One for the Kids - Who Will Drive the School Bus?



Tom (age 5) decided that the DOG would drive the bus!

You can colour-in the school bus and because it is your picture, you can then decide, who is the Driver and where the Passengers are allowed to sit...

Click here to download and print the bus and the passengers.

Have fun - especially as some of you are having a half-term holiday!

Mother's Day Placemats - Printable to colour-in!

 

In UK we celebrate Mother's Day (or Mothering Sunday, as it is also known) this year on Sunday 27 March

What better way to delight Mum, than with a Mother's Day Placemat - either on her breakfast tray or at the table, as she starts her special day...

I have designed Three Mother's Day Placemats ready to download and print.

So get out the paints and crayons and  colour-in the placemats, ready to surprise Mum on Mother's Day...!

1. Mother's Day Placemat

2. Mother's Day Placemat

3.Mother's Day Placemat

  

ACEO Miniature Painting - Have you got the right brushes?

 

A Warm Afternoon

Have you got the right size brushes for painting ACEO, miniature, watercolour paintings?

The only acceptable size for an ACEO painting of 3.5 x 2.5 inches - no other size will qualify! Thus they do fall into the "Miniature" category...

When I started painting ACEO's, about ten years ago, there were not many suitable fine, detail brushes available. The best on offer, I found, were the brushes sold for painting on model aeroplanes or military tanks etc.

But now I find there are more available...!

I use a Round brush size 10 for skies and under-washes, and then a size 6 and 4 to fill in the backgrounds of my landscapes.

For trees I reach for my Rigger to keep the foliage light, using different shades of green to keep it alive.

Then to finish off a landscape by painting in the details, I use my fine watercolour brushes - I really like the ProArte Masterstroke range - Sizes 1 to 10/0 

They are very reasonably priced and hold their shape well. 

Just make sure they are kept clean and left to dry standing brush-up in a jar.

 

While painting be careful not to leave the brushes in your water jar, head down or they will soon bend out of shape...!

For more about ACEO's look at my menu bar at the top of my Blog!

Enjoy painting your ACEO's...!

Farming in Africa

Winter Fields

 

Easter Bunny Collage - Tutorial using Junk Mail!

Time to start getting your Easter Craft on the go...

Here is a very easy way to make an Easter Bunny using Junk Mail! 

The bunny always ends up as a surprise, as you don't really know what he will look like, until you cut him out and turn him over!

What you will need...

Colourful paper - We used Junk Mail but any coloured paper will do

Glue

A4 sheet of card for background mount - any colour will do 

Thin ribbon, wool or strips of paper for flower stems

Googly eye (optional)

Cotton ball tail (optional)

Butterfly Stickers (optional)

How to make it...

Print out 

Easter Bunny Template

Flower Template 1.

Flower Template 2.

Hold the Easter Bunny drawing up against a window and using a pencil, draw the Easter Bunny image on the back of your sheet of paper

Work on that drawing on the back of your paper

Cut strips from your coloured paper or junk mail

Glue the strips on top of the Easter Bunny - do not keep inside the lines - just stick the strips on and go over the lines of the drawing, until the whole image is covered - as above

When dry turn the paper over and cut out the Easter Bunny using the original print as your guide

Turn it over and there is your "Designer Wear" Easter Bunny!!

Attach a googly eye and a cotton ball tail if you want to finish him (or her?)

To make the flowers print out the Flower Template (links above)

Using these flowers as patterns, cut them out of your coloured paper

Glue your stems in place on your card background 

Glue your flowers onto the card background

We finished off with some butterfly stickers!

Hope you enjoyed this Easter Craft - for more ideas click on the EASTER button at the top of my Blog!

6 New Bookmarks to Print and Colour-In...!

We enjoyed making these simple Bookmarks at Mencap this week...

If you would like to make some with your group or with your children here is a tutorial with printable templates...

what you will need...

Thin card in light colours

Colouring in pens or crayons

Laminator and Laminator pouches (optional)

Ribbon (optional)

Single punch (optional)

How to make up the bookmarks..

Print the templates onto thin card. (If you are laminating them, then you can print onto paper)

Here is the link  Bookmarks

Colour in the pictures

Cut out each bookmark

They will last a long time if you laminate them (seal in a plastic sleeve) but not essential.

Punch a single hole centre top and tie in your ribbon.

Printable Quiz - Ten Words ending in TEN!

An easy quiz - just for fun...over a cuppa tea or coffee!

How many words do you know that end in "ten" ?

For example...often, handwritten 

Ask your group to try to write a list of 

that end in "ten"...

Here is selection of some I have found, but there are lots more...have a dictionary on hand to resolve disputes!

Have fun! 


If you would like more quizzes to have fun with, here is the link to my
Printable Quiz eBook - 41 x 10 Easy Quiz questions


 

Quiz - Classic Children's Books & Authors

Today's quiz is all about our childhood classic books - who are the authors of these books?

How many can your groups get right?

I have given you both the book's name and the author but have muddled them up... so for you to pair them up!

In your groups of senior citizens, this quiz will stimulate much reminiscing about each book - encourage this discussion as it is good mental exercise!

Maybe memories of having the book read to them as children, or seeing the story played out in a musical or stage show - lots of good memories will surface...

Here is the link - printable instantly!

Quiz - Classic Children's Books & Authors

If you would like a supply of easy quizzes that can be downloaded as a PDF file and printed as required, please do have a look at my eBook...

41 x 10 Easy Quizzes 

Valentine Padded Felt Hearts - Tutorial and Printable Templates

 Sewing Valentine Padded Felt hearts on a cold Winter's afternoon, with a cup of tea and donuts to follow - our Mencap group really enjoyed this project!

What you will need...

One A4 size piece of felt - for the 2 large heart shapes

Smaller pieces of felt in contrasting colours for small hearts

Buttons

Embroidery thread and needle

Ribbon (30cms or longer if you wish)

Polyester fibre filling (toy stuffing)

Pinking shears (optional)

How to make it...

Print out your patterns  

3 x Heart Template Shapes

Cut out two large hearts 

Cut out one each of the smaller size hearts (per side **)

Place the button on top of the two smaller heart shapes and sew them 

together, leaving your thread hanging down underneath.

Place this in the centre of one of the large hearts and sew together, through the three hearts and the button.

If you want - do the same with the other large heart (you will then have small hearts and buttons on both sides of your finished padded heart **) 

Place the two large heart shapes together and starting at the bottom point, stitch them together - either using blanket stitch or a simple running stitch.

When you reach centre top of your heart, slip the ends of your folded ribbon in between the two large hearts and sew through them to attach the ribbon to the heart.

Continue sewing down the other side, stopping when you have about 4cms still open. 

Don't end off - leave your thread hanging.

Stuff your heart at this point and then continue sewing until you reach the bottom point again.

If you have used a running stitch (as in the purple sample), you can trim off the edges of your heart with pinking shears (optional) 

Here are some our group made... Hope you all enjoy this 

project!

Click on these hearts for another Tutorial >>>>>>

20 Anagrams Printable Quiz - In the Kitchen - With Answers!

I have put together 20 Anagrams of things you would find in the kitchen - have fun re-arranging the letters. Here is the link to this printable quiz...
 
Quiz Anagrams - In the Kitchen

If you want more quizzes have a look at my Quiz eBook...

41 Easy Quizzes with Answers 
Fun, easy but stimulating....!

Tutorial - Make an Easy Twist / Friendship Bracelet with Embroidery Thread!

These little Twist Bracelets (aka Friendship Bracelets) are so easy to make - the colour combinations are endless and your groups will love churning them out - either as a fun bracelet for themselves, or as a gift for the children in their families...

You will need...

6 Strand embroidery thread

Electrical sticky tape (or any similar)

Pony beads (beads with a large hole)

How to Make the Twist Bracelet...

 

Cut six lengths of thread  - each 70cms long.  Have fun deciding on the colour combination. I chose 2 Brown, 2 Green and 2 Orange but you can have six different if you want!

Tie a  knot about 10cm from the top of the threads. Fasten them to your worktop with tape just above the knot.

 

Hold the end of the six threads together and twist them together in the same direction, until they feel really tight.

Twisted together

   

 Pull the twisted length straight and place your finger in the centre of it. 

Fold the twisted length in half, remove your finger and watch it twist together. 

Make sure you keep hold of the ends whilst doing this bit to keep the twist tight!

 Remove the tape and knot the free ends together. Trim the ends. 

Thread on the pony beads.

To fasten the bracelet, slip the knot through the loop at the other end.

For smaller wrists, just knot again further down and trim.

WARNING - Making these Twist Bracelets is very addictive...so many colours to choose from!!

Enjoy....!

Importance of Taking Good Photos of your ACEO's!

Country Lanes

I cannot emphasize too much the importance of good, clear photographs of your ACEO miniature Paintings (read more about them here) when you put them up for sale on eBay - or anywhere else you chose to sell them.

They will be scrolled over by potential customers if not full size and not clearly showing the buyers what they are looking at. Thus please don't put them on a little easel or hold them in your hand when taking your photos!

So this is what I recommend - place the ACEO on a sheet of plain white paper in good daylight, but not directly in the sunlight. A windowsill usually works well to get good light. Take the photo filling the screen with the ACEO.

Standing Tall

If your phone has a good camera and most cameras do nowadays, then use your phone and snap away...

Use a photo editing app, which will allow you to crop away the excess white paper and leave you only with the ACEO. 

Don't be tempted to use filters of any kind. The buyer will need to see your painting or drawing as near to the original as possible, so enhancing it in any way will be deceptive. You want your buyer to be happy that he has received what he sees, as displayed in your photo.

Hope this helps you to promote your ACEO sales and get more bids!

As this Blog was started in 2010 and I was away for a few years, I decided it was a good plan now that I am back again (!) to go through all my posts and do some housekeeping! Mainly to repair any broken links and remove anything no longer relevant.

If you should find any links that are not working or come across anything else that needs my attention, I would be really grateful if you would leave me a comment! Thanks! Nancy

   

What is an ACEO Miniature Painting?

 

 

Some samples of my ACEO's

                         

I am often asked "What exactly is an ACEO Miniature Painting?" 

The simple answer is...

"It's a work of art, that must be the standard size of 2.5 x 3.5 inches"

That is the only rule that cannot be broken - no other size is acceptable! It can be in either portrait or landscape orientation.

So once you have the size right, the choice of materials is endless!

Any type of card or canvas is acceptable. 

I use Arches Watercolour 300g (140lb) and cut it to size myself with a hand hobby guillotine. 

Any medium can be used including pencil, watercolours, oils, acrylics, multi medium as well as craft embellishments, such as glitter or craft paints.

To get a good idea of the range of ACEO's produced have a look on eBay - search for ACEO Original - there are 13 225 ACEO's for sale on eBay today! You will be amazed at the huge variation of styles and subjects!

So have a go at creating an ACEO yourself - if you have always worked with larger sheets of paper, it will take a little time to adjust. 

But if your first efforts are not working, it is less painful binning a small rectangle (just 3.5 x 2.5 inches) of expensive artist's paper, than a whole sheet, I can  promise you!

Have a look at my watercolour ACEO's on eBay at present...

I sell them on Auction but other sellers prefer to fix a price - whatever works for you! 

Or maybe you prefer just to create ACEO's for your own collection!

Whatever you decide, enjoy the fun of producing these little masterpieces!

How To Tie a Bow for Gifts, Craft and Decorating

 

We all know how to tie a bow in our shoelace, but to make a flat decorative bow takes a few little tricks in the tying...

This little video clearly shows us how!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CXb5WXWl9L7/?utm_medium=share_sheet

Have a go and give your gifts in 2022 that 'professionally wrapped' look!

New Quiz - Countries & Capitals to Start the Year!

 

Happy New Year Everyone! 

Having been out of the UK for some years I was unable to keep up with my blogging - but here I am back again!

To start the year off lets have a quiz!

Quiz - Countries and Capitals

Match the Capitals to the Countries

    

 Here is the link for this geography quiz - how many do you match up correctly?

Quiz - Countries & Capitals

_____________________________

Really hope you are enjoying doing the quizzes 

I have put together for you and your groups!

Have a look at my eBook of 41 x Easy Quizzes 

that you can instantly download and print 

for fun with your groups!

Quiz - Common Phobias - Printable with Answers!

With the Internet at our elbow, we are all more knowledgeable - 

or are we...??

What do you know about Common Phobias? I was amazed to find a list of 100 - have put up 15 of the most common in a new Quiz - see how many you and your groups either know or can work out by the name used to describe it...

Quiz - Common Phobias

If you want more Easy Quizzes do have a look at my 41 x Easy Quizzes eBook 

Printable and with all the answers!

 

Benefits of Colouring in for the Elderly with Printable Drawings!

I have long believed in the therapeutic effect of colouring in for adults of any age.

I loved colouring in with my grandchildren, when they were little - not just to please them, although they loved Granny to join in, but for the pleasure and relaxation I found myself enjoying in the process.

I found this very good website, "Golden Carers", which not only discusses the benefits of colouring in for the elderly, but also includes five downloadable drawings. 

They can then be printed as needed.

Here is the link....

Benefits of Colouring in for the Elderly

Enjoy!

Toby has new Summer Bandanas!

Toby looking very smart and ready for some Summer Walks - just need some sunshine...

More from Toby's fashion portfolio... home-sewed with such pleasure!

Proud to be British...!

Chickens...!

Bird Anagrams - Quiz... Printable with Answers

Ten Bird Anagrams for you to decipher with your group - over a cup of tea of course!

Bird Anagrams - Quiz

Answers supplied in case you get stuck...

Hope you enjoy this little quiz - if you want more have a look at my eBook...

41 x 10 Easy Quizzes - Printable with Answers 

 

Easter Face-Cloth Bunny and Hand-Towel Teddy to make!

Easter is coming around again soon, and so why not make a few gifts - easily made by just folding towelling...

Using a face-cloth for the Bunny and a hand-towel for the Teddy,  they will both be useful gifts, after the little choccy eggs have been  devoured...!

I have made the face-cloth Easter Bunny before...

for tutorial see here and here

I decided to make him again this year, as we now have a hand-towel Teddy to add to the fun...

The Easter Bunny has button eyes this time, but you can us googly eyes of course!

The hand-towel Teddy is easy to make and all you will need is a hand-towel, elastic bands, ribbon and buttons or googly eyes.

Here is an excellent tutorial showing how to make it - just folding....
No sewing involved!

Hand-Towel Teddy

Have fun with your groups or families, making these Easter Gifts...

 

Winter - Celebrate with a Wall Mural...!

We made our Winter Mural at Braintree Mencap, with strings of artificial ivy, red poinsettia and white tissue flowers. 

Then our table of members, coloured-in various winter-themed pictures, which we added, to give the mural some lovely points of interest...!

Wall Murals are fun to put together and there are endless themes you can develop. 

Try, as we did, the Seasons or maybe Holiday themes - Religious or National. 

Popular also are Sporting themes - Winter or Summer Sports. 

Geographical - work on a country, showing highlights of what that country is known for...

Whatever you decide - enjoy working together with your groups - young and old.