Abstract Christmas Tree Art

O Christmas Tree!

For this project I used one of my favorite art mediums... Shaving cream! Plus this project is fun to do at any age since its quick to do and clean up after. I grab a value pack of blanket cards and do this for holiday cards. Everyone raves about the artistic and personal touch.

Things you'll need:
Aluminum foil tray
Barbasol Shaving cream
Water
card stock paper (white or off-white work best but any color will do)
Tempera and or Acrylic paints
Popsicle stick or squeegee
Plastic Forks and spoons
chopsticks and anything else to make a cool design

Step 1: Fill the aluminum tray with shaving cream. Be generous you are going to use this a couple of times since the paint only sits om the surface and is absorbed by the card. Use your finger, the Popsicle stick or squeegee to spread it out. You get your hands dirty in this project so but in a good fun way.

Step 2: Drop paint in the shaving cream. I use a mixture of tempera or acrylic paint and water to keep the paint from sinking through the shaving cream.A little goes along way here a quarter size drop of paint and a couple drops of water is enough to do 10-15 3x5" cards. This is where the forks, spoons, paint brushes, chopsticks all come in handy, use them to move your paint around in the shaving cream. Different things will create different effects!

Step 3: Once you get your design set, place your card stock on top and lightly press it into the shaving cream. Let it sit for a few seconds and the pull back from the corners on one side. 

Step 4: Next scrape the shaving cream off with the squeegee and SURPRISE there's your design! Let it dry and you have a wonderful piece of art work to decorate with. 

This project is super fun for kids of all ages and the shaving cream makes for an easy clean up, it just rinses away. Do be careful of paint splatter, always wear an apron and put down news or butcher paper to cover your work surface. Most my supplies I got at the Dollar Tree and they can be used again and again.

Have fun making happy little trees!

Kiss Kiss,

Natrina 

The Perki Giver

30 Handmade Gifts til Christmahanakwanzika or A Gift for Every Holiday until New Years' Eve

Hi folks!
 I'm Trina and this is my blog. It's about  two of my favorite things making crafts and giving them to just about any one who will take them aka family and friends. If you are  like me you are all jazzed by the holiday season and are excited to share it with your loved ones, right? Or maybe the tryptophan hasn't worn off yet and your not sure where to even begin gift shopping none the less you are probably going to want to give some thing to some one  very soon  why not make and give that special some one something you put your heart into? Oh, but I'm not that crafty you say. Well I'm here to help. I am going to be the guinea pig for all those neat do-it-yourself gifts we see all over the interwebs, so you can hand make the most awesome homemade gift ever.

This year I am challenging myself to make gifts for my loved ones with in the next 30 days. I've made some gifts of this sort in the past like mini family cookbooks for my sister and mom, gift baskets for friends and  birthday cards for sorority sisters. This year will be different!
 (1)  I'm going to attempt to document it all in this blog so you can follow along at home
 (2)  my list includes 20 people of different backgrounds with a couple birthdays thrown in the mix not to mention all the different hostess gifts, stocking stuffers, and  holiday party/potluck/gift exchange that pop up along the way.

 I'd like for the gift to be unique to each person so I'll need some inspiration from my friends on Pinterest  (check out my 'homemade gifts' board). Let's see do I have all the markers of a an S.M.A.R.T. goal?

• S - Specific (or Significant). making gifts.............................................................................check
• M - Measurable (or Meaningful). created a list of people who would receive gifts...........check
• A - Attainable (or Action-Oriented). making one gift a day ...............................................check
• R - Relevant (or Rewarding). warm fuzziness from giving to others ..................................check
• T - Time-bound (or Track-able). doing this blog to keep me honest ..................................check

Mark your calendars with the important dates below. Do not forget to mark December birthdays and events for  church, work and school etc too.

Hanukkah begins in the evening of Saturday, December 8, 2012, and ends in the evening of Sunday, December 16, 2012.

Winter Solstice is on Friday, December 21, 2012.

Christmas Day is on Tuesday, December 25, 2012.

Kwanzaa begins Wednesday, December 26, 2012, and ends Tuesday,January 1, 2013.

New Year's Eve is on Monday, December 31, 2012.

New Year's Day is on Tuesday, January 1, 2013.

Seeing how fast that calendar has filled up I think one of those super cute paint chip ones would be a great gift for my best friend, stay tuned! 

Kiss Kiss,

The Perki Giver