Crafting Away!

At our house, we craft and craft. It doesn't matter if it rains or shines!

Ellie is a creative little girl. She is a very talented artist and I try to keep up with her. Yes, I do love it, and it gives me excuses to try new things too. I can be in Hobby Lobby for hours and walk out with 4 or 5 easy craft ideas or projects for Ellie and I.

Although Nina can not keep up with Ellie, she tries, I help, and she can sit and concentrate for a long time.

Nichole is not ready for crafting with her sisters. She needs one on one time and things to do fast! If we are coloring, she will participate, but once we get glue, scissors, or paints out, she is done! She will paint just to humor me, but she is definitely not artistic. On the other hand, she can watch Signing Time videos all day...well I suppose they say children with Down syndrome are very visual, and in her case, it is true!

To start with, we got some glittery pipe cleaners out. Ellie wanted to make a flower but decided it would be too hard and instead she would make her own creations. Somewhere between the creations hanging from her chair and her necklace, she did manage to make a flower. Specifically, a tulip.

Last Friday as I roamed Hobby Lobby, I discovered water color crayons! These are amazing! Ellie gave them a try and she absolutely loved it. It is just like coloring and painting all in one!

Ellie colored her paper, a beautiful ocean, sun, birds, boat, and rainbow. Then, we dipped a brush in water and ran it over the colors. Quickly, the water "dissolves" the crayon and turns it to watercolors!

It takes some skill to keep the colors separated and for them not to bleed into each other. Ellie did pretty well, and tried to keep the edges dry for a sharper look.

We also discovered that for every new color she was working on, we needed clean water and to rinse the brush. Next time, we will have several Dixie cups with clear water ready for this!
So happy crafting everyone, it sure is fun!