Category: glue

Gold Leaf Holiday DIY Gift Cards Ideas: some (very) last minute Christmas Projects

Post author By Jess Ross Creative
Post date December 24, 2014
3 Comments on Gold Leaf Holiday DIY Gift Cards Ideas: some (very) last minute Christmas Projects

As usual, I left things till the last minute…I don’t know how to do it any other way. Under pressure is usually when I am most motivated and inspired. I got a little carried away with my Gold Leaf paint and pens and painted just about everything in it last night.

My favorite gold leaf to use is Plaid Craft Liquid One Step Gold Leaf Paint. The gold leaf pens are definitely easier but they dry out so fast. This guy comes in a re-sealable bottle and is about the same price as the pens but will give you more use. It is super rich, and heavy but make sure you shake it every time you use it.
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The cards I used are also available on Amazon and are just regular heavy-weight blank white greeting cards (5 x7″). You get 40 for $14.95 and I ended up cutting some of them into smaller cards too. So they will last a while.
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I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas with their loved ones! xoxoxo

Tags abstract art, art journal, art journaling, art tutorial, Christmas decor, Christmas design, Christmas gift idea, christmas style, DIY, DIY Project, Gift Idea, holidays, illustrations, sketchbook, style blogger

art cheap easy fun glue kids projects salt watercolors

salt paintings art project.

Post author By Jess Ross Creative
Post date October 7, 2010
No Comments on salt paintings art project.

I just finished another fun and easy art project with the program members at work. Like alot of the other art projects that have been wildly successful with my students, I found this one by scavenging through the internet. This one had all of the things I look for when trying to find a good art project: fun, easy and cheap. Here is where I found the project if you want to check it out:http://jojoebi.blogspot.com/2010/02/salt-painting.html

I’ve included my own set of directions and some hints and tips I found after doing the project several times. Have fun!

All you need is:

-kosher salt (the bigger the granules the better)

– glue sticks

– water colors & paint brushes

– craft paper

1) The first step is to create a design using the glue stick (I found that the purple colored glue sticks work well b.c. you can see your design better)

2) As soon as you have created the design with the glue stick, quickly pour the salt over the design …and be generous with the salt (If you are helping younger students or your children I usually stand by as they are creating the design and as soon as they are done, I pour the salt…this way more salt sticks to the glue before it has a chance to dry)

3) After letting the salt dry into the glue for a couple of moments (it dries pretty quickly and doesn’t have to be completely dry to start)…the fun can begin!

Dip your paintbrush into your chosen watercolor and a nice dip into a cup of water, then gently tap the top of the paint brush onto the salt design and watch the color absorb into the salt crystals!

tips and hints: Just a couple of things I found that help you make the best out of the project..

-the more colors you use, the more beautiful I think the salt art turns out.

– Also, it is important to tell your students, or those youa re working with, to just gently tap the edge of the brush onto the salt for the best outcome. Some of my students pushed their brushes down onto the salt with a lot of pressure and pushed the salt around with their brushes.

-Finally, it takes a little practice to find the right balance of color and water. If you put too much water onto the salt design it will just become soppy salt soup and if you use too little the color wont spread into the salt crystals.

adults art cheap children collaboration colorful developmental disabilities diy easy fun glue kids markers murals oil pastels projects seurat van gogh

Van Gogh and Seurat Art Projects

Post author By Jess Ross Creative
Post date September 27, 2010
No Comments on Van Gogh and Seurat Art Projects

For the last couple of weeks, we have been working on two completing two large murals. I’ve mentioned http://www.artprojectsforkids.org in the past and my newly found love for the murals she creates that you can download.

For the individuals I work with, whom have various developmental disabilities, the projects have turned out to be a wonderful art activity. The members of the program have really enjoyed working together on the murals and it has been a great collaborative project. Each mural comes can be downloaded from artprojectsforkids.org for $5.00 a piece and the file is yours to keep and use forever.

For Van Gogh’s Starry Night, we used oil pastels and then laminated the project so the pastels wouldn’t smear. I really love how this one turned out.

We used regular old Crayola markers for Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jette and then used elmer’s glue and modge podge to create a glossy smeared finish that made the mural look more like a painting…

Now we just need a place to hang them!