This project is great to work on with children, or on your own. Celebrate Easter with some handmade art cards.
When working on art projects with children, it is always fun to mix it up. And what is a better way than with a mixed media art project? This project is also gratifying for working alone, so do not feel like you need a group to complete these cards.
For this project, you will need the following supplies:
- Old greeting cards. If you can find some with an Easter theme, great! It is not required, though.
- Heavy-duty glue stick (these are typically found in the scrapbook section of most stores).
- Easter themed napkins, paper plates, old paper decorations, or anything else with Easter clip art on it that can be cut up.
- Scissors (remember, if working with children, they will need supervision and help when cutting)
- Gloss medium (decoupage medium works very well for these projects)
- Easter themed embellishments (these can be rubber stamps, charms, eyelets, brads, or whatever else you would like to use)
- Heavy-weight paper (a light color, or white)
- Straight edge ruler
- Glitter gel pens in an assortment of colors
Follow these simple steps to create mixed media Easter art cards. This process involves altering the old cards into something new. If you are working with children, this will be a good opportunity to introduce a lesson in recycling and how turning something into what some consider trash into a treasure.
- Gather all of your supplies and set up your wok area. If you are working with a group, set out one card per person to start and set the “sharing” materials in the middle of the worktable.
- Cut out the clip art you have selected from the napkins or wherever else and set it aside.
- Cut the heavy weight paper so it is a half an inch smaller than the inside of the card all the way around.
- Add glue to the back of the heavy weight paper, ensuring there is full coverage so it does not peel up. Affix the paper to the center of the inside of the card.
- Add the clip art to the front of the card using the glue stick. It may be necessary to cover it over with some heavy weight paper first, particularly if there is a lot of decorations and art already there.
- Cover the entire front of the card using the gloss medium so nothing peels or falls off. If you have a heat gun, this will speed up drying time. If not, you will have to wait until the card is completely dry before moving on.
- Add embellishments.
- Using the glitter gel pens, add a greeting inside.
As you can see, this is a simple art project that allows for embracing mixed media art, the ability to add a lesson about recycling, and the ability to send a handmade greeting. There are a number of templates available online if you choose to make your own handmade envelopes for this project, as well.
