Watercolor is one of my favorite media for a few reasons:

• The dry time is quick making it easy for me to do as a mom, who can’t leave things lying around
• On the same note, it’s easy to do quick, small-scale pieces
• It’s so versatile –  I use it for brush lettering, to make more detailed art, for quicker washes, etc.

• It’s really easy to learn how to watercolor because the medium is so forgiving and easy to manipulate!
• It plays well with other art forms, such as line art.
• It is relatively inexpensive! While you CAN go all-out and get top-of-the-line canvases, paints, and brushes, you can also stick with a basic pan set like this one and wet media paper, especially if you’re doing it just for fun.

Now on to your full guide on how to watercolor! This is a summary post, which gathers a series I did into one page to make it easier for you to sort through and go through the posts in the correct order.

Make sure to click on the title or image for the full guide, brought to you by Stefanie of Simple Acres blog, so that you can get all the details you need. Each post works as a “lesson” and then you’re on your own making the most of these new skills.

On each post, Stefanie has also linked to a few specific project tutorials that are great for practicing.

How to watercolor step 1: gather your supplies!

Making sure you have the best watercolor paints for your needs, as well as all the watercolor materials and painting supplies to get you through learning! Stefanie broke down for you in these posts what works for which needs to really help you choose.

Watercolor 101 – use books to learn how to watercolor!

If you’re more of a visual, hands-on step-by-step learner, you may prefer to have a book or two open in front of you! This is also a good way to learn how to watercolor more in-depth. While this guide shows you basic techniques so that you can step out on your own, these top watercolor books for beginners will give you much, much more than we can in a few posts.

Learn the basic techniques and skills you need to know how to watercolor!

Stefanie takes you through some basic watercolor techniques for beginners so that you can get started! Practice these over and over again on scraps of paper, then go on to making your own watercolor artwork!

Now that you know how to watercolor, try these fun art projects:

Once you know the techniques, you can start creating frameable art with some specific projects by Stefanie, such as this watercolor fall tree art or these watercolor gift cards.

Or, take a walk, find your inspiration in nature, in a favorite place, object, or person, and continue creating your own watercolor art!

The more you practice, the better you’ll become.

Have you learned how to watercolor? What are your top tips for beginners? Got any questions? Comment below!

Loved learning how to watercolor? Try learning these new skills:

• How to brush letter – still in progress! Check out the best brush pens for lettering, or follow me on Instagram and check out my tutorial videos.
• How to make jewelry

The post How to Watercolor – a complete guide for beginners appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

When I picked up a few solid colored tees in the dollar store, I knew I had to create something cool for M! First, he told me he wanted a shirt with an M on it, so I made this cool monogram shirt.

Then, I decided to make this LEGOs t-shirt using some LEGO bricks from our stash, to match the LEGO Kippah that is his absolute favorite. I have since also created for him a LEGO cap which he is obsessed with! For back to school, we tried this LEGO backpack using a new way to glue the bricks on and it was a huge hit!

To make a DIY LEGOs t-shirt, I started with a base of flexible brick tape. The tape has an adhesive back, but I did not want to rely on that for something that will be washed all the time. It would have made the process simpler (with glue, you need a cardboard in between the front and back of the shirt, and you need to make sure to remove it after the glue has set, but before it has dried).

If you feel like experimenting, go ahead and try it with only the brick tape adhesive, toss it in the wash, and see how it lasts. I know it sticks pretty well to fabric, since on the Kippah that I made, I only used the built-in adhesive.

For those of you who are wondering “what is brick tape?” – it’s this super cool flexible silicon tape that has LEGO-compatible studs on it.

Once you get your hands on it, you’ll want to LEGO-up EVERYTHING!!

The main sizes are 2-4 studs thick. I used 2 stud tape because when making wearables, I want it to have flexibility in all directions. That being said, once I created this DIY LEGOs t-shirt, I discovered that I was anyway losing that flexibility when the bricks overlapped between rows.

So, the bottom line is, do what works best for you!

For those of you who are probably thinking that this will NOT work – your child will play with it, the bricks will get lost, etc. I’ve thought the same. Which is why the bricks are glued on.

Yep, I sacrificed these bricks for the sake of the LEGOs t-shirt, so make sure you use bricks that aren’t specifically needed for future use with a particular kit.

If you’re looking for another cool summer craft for tweens, you can give these paracord headbands a go! They’re a new skill to learn, so if you  want something more repeatable, go for it!

What you need to craft a DIY LEGOs T-shirt:

• A plain t-shirt
• Brick tape (I used 2 studs thick one, you can go with 4 studs if you prefer a larger surface)
• LEGO Classic  bricks from your stash
• A scrap of cardboard
• E6000 glue (use the clear stuff, NOT the black. Bad mistake on my part…)
• Scissors

How to make a DIY LEGOs T-shirt:

  Watch the video below or scroll down for step-by-step photos and instructions:

 
1. Insert a scrap of cardboard between the front and back layers of your t-shirt. Make sure it’s sitting between the layers where you plan to place your design.

2. Trim your block tape to size.

I used four rows of 2×10 studs for an 8×10 stud rectangle.

3. Dig into that LEGO box and plan your design!

4. Once you’ve verified that the placement of the block tape works with your LEGO design, glue the block strips on. I actually used glue even though the back is sticky.

Test that the rows align using a LEGO brick that overlaps the strips.

5. Place your LEGO design on your base made up of strips.

6. One by one, pull off the pieces and glue them in place.

7. About an hour after you do it, remove the cardboard so that the glue that seeped through doesn’t stick to it. Make sure your design is not pressed onto the back of the shirt (the glue will be much thicker but not set yet at this point.)

Swell with pride as you watch your child sport his or her new LEGOs t-shirt!

Who will you be making this LEGOs t-shirt for? Which design will you be creating on it? Comment below!

Want more like this LEGOs t-shirt? Check out the cool ideas below!

The post LEGOs T-shirt – Make A Shirt with real LEGO bricks! appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

When people ask me what my favorite type of craft is, I don’t REALLY have an answer. I mean, I love jewelry making, am starting to learn brush lettering, but the things I REALLY love to do when I’m relaxing? They don’t have a name. But they have one common denominator: cover every surface I can get my hands on with lots and lots of paint.

No, for real. I find it incredibly relaxing to simply cover surfaces in paint.

So how do I channel that energy? I try to paint things that are functional with the proper paints to get them going. When Plaid sent me these beautiful glass paints as part of their Ambassador program, I decided to paint some inexpensive stemware to make pretty centerpieces.

The possibilities for these painted sea glass centerpieces are endless: fill with sand, add a tea light, and you have candle holders. Fill with sand, add some sea shells on top. Deeper stemware can be used as mini vases. Or just paint a vase to begin with…

If you’d like to use these as actual wine glasses, just leave an inch at the top without paint. You won’t get the full sea glass look, but it will still be amazing and will serve your purpose.

I added a white drip to the rim to add some spice to the project. Obviously, that’s optional.

The two different paints that Plaid sent me are good for different purposes. The sea glass paints have a translucent finish that does a great job at mimicking sea glass. The milk glass paints are more opaque and give that vintage milky glass look. They’re also great for painting on patterns. You can get them both at Amazon as well.

What you need to make this Painted Sea Glass Stemware Centerpiece:

• Assorted Martha Stewart Crafts Translucent Sea Glass Paint  – I used Blue Calico, Beach Glass, and Scottish Highlands to create the ombre
• Martha Stewart Crafts Opaque Milk Glass Paint for the drip
• Foam paintbrush for covering large areas smoothly
• Thin paintbrush to drip the milk paint
• Wine glasses

How to make this Painted Sea Glass Stemware Centerpiece:

1. Lay out your 3 colors on a plate in order of the ombre.

2. Start from the base and paint upward with your first color, a bit more than 1/3 of the way. Overlap your second color with the first, blend smoothly, and continue with your second color. The trick is to keep your strokes in one direction.

3. Continue with your 3rd color, painting in the same direction, and overlapping slightly with the second.

This is the effect before I added the paint drip.

4. If you’d like, add a paint drip around the edge, or a bit below it. Note: the photo below is of a different project. Do add the paint drip, draw a line around the rim, loading it in some spots and allowing it to drip down at intervals.

Allow your glass to dry and cure according to package instructions! To cure it properly:

Allow it to dry for 24 hours before baking. Place it in a cool oven to avoid breaking your glass, set to 350ºF and allow it to bake for 30 minutes after the oven has reached the proper temperature. Turn off the oven and allow it to cool completely before removing it from the oven. Wait 72 hours before using it.

What will you be using this painted sea glass stemware for? Comment below!

Looking for more cool summer craft ideas like this painted sea glass stemware? Check out the ideas below!

Love coloring? You’ll love these beach-themed coloring pages!

The post Painted Sea Glass Stemware with an Ombre Finish appeared first on Moms and Crafters.