Easy Art for Kids and a New Friend

We take arts and crafts pretty seriously at our house.  Countless hours are spent selecting new materials to use and finding things to recycle and re-purpose. My dining room table is rarely used for dining, it is "Craft and Project Central" much to my hubby's dismay.  When my friend Stephanie started offering weekly downloads for under $5, I knew we were up for a fun time!  Stephanie's signature doodly artwork is fun and detailed, and it appeals to all ages.  Here's a link to the download we used:

http://stephaniecorfee.com/2011/04/download-thursday-coloring-square-1/

I printed our download on to everyday printer paper and my daughter went to work.  Here's what she did with some typical, everyday art supplies that most families have:

She started coloring in parts with crayon...

Then used some colored pencils...

And what is a craft without paint?  We decided to use watercolors so she could add more color without totally covering up the crayon and pencil parts of her art... just make sure you do the watercolors last as the paper can tear if you use crayon or pencil over it.

Almost done... just needs some stickers....

A little black marker, and then we got it laminated at the local office supply store.  Next, I helped her cut them out and punch holes in the top.  She then proceeded to my extensive yarn stash and made:

Bookmarks!  These will make great little end of the year gifts for her best friends at school.



Thank you so much Stephanie for the wonderful downloads... you are a great inspiration, and we had so much fun!

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And now on to other fun stuff... I made a new friend!  My good buddy Melanie of The Melamoose Co. on Etsy introduced me to a lovely lady named Amy, the creative wonder behind Loves Me Not, a fantastic clothing line.  You can find it here:  http://www.lovesmenotclothing.com/  They had an idea to do a doll based on the latest Loves Me Not collection... Amy would send Mel fabric from the collection to make a special little dress to fit a 12 inch Apple Tree House doll. 

Please meet Brianna  Ѽ



Brianna is a 12 inch doll with light skin and a super soft, full head of hair made from mohair and 2 wool thick thin art yarns (over 600 strands in all!) applied in the usual fashion so it can be styled many different ways.  Her dress is just too cute for words, Melanie outdid herself yet again!  I love collaborating with friends and am happy to know Amy... I hope we get to do this again!

If you are interested in purchasing her for $175, there will be a comment style upload on Facebook.  It will start tomorrow about 9 am EDT, there are 3 requirements to be eligible:  leave a comment under her pic, "LIKE" both The Melamoose Co. and Loves Me Not on Facebook (there will be a hyperlink with my post and there are links on my page now) and either leave a comment on their pages or enter their giveaways.   At 9 pm EDT, I will draw a name and if all is in order, a custom listing will be set up on BigCartel that will need to be purchased by 8 am EDT.    The giveaways they are offering are pretty incredible... check it out!  And as always, thanks for being a friend of Apple Tree House  Ѽ

xoxo Debra