Geometric Art for GAP Kids Recap!

I just got back from LA last night and working on getting caught up on everything and enjoying seeing my Littles again (who I swear have grown in just a few short days!). The geometric painting for the GAP Kids event in LA at the Grove was a smashing success! I had such a fabulous time meeting so many little Picasso's and their parents. And the girls from A Squared Events, particularly Jen Truc, who ran the show, were phenomenal to work with. I love seeing everything all set up and ready to go. And then when the kids started coming, well it was pure magic.

I loved to see the many wonderful combinations and creative applications the kids came up with for our geometric art project. They were nothing short of brilliant! I am sharing a few photos from my Instragram feed from the LA Event, (as well as a few from other city attendees feeds), here to share with you. I'm just so thrilled with how everything turned out! (see the flickr page from all the geo painting events here! so inspiring!!)

And if you were not able to make it out to one of these events, and want your little ones to make some geometric art on their own you can now do so at home!

Materials:

• You will need either a canvas or thick sheet of watercolor paper (if you use paper, I would suggest taping it down to a firm surface). 
• A fun selection of bright acrylic or tempera paints
• A paint brush 
• and some masking tape (I like the 1/2" size)

Start by taping off sections of your canvas so that they make a variety of fun geometric shapes.

Now grab your first color of paint. Decide which shapes you want to be this color and paint them in within the line of the tape (overlapping is fine as the tape will be taken off). Then proceed on to the next color, until your canvas is filled with a variety of fun, colorful shapes!

Once the painted canvas is dry, you may remove the masking tape.

Now enjoy your new work of geometric art! I love how striking these turn out. There are so many options and directions you can with this.

I also love how this is a great art activity for kids of all ages. If your child is at the preschool age, and more into sensory painting, they can just go crazy and see what fun magic happens when the tape is removed. And if they are bit older, they can really get into disciplining their color selection and planning out their different shapes. They can be more precise and intentional, creating something really amazing.

If do this art project, we'd love to see pics of your final creations! And if you attended any of the geo art painting events accross the US and Canada, I'd LOVE to see your pics from that as well!

And for this weekend, get geared up for journal making! Your child's thoughts and acheivments will shine on throughout time as they record it all in their very own journal that they make themselves! See more about dates and locations for this event on GAP's Shine On Facebook page. And based on how successful this last weekend was, you won't want to miss it!!

DIY Gradient Blocks over at Handmade Charlotte today

Hi friends! My next craft installment for Handmade Charlotte is up today! Head on over and see how you can make your own set of colorful gradient blocks. You'll love playing with them as much as yours kids do!

And don't forget to enter the giveaway to win two of my items for Mudpuppy. Like mer mag on facebook and you'll be entered twice!

Happy Weekend!

[we've gone giddy for...]

Our Little A is a budding mathematician (or at least that is what his very biased mother thinks) and we are more than encouraging it (hey, the arts are great and all, but any other way to make a living and we say go for it!). He's been obsessed with puzzles for quite some time and is especially fond of shapes and matching, etc. We have a lot of Montessori toys that he enjoys but I've had this idea for a geometric art puzzle that I wanted to try with him. Last summer (yes I've had this project idea stewing for far too long...seems to be the way things go around here) I went to Home Depot and had them cut a large sheet of 1/4 inch hardboard into five inch squares. Just this week I finally managed to paint them into colorful triangular shapes. I used acrylic craft paint and a sponge brush (don't use a bristle brush, it will just frustrate you).

As soon as Little A saw them, he went to town and I loved what he came up with. The amount of beautiful designs is truly endless. I have to confess that I'm having just as much fun with them as he is!

My original plan was to apply Velcro to the back of each square and then mount them onto the wall as a movable art piece (an idea I got from a friend, Amy Palmer, while living in Brooklyn. She had various shades of blue squares hung above her couch and it was true eye candy). However, once I saw the "out-of-the-box" designs that little A made, I knew these were better suited as a floor activity.

I might still hang them on the wall as a visually appealing home for them while they are not in use, but for now we are enjoying sliding them about, mixing and matching, this way and that. Talk about just the thing to do while cooped up indoors during this week of California rain storms.


*To get the sharp diagonal I took a ruler and made a pencil line from corner to corner before painting. From there I just eyed it (taking advantage of the clean line a sponge brush can give you) but if you are a perfectionist you might want to try taping it off.

[color cues: focusing in on the...]

I recently purchased what just might be my most favorite purse...ever...and I've been so inspired by its colors. The exterior shades of blue and interior marigold yellow are just the right take on their primaries for me.

I also have been purchasing a lot of vintage paper products as of late. This pad of air mail paper really spoke to me. I love the simple cover design and color. Add a few touches of yellow and you've got a great primary color palette.

These are a few ribbons I've been collecting for a project that is mulling around in my head (that I will hopefully one day get around to). Don't you just love the ruler ribbon?

[art fix]

I've been enjoying the work of Color Field painters as of late and this particular painting by Kenneth Noland really captures me. Wouldn't this make a great quilt? I'd even hand paint the pink as it washes out...

[color cues]

I love these colors together. The feel so fresh and spring like.

links: inspiring interior from Real Living Magazine, found via decor8; invite from Martha Stewart Weddings; spring ensemble from Stewart+Brown

[blues and greens]

It is somewhat of a happy accident that my living room colors ended up in the blue and green family (with added touches of neutrals). We had only so much room on the moving truck when moving out here to California and even though I tried to plan things out in my head before hand, we ended up with a modge podge of home items (I have lamp bases that don't have tops...it's craziness). I've managed to put things together in a way that I'm starting to be pleased with and this recent post from cafe mom (found via sfgirlbybay) about her home has really excited me. I really love the modern white Eams chair with weathered turquoise table. I also really like how she has achieved a well designed, livable space for children (something I struggle with daily, albeit happily). I was also perusing Design Dust today and saw this post on Joel Dewberry's fabric. Love them. I recently purchased a swing for baby O. (a must for a colicky baby) and am not thrilled with the design (I've looked up and down for well designed swings and haven't found anything I'm head over heels with) so I was toying with the idea of sewing a new cover for it. Now, looking at Joel's fabric, I think I'll have to give it a go.

[more love for...]

I have a confession to make. Every now and then when I'm in a Dr.'s office and I find a really great picture in a magazine...I just have to tear it out (I know, I feel guilty about this). The above pics (from Southern Accents magazine) are from such a time, when I just couldn't walk away. Of course I'm smitten with coral pinks but I also I really love the eclectic yet unified-by-color design of this room and that fabulous green table! What a great accent color.
Friend and blogger Brooke, of inchmark, also shows just how well these two colors go together. I love it.

[color love]

Well, if it isn't already obvious by my overall blog look, I'm currently obsessed with the color combination of coral pink and gray. So lovely. So perfect. So what I'm into right now. I'm particularly smitten with the top left living room design. I'd love to re-create this...it just calls to me.

loving greys and yellows

color love: beachy blues with orange

OK, so I had to present 2 color loves today. I'm so impressed with this color inspiration board that I found on Brooklyn Bride. I'd frame this it's so lovely. I've become so obsessed with these colors I've devoted Atticus' entire childhood to them. You'd think I'd tire of them...but alas...I do not.

patches for the scrappy quilt - in progress

color love: soft blue greys with pops of yellow

pic via creature comforts

These make me happy: pink vintage books

via paris apartment