Some of you who read my blog will know that I happily started volunteering a couple of hours a week at the Holsworthy Family Workshop Resource Centre (aka Scrapstore), a few months ago. I get to play (grown-up style!) with all sorts of recycled and waste materials that we collect, that are donated by local businesses and householders and salvaged by us! Our leader organised the Midsummer Food Festival in conjunction with the Ruby Country Initiative, local to North Devon. There were local produce stalls – organic veggies, ice-cream, 2 butchers, cakes and breads, jams, pickles and chutneys and US!! We had 2 tables with food-related activities on them for the kids to try…
I admit I became a kid again this morning and made several new friends, mostly under 4 feet tall! On our table, we had vegetable painting/printing – very messy and a lot of fun. We used celery, broccoli, carrots, apples and potatoes to create art! My potato-carving skills were well and truly tested and I managed several basic shapes plus a Bart Simpson lookalike – *grins*
On our other table, kids were shown how to make sprouting seed pictures – they’re brilliant! After lunch, we changed the activities and there was edible jewellery to be made with dried fruits, but we got the messy stuff again (hoorayyyyyy!). Michelle, you’ll love this… we made wax-resist pics with spaghetti!!! Look at my whale!
I am so rubbish at taking pics away from home! But you can see how mad and fun this was… all you need is:
Wax crayons – crayola fat crayons are ideal!
Flour, water and black acrylic paint, mixed to a thick paste…
Take a piece of fairly thick cardstock or matboard/mountboard, cover with wax crayon colours, quite thickly for a bright result; Then mix a couple of tablespoons of flour with a little water and a good gloop of black paint to the consistency of wallpaper paste. Spread all over the wax crayon and cover completely. While it’s still wet and sticky, start drawing designs on it with 2 or more strands of dry spaghetti! Instant art!
Here’s one my co-worker Caroline made after seeing me having such fun (okay, I nagged her to have a go too!):
If I can get the pics off Sally, I’ll show you how the whole event looked next week, when I update the website!! Now I’m off to see a 2-day old foal at Mike’s Stables where DD worked until recently. Molly the Shire gave birth to her first foal (a little girl) a couple of days ago and we’re desperate to see her… and the baby!
Edited to say: Barbara has pointed out that Inspire me Thusday’s theme this week is expressing Children’s Art, so this is appropriate, I think!! And here’s a photo of Molly and Tilly, who was nearly 48 hours old when we took this yesterday evening!!! Awwwww…..
Now I have to go make a “New Baby” card!!! 😉
Altered Art & Stuff... 
Kimbo
/ June 21, 2008This day sounded like such fun ! isn’t it great when we “grown-ups” can leave our inner critics behind and just play like a kid again ! Shows you haven’t lost that “inner child”, Rosie !
Cheers to many more child-like days !
Kim
Michelle Ward
/ June 21, 2008Rosie – your enthusiasm for getting messy is cracking me up! And how cool are those paintings? Reminds me of the days we did scratch art in school. I was dying to get to the part where you explained about spagetti….couldn’t imagine what THAT would look like…but now I know. Thanks for sharing another cool thing to do with crayons and resist.
carolann
/ June 21, 2008Rosie looks like you had a great day the art is absolutely fab WTG everyone brilliant xxxx
Rachel Webber
/ June 21, 2008Sounds like a fabulous day was had by all & it may even encourage some of the little ones to continue with crafting at home!
Rosie
/ June 21, 2008Rachel – this little one (me!!) will be doing that again… imagine what you can make with it – fab backgrounds!
Kim – I lurve being a Big Kid!!
Michelle – ahhhh! Scratch art! I knew it’d probably have a ‘proper’ name!! LOL!
Carolann – it was tiring but loads of fun!
Jane
/ June 21, 2008Rosie your blog is awesome hunnie, and your day looked like so much fun. I bet that your a fantastic person to be around, full of inspiration and vigor!
Jx
Rosie
/ June 21, 2008Jane – hello mate! I can be a bit overpowering when in full flowing enthusiasm mode I think! But I do enjoy being among lots of peeps, like today!
Annapurna
/ June 21, 2008How wonderful to be working with all those things and kids. I am jealous that you get to see a new born horse and I don’t. You have to take a picture and show us.
Ingrid Dijkers
/ June 22, 2008Love the way you have worked with the crayons! Such wonderful results. Thanks for sharing the instructions. I really would like to try this .
Best-
Ingrid
Barbara Hagerty
/ June 22, 2008Fabulous art, inspired by kids!! Perfect for this week’s theme thursday (*hint* *hint*….you should submit a link to this piece…)! I wish I could have been there!! Sounds like lots of fun! I love your wonderful creativity, Rosie!!
Barbara Hagerty
/ June 22, 2008OOOOoooops……I meant to say “Inspire me Thursday”……so many challenges, so little time (so few brain cells left at this hour of the night……)!
forever young
/ June 22, 2008marvellous stuff, see mine at:
http://alwaysforeveryoung.blogspot.com/2008/06/inspire-me-thursday-friendship.html
Rosie
/ June 22, 2008Anna – it was a lot of fun, but quite exhausting! It pays never to underestimate kids… two in particular were more than a match for me!!
Ingrid – this should come with a double health warning: It’s very addictive (fun factor) and it’s extremely messy. My excuse is that the spaghetti strands kept breaking and I got messy every time I picked them out of the black goo!
Barbara – I went and did that!! 😉 xoxoxo
Susann
/ June 22, 2008Rosie, thank you so much for this entry at Inspirational, I’m still speechless (partly because of the big grin on my face ;-))
Rosie
/ June 22, 2008Susann, it was my pleasure! xoxoxo 😉
JeriAnn
/ June 23, 2008This is great, and I share your enthusiasm for making joyful messes. Thanks for reminding us of another excellent technique using crayons — and how much fun it is to make art with others.
JODI BARONE
/ June 23, 2008Rosie,
Your blog and this post are brimming over with the delight of a life lived with intention, joy and creativity. The family resource center sounds fantastic and has got me daydreaming about at least a day spent in this way. Thanks for sharing these details of your life.
jodi
Rosie
/ June 23, 2008JeriAnn – I went shopping today and made sure I have enough flour!! 😉
Jodi – I think that’s the loveliest comment ever posted here… thank you! 🙂
Barbara Hagerty
/ June 27, 2008Oh Rosie! The horse and her foal are wonderful! What gorgeous animals! I always wanted to live in the country and have horses…now a childhood friend of mine who always wanted the city is living in the country with her horses, and I’m in a sea of concrete and glass…go figure! We’re living each others lives. Oh well…I can dream through your photos!
jami
/ June 28, 2008OHHHHH!!!! How precious! Your a lucky girl.