So long as I could go to this woman’s art class.  Gail Bartel over at that artist woman is a 3rd grade art teacher. Her blog is full of craft and art project tutorials she’s either already taught in class or getting ready to teach. Step by step directions, complete with pictures, for all sorts of cool things to do.  She breaks it down and makes it easy. 

I can’t wait to try this tutorial on Glue Batik.  Oh the possibilities!! 

If you have children, go check it out.  There’s so much to do your children will never utter the words “Mo-om, I’m bored!” this summer. 

If you don’t have children, go check it out and have some fun yourself.  I know I will.

Are you just a tad bored with coloring eggs in the traditional pink, yellow and blue solid colors?  They’re pretty, but it’s the same every year.  But you may even have things in your home that would shake things up a bit.  Here are some of my favorite ideas from Family Fun Magazine. They’re easy (REALLY!) and look fun to do (of course!) One fabulous idea, if your up for it, might require a trip to the thrift store, bit it looks SO worth it!

Thumbprint Technique – you just need acrylic paint (you can get it Wal-mart still), a fine tip permanent marker, and paper plates (to put the paint on). So many cute character possibilities.

Cool Crayon Colors – grab some white vinegar, paper towels & crayons and MELT the color onto warm eggs. Amazing designs!

Tissue Paper Dyed Eggs – I’d have to go buy a couple packs of colored tissue paper – but these are spectacular!. You also need, paper towels, plastic wrap and some bubble wrap is helpful.

Tie-dyed Eggs – the pièce de résistance!  You use old 100% silk ties to dye the eggs.  I can’t help it – They’re “Eggstraordinary”!

And because you HAVE to have something sweet to eat with all of those eggs (you can only have so many egg salad sandwiches and deviled eggs!) here’s a recipe for Cadbury Egg Cookies. We adore Cadbury Mini Eggs around here.  And these cookies look so good.  *sigh*

There ya go – a few basic items and you can create masterpieces out of your Easter Eggs.  Which one will you try?  Or do you have another technique you use to decorate eggs? Let me know and have a GREAT time!

**Same Day Edit – Ok… so I had to do it…Most of the time I leave stuff like this BUUUuut,  I noticed later that not only did I misspell Eggstraordinary in the title, I mispelled it a different way in the post (and I almost did it again a DIFFERENT way)  gracious… these eggs are so great they just might make you cross-eyed trying to describe them! **

to use your camera? Photography has always fascinated me. But let’s face it, until digital cameras came along for many people the hobby wasn’t all that realistic. If you want to develop film you either need your own dark room and know how to use it or have a good relationship with someone who does and pay them to do it. And wow could film eat up the pocket book. Especially if you do like I do now and take anywhere from 75 – 100 photos when I go out just experimenting to see what I like (OH sure I read what others say to do, and my camera will tell me “Hey, that’s not right” but I’ll make it take the photo anyway. Sometimes those have been some of my favorite pictures because … well because.)

So how do you learn to take good photos now? I’m no expert. I don’t even have a DSLR. 2 and a half years ago I got a Canon S3 IS (isn’t it a little crazy that since then they are now 2 models beyond this camera and on the SX10 IS? Technology at the speed of light.)  And I actually read the manual.  Yes, the instructions.  You know.  The little book that comes with some computer equipment?  I read it.  I’m a geek, what can I say.   And then I started taking pictures.  Lots and lots and lots of pictures. 

Inside, outside, people, flowers, the sky, trees, grass, he beach, the fan (yes I said the fan – the one in the ceiling), in the low light, with the flash.  And that was all on auto.   Then I moved to playing with Aperture and Shutter Priority.  I think I drive my family a little batty (ok. I do but not always because of my camera.) .  I’m the one they have to stop a bit and wait on because I’m taking not just one shot, but 3 or 4 at different angles. 

So my first recommendation is get to know your camera.  What does it do well?  What features does it have?  What doesn’t work?  What causes so much digital noise that you can’t work with it?  Are there times that looks good?   

Next, I read.  I was reading photography magazines.  Now I visit their websites only occassionally.  Because there are some great photography blogs out there.  My favorites are listed to the right.  I learn a lot seeing how they choose to compose a photo and then what makes it special. There are some that challenge me and some that help me learn more by explaining the technical side.

Pioneer Woman Photography is great at all of these. On her blog she has posts covering DSLRs, how to use photoshop*, point-and-shoot cameras, printing your own photos…. I’ve only begun to scratch the surface.   (I think I’m a little behind the times finding her site btw….. but better late than never!)  The information on aperture was enough to get me hooked.  But even if your camera doesn’t have that type of setting, don’t let it stop you from clicking that link.  There truly is information for everyone.

I think photography helps me see the world around me and appreciate it even more.  I can’t wait to keep learning more – what about you?

* PS – I don’t use Photoshop.  I use Paint Shop Pro.  I think it’s a little simpler to use and for the hobbiest, a little less expensive.   But, with the number of actions available for Photoshop due to the number of people using it, it is becoming more attractive.  It will just be a while before I can get get it.  And Paint Shop Pro actually does quite a bit.

Yes, indeed, it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.  I love to make things for Christmas.  Ornaments are my favorite thing to make (and I’ve given some interesting ones) but there are so many things you can make as gifts.  But you have to start a little earlier than Oooohhh, December 15th. 

Sometimes the hard part about crafting Christmas gifts though is that initial idea.  Trying to find just the right thing (I always make it harder because, dang it, I really don’t want to be like everyone else, even if gift giving!) can be really difficult.  I love reading Christmas magazines with ideas, but it’s especially nice when someone has gathered ideas off the internet into a nice list as well.  That’s exactly what Ashley did Here (you can also click the graphic above). There are so many ideas on her list of things you can make or where you can find crafty gifts made by others. I’ve only just scratched the surface and there are superhero capes, frames with inspirational sayings, hair barretts and bow tutorials (OH My!). Take a look a be inspired.

And you know what, she started gathering ideas back in August. Shoot. Does that mean I’m behind?

When I was younger I wanted to take art, but you couldn’t take art and band.  I chose band so I never got to learn anything above elementary school art.  I loved to doodle, my notebooks would covered in eyes, trees, little five petal flowers (you know, the one with the circle in the middle of 5 petals) geometrical designs – not necessarily all together.  But I thought that’s all that would ever come of it.  Just doodles and sketches. 

Until one night I went to Relief Society Homemaking Meeting.  (Yeeeessss, I know it’s called Home, Family & Personal Enrichment now, but back then it was Homemaking Meeting and that’s where I went that night.)  One of the classes was about how to paint.  The instructor of the class did things a little differently.  But then I think she had 20 minutes.  She didn’t have us make something to take home that night.  She simply stood at the front of the room with a large easle and demonstrated The One Stroke Method of Painting. By loading the dark color on one side of the brush and the highlight color on the other of the brush, then depending on how she held and moved the brush it would paint the shadows and highlights of her subject. The brush did the most of the blending work and in no time flat she had painted a beautiful rose and vine. Even better yet the supplies were available at my local craft store. I was SO hooked.

My initial investment was $20 for 1 practice sheet, some paint, and some brushes.  And I started practicing.  Being the type of person to want to change things up I decided I needed to not always follow the lines and I started practicing on paper plates.  The kids thought this was the coolest thing they had ever seen and actually would ask to keep some of those plates.

This is my latest project.  I could still stand to learn a whole lot about painting.  I only pull out the brushes once in a blue moon at the moment.  But I don’t think it’s so out of the realm of possibilities.  If you can draw a five petal flower I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibilities for you either. 

It’s also my interpretation of 3 of the songs our children sing in Primary.  Can you tell which ones?  (Some are more loosely interpreted than others.)