We had a ball at yesterday's 'Acrylic Painting for All' art workshop. Our best one yet!

Having worked muchly with children recently I was a little nervous at teaching adults again!  I needn't have worried  at all as not only did everyone that came happen to be absolutely lovely, they were also ready, willing and gung-ho to get going with the wonderful paints that are acrylics.

We set up the hall on Friday night as is normally the case.  However on this particular eve the light that flooded into the hall was just divine, so much so that I stayed on for an extra hour or two to finish a large scale floral work that I've been struggling with recently.  I loved it and the painting was completed.

We tried things a little differently this time with the food for our day.  Our wonderful family friend Andy is an outstanding cook and he very kindly produced lunch for us.  Cor, the menu was fantastic.  All home-cooked we enjoyed a Salmon Quiche served with dauphinoise potatoes & a watercress salad (along with warmed french bread) I can't tell you how delicious it was!  Following that we had cheeses, chutneys and oatcakes.  At high tea we enjoyed a home-made lemon cake which disappeared very very fast along with lashing of tea.  We truly felt utterly treated which was exactly our mission!

Below are some photo's of our day to enjoy.  If you would like to be kept in the know with our new workshops as they are announced, please email me on samantha@artypops.com

Much love, Sam x 

                               

Our 'Artypops Easter Holiday Art Workshop' was a rip-roaring success....

     

Tuesday 9th April saw us in a fab new venue here in our village of Overton, Berrydown Sports Pavillion.  We had a superb day of making, doing, dancing, running and playing.

The activities we settled on were:

1.Painting Monsters & Animals onto beautiful pieces of driftwood.

2.
Beading necklaces.

3.
Making our own people key rings .

4.
Crafting Clay Birds avec feathers!

5.
Drop & Draw! Huge sheets of paper to draw around ourselves...if we have time.

Our day was packed full of creativity.  'Drop & Draw' was fantastic fun, an example of which was upon the call, we instantly dropped and awaited instructions - one of which was to draw the face of the person nearest to you - brilliant fun!

All the babes had a fab day and thank you to all the parents for your lovely letters and comments expressing so.  More workshops coming soon.

Samantha

Let's make...'Dreamy Dream Catchers' Perfect for a rainy afternoon in with the babes..

'DREAMY DREAM CATCHERS'

Perfecto for rainy afternoons indoors, another gem from the wonderful Marion Sweet...now retired childminder after some 20 years and all round general superstar in all things make & do-ey!  I adore her. 

Righto:

Gather all the materials that you can muster, Marion have tried to use all things that we might have around the house.

You will need:

A paper plate with the centre cut out

Colour felt tips

Tissue papers and shapes

2 circles of sticky back plastic which is slightly bigger than the cut out shape in the paper plate

Thread

Beads, etc

Blu tack

Pencil

1.

Decorate the back of the plate

2.
Place one of the sticky back plastics on the circle cut out.

3.
Put the shapes and tissues onto the sticky back and then place the other circle of sticky back in place.

& turn it over...et voila!  Looking gorgeous.

4. 

Take some blu tack and place at the BOTTOM of your plate.  With the blu tack in place, take a pencil and make 3 holes through the blu tac and the plate (this adds weight).

5.

Take your thread and place 3 lengths into the holes and make them secure.  Hang anything you wish onto the threads, beads, feathers, etc.

6.

Repeat again to make a hole at the top of the plate so you can hang your dream catcher and tada...we are there with a BEAUTIFUL Makey-doey!  Well done you!

Much love

Samantha Barnes, but much more Marion Sweet..(well done again Marion!)

Quick...am on the run but l@@k it's the Easter Art Workshop flyer!! Yay x

Yesterdays' February half-term children's art workshop...what a ball!

It's Movietime!!  

(Scroll down after the movie)

Isn't that just the nuts?  We had the most wonderful day yesterday.  30 children, lots of doing, making, drawing, colouring, dancing, story-telling and cake eating!!

Thanks to everyone for making it such a brilliant day.  Creativity in everyday life is SO important.  We can suppress it for years and years then rediscover it when the time is right.  Our confidence is low and it grows when we begin to practise it again.  

When we are children, our natural state is to launch in and get messy.  As we grow we somehow lose the abandon to explore life through art - this is a huge shame.  The good news is though that it comes tumbling back whenever we want it to, we just need the keys...and the keys are....(are you ready?) the keys are.... allowing ourselves to do it.  accepting that it might take us a while to get 'good' (whatever we deem to be good) and simply allow ourselves to actually do it, to pick up a brush, a pencil and just 'do'.  

It's peasey...I promise!  Come on one of my workshops...that's my favourite bit... working with someone that hasn't done any art for a gazillion years...let me hold your hand...literally!  

Much love

Sam x

Utterly lovely hearty-bunting... a make-along with me (er Marion!)

Its deep dark January now.  

As we speak my two babes are screaming in joy at being allowed to play a round of 'Jump on the Sofa as hard as you can' in the sitting room...  deep joy (don't get involved, don't get involved, don't get involved Mum!)

Now then, I don't know about you but I believe it's really important to give children the space (occasionally) to get bored.  Poor old ds has been home ALL week with a weird viruses-temperaturey thing that sweeping through our village...9 children off in his class since Tuesday.  Not to have a ripe old moan or anything but coupled with being snowed in ALL of last week and the week before that it being half-term - let them have bored...I'm all out of ideas!

Queue Marion, my gorgeous childminder and fellow artist, she is a plethora of all things creative and saved the day.  I had some plastic and she did the rest.  Here's what she did:

Hearty Bunting with Ribbons

List of items you need:

Sticky back plastic, a sheet of.  (Book covering is good)

A heart shape to cut around, hand-sized is good.

Tissue paper shapes

Scissors

A hole- puncher

Ribbons

1.

Cut the sticky back plastic to the same height of the heart shape.

Place the shiney side of the plastic on to the table then peel the backing off.  Place the colours tissues shapes on to the sticky back (not too close together, lots of spaces)

Fold your plastic over on itself, securing the tissues and sticking the plastic back onto itself.  Place your cut-out heart shape underneath and cut around it.   

Then cut each heart shape out leaving you with this..

At the top of the heart place the hole-puncher and push down to make the holes that the ribbon will go through...your'e doing great!

After you made all the hearts (do about 6) trread the ribbon through the holes and create the banner. 

Beautiful!  Well done everyone, Marion especially for saving the day!  Beautiful bunting.  Hope you like the cloudy shed too!  Much love, Sam x