BE CREATIVE IN THE SUN
Karen Strum
I just posted a new art project on my site. These are fun summer crafts. If
you would like to see the pictures, please go to
http://www.imaginationstreet.com/art/fiveideas.stm
BE CREATIVE IN THE SUN
IDEAS FOR TRANSPORTABLE PROJECTS
By Carrie Payne
As the sunny days grow warmer, I find myself compelled to bask in the sun. At
the lake, the park, my own yard, even restaurants, the heliophile in me just
comes pouring out. However, after smoothing out my blanket and finding the
best angle in which to soak up the warmth, unless I specifically feel like a
nap--what's to do for entertainment? With some forethought, nail clippers,
and a few small containers, many crafts can be easily taken to the yard,
beach, or forest.
Beads
When you get right down to it, most bead work requires very few supplies.
Beads, of course, are necessary, plus string or twine, and a needle. To
transport a bead project into the great outdoors, simply use a small
container, such as a film canister or ring box. The needle, already threaded
with several feet of string, will fit inside the container. Small nail
clippers are an excellent substitute for scissors and very easily carried.
Pour the beads out onto a small dish, or the blanket itself, for easier
picking up. Also, watch where you decide to station your blanket bead work.
Seeing your favorite jade beads bounce irretrievably off the rocks and into
the lake is a sad sight indeed!
Blanket Embroidery
You lay upon it for hours on end, so why not incorporate the blanket into
your afternoon entertainment. Several colors of embroidery floss will fit
inside a small bag or container, along with a needle and nail clippers, used
again as substitute scissors. Don't forget the embroidery hoop, which holds
the cloth taunt while you sew.
Working without a pattern, I usually choose small pictures that can be
finished in a couple of hours. However, if you plan on spending lots of time
outside, the warm season could be used to create, little by little, an entire
blanket tapestry masterpiece. Thin-textured blankets are much easier to work
with when embroidering.
Clay
Pre-colored bakable sculpting clay is available in 2" rectangles at most
craft stores. Many different colors will fit easily inside a small cookie
tin. When open, the tin's flat smooth lid serves as an excellent work space
for rolling and sculpting clay. Be sure to bring along a few beads, pins,
toothpicks, maybe a razor blade, for adding detail to your work.
The sculptures cannot be baked outside, since clay requires a temperature of
about 300 degrees Fahrenheit to harden. A smaller box, however, can protect
your finished work until you can deliver it to an oven.
Flower Pressing
Flower and plant pressing is an excelling outdoors art medium simply because
your supplies are already growing all around you. Additional helpful
materials include some newspaper, nail scissors (clippers probably won't work
this time,) and a small thick book. I like to use a travel-sized hardback
dictionary. Also bring a rubber band.
After choosing the flowers or plants you wish to press, place each one
between two pieces of newspaper. The newspaper helps draw the moisture out.
Put the newspaper-wrapped flower between the pages of the book. To prevent
the flowers from falling out, rubber-band the book shut. When you return
home, place the book under several other heavy books, or something comparably
hefty, until the flowers are completely flat and no moisture remains. Be
patient--drying flowers usually takes several weeks.
Great Letter-Writing
Although correspondence isn't usually considered an art form, a beautiful
letter is definitely a work of art. Begin by collecting several different
styles of paper and envelopes. Keep them all together in one folder or
notebook along with stamps, stickers, and several cool pens. A travel-sized
address book is also helpful.
The key to making letter-writing an art is to have fun with the pages.
Decorate the margins. Sketch the view from your blanket at the top of the
page. Add a few live flowers to the inside of the envelope. Most of all,
don't forget the stickers! Your friends will be delighted to find beautiful
personalized letters in their mailboxes, and you'll find that your replies
come back much faster!
Many arts and crafts can be easily modified into "travel versions." The
beauty of all the above-mentioned projects is that they are transportable
with little mess or fuss. All you need to be creative in the sun is a small
box, nail clippers, and a little ingenuity.