Education does not start and begin in school. A child can be educated in and out of school, and even at home. This colorful alphabet sampler is the perfect way to add educational décor to your child’s room. If your little one is beginning to learn their A-B-Cs, this project it a must have item to add to their room. Feel free to change the colors choices based on your child’s preference, and don’t just stop at the alphabet create a number sampler to accompany this project. Debbie Saenz designed this project using several FolkArt acrylic paints. While this project may a tad too advanced for your little one to make by themselves, they can definitely help you. Encourage your child to enjoy education, and show them how fun learning can be.  All the supplies you will need can be found below, and click here to see their instructions.

PLAID Supplies

·       FolkArt ® Acrylic Colors - Bright Green, 2 oz.

·       FolkArt ® Acrylic Colors - Apple Red, 2 oz.

·       Plaid ® Stencils - Value Packs - Letter Stencils - Old School, 1-1/2"

·       Stencil Decor ® Brushes - Stencil Brush, 3/8"

·       FolkArt ® Acrylic Colors - True Blue, 2 oz.

·       FolkArt ® Artists Pigments™ - Medium Yellow, 2 oz.

Other Supplies

11” x 14” Artist canvas
Pencil
Ruler

Kids really love Valentine’s Day. On this day they receive all kinds of goodies. One of the things they get is tons of cards from their teachers and classmates. Instead of throwing those cards into a backpack why not have your little ones create this Frog Prince Valentine Card Holder? This cute frog is sure to bring a smile to both your face and your kids. Trenice Bishop, a talented freelance designer, designed this project using Apple Barrel and Mod Podge. It is a great beginner craft, perfect for kids to also do in an art class. A list of the supplies you will need are below, along with their instructions. Have you made a Valentine card holder before?

PLAID Supplies

·       Apple Barrel ® Colors - Black, 2 oz.

·       Apple Barrel ® Gloss™ - White, 2 oz.

·       Apple Barrel ® Colors - Parakeet, 2 oz.

·       Apple Barrel ® Colors - Red Apple, 2 oz.

·       Apple Barrel ® Colors - Strawberry, 8 oz.

Other Supplies

Spray Primer
Garbage bag box
Craft wood pieces
Popsicle sticks
Paper plates
Wiggly eyes
Paint brushes
Water bowl
Hot glue

Instructions

1.    Spray box with primer. Allow time to dry. Paint the box with Parakeet. When dry Apply Mod Podge and set aside. Paint the inside of the box Black and the flap opening with Red Apple.

2.    Hot glue circle pieces to end of popsicle sticks for toes. Paint toes with Parakeet and let dry.

3.    Cut paper plates in a heart shape and cut the heart in half. Paint both sides of both halves with Parakeet allowing each side to dry in between painting.  Apply Mod Podge and set aside.

4.    Cut the crown shape out of a paper plate as well. Paint with Sunny Day. When dry apply Mode Podge Sparkle   Paint a heart shape and two small circles with Red Apple to decorate crown.  When the Sparkle Mod Podge is dry attach the heart to the center of the crown and the smaller circles to the outer points.

5.    Paint a small heart shape with Strawberry for the frog’s tongue.  Paint two large circles White for eyes.  Hot glue the wiggle eyes to the White painted circles when dry.

6.    When the box is completely dry, hot glue the heart halves (legs) to the front of the box and, hot glue the toes to the bottom of the box. Attach the crown to the box with hot glue, followed by the eyes. Hot glue the Strawberry painted heart to the flap.

TGIF!!! It’s Friday and jump for joy the weekend is here. This has been a long week for many of us here at Plaid, coming off the heels of the winter CHA show. We had a blast and got the chance to work with many craft bloggers who were making some creative projects using Plaid products. Craft bloggers out there are so creative and can inspire you to make things you would have never thought of. We recently discovered these freezer paper painted placemats, a very creative project on the blog Ricochet and Away. This is a great project to have your kids help you create, especially if you are trying to teach them how to set a table. Rikka created this project using freezer paper and Martha Stewart craft paint. How awesome is this? This project is easy to make and would be the perfect weekend craft to tackle. To see how you can recreate this project for yourself click here.