cover a letter box with postage stamps

I gifted a few letters to a daughter, sealed inside
a wooden decoupaged purse.

Brief Description: So cute and so chick, this wooden purse is actually a letter box for all of those handwritten messages you'd like to keep for sentimental reasons. I decoupaged my letter box with stamps and gave it as a gift to a certain someone that I knew collected old letters.

Supply List:

• Mod Podge
• soft bristle brush
• 3D alphabet stickers
• real stamps and or sheet of stamps for collage work only 
• wooden box shape (I chose a purse with a bamboo handle and brass latch.)
• tacky white glue

Directions:

1. First make sure the surface of the wooden box you intend to decorate is free from dust and dirt and dry if you wipe it down with a damp cloth.
2. Apply a generous but not messy coat of Mod Podge to a small area of the box and layer stamps onto it in a way that seems pleasing to you. 
3. let this area dry a little to the touch and then brush a coat of Mod Podge over the top of the stamps. Now repeat this step over until the entire wooden box has been covered. Dray overnight.
4. Use a tacky white glue to apply 3 dimensional alphabet stickers to the front. Spell out the recipient's name if you like.

More postage stamp crafts online:

• tiny postage stamp houses
• decoupaged stamps in bowl
• decoupage a postage stamp vase

How It's Made - postage stamps

weave the ojo de dios

The traditional Ojo De Dios craft. Left, backside of the weaving, Right front side of the weaving.

Brief Description: A god's eye is a yarn weaving and a spiritual object. The Ojo de Dios (Eye of God in Spanish) is woven with yarn and wood, often with several colors. The weaving of an Ojo de Dios is an ancient contemplative and spiritual practice for many indigenous peoples in the Americas, and beliefs surrounding them vary with location and history. Some people believe they were originally part of the religion of the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Read more...

      This is a popular, inexpensive Native American craft. It is often taught at summer camps, scout meetings and sometimes in schools. 

Supply List:

• yarn any color
• scissors
• two sticks (equal in length)
• masking tape

Directions:

1. Tape the center of two sticks together in both directions to secure your twigs into an X shape.
2. Tie the end of your yarn piece off at the center of your crossing sticks.
3. Wrap yarn over and under between each stick, working your way around and around until the god's eye is finished to the size you want. 
4. Add tassels if you like by wrapping yarn around a piece of cardboard many times. Remove the card and tie off the strands together twice. Clip the ends to form the tassel. Watch video here.

Look at the weave steps up close.

For more classroom friendly videos

 visit SophiesWorldVideo.

apply a faux metal finish to an egg

Brief Description: High school kids might enjoy this egg decorating project. It is certainly a bit more complicated than most Easter egg crafts. However, if you enjoy this one, you may like to try even more of my egg decorating crafts here.

My egg sample showing a faux metal finish technique.

Supply List:

• a plastic egg
• aluminum foil (The type you buy at a grocery store)
• black acrylic paint
• white glue
• puff paint (any color)
• masking tape
• Mod Podge 
• soft cloth or tissue

Directions:

1. First cover the surface of the entire plastic egg with masking tape until none of the surface is left bare.
2. Use you puff paint to draw a swirl pattern around the entire egg. Let parts of the design dry as you proceed. 
3. Once you are finished and the surface is completely dry, this could take some time, apply the white glue to areas of the egg while applying the aluminum foil. Take care not to rip the foil and do not layer more than one sheet. 
4. Use your finger tips to press the foil down into the surfaces of your design over and over until you are satisfied with the overall effect. 
5. Now let the egg dry completely and then brush a watery layer of black acrylic paint onto the egg's surface.
6. Wipe away the paint with a soft cloth or tissue so that the raised areas made by the puff paints are shinier than the crevices of the design. Let the egg dry.
7. Apply Mod Podge to the finished surface when done.

 An alternative faux metal technique from Aleene.

glue together a shell mosaic box

I chose to make this box to hold a gift of pens and brushes for one of my adult children this year.

Brief Description: Although this craft is simple in its application, the design work used in such a project may be very complex. The key here is to work slow if you should choose to use a cardboard box to decorate instead of a wooden one. Otherwise, the walls of the box could warp while your work is drying. 

Supply List:

• wood glue
• a bag of tiny stones
• shells
• a sturdy box with a lid 

Directions:

1. Lay out your mosaic supplies and determine the pattern that you would like to use in the creation of your decorative gift box.
2. I chose to arrange these tiny shells in a simple floral design. I used wood glue to adhere the shells first to the surface of my box lid. Then I let this dry overnight.
3. Then I carefully applied the wood glue to small areas of the lid and covered these with my tiny stones. These areas were approximately two inches in diameter. Let each area dry completely before proceeding to the next application of stones. Again, this will help prevent the surface of your lid from warping.

A few close shots of the surface of my gift box: left, is a side view, right, a top view of the floral shell pattern.

Watch a CraftKlatch sea shell coaster craft.

See also the stone resin coaster by the same crafter.

handcraft your own artisan pizza

  I saved a real pizza box to store my pretend pizzas in.

Brief Description: These little pizzas are made entirely of paper. I made these samples for a child's kitchen playset. However, teachers may prefer to make larger versions for a fun classroom craft.

Six steps for making an artsy pizza.

Supply List:

• sturdy paper plates
• newsprint
• brown paper bag
• masking tape
• white school glue
• red and brown acrylic paint
• soft, small paint brush
• papier-mâché pulp
• shredded yellow papers 
• Mod Podge

Directions:

1. Crush a long narrow strip of newsprint to form the edges of your pizza using masking tape to attach it to the outer rim of your stiff paper plate. Mask the entire plate with the tape.
2. Cover the plate with white school glue and shredded brown paper sack paper. Cover the top layer of the paper with the same glue and let the pizza shape dray overnight. 
3. Prep the papier-mâché pulp according to the directions found on the package. Ad a very then layer of this to the top of your pizza's surface only. 
4. If you choose to make a sausage pizza, at this point you would need to make the surface of the pizza a bit lumpy with the papier-mâché pulp. Let the pizzas dry after this step. You may need to set them in the sunlight or near a warm air vent to speed up the drying time. Do not put them near an open flame! It may take a couple of days for the pulp to dry depending on the time of year or the climate in your environment.
5. After your pizzas have hardened, you may paint the "saucy" papier-mâché area with a tomato red acrylic paint and if you have a sausage pizza, use a brown acrylic paint to color the raised areas of pulp brown. I cleaned up the edges of the sauce a bit by adding more glue and brown paper where I didn't want the red paint. Let this dry; it shouldn't take long.
6. Drizzle the white glue on the top parts of the pizza where you would like to add cheese. I shredded several yellow papers in advance for this part of the craft. I used acid free papers because I wanted the colors of the cheese not to fade over time. You may use whatever paper you have at hand. Sprinkle the paper on top of the glue and add more layers of glue as you go. Finish the entire surface of the paper pizzas with Mod Podge at the end and let this dry. 

Here you can see up close the difference between the tomato sauce and the sausage on the surface of the pizzas.

Additional Suggestions: Try to shape all kids of veggies for you pizza with papier-mâché pulp and cut paper.

A great Pop Art pizza project.

• The cutest felt pizza toy ever!
• Cardboard pizza oven craft  
• Pizzah Rat

shape a dozen papier-mâché doughnuts

Finished papier-mâché doughnuts. Some young person will enjoy playing with these.

Brief Description: There are many people both young and old, who enjoy crafting fauve foods. Every students can learn to craft papier-mâché doughnuts with just a few inexpensive supplies. Many crafters will probably have the majority of these supplies already in their possession. 

       Crafted foods make unique little gifts for the young child who loves to play house or who likes to pretend to sell things in a play marketplace. Once you get the hang of sculpting these baked goods, try shaping even more of your favorite foods. Before you know it, you'll have a whole kitchen full of these low fat, delicious, baked goods to share with friends and family!

Supply List:

• brown paper bag
• newsprint
• masking tape
• papier-mâché pulp
• white school glue
• acrylic paints
• seed beeds
• transparent glitter
• soft, tiny paint brush
• tin container and plastic lid (cleaned and recycled)
• Modge Podge
  

Directions:

1. Crush newsprint into long cylindrical shapes.
2. Shape these into round refined doughnuts and then wrap the surfaces completely with masking tape.  (shown below)
3. Apply white glue to the surface of the masked confections with your fingers and apply shredded brown paper on these surfaces.
4. Let everything dry overnight. 
5. Prepare the papier-mâché pulp as the instructions on the package state. Now apply a bit of the papier-mâché to the top of each doughnut till these look frosted.
6. Let the donuts dry overnight again. 
7. Paint the papier-mâché different colors with the acrylic paints; let this paint dry.
8. Apply white glue or a tacky glue of some kind on top of the papier-mâché icing and sprinkle glitter or seed beads into the paste. Let it dry solid
9. Apply a generous amount of Modge Podge to seal the doughnuts.
10. After these dry, display them in a clean, dry recycled container. They make the perfect craft for little ones that like to play house!

Additional Suggestions: Your teens will love making papier-mâché food crafts giant sized. Hang these from the ceiling during a Pop Art unit/lesson.

These papier-mâché doughnuts are ready to ice and decorate.

Left, masked papier-mâché shapes. Right, papier-mâché
shapes covered with a layer of brown paper.

Larger papier-mâché doughnut pop art by the Electronic art room.

All instructions and photographs, templates are copyrighted by Grimm 2017

assemblage art made from throwaways

Student assemblage sculptures. Objects where first glued to a wooden panel and then spray painted a solid color.

Resources:  The lesson plan adaptations and written content, excluding State and National Standards, is written and copyrighted by Kathy Grimm, 2009. The use of the ideas and 10% or less content constraint on previously published materials is met in accordance to United States copyright law. Some descriptive information comes from public domain resources. Interested parties may visit the following link to read about Fair Use and Teachers http://home.earthlink.net/~cnew/research.htm#Purpose%20of%20use

Details:

Topic: Assemblage Art has been created from cast-off materials since art has been in existence. Certain artists are drawn to making something out of what would generally be considered nothing—taking what most people would view as useless and arranging it in an artistic manner, or placing it with traditional materials or in a particular setting that elevates it from junk to art.

      Art created in this manner is often referred to as “assemblage” and endless varieties of it exist. It can be very sculptural, as seen in the recycled automobile parts assembled by John Angus Chamberlain. It can resemble a stage set, as demonstrated in Ed Kienholz’s large-scale installations. Or it can be confined to a plane or box, such as the assemblages of Joseph Cornell.

      In this particular lesson plan, students will look closely at the work of Joseph Cornell and Louise Nevelson. Louise Nevelson was a Russian-born American artist who was known for her abstract sculptures made from cast-off pieces of wood — actual street “throwaways” — uniformly coated with black or white spray paint. Joseph Cornell was an American artist and sculptor, one of the pioneers and most celebrated exponents of assemblage. Influenced by the Surrealists, he was also an avant-garde experimental filmmaker.

Ojective(s):

Show-me Performance Standards:

Strand I: Product/Performance- Sculpture, Ceramics, Other Media - Select and apply three-dimensional media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas and solve challenging visual art problems

• Build or layer materials to create a relief, grade 4
• Create a relief artwork by joining two or more surfaces, grade 6
• Create a sculpture by layering and adhering materials or objects, grade 9
• Create a mixed media sculpture using a variety of processes and techniques, grade 11

Strand V: Historical and Cultural Contexts – Historical Period or Culture – Compare and contrast artworks from different historical time periods and/or cultures

• Indentify works of art from the United States, grades 4, 5, 7, 8

National Standards:

Content Standard #2 — Using knowledge of structures and functions

5-8 Students employ organizational structures and analyze what makes them effective or not effective in the communication of ideas

9-12 Students create multiple solutions to specific visual arts problems that demonstrate competence in producing effective relationships between structural choices and artistic functions

Content Standard #4 — Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures

5-8 Students analyze, describe, and demonstrate how factors of time and place (such as climate, resources, ideas, and technology) influence visual characteristics that give meaning and value to a work of art

9-12 Students analyze relationships of works of art to one another in terms of history, aesthetics, and culture, justifying conclusions made in the analysis and using such conclusions to inform their own art making

Content Standard #4 — Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures

5-8 Students analyze contemporary and historic meanings in specific artworks through cultural and aesthetic inquiry

9-12 Students identify intentions of those creating artworks, explore the implications of various purposes, and justify their analyses of purposes in particular works

Student assemblage art works in silver and red.

Materials needed:

• Scraps of wood pieces and shapes
• Cast-off objects such as buttons, machine parts, wire, toy parts, recycled plastic pieces, old jewelry, foamboard or heavy cardboard, scraps, small boxes, lids and so on
• Scrap fabrics, all textures and wieghts
• Aleene’s “Tacky” Glue
• Acrylic Gesso
• Heavy Cardboard or Economy Canvas Panels
• Foam Brushes
• White or Black Spray Paint

Phase 1: Clarify goals and establish set

• Students will observe and then demonstrate knowledge of art assemblage within the 80% guidelines suggested by the Show-Me Performance Standards of Missouri for the creating of a mixed media relief.
• Students will study the slide collection and reading materials provided by their instructor about the two American artists, Joseph Cornell and Louise Nevelson.

Phase 2: Demonstrate knowledge or skill

Task Analysis:

1. Distribute one panel to each student.
2. Invite students to select objects for their assemblages from the boxes.
3. Give students time to arrange their objects before distributing the glue.
4. Encourage students to discover ways to layer the objects, create patterns and incorporate a variety of textures.
5. Glue objects in place and allow time to dry. It may be helpful to have paper clips, clothes pins or something heavy to hold objects in place while the glue dries.
6. To create a unified piece of art, use a foam brush to coat the finished assemblage with acrylic gesso. Gesso is very white, opaque and adheres well to most surfaces.
7. After gesso is dry, assemblages may be spray-painted black or another color. Read the label carefully and follow all precautions when using any spray paint.

Phase 3: Provide Guided Practice

• The classroom teacher will demonstrate methods used to attach all different types of objects to the wooden panels or boxes students will be working with.
• The instructor will describe and write on the black board procedures so that students may hear and read the instructions.
• The teacher will show a slide presentation of art assemblages.
• The teacher will circle the room and discuss at length the ideas and practices of each individual student according to their needs.

Phase 4: Check for understanding and provide feedback – A standardized rubric will be used to analyze and critique each individual student’s artwork.

Phase 5: Provide extended practice and transfer – Students will be encouraged to create even more projects at home. Materials used during class and the research conducted on their own computers at home may be duplicated in their own home environment at very little expense.

Reflections: Reflections are attached to rubric. There is room enough for both the instructor and student to respond. Copies of reflections are returned to students to keep in their three ring binders. (phase 4 above)

Modifications for Students With Special Needs:

Modifications for the hard-of-hearing or deaf student: The teacher will need to be careful about explaining the procedures for the application of materials in this project for a hard of hearing or deaf student. This should be a simple art lesson for a hearing impaired pupil to conceive and assimilate in their own home environment as well.

• Student will be seated closer to instructor so they will be better equipped to hear instructions or read lips
• I will make sure that my face is visible to the student when I speak with him
• Student will be provided with written instructions so that they read about the discussions and demonstrations
• The instructor may use a amplification devise provided by the school or student’s parents
• The student may have a translator accompany him or her to class in order to interpret the art lesson plan
• The student should receive additional information to take and read about Joseph Cornell and Louise Nevelson at home.

Modifications for the student with limited vision or blindness: Students with limited vision should be given materials that they will not accidentally cut themselves with during this project. They should have continual guidance in selecting the placement of objects as well. This is an excellent project for a blind student to take part in. It is well worth the extra care needed to guide their methods in attaching objects to a wooden panel. The teacher should perhaps expect a vision-impaired student to repeat the project several times over before tiring of it. This is an excellent art assignment for family members to establish a mutual activity with a blind or vision impaired child/young adult in their home. Both parties can learn to assemble interesting objects that have shared meaning for the whole family and can be appreciated by all the family members. Family members may even consider hanging a “tactile” exhibit in their student’s room or down a corridor in their home!

• Students will be allowed to observe samples of assemblage art projects with their hands and for extended periods of time
• I will tell the student I am moving before walking away
• I will address the student by his/her name first before beginning a conversation with him/her
• Students will be provided with safe tools and one-on-one guidance during a demonstration of the project
• The project may be slightly adjusted to accommodate the student’s limitations or for safety reasons. In the case of this particular assignment, all sharp edged items will be eliminated from the materials used to create the assemblage.
• Student will be given ample time to exist classroom before large crowds gather outside of the classroom.
• Student may be given special seat assignment in order to enable his participation in class appropriately. Specific peers may be better equipped to articulate projects visually for this student.
• The student should receive additional information about Joseph Cornell and Louise Nevelson to take home and have a parent or guardian read aloud to them if possible.

Modifications for students with mild brain injury: Students with TBI have difficulty remembering instructions and sequencing. Therefore it is best for them to take notes relating to processes/instruction on their desk at all times. The following adaptations are general practices that all teachers should apply to a TBI student several years after their accident. Recovery from head injuries may be long and arduous.

• Students will be provided with duplicate instructions for home and school. Student will not need to remember to carry home materials to review.
• Students will be given ample time to exist classroom with a predetermined aid or peer before the official end of a class.
• Instructor will provide for parent e-mail communication concerning the progress and needs of their student.
• Student may be given special seat assignment in order to enable his participation in class appropriately. Specific peers may be better equipped to articulate projects visually for this student.
• The student should receive additional information to read about Joseph Cornell and Louise Nevelson at home. This lesson will be sent to his/her home via the e-mail or along with other art materials included with second set of instructions at his residence.

Student variations of the assemblage art sculptures.