Growing up, I loved crafting for my family and friends. I’m pretty sure my godmother still has all the handmade cards I made for every holiday and some painted glitterized rocks somewhere. Once I had a daughter, I hoped that I would be able to share some of the same interests with her that I had as a kid.
I always find handmade gifts so much more special because it shows the person that you put a lot of thought into the gift.
Our friend’s daughter is very artistic. Her level of skill is only something I wish I possessed. She drew the mostly beautiful picture of our daughter for Christmas so for her birthday, I wanted to return the favor.
I found a small blank canvas at The Dollar Tree. I have been pleasantly surprised at how their crafts department has increased. They have several different canvas sizes for only $1. So you could potentially make a canvas collage. It would be really cute to put a letter on each canvas spelling out a word or even your child’s name.
We used water based paint because if your child is anything like mine, it may get a little messy. The water based paint works just as well as acrylic paint which is also great in case your child accidentally pours an entire small paint bottle onto the canvas. – true story. Luckily, it was white paint so it muted the colors and made the art have an ombré finish. I put all the paint colors on a tray because for this project, it’s okay to mix the paint, in fact, it’s encouraged. My daughter painted with the brush, sometimes two brushes at a time and even resulted to finger painting by the end. You could easily do this for decor in your child’s room, made by them with a little assistance from you.
With this craft, your child is the artist, which makes the decor even more special. You tape the letter or object you want to stand out, set them up with all the supplies and then let them create their masterpiece.
Remember, it’s okay if it doesn’t look perfect. It’s made by a toddler(with your assistance), it’s okay that it looks like it. 😀
What you need:
Blank canvas
Sponge brush
Water based paint
Painters tape
Directions:
- Decide what shape, letter or word you want to stand out. We did a letter for our friend’s name. I used tape to create the letter but you could use a large letter, word or snap and fold over tape to temporarily paste it to the canvas.
- Lay out paint and paint brushes for your child and let them paint all over the canvas, ensuring they don’t remove the tape until their finished.
- Once the canvas is covered, removed the tape. Choose one color you think would stand out or compliment the piece. We used my daughters finger to paint the inside of the letter but you could also paint it yourself if that is easier.
- Once the piece dries, which should take about 5-10 minutes, outline the letter(s) or shapes in black paint.
- Spray with a gloss finish and allow to dry.
Happy Crafting!