Coloring in Wonderland

Follow the White Rabbit into this imaginative coloring book inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, featuring intricate pen-and-ink drawings by acclaimed artist Amily Shen.  Meet the Cheshire Cat, attend the Mad Hatter's tea party, and play croquet with the Queen of Hearts in this evocative tale that invites you into a strange and beautiful new world of coloring.

As you can probably guess from the title of this adult coloring book, Wonderland is inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

It is an adult coloring book that tells you a story.

The narrator (presumably the artist)is sketching on a warm day, when she notices something run by.  A rabbit in a waistcoat, of course, late for a party.

The narrator follows the rabbit and finds herself in Wonderland.

Each "Chapter" of the book has a block of text telling what is happening on the next few pages.

You see the hatters tea party, play croquet with the queen, visit the white rabbits house and more.

If you are familar with the story of Alice in Wonderland you will find this coloring book whimsical and fun.

But it is origional art.  You are not just coloring Disney-esque recreations.  So if you only know Alice through the Disney movie this is not the Wonderland you know.

There is also the bonus of this book urging you to flex your creative muscles beyond coloring pages.  Some of the pages ask you to draw on them.  To add more colorful butterfly friends, to create your own tea party cakes and more.  There is even a scavenger hunt, asking you to find things the White Rabbit lost in his rush.

The pages are cardstock but are not overly heavy.  They are also double sided so I would not recommend using markers to color in Wonderland.


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It is a casual place to discuss books and reading in general.

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I received a copy of this novel free from Blogging for Books, but all thoughts and opinions on it are my own.

WIP Wednesday #8

 Hello again my crafty friends!

Wednesday has Rolled around again and I'm happy to see you visiting the blog to see whats up!

Know what's on my table for this week?  Here's a hint.

It involves the core of this kind of industrial TP roll you see in retail stores!

If the crafty gods smile upon me you'll be seeing that one on Friday!


Meanwhile, share something with our linky!

Don't worry if your WIP isn't actually "crafty" in the technical sense.  As you can tell from the WIP I'm sharing below from Noner Says, there are lots of kinds of WIPs that you can share.

Now, don't be shy, come share what you're working on. All kinds of art and crafts are welcome to share their progress.

Also, feel free to snag our new WIP Wednesday Button and link it up!


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Collage This Journal Review

This journal is full of prompts to give you
a jumping off place when you are ready
to begin art journaling for the first time.

If you have ever thought that you might want to start an art journal, but have a fear of facing a blank page, then Collage This Journal by Elanore Shakespeare might be the perfect place for you to start.

This journal has 52 projects to help you create a visual diary or collage journal.  Some people also call them gluebooks when they are more cut and paste than pencil and paint.

Each page, or spread, has a prompt on it.  All you have to do is find images to fit that prompt and glue them onto the page.

You can use photographs of your own, or hunt images down from other sources like the internet, or magazines.  You can even doodle and draw your own responses if you prefer.

The pages are nice and thick so most inks will not bleed through.  I wouldn't recommend using a lot of wet media, or even too much liquid glue though.  Elmers X-Treme is my favorite glue stick for gluebooking.

Here are a few examples of the prompts you will find inside the book.  (I took these before I started playing with the book.  Too bashful to share my own images right now)

Who would get an invitation to your ultimate dinner party?

For example, you might fill these pages with your favorite actors and actresses, your favorite historical people.  You curent friends and family.  Even the president of the USA.  Who do you want to have a dinner party with?

Collage secret things on these pages and sew them shut.

Have something secret you want to get off your chest?  Dump them on this page.  Sew (or glue) the pages together and you have released your secret without telling a soul.

Create your perfect view.

This one can be drawn, or pasted in.  Or find images of your dream vacation destination.  You can put the on these pages and start your own "get away" fund to pay for a trip there one day.  (then take the book, and take a picture of it there....and you have another visual diary entry for another book!)

This book is great for collage artists, beginning art journalers, and even for scrapbookers  and smashbookers looking for a different way to smash.

Pick one up today for yourself, or as a gift.


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Love to read?  Come Join the Facebook Group: Lets Talk about Books
It is a casual place to discuss books and reading in general.

--

I received a copy of this novel free from Blogging for Books, but all thoughts and opinions on it are my own.

WIP Wednesday #7

Hi friends!

I hope you have had a productive week!

I've not really worked on much that is photogenic, but...

Remember this guy?

I've gotten what I hope is my last coat of paint on him, and I hope to soon show off what he is finished.

Other than that I've mostly been drafting out ideas.

Summer is upon us, right?  My own son has his last day of school on Friday!  That means the kids are home and will be looking for things to do.

I'm working on having plenty of kid friendly crafts to work on over the summer months!

If you try any of the crafts here I would LOVE to see your project!

Meanwhile, share something with our linky!

Don't worry if your WIP isn't actually "crafty" in the technical sense.  As you can tell from the WIP I'm sharing below from Noner Says, there are lots of kinds of WIPs that you can share.

Now, don't be shy, come share what you're working on. All kinds of art and crafts are welcome to share their progress.

Also, feel free to snag our new WIP Wednesday Button and link it up!


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WIP Wednesday #6

Ugh...Its been another impossible to craft for me.

I did get some photos taken for a crafty book review.

Now I just have to get the review written.

Don't worry if your WIP isn't actually "crafty" in the technical sense.  As you can tell from the WIP I'm sharing below from Noner Says, there are lots of kinds of WIPs that you can share.

Now, don't be shy, come share what you're working on. All kinds of art and crafts are welcome to share their progress.

Also, feel free to snag our new WIP Wednesday Button and link it up!


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Beaded Birdhouse Suncatcher

Beaded Sun-catchers, For Little Hands

Summer is the time of year that everyone heads out doors.  Time is spend on decks and patios, in the outdoors and beauty of their own back yards.  It might make you want to add a splash of fun and color, and a sun-catcher (like this Coastal one made from recycled materials) is a great way to do that.

I was cruising Pinterest a while back, and came across what I thought was a quite beautiful sun-catcher. It was made out of choya wood and chunky glass beads most likely left over from other beading projects.

I thought it was a wonderful idea, and I pinned it to go back to later, and possibly do, as I have an abundance of leftover beads.

My mind took off as well. I'm the mom of a toddler, and I'm always trying to think of things we can do together. Working with tiny glass beads is nothing something that I thought he could do. Or working with itty bitty thread either. So I started scouting the craft store.

They had some Paper Mache birdhouses on clearance, and I thought. I bet I could turn THAT into a sun-catcher!

Use some bright colored pony beads instead of fancy glass ones. Rex Lace instead of string, and as an added bonus he would get to PAINT the birdhouse!

Not to mention that even with the painting it was a simple craft that we could do in one afternoon!

Here is the completed Birdhouse Suncatcher.

Though this is supposed to be a "SUN CATCHER" my little one didn't want me to hang it outside, so it has ended up hanging on a nail above his bedroom door.

Much like in this photo, its not actually catching any sun, but it makes a little boy very happy and that is all that matters.

 

Supplies

For this craft, if you are a crafty mom, you will probably already have most of the items you need around your house, but you will need a paper mache birdhouse. I got mine at a craft store. Wooden bird houses could also work, if you have a drill to make holes in the bottom of it.

SUPPLY LIST

 Paper Mache Birdhouse

Acrylic craft paint and brushes

Paper Plate or Pallet

Assorted Pony Beads (clear and sparkly ones work best)

Rex Lacing (or other stringing material suitable for little hands, yarn would also work)

Paper Mache Birdhouse

As I mentioned elsewhere, you can do this project with a wood birdhouse, but it takes a little more handy work. For wood you need a drill.

I recommend doing it with a paper mache birdhouse. It will be easier to poke the holes in it for the string to hold the pretty sun-catching beads.

Ready to Embellish Paper Mache Birdhouse 

Choose this option from amazon and you'll get not one, not two, but TWELVE paper mache birdhouses to decorate. A craft day with the kids. A "rainy day" project. A birthday party activity. This lots gotcha covered.

Painting the Birdhouse

Step 1

The birdhouses start out a Kraft brown color and are very "thirsty." I went ahead before we did the craft and painted them with a base coat of white acrylic paint. The paper mache could drink its fill of this coat and be "primed."

Also, the white base is going to let the colors of the paint stand out more.

You CAN paint directly onto the paper mache, but it will take a few more coats of paint for your colors to show true, since a lot of the first coat will sink into the paper.

After that I put a shirt on my son that I didn't mind if it got paint on, and gave him some paints and let him go to town.

 Poking the Holes

Step 2

A grown up should do this step!

Flip the birdhouse over. Using an awl, an ice pick, a nail, or any other pokey tool, poke a hole in the center of the birdhouse bottom.

The type of tool you use doesn't matter too much, as long as the hole made is wide enough for your stringing material to go through, but not so wide that it will come back out once knotted.

After the center hole is poked, poke 4 holes toward the outer edge of the birdhouse as well.

You can add more or fewer extra holes if you would like. The more holes the more strings of shiny things will be hanging from your sun-catcher.

Adding the String

Step 3

This might be the hardest part of making the sun catcher.
1. Thread a length of lacing UP from the bottom of the birdhouse to the inside, the OUT of the "door."
2. Tie a knot in the part of lace that is coming out of the door.
3. Pull the knot back INSIDE the birdhouse so that it catches. (make sure it wont pull OUT of the hole)
The string left hanging from the BOTTOM of the birdhouse is what your beads will be threaded on.

Stringing the Beads

Step 4

This is probably my favorite part of the project. Fishing through a box of beads, finding just the right ones to string on your birdhouse.

Not only does this help a young child work on hand eye coordination, but it also offers other learning opportunities.

You can talk about the colors of beads they are putting on the strings. If it is a variety box of beads you can talk about shapes. You can also work on counting and numbers.

You just want to remember, at the end of the string leave enough bead free room to tie a knot to secure your last bead in place.

Older kids might even enough tying knots throughout the stringing process, leaving some sections of string bead free.

The beads are what make this a sun-catcher instead of a wind-chime. When stringing your beads on your cord make sure to get some clear and translucent ones in there. Those are the ones that the sun will flash through.

I used an assorted tub of plastic beads, and rex lacing.

FYI

These are not meant to be hung outdoors in direct weather.

You CAN hang them on a covered porch area.

If you hang them outside at all I recommend sealing them with an outdoor sealer. I used what I had on hand (a product called Triple Thick) but I recommend the Outdoor sealer by Mod Podge.

Outdoor Mod Podge can be used as an adhesive AND a sealant.

2 or 3 thick coats of Outdoor Mod Podge won't make your paper mache birdhouse waterproof, but will help make it water resistant.

It wont withstand a thorough soaking, but a little sprinkle won't hurt it anymore once it is well coated with this.

The Artist and His Creation - Finished Birdhouse Sun Catcher

He was 3 years old when he made this,
he has aged a little since then.

Here he is, my lovely 3 year old son displaying the birdhouse he helped complete.

He painted it all by himself, and picked out and threaded some of the beads before he got bored and left Mommy alone to finish it.

What do you think about our simple little project? Is it a rainy day craft you might do in the future?

(This post was originally posted to Squidoo, then moved to Hubpages when Squidoo sold out. It has been removed from Hubpages and re-posted here with some edits.)

WIP Wednesday #5

Happy Wednesday friends!

I have been a naughty, naughty crafter this week.

Why?

I've not made anything past the DIY Goo I made with my son.  Partly because he got sick.  Partly because I got sick.  Partly because.... procrastination.
 
So, what have you been working on this week?












Don't worry if your WIP isn't actually "crafty" in the technical sense.  As you can tell from the WIP I'm sharing below from Noner Says, there are lots of kinds of WIPs that you can share.

Now, don't be shy, come share what you're working on. All kinds of art and crafts are welcome to share their progress.

Also, feel free to snag our new WIP Wednesday Button and link it up!


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