Chic on a Shoestring Decorating: Watercolor Word Art for Kids


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Watercolor Word Art for Kids


Hi guys!  How are ya??  Here in the Midwest we are melting with temperatures rising to the high 90's and even hitting over 100 a few days ago!

While I'd love to lay on the couch in the nice cool air condition and catch up on my magazine reading, (I can dream) I have 2 boys to entertain.  Playing outside is not an option in this heat!

I decided to do a little art project with them with stuff I had laying around the house.  This project is  way easy and fun! 

Supplies:
Watercolor paints and brush
Paper, heavier weight paper works better but any will work fine
Sticker Letters
Newspaper (optional)

To make your Watercolor Word Art you simply will stick your sticker letters on to white paper and have your kiddos paint over them with watercolor paints.  Once the paint is dry, peel off the stickers and you have some original art done by your little sweeties.

Watercolor word art for kids




I have seen this done all over Pinterest except they used canvas with acrylic paints, but canvases can get pretty expensive.  We wanted to make several paintings for our playroom so white paper was the way to go.  I had some heavier "drawing" paper from an old sketch pad we used that holds up a bit better to water.  But really, if you're kiddos don't go too crazy with the water you can use good old white printer paper.

First, don't do what I did and tell your kids you're going to let them do a very special paint project before you're ready.  They will then follow you around harassing you with "is it ready yet?!" the entire time you are trying to set up. :)

When your kids are in front of the TV preoccupied is the best time to start setting up.  You may want to lay down some newspapers if you're worried about your counter/table tops.  The watercolors we use wipes away easy with water so I didn't bother, sometimes it just ends up getting in the way.

Now you'll need to prepare your paper if your kiddos are little.  By preparing your paper I mean stick on the stickers.  We decided to use some of our "family rules" and sayings that we use often.  You could do names, initials, part of a  song, bible verses... the possibilities are endless!



I had a ton of stickers in my old scrapbooking supplies I picked up when my oldest was a baby.  Don't ask me why I have so many scrapbooking supplies as I've completed all of zero scrapbooks.  My baby is now 7 and has about 4 pages scrapped for his 1 year album, but I had the best intentions...  

Anywho, because I was planning to use smaller frames, these stickers will work fine  If you are wanting to do a larger scale painting I'd suggest getting some larger sticker letters so they can be easily seen.

Once the stickers are stuck you can get to painting.  My boys had a great time painting over the stickers.  When they found out we were going to frame their art work they both really tried their best.



When finished working their watercolor magic we set them aside to dry.  Once dried carefully peel off the stickers and...

Watercolor word art for kids


Waa La!  Watercolor Word Art!

Watercolor word art for kids


It's not perfect, the paint bled under the stickers in a few places (make sure you tell the kiddos not to peel off the stickers before it dries).  But the imperfections make it look handmade and special.

Watercolor word art for kids

To mix it up a bit I helped my oldest with the splattering technique on the one above,  paint the background color first and splatter with another color while the background is still wet.

Watercolor word art for kids


Older kids can even make a simple painting out of it like the sunshine above.

We already had some frames that I'd used in our nursery so I cut some of the art down to size (shhh, don't tell the kids I had to cut off some of their art to make it fit in the frame!) 

Watercolor word art for kids


These will soon be hanging on our playroom wall.  My boys will be so proud and so will this Momma!

Some of you may recognize this post, it was featured a few weeks back over at Design Dazzle's Summer Camp.  A big thank you to Toni for letting me be a Camp Counselor here at Summer Camp!

Linking: Tatertots & Jello, Home Stories A to Z Bower Power,, Centsational Girl, Young House Love, Ten June


18 comments :

  1. I think this is one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time!!!! Thinking about doing one (or some) myself!
    Thanks for sharing this great project!
    Nancy

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  2. That is such a great project! I love kids art that parents don't mind hanging up in their house!

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  3. Love it! Just got some watercolor paint for my kids today! I will definitely be trying this technique! What a great idea!

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  4. Adore this project!!! I'm pinning it and busting out the watercolors with the kiddos tomorrow!!

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  5. I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!! I featured you on my blog today. Thanks for sharing this project with us all! Blessings!

    http://bishopsfamilysite.blogspot.com/2012/06/inspiration-for-weekend-6.html

    Janiene

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  6. Kate, what a great idea - and I can't believe your boys looked so neat! Mine would make a huge mess!

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  7. it's amazing how beautiful these look! they look fabulous together!

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  8. What a darling idea for DIY art, and a great way to include the kiddos in home design! Those would look fantastic combined with bright framed decorative paper or fabric like these {link below}. Thanks so much for sharing such a wonderful design project!
    http://nicoleodettedesigns.wordpress.com/2012/06/14/quiet-blog-buzzing-studio-38/

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  9. These are really cute, and great for the kids!!

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  10. Your boys did a nice job. I've pinned this idea so I can give it a try. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. Love this! Thanks for sharing!

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  12. These are really gorgeous. I love including children's art in my decorating and these are just perfect!

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  13. What a cute idea - Love it! I am your newest follower - hope you'll visit my blog & follow back if you enjoy it as well!

    xoxo,
    Brooke
    www.decorgreat.blogspot.com

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  14. This is such a great idea. We will be trying it soon!

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  15. That is an awesome idea! They turned out very nice. Your children will never forget the time you've invested in their lives.

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  16. You can also use crayons to write with then paint as usual. White crayon will give you the same type of results.

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