Puffy paint might be my new favorite thing

Puffy paint, has, for years been a craft supply that I always had on hand, but rarely used...(not sure why, come to think of it!). This summer, however, I have had some fun with the puffy paint on hand, and ended up creating some pretty cool projects. These all are going to take more than one class session, since drying time is a MUST , but the final product is well worth it. Instructions are simple. Using a pencil or marker, lightly sketch your design directly onto your piece. (I have used glass jars and canvas....the possibilities are endless). I then used white puffy paint to go over the designs. Allow to dry completely, and then add acrylic paint directly over the puffy paint. Two coats should do it! A quick spritz of a clear glaze on glassware helps add a seal...and it looks super cool!

The Art of Camp

Forty plus years ago, I was a little girl attending day camp.  I remember lining up at the pool practicing my kicks.  I remember a certain counselor who used to read us stories.  And I remember crying.  Day after day of crying.  Then one year, I went to overnight camp.  All I remember from that experience was a lot of crying.  I didn't like it.  My subsequent summers were spent taking art and drama classes at our local schools.  I was never much of a camper.  Surprising isn't it that a lady who has spent much of her adult life working in the camping industry, was a miserable little camper.

I think I was pretty unique.  The camps I went to were pretty nice, had great programming and made the majority of the kids happy.

The problem was, that I was not really like the majority of kids.  I was an artsy kid.  The outdoors.  The sports, the competitive nature of these camps was just not my cup of tea.

What these camps lacked were strong arts programs to grasp my attention, to engage me and make me, a shy, clumsy little girl, feel like I was welcome, like I was part of  a crowd.

Of course many years have passed, and the camp industry has very much evolved, and now there are specialty camps that cater to the Artsy Child (I recommend Appel Farm Arts Camp for kids that want to completely immerse themselves in a summer of creativity).    There are also strong art programs at liberal arts camps that teach everything from Digital Photography to Glass Fusing.  There are so many more choices now, and campers of all interests and talent levels are the beneficiaries.  I would have done so well...if only I'd been born a few decades later!!

I came upon this article about the importance of Arts Programming at camp and just had to share.


The Art of Camp: How Arts Programs Fuel Self-Expression and Youth Development | American Camp Association

From Pinterest to Reality

Working on our hand print dinosaurs

Like many crafty and creative people, I have found Pinterest, and fallen in love.  Deeply in love.  It inspires me, keeps me organized, archives my creativity and more.  In the off season, I work at a Paint Your Own Pottery Studio, and I collect ideas on Pinterest to inspire my customers who need a little creative nudge to get started with their creations.  It's "Short Attention Span Theater", which is perfect for me and my ADD...It allows me to network with other members of the Craft and Pottery Communities, and allows me to share my accomplishments with my friends and family.  I <3 Pinterest, and I'm not afraid to admit it.

So...many of us who use Pinterest find that, more often than not, we find amazing ideas, but rarely follow through on actually doing any of the projects that make our crafty minds salivate when we first see them.  But, I am pleased as punch to admit, that I have had some opportunities to bring these ideas into reality!

So, today I share with you, my lil' Pinterest Board, "From Pinterest to Reality" - These are Pinterest ideas, that I shaped into age appropriate camp crafts.  Perhaps not quite as polished as the original ideas, but beautiful nonetheless, as these are created by children between the ages of 2 and 12...enjoy!

Here's the inspiration and the reality

I'm Baaaa-aaack

I've been MIA for a while now, I actually took a break from being the Camp Art Lady and worked in Camp Administration...as much as I enjoyed the experience, I missed the opportunity to work with kids and arts and crafts and messy supplies! So I'm coming back to the fold, and working at a day camp this year, teaching Creative Crafting. It will be a very different experience to not go to sleep-away camp, but we are looking forward to it, nonetheless...in the meantime, I have a Pinterest account, which I have enjoyed pinning to...so feel free to browse here and there! :)