Paints and Plates

A couple of years ago I had the ultimate score at the thrift shop—a large box of plain white plates and matching tea cups. The plates are the kind with the little circle indent where the tea cup sits, perfect for serving hot cocoa and cookies. These would be perfect to paint and give as gifts to all the little girls in our lives.

I decorated many of these sets as gifts and saved the last 2 for my girls, on which I planned to paint their favorites things. For 2 years now. And still haven't. Which brings us to yesterday, another rainy day with boredom setting in. So, I set the girls loose with paint and their very own tea sets to decorate however they pleased. The finished products were colorful, imaginative and just-how-they-like-it. Which, I know, is better than anything I could have designed and painted.

We use Pebeo Porcelaine 150 paints—water-based paint that you can cure in your own oven. Just paint and then bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. The paint is non-toxic, permanent, and dishwasher safe. You can use it on ceramic, glass, metal, and terra-cotta, among other surfaces.

I am thinking another visit the thrift shop will yield all kinds of new pieces we can paint. Maybe we'll go today. Since it's raining. Again.

Easy On-The-Go Art Kits

I have written before about the quandary of the ever-present kids' birthday party on our family calendar. With so many gifts to give, I am always looking for ideas for presents that won't be quickly tossed aside or broken.

For a recent double birthday party, these felt pencil (or crayon) rolls, accompanied by a nice sketch book were the perfect thing. They were simple to construct and used basic materials—100% wool felt and a bit of ribbon. We did ours in bright colors and arranged the pencils and crayons in a rainbow. On the pencil roll, we added an extra pocket for a pencil sharpener—which turned out to be the birthday boy's favorite thing! We embellished the outside with the childrens' initials and used their favorite colors to make these perfect on-the-go art kits.

Felt Pencil Roll idea and instructions are from The Creative Family, by Amanda Blake Soule.