The stuff that was in little jars got everywhere.
STEP 5: DISPLAY AND ENJOY! I hung ours right in the foyer where everyone who enters or leaves our house will see it, and boy oh boy is LC proud!
This project was a lot of fun on our otherwise gloomy day and made both our hearts happy. Speaking of hearts, this is going to be part of a very special “heart” project coming soon at Hands On As We Grow. Be sure to stop by and check it out and maybe submit your own heart projects too!
Happy Crafting, friends!
this is so cute! I can’t wait to do more painting with tucker! Little Crafter’s painting turned out so good! He must be so proud!
So sweet! I love how excited and into it he was. And that picture of him smiling in the oversized shirt is probably the cutest picture of any child ever!
Great project idea. I love mixed media but have been afraid to try it (which seems especially silly because how can you go wrong, right?!). Hilarious about the lyrics – I never realized they were sketchy either, lol. (Sorry about the Ravens,..such a close game too).
love that so much xxx
Very cute! Great idea too! I also wanted to let you know that I’m hosting my first giveaway, I’d love you to stop by my blog & enter to win a free My Memories digital scrapbooking software!
Sally
loveofhomes.blogspot.com
I love the art using the actual music for Jesus Love me – what a clever idea. It turned out beautifully!!
Beth
Little Crafter did such a wonderful job {with just a bit of help from mom}, please let him know he is so talented! I am so glad to have came over to read today… you are very inspiring!
Such a fun and great idea! My daughter would love doing this! Thank you sharing. 🙂 I found your post on A Crafty Soiree.
Gabby
The…Late, Young Family
It turned out so cute! And what a fun project for him! I would love it if you’d link it to my Valentine Craft linky (if you’d like)!
Michelle
http://www.heartfeltbalancehandmadelife.com/search/label/VALENTINE%20CRAFT%20LINKY/
Awwww…he did such a great job. Happy you linked to Things I’ve Done Thursday!
http://www.bearrabbitbear.com
how great that artsy canvas !
How beautiful!! Such a fun idea, Amy! Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!!
Very nice!! I pinned it to my “Kids Art” board. 🙂
Thanks,
Denise
How fun! What a clever idea to use the song and music. LC looked like he had a great time:). Thanks for sharing with us at Link It Up Thursday.
This is FANTASTIC!!! Thanks so much for sharing your creativity with us over at Sharing Saturday 🙂
~MiaB
http://www.mamamiasheart2heart.com
This is awesome! Sometimes the “happy accidents” are the BEST! 😀
gorgeous! I am featuring this on this week’s sunday showcase! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂