Mixed Media? For kids? Does it sound a little . . . too artsy? Trust me, it’s not. When it comes to little boys, I don’t do ‘artsy’. After raising 3 stepsons full time and now relishing ‘craft time’ with my 4 year old grandson, I want Simple. Fast. Fun.
Enter Plaid Crafts who sent me this fabulous ‘gift’ pack of paints, pouncers, Mod Podge and glitter paint. I snagged some wood photo frames from Michael’s (the dollar tree has them too) and couldn’t wait for my next craft date with Grandson.
Here’s our Supply List for our not-so-artsy Mixed Media Photo Frames:
- foam plates (for paint palette)
- foam brushes
- wood frames
- acrylic paint – two shades of pink, two shades of turquoise
- glitter paint
- Mod Podge
- tissue paper
- newspaper – or any other table protectors.
- If you’ve got a chair protector, throw that on too. I’m just sayin’ . . . paint, glitter, glue?
Oh, and a kid. You gotta have a kid for kids crafts, right?
I grabbed this kid. Cute, isn’t he?
Hey! Santino!
Hey! Look at Gramma!
Santino! Smile for Gramma!
And Gramma gets this. Good thing I can’t read his mind.
Okay then, go back to painting.
Note the lower lip. Yep, my grandson takes painting and crafting very seriously. I’m not sure who he gets that from. ha ha
Even though he wanted to mix the turquoises and pinks, I kept them on separate plates with separate brushes. Yeah, I learned with his daddy about 20 years ago.
Here’s the awesome thing about Plaid paints – they not only dry quickly since they’re nontoxic acrylic, they also have great coverage.
Which means you don’t need two or three coats.
Which means you stand half a chance of keeping a 4 year old’s attention for longer than 5 minutes.
Which means he gets to add glitter paint. Medium #2.
Have you tried glitter paint yet? I am in complete and utter love with glitter paint. It spreads like, well, like paint! Plaid has different types of glitter paint too.
We started with Extreme Glitter which had a turquoise base. Personally I liked the effect. But I was overruled by Craft King who wanted to try Chunky Glitter.
I knew we had a winner when he proclaimed that the turquoise frame with Chunky Glitter was going to his mommy. He liked it so much he wasn’t really sold on covering it up with glue and tissue paper. Medium #3 & #4.
The only way I convinced him was to pull out Sparkle Mod Podge. Sparkle. . . Mod Podge!?! Who knew?
After he shredded tore the tissue paper into pieces we brushed on the Sparkle Mod Podge and pressed down the pieces.
I usually let my first coat of Mod Podge dry before applying a topcoat but this frame had a few edges popping up here and there. So while Grandson got busy with the turquoise frame, I just dabbed a little more ‘podge on any unruly edges.
Tissue paper is the perfect medium for younger children because it’s so thin. No scissors needed and any wrinkles are easily sealed with Mod Podge.
Once the topcoat and sealer coats were dry it was time for even more glitter paint! Medium #5.
And pouncers! Pouncers are so much fun (and not just for kids!). They’re a great way to add another layer of dimension.
(See? The kids does smile for the camera, just not while he’s crafting.)
There you have it – fun and easy ‘mixed media’ photo frames. A perfect gift for someone special on Valentine’s Day, or to brighten any other day.
Lemme tell you, I can’t help smiling when I look at that face. Of course, I might be a little biased. Just a .
This post was written for publication on Mom It Forward for their Kids Crafts page. Products used were supplied by Plaid Crafts. All opinions are my own.
Love the ideas, thanks for sharing.