Craft Cat Newsletter - June, 2007
Summer with Creative Catalyst
Take the Creative Catalyst DVD workshops you love and share them with your family this summer! Use the fun techniques and projects to introduce your kids to concepts like color mixing and grid design while having hours of fun. DVD instructional workshops are a great way to keep kids creative and entertained during the long days of summer!
Then, enter their work in their own art show! Creative Catalyst Productions now has a Kids Art Show and creative Teens Art Show. This is a great way to encourage your children by putting their work on an international “refrigerator door”. In addition, start a conversation about what they think about other entries. A great creative learning experience. There is no juror, just fun for all who participate! Happy Summer!
1. Poppet® Party
Need a fun idea for a summer birthday party? Look to Claudine Hellmuth’s DVD Workshops for the solution! Have kids bring photocopies of themselves and a few basic supplies. Watch any of Claudine’s three DVDs and you’ll have enough inspiration to create for a whole afternoon. Let glue and paint dry between cake cutting and presents!
Claudine Hellmuth’s DVD Workshops:
Textures and Techniques
More Textures and Techniques
Beeswax Collage
2. Trip Journal
Before you go, make a fabric-altered book with Lesley Riley’s DVD workshop, Exploring Fabric Collage. Include a pocket for every place you’ll travel. Children can gather postcards and small ephemera and keep it in each pocket. Leave areas in each journal to glue postcards, pictures and to write. Something fun for kids to do before they go AND while they’re in the car. (Plus a great way to help keep them organized on a long trip!)
Lesley Riley’s DVD Workshop: Exploring Fabric Collage
3. Nature Art
Turn a lesson about plants (or a walk in the park) into a piece of jewelry with Sherri Haab’s instructional DVD, Precious Metal Clay. Plan a hike and gather lovely twigs along the way. After your trek, bring home the twigs, choose the prettiest shape and begin the magic. This is a great non-toxic introduction to jewelry making.
Sherri Haab’s DVD Workshop: Precious Metal Clay
4. Decorate a Room
Gather photos of your child’s friends and together with Claudine’s Beeswax Collage make cute Poppets® that can sit on bookshelves and desks. Design outfits unique to each friend’s personality with fabric colors that match your child’s room. Use this fun activity to talk about the impact of complementary and analogous colors in a room and in art!
Claudine Hellmuth’s DVD Workshop: Beeswax Collage
5. Paper Party
Need another theme for a party? How about a day with Traci Bautista and her paper making fun in Retro Rags! Traci shows fun ways to use simple office paper and kids’ craft supplies and turn them into vibrant patterns and colors. Retro Rags offers fast and easy techniques perfect for 3 to 30 children! Collect the paper to make journals for fun car trip activities.
Traci Bautista’s DVD Workshop: Retro Rags
6. Living History
Use polymer clay to introduce your child to Chinese art and history by making faux jade beads, pens and book covers with the help of Dayle Doroshow’s workshop, International Inspirations in Polymer, Vol. 2: China . Then pile in the car and go see the real thing! Use these fun projects as a starting point to talk about ancient Chinese art. The best way to learn history is hands on!
Dayle Doroshow’s DVD Workshop: International Inspirations in Polymer Clay, Vol. 2: China
7. Babysitting Basket
Leave a basket of supplies and a Creative Catalyst DVD Workshop with your babysitter. Know that your kids will be using their creativity instead of just watching TV. Entertaining AND educational. Spread the fun by packing the Creative Catalyst art basket with them when they go to someone else’s house for an afternoon.
DVD Workshops:
Watermedia Collage Workshop
Retro Rags
International Inspirations in Polymer Clay, Vol. 2 China
8. Collage
Make an assortment of papers with your child (or in advance) and then let them have at it. A stack of beautiful Carrie Burns Brown-inspired paper, a glue stick and a pair of safety scissors and your child will be busy for hours while getting an introduction to collage!
Carrie Burns Brown’s DVD Workshop:
Watermedia Collage Workshop
9. Polymer Party
Polymer clay is a great non-toxic addition to any party. Use Dayle Doroshow’s DVD Workshop: International Inspirations in Polymer Clay, Vol. 1: Provence to entertain while creating unique party favors. Have each child bring as many small pictures of herself as total party attendees. Use Dayle’s techniques to transfer the pictures onto polymer. Make into pendants. Then string the pendants together with polymer beads (or purchased beads) for fun original necklaces with pictures of everyone who attended!
Dayle Doroshow’s DVD Workshop:
International Inspirations in Polymer Clay, Vol. 1: Provence
10. Postcards
Add to your travel bag papers you made from Traci Bautista’s, Claudine Hellmuth’s, Carrie Burns Brown’s DVD workshops, a bunch of 4 x 6 cards, and some basic art supplies . Collect fun things along your trip, glue them with pretty paper and send them back to family and friends at home. (May require additional postage.) Better than email!!!
The DVD Workshops:
Watermedia Collage Workshop
Retro Rags
Textures and Techniques
11. Historical Printmaking
Turn your kitchen into a historical printing house with rolling pins and backs of spoons. Kids can learn the basics of monotype printmaking with Julia and Gail Ayres’ Instructional DVD. You’ll love the easy non-toxic water clean up and the lessons your children will learn about mixing primary colors. They’ll love pulling official prints and playing with stencils!
Julia and Gail Ayres’ DVD Workshop:
Painterly Printmaking with Monotype
