Thursday, May 27, 2010

Pollock Prints

It's true, anyone could do it....It's just that....How many adults....Would really want to?So thanks Jackson Pollock....For giving us a reason....To throw paint....And call it...Art.








Part of this post is from last year. It's just my favorite project that I teach and I love how the finished products turn out.

Synchronism and Line

Monday, May 24, 2010

Warhol Flowers

Pop Art with Andy Warhol: The Example by the Master Warhol Above...Our workshop below:
Calendar pictures of flowers close-up, Acrylic paints, and 8"x 8" canvas.Spencer making sure to use his mom's favorite colors. Such a sweetie.Sam's amazing Sunflower
Abby's lovely water sprinkled tulip
Jacyee's pretty Pansy
Jada's beautiful color choice.
This one is my favorite, by Alex. Almost Van Goghesk....

Amazing Art. I would hang it in my house!

Play-dough 101

3 Reasons why I love Homemade Play-dough:1. I love to play with it when it is still warm.
2. The colors turn out so pretty and can be completely custom.
3. It's Science.

I would say it's less expensive, but store bought play-dough is not very pricey at all. Still, I love to make it at home for the fun of it.

1 C. Flour

1 C. Water

1/2 C. Salt

1 t. Vegetable Oil

1/2 t. Cream of Tarter

food coloring, or unsweetened kool-aid for color

Combine all ingredients except for food coloring in sauce pan and cook over medium heat until it holds together. Keep mixing or it will stick to the bottom of the pan. When the mixture is cool enough to touch, knead it on a floured surface, divide it into smaller balls, and add a different shade of food coloring to each ball. Store in an airtight container.

We made up a batch Friday after we ran out of the model magic. Derek and his buddies played with it for about 15 min. Fortunately, Allison and Candice showed up and made it worth my time to make it. They created bunnies and ladybugs, and were excited that they could keep their creations.

They entire time they were telling me how creative and talented I was...Oh how I wish I had a girl....

I'm just grateful I have some sweet neighbors who let me borrow theirs from time to time....


Oh, and by the way...my hands will always most definately look like this for a few days afterwards. But I don't mind. It's the mark of a mom who makes play-dough. And according to Allison and Candice, that is nothing to feel too bad about!








Saturday, May 22, 2010

Casts and Cakes

Six long weeks.
1 very very long cast.
So glad it's over.
So long big red cast.
Derek wanted a Mata Nui Bionicle cake to celebrate getting his cast off. I came up with the volcano idea, and told him he could put his bionicles on it. I just baked a chocolate cake in 2 pyrex bowls. One smaller than the other. Put them on top of each other and cut a hole in the top. That is whip cream, and homemade hard candy with red food coloring on the top.

Derek wanted to invite friends over, but he started in on the cake without them. And then Clint and Jeff had some for breakfast the next morning. Finally a few friends made it over to the house for a piece before it was gone. It was really dry because I made the cake from scratch and improvised the butter cake recipe to try to make it chocolate, and then cooking it in the Pyrex bowls didn't bake it evenly. But it looked good. And the homemade buttercream frosting is always heavenly...And the red candy lava looks awesome! Overall, I won't complain. The cast is gone! That's all the matters.
I won't bother with the cake recipe here because it was not a good one for the bowls I had to use. But here is the recipe for the Lava, and the best frosting in the world:
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
2 sticks slightly softend butter
7 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 c. milk
Cream butter, and then gradually add all other ingredients together. Add more milk if needed for desired consistency.
Candy Lava
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1/4 c. water
  • In heavy saucepan, bring the sugar, syrup, and water to a boil. Continew boiling until the mixture reaches 295 degrees on a candy thermometer.
  • Remove mix from heat and add red food coloring.
  • Allow liquid to cool for a min. or 2 before pouring it on a foil covered cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Pour candy into lava like shapes and let it harden and cool completley before handeling.
  • If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can tell the candy mixture is at the hard ball stage if a drop is placed in a cup of cold water and it hardens immediately. The mixture will turn thick, bubbly, and dark when it is ready.

Goodbye Cast, Hello Summer

Last Sunday we went to our secret picnic spot and had our first picnic of the summer. Chocolate covered Strawberries and BLT wraps. Goodbye cast. So glad you are leaving before summer. And welcome summer. Your late. Please get here soon. We're waiting.

Dino-cakes

I made these for a birthday party a few weeks ago for my friend's son. He loves Dinos. I know, I know, this was my first one and it looks like a turtle. I like this one much better. The first one I didn't take a picture of. It went in the garbage. I tried to use Twinkies for the head and neck...it just really doesn't work. I did keep the Twinkies for the legs and feet. I ended up just using sugar cookies for the head and tail. I was disappointed because they are flat instead of being 3D. But everyone seemed happy enough, except me....

The body is an 8 in. round cake cut in half and then stuck together. I cut sugar cookie heads and tails, and used a Twinkie cut in half for the leg and foot. Chocolate chips for the toenails, and Starburst candy heated in the microwave for just a few seconds to get it hot so I could stretch it out and cut it in half with scissors.


This one is just a sheet cake with a dinosaur skeleton that I made out of sugar cookie dough. There are chocolate chips around the border, and crushed chocolate teddy grams on top.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Science Perrinals I

A few science experiments that we have done on a regular basis because they never get old..
The old Volcano/baking soda/vinegar trick.
I keep the volcano these days. We used to make a new one out of salt dough every time we wanted to do the experiment. Now I just keep it in the closet with the other science stuff. Putting it on a cookie sheet makes it more fun to make a Bionicle or Lego landscape that the lava can overrun. FYI, Model Magic makes a much better volcano than salt dough. It dries a lot better, and doesn't melt with the vinegar. We always make sure to add the red food coloring.

To make things easier for Derek, I pour the vinegar in a bowl so he doesn't have to pour it. He just dips his little measuring cup in the bowl and adds a little vinegar at a time to the volcano. I put the baking soda in a bowl too and give him a measuring spoon to add it in. And I always remind him to keep it all on the cookie sheet.....all on the cookie sheet, on the cookie sheet, on the cookie sheet on the cookie sheet....
Milk and Food Coloring Trick.

I love this experiment too. I never get tired of those swirling colors. The experiment calls for Milk (The fatter the better), food coloring, and dish soap...and toothpicks.

This is why it works. Milk is made of 3 things. Water, Fat and Protein. The Fat absorbs the food coloring, and the dish soap breaks down the fat. Hence, the swirling colors.

And you don't have to swirl the colors around. Just barley touch a drop of color with a dab of soap on the top of a toothpick. The colors explode automatically. It is the perfect activity for a boring day. And like I said, I love to play with it too. That is the best thing about being a mom. Playing. So glad I get to play. I just can't wait until summer so I have the time. It's been a hard year back at work. I know, I know. It's only part time. But I love being home. And I can't wait til I get to be there all the time this summer...except of course when I am at the POOL!!!!!!!!!!