Pepper Paints

It’s ComFest Time Again

Insert head scratch here

Subtractive Sculpture in Plaster of Paris

Have you ever tried to make something out of a block of plaster of paris? Carve and chip away to make an abstract or realistic piece of art? It’s hard. I have a new appreciation for sculptures who do this type of subtractive art work. The kids in my classes along with myself all agreed that additive sculptures where much easier!

Over the weekend my very nice, helpful and generous husband mixed up several buckets of plaster of paris and poured it into empty milk cartons. We let these dry or “cure” for a couple of days.

Most of the instructions I found for this included adding vermiculite to the plaster of paris to make the carving process easier but because of the health concerns over breathing in the vermiculite we decided to leave it out. You can also add sand or dirt but I was already way over budget and could not purchase another thing so straight plaster of paris it was.

I brought lots of different tools to class and we were lucky the weather allowed us to do this messy-dusty project outside. We looked at works of art of Barbara Hepworth, George Segal, Jean Arp and The Nana’s. We talked about abstract art vs realistic sculptures.

And then we got to work:

Hammers and mallets were pounding, flat head screw drivers were poking and lots of plaster was flying around. The kids really enjoyed this physical process but were definitely challenged by the material.

Once kids were happy with there work they sanded their sculpture and used tempra cakes to paint their pieces. The paint dried almost immediately on most pieces.

And I love the consideration of all sides and angles on this piece!

This was the final week of this session of our unschooler’s co op. I absolutely loved leading these classes. I learned so much along with the kids. Looking forward to doing it again!

Colorful Ice Blocks To Play With Outside

When we finally had enough empty milk and juice cartons to make blocks I cut the tops off the cartons, the kids dripped various combinations of food coloring into the cartons and we filled them with water and put them outside to freeze.

A couple of days later we peeled the cartons away from the ice blocks…some were frozen a little more solid than others.

The colored water that dripped out made for pretty snow to play in

Colorful snow balls!

Now I am back to hording the empty cartons and yogurt containers to make more colorful ice blocks!

Hiking in Hocking Hills, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio is centrally located to so many quick side trips. Hocking Hills being one of them.

Last week we took advantage of some of the last of the warm temperatures and fall colors and headed for a hike at Old Man’s Cave. Old Man’s
Cave is especially nice for younger hikers with it’s steps and bridges (and not too many scary drop offs and cliffs!).

If you are local, the weather forecast for this week is calling for a few days of Indian Summer. A perfect opportunity to head to Southern Ohio and check out some of the great hiking trails in Hocking Hills!

Apple Pie Playdough

Did you know that your sense of smell is supposed to be your strongest memory? Brut reminds me of my Dad, the smell of a fire outside reminds me of camping. I love the scents of different seasons. As soon as I smell a  coconut or Tropical combo I am immediately taken to summer and scents of sun tan lotion and the smell of pine reminds me of Christmas. The smells of Fall are strong…. apple, cinnamon, pumpkin. These smells are comforting to me and give me a warm, homey feeling.

We made a couple batches of seasonal playdough. Spiked with the scents of Autumn…Apple Cinnamon and Vanilla

Autumn Scented Playdough

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon powdered alum
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons vanilla
food coloring

Mix all dry ingredients. Add oil and water and food coloring. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until reaching the consistency of mashed potatoes. Remove from heat add the vanilla.  Knead the playdough.

For the apple cinnamon batch of playdough we added red food coloring and cinnamon and cloves.

For the vanilla batch we added a few drops of yellow food coloring.

Keep this in a covered container in the fridge.

Halloween Decorating And A Boo Branch To Make

We love Halloween around here! Luckily I had my act together before we left for vacation and was able to decorate the house before we left.

In the midst of post vacation laundry we had time for a little fun this weekend.

I found this cute and easy boo branch idea at Paint Cut Paste.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico

September and October are always our family vacation months- My husbands business conferences are always held in these two months and always in beautiful warm locations. This year really took the cake–Cabo San Lucas Mexico…. in other words….heaven

Besides beautiful blue skies and wonderful beaches and a super fancy resort with top notch service…..what I loved most about Mexico was the people. Everyone was so friendly–from the employees at our resort to the taxi drivers and the cashiers at the XOXO–everyone we saw greeted us with an Hola or a buenos dias or buenos noches over and over again. Even the customs workers were friendly! The pace is so much slower and people seem so much happier. And the food…don’t even get me started!!!!! I could have  stayed in Mexico forever!