In this issue, you'll discover some creative, developmentally-challenged artists who are helping the environment as they reuse materials to make beautiful mosaics, collages, and other art forms, and you'll find links to great resources in our Art and Reuse Web Sites' section.
We've added a Trash Matcher for the members' section. Now you can match trash with all the art activities found in the newsletters, the new Hawai'i section, Toys, Games, and Other Fun Stuff, and Holiday Art and Crafts.
You'll learn about crayons made from a plentiful, renewable farm crop, and to help you get a jump on your Christmas decorating, you'll see how easy it is to reuse a greeting card to make an ornament. Finally, take a shot at guessing how many T-shirts can be made from a 434-pound bale of soda bottles. The lucky winner will receive a cool prize.
What's In This Issue
- Arts & Crafts at Stone Belt
- Art & Reuse Web Sites
- Environmentally-friendly Crayons
- The Member Trashmatcher
- Christmas in July
- Decorations
- Leftovers
Summer 2009
Art and Art/Reuse Web Sites
The following are links to online resources you may find helpful in making art. Most are included because they encourage reuse and/or recycling of solid waste materials.
Elmer's Glue
Fun
with the Newspaper (Offline but still available at the Wayback Machine)
KinderArt (reuse
section)
Linit Starch-N-Crafts
Idea Site
Make-Stuff
Paper
Mache Insects Sanford Art
EdVentures
Recycled
Crafts (Iowa Solid Waste Management site - Offline but still available at
the Wayback Machine)
Recycled Crafts at
KidsDomain
Recycling
Crafts at All Free Crafts
Renuzit Air Freshener
Crafts
The Papier Mache
Resource
Art & Craft at Stone Belt
Founded in Bloomington, Indiana by members of nine families who were seeking
educational opportunities for their school-age children, Stone Belt supports
indiviiduals with developmental disabilities. The organization, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, teaches life skills and provides vocational training. Stone Belt also offers residential programs and employment resources, all in an effort to help clients experience meaningful, independent lives.
A division of the organization, Stone Belt Arts, gives more than two dozen clients the chance to learn important skills related to making art and fine crafts and to develop careers as artists and artisans.
Some of the work created includes mixed media, mosaics, watercolors, cards, and woodworking, and much of the art is made from repurposed materials such as fabric, yarn, and wallpaper.
In addition to learning how to create a variety of art, the clients enjoy exhibiting their work in public places throughout south central Indiana. Oftentimes their art or fine crafts become permanent outdoor installations.
Stone Belt is located at 2815 East Tenth Street in Bloomington. Visit Stone Belt Art & Craft, and for more information about the organization, contact them at artandcraft@stonebelt.org or phone 812-332-2168.
Environmentally-friendly Crayons
Over the years, you've probably supported your share of
soybean farmers when you bought soy sauce, but did you know there are many
environmentally-friendly products manufactured from this American food staple?
They include adhesives, carpet, insulation, candles, yarn, lotions, hydraulic
fluids, printing ink, and even crayons. Yes, crayons! Invented in 1996 by some Purdue University students, the soybean crayon was the first new crayon to come along in 100 years. The one most commonly used today is a petroleum byproduct, but since drilling uses energy and petroleum is a finite resource, soybean crayons are preferable to the "old-fashioned" ones.
Non-toxic, brighter, and smoother, they flake
less than the traditional art material, too. Another benefit is that they cost
less, as just one bushel of soybeans can make more than 2,000 crayons. Sold
under the Prang label, this environmentally-friendly art material is made by the Dixon Ticonderoga Company http://www.dixonusa.com/.How To:
Click on the star image to get a printable version of the star. Print the pattern on your printer, and cut it out. Place the front of a greeting card face down on your work area. Trace the star pattern onto the plain side of the card.
Make a mark in the center of the star, and use a ruler to draw a line from this point to the tip of each arm of the shape, as indicated by the dotted line on the pattern.
To pop up the star or to make it three-dimensional, it's necessary to slightly bend each arm. Scoring or drawing one blade of the scissors on each line you drew will make bending the cardstock much easier.
Lay the ruler on the line, and open the scissors so that you're using just one blade. Score the card, drawing the blade along each line. Cut out the star shape.
Turn the card over so that the front or patterned side is showing. To make the star three-dimensional, gently fold up the shape along the scored line.
Keeping the star in this “popped up” position, glue the shape to the other side of the card, and hold it in place for a short time. When dry, cut the star from the background paper.
Apply some silver or gold glitter to add more holiday sparkle to the decoration.
Tips and Tricks:
To make a hanging ornament, insert a loop of yarn or ribbon between the star shape and background cardstock before gluing.
Insert a long wire between the star shape and background paper to make a floral pick or an ornament that can be placed on your tree.
Make a garland by gluing lots of the shapes to a long piece of yarn or ribbon, leaving spaces between the stars.
Leftovers: What's Your Guess?
Clothing is just one item that can be made by recycling plastic soda bottles.
What's your guesstimate about how many X-Large T-shirts can be manufactured from this 434-pound bale of bottles?
The Imagination Factory Member who is the first to submit a figure that's closest to the correct answer will win this cool birdhouse made of reused wood.
Submit your answer to kidatart@kid-at-art.com by September 21, 2009.
Members Only Area Trash Matcher