"Cricut"

     For my new experience, I went to a "paint and sip" with my mom, however, instead of the traditional canvas painting, we got to paint a wooden pallet of our choice, with whatever we wanted not it as well! To make the stencil for the boards, we used a Cricut machine. I got a Cricut machine for my birthday, in January, but haven't used it much because it is pretty difficult to figure out how to use! I took advantage of the opportunity to ask an "expert" at the paint and sip and asked her if she would mind showing me a few things! She was excited to teach me a few things, and I learned how to do some "basics". I decided to put my skills to use and try to create something at home! Using my cricut machine, vinyl, and a mug, I created the coffee cup pictured below! I was impressed that I remember how to do the "cutting" with the Cricut, but realized I should've held the mug first in order to do the placement. On my second attempt, I didn't realize how dark the purple vinyl was, and it didn't really show up against the black coffee cup! Nonetheless, I used my cricut successfully and look forward to creating more pieces now that I have learned to use it a bit!

"Pot"

     I saw this flower pot while wondering around ikea, and came up with the idea to decorate it for my mom! My mom is obsessed with flowers and planets, so I decided to figure out how to decorate this pot for her, and was going to buy some seeds from the dollar store to plant for her. I originally was looking for these rocks I remember using as a kid to decorate a flower pot, but I couldn't find them! After some pinterest searching, I decided to use tissue paper as my media to decorate! I used some craft glue, painted it onto small sections of the pot, and collaged the tissue paper on top.
     After the entire pot was covered, I painted craft glue over the pieces to give the pot a glazed finish.
When it was dry, I brought it to my mom. My mom is so supportive and to this day cries when I give her anything, so as you could have guessed, she began to cry when I gave it to her. I told her my mom to get seeds for her to plant in it, but she told me she didn't want to put dirt in it and mess it up, and she decided to use it as a decoration instead. When I looked today (I gave this to her on Sunday) she had some tchotchkes inside it. It made me happy to think about how grateful she is to this day for anything she receives. It definitely made me want to make her more things, just to see the shear joy it brings her.

"Sensory Bottle"

     I saw the idea to create sensory bottles on Pinterest, and was interested in the idea. I read into the benefits of using sensory bottles, and learned that they help kids calm down when they are stressed and also can act as a timer. The idea behind it is that watching the glitter fall can be regulating, as it takes your mind away from the problem and focuses on something else. The glitter can also act as a timer if you shake it up and watch all the glitter fall to the bottom, you can assign an amount of times to do this, for example, telling the child to shake the bottle up and watch the glitter fall three times. Making this project was so simple, I used a water bottle, glitter glue, and crafting glitter. To enhance your sensory bottle, you can add beads or anything similar to add another sensory element to the bottle. I could definitely see how these bottles can work with children, as I found it relaxing and calming to shake up the bottle and watch all the glitter fall!

"Ice Cream Pie"

     My original plan was to make oreo truffles, I have never made them before and figured this class served as a good motivator to finally make them! However, I had to be flexible when the kitchen sink became clogged out of no where, and I couldn't use the sink! I didn't want to make any dirty dishes, so I decided to make an ice cream pie! I was able to use a tin pie dish to bake the oreo crust in, and used a paper bowl to melt the butter and crush the oreos in order to make the home made crust! I was very disappointed when the crust of the pie did not exactly come out right, and my dad informed me that they actually sell oreo pie crusts! I went back to the store and purchased an oreo pie crust, and I was back in business! I let the ice cream sit on the counter to soften a bit, and then scooped it into the pie crust (with a plastic spoon so I didn't make any dirty dishes), I had some oreos left over from my failed pie crust, so I mixed those into the ice cream as well, because why not! The last step was to smooth out the ice cream, and I added some rainbow sprinkles on top!
     My intentions for this project were certainly challenged on multiple levels! I had an idea to make one thing, and had to be flexible and make an entirely different item. Being flexible isn't the easiest thing for me, so I was a bit disappointed when I had to change my plans to make oreo truffles! I was surprised that I was quickly able to decide on another item to make that included oreos, my dad's favorite! Again, I was challenged when the oreo crust didn't come out as expected, but again was able to agree to a solution with ease, something that is usually difficult to me! This project definitely emphasized the point that things do not always go as planned, and being flexible is so important. This seems to be a theme across creative arts, even if you have a plan, sometimes you have to adapt to a different set of circumstances, but in the end the project still comes out great, delicious in this case!

"Life"

     As I said in a few of my posts at this point, I really enjoy drawing and coloring, especially when I'm just doing my own thing! I actually have a half of a yin yang tattooed on my foot, and my best friend has the other, which was my inspiration for this poster! I feel like I've been in a rut lately, not necessarily in a bad way, I just haven't totally been feeling like myself, and that's okay... because that's life! And like I explain in this picture, sometimes there is going to a lot of good, and sometimes there is going to be a lot of bad... but I am learning that everything always comes together and works out in the end! So, for this simple creative, I just used my mind, poster paper, and a sharpie. While I was drawing, I was concentration on my breathing and mindfulness, and just experiencing my emotions and thoughts while creating this project. I love that I know have a visual reminded to breathe, because everything is going to be okay even if it seems all bad that day.

"Pure Fun"

     There really isn't much to this project! I was baby-sitting my cousin and we were coloring, one of her favorite activities of course! Whenever we are together, we always color or paint. As I was sitting there making my picture, I decided I should stop making a "picture" and just make something random! There were some paint blotters in front of me, so I picked them up and just started pushing them onto my paper. My cousin was confused, and asked me what I was making... I responded by telling her that I was just making "something", and we could decide what it was when I finished! My cousin decided to follow my lead, and I was quite happy to see that! We both continued to just create "something", together. When we both decided we were finished, my cousin was struggling to decide what it was that she made. It took a bit, but I explained to her that we made art, and it was okay that it wasn't an actual figure of planned picture. It was such a special moment for me, I still haven't really been able to figure out why, but the entire interaction really touched me. Here is my "something"... I wonder what you see?

"Bookmark"

     I saw the idea to create a bookmark using a teabag on Pinterest, and decided it would be a cool project to try! I always have a book to read, and throughly enjoy reading! I do download books onto my iPad, but if it's a book from one of my favorite authors, I feel the need to purchase the book! Reading has always been a way for me to "get away" from everything going on inside my head, I love immersing myself into a good book and imaging what the story would look like if it were really apart of this world. So, I figured having a pretty bookmark could never be a bad thing for me! In order to create this project, I used a teabag, scooped the tea out, and then used sharpies for the colors!