This past weekend when we had BEAUTIFUL 60 degree weather and sunny skies, I was out helpig about 250 kids stamp their very own pumpkin lunch bag.
Our local Park District held a Harvest Fest to celebrate fall, and they asked me to come and provide a craft for kids. The craft we did was very simple: white lunch bags, plus the Autumn Harvest stamp set (110372), Aqua Painters (on special right now: 114617), Basic Brown ink pads and reinkers in Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip. We added “one more thing” (if you know me you laugh about that ;-) using a Scallop Circle Punch to make a tag.
The twist on this though, is that I had the kids using the AquaPainters in a totally different way than usual. Usually, I fill my AquaPainters will water and then dip the tip into ink from the lid of my ink pad, or a drop of reinker, and then watercolor my image using the ink. As the ink runs out of the tip, I pick up more color and continue my watercoloring.
I didn’t think the kids (ages 1 and up were stamping!) would be able to do that, so instead of plain water, I filled the AquaPainters with the ink: 15-20 drops of Classic Ink Refill and filled to the top with water. This way the kids had the ink ready-to-use in their AquaPainter. This technique worked perfectly and the kids were very successful with their projects.
I’m always impressed when I see kids stamp: I love that they can be successful very easily with the tools that Stampin’ Up! provides. High-quality art supplies can really make a huge difference in helping kids feel successful in art. And we all know that the more successful a child feels when they do something, the greater the boost to their self-confidence. So hooray for the Aquapainters, and for all the kids who created fabulous and unique artwork this weekend at the Harvest Fest in Champaign, Illinois!