This Saturday, March 13th, our partners at the OSU Museum of Art will be offering free art kits that include everything you need to make this self-watering planter! If you don't make it on Saturday to pick up your kit, gather the following supplies: an empty, clean plastic drink bottle, a piece of yarn and a needle, scissors, a small plant of your choice, and some extra soil. If you want to decorate the top part of the bottle, you will also want some acrylic paint and a paintbrush. Once you've finished the project and the plant is in its new home, add more water to the bottom as needed. The string will pull the water from the bottle bottom up to the roots of your plant. Watch the water level go down as your plant drinks!

 

Come on over to Prairie Arts Center to pick up your FREE Valentine’s Lovebird art kit! All you will need at home is a pair of scissors and your crafting wits💕 Pro tip- make sure to position the wings toward the back of your bird so it’s not too top heavy to rock back and forth!

This activity is fun for the whole family and would make a great gift for friends, family, and neighbors who plan to warm themselves by a cozy fireplace or fire pit this winter! You will need a muffin pan, cupcake liners, sawdust (or dryer lint), wax, wicks or string, and some fragrant and pretty decorations like orange peel, cinnamon sticks, pine cones, or star anise. Place the liners in the muffin pan and fill each one 3/4 full with sawdust or dryer lint. Add your decorations and the wick or string. Melt paraffin, bees, or leftover candle wax in a glass container in the microwave until it is liquid (this won't take very long!) and pour it over the contents of your cupcake liners. Once the wax hardens, they are ready to be used. Put them in a clear bag, tie it with a ribbon, and give them to your favorite fire loving friends! 
 
 
 Art Prompt Fragrant Firestarters

This month we are offering another FREE art kit here at Prairie Arts Center! Come by and pick up your Gingerbread House Garland bag in the foyer anytime during our open hours (Tues-Thursday 12-8 and Saturday 10-5) starting, Dec. 5th. We’d love to see what you make so post and tag us on IG @prairieartscenter or on our Facebook page. For more art activities and prompts for the winter break, check out our Creative Classroom.

If it's too early for Christmas decorations for you but you have the urge to do some festive decorating, try a wax dipped leaf banner! Gather a dozen or so colorful, freshly fallen leaves and press them for a few hours so they are nice and flat. Melt paraffin or bees wax over a double boiler or in a mini crock pot, making sure the wax never boils. Dip your leaves into the melted wax and lay them out to dry on wax paper. Once dried, use string, twine, or ribbon to create your banner. Pro-tip: hang your banner alongside a strand of lights so you get to see their beautiful colors glow in the evening. This simple, nature based craft with bring warmth and love to any space! 

Art Prompt Wax Dipped Leaf Banner

This activity is fun to prep for, as well as to do! To begin, gather leaves from your yard or a park that are of different sizes and shapes. Make sure to choose leaves that are freshly fallen so they will hold up to being pressed and painted. Once home, press them under a stack of heavy books for a few hours so they are nice and flat. Use acrylic paint to coat the veiny backside of the leaf. Flip it onto your paper and rub the topside to make your impression. In our examples, we also used a small amount of paint to brush out the outline of the leaf, leaving a negative image, as well as the positive imprint of the veins.

Art Prompt - leaf Prints .pngIMG_7634.JPG