As a photographer, I’ve often said, “I’m techy, not crafty.” But let’s face it, I’m a little bit crafty. And, not just in the wily sense of the word. Here are a couple of projects I’ve done recently, and they’re both kid-friendly, with adult assistance.
Playing with Sunprints is an easy way to make photographic concepts accessible to kids. I was psyched to introduce my 7-year-old niece to the idea of “photograms,” essentially negatives formed on light-sensitive paper by placing objects on it for the duration of the exposure. Photograms were the first thing we were taught in my introductory photography course in college. The idea was to focus on creating compositions with the interplay of positive and negative space.
Sunprints provide a similar experience using a sun-sensitive, blue-based paper that is easily fixed using just water, instead of photo chemistry. You can get a kit for less than $20.00, too.
My niece enjoyed collecting natural summer objects like flowers and feathers, to create a special arrangement.
I made this double-exposure of a lace doily by moving it slightly before the end of the exposure.
After letting the paper lighten in sunlight for 5 minutes or so, the prints are washed in water, and then spread out on plexiglass to dry. They make a striking blue and white print for a child’s room, or a beloved grand-parent gift.
Sweet Paul magazine posted this craft idea on Friday, which was super timely for me because I was just shopping for coasters online! If you aren’t hip to Sweet Paul yet, I highly recommend you check it out for darling home ideas, delectable recipes, and drool-inspiring photography.
It’s such a simple and gorgeous idea: coasters made by coiling rope. Their suggestion for checking out the rope selection at the hardware store was true — there was a vast selection that had me dreaming up a whole array of different coasters.
I started to make myself a set of these using clothing line, as the article suggests, because I love the vintage “general store” look of that cotton rope. I used “Tear Mender” fabric glue (readily available at the hardware store), instead of a glue gun, which I would recommend if you want to do the project with kids. It’s non-toxic, but it does contain laytex, so you’ll want to make sure no one in the family has a sensitivity to that before handling it.
The glue had a slight yellowish tint when it interacted with the clothes line I used, so you will want to be careful about only using it in places it won’t show. I think tacky glue would work, as well. (Again, check for allergens!)
Hope these little DIY artsy projects inspire you!
Working on any delightful endeavors of your own?
