The grand reveal of a resist technique make them a lot of fun for kid creations. Try this process to create a letter banner from washi tape and watercolors.

We've been out enjoying the weather as much as we can this week, but we've had a lot of rain mixed with warm temperatures so we had some great time indoors working on summer reading and this fun watercolor resist banner for Father's Day.

I'd seen some of the incredible posts that Jean from The Artful Parent has created with resists. We decided to give it a try, making our own letters from washi tape and then applying them to watercolor paper.

The grand reveal of a resist technique make them a lot of fun for kid creations. Try this process to create a letter banner from washi tape and watercolors.

Any image or shape can be used. We decided to make our own letterforms to spell out Happy Father's Day. Using parchment paper as backing, we created the letters with tape. Once they were the shape we wanted (good practice for my 5-year old as he solidifies his formation of letters), we trimmed and embellished the edges to add some flair.

Next we stuck each letter to its own piece of watercolor paper. The children decided that they wanted each letter to be one color, and we practiced using the watercolor paints. It was a tough adjustment for some since our usual painting process involves putting a blob of paint on and smoothing it around. Watercolor is much more fluid, and the brushstrokes can be a lovely part of the finished product. We're still working on our technique.

In the meantime, we created a colorful banner, which was a lot of fun to peel and reveal. I holepunched the top corners of each letter, trimmed them into a slightly more angular shape, and tied them together for celebrating.

The kids were pretty proud to see their teamwork adding joy and color to our space, and they're ready to paint some more.

Have you tried watercolor resist before? With your children?

xoxo, MJ

P.S. If you're following along with the 18 Summers Challenge, we're making classic balloon rockets tomorrow. Join us!

We have birthday and Father's Day celebrations ahead, and we're excited! How are honoring the dads in your life? We keep things pretty simple for Mother's and Father's Day, and we're looking forward to celebrating my hubby with a drive-in movie and some grill time.

I feel so blessed to be married to a man who has embraced-with both arms wide open-all that is fatherhood. He pushes me to be a better mother because of the great parent that he is...supportive, challenging, cuddly, and fun all rolled into one. The kiddies and I decided to craft up something for the Best Daddy, something simple to offer him a high five for all that he does. My hubby is an amazing cook, and he can spin circles around me in the kitchen.

Our DIY is a Helping Hand towel for Dad. We used three supplies: three good quality kitchen towels (I chose a neutral shade to go with my kitchen), white fabric paint (color chosen to make the prints similar in tone to the towel), and a foam brush.

Simple, simple...coat your child's hand in paint. Lay it on thick. It will tickle. :) Help them spread their fingers and place their hands straight down. Hold 1-2-3, and pull straight up.

Follow the instructions on the paint for setting.  Allow 72 hours before washing, and hover over the painted surface with a hot iron to finalize.

We chose textured towels for their absorbency so I needed to go back into to fill fibers not covered by the initial print. The kids loved getting gooey, and they've all had plenty of experience making handprints, so it was a start to finish 15-minute craft. Yahoo!! The wrinkles that don't photograph so well will work themselves out after the first wash and our darling handprints will remain. I love peeking at them from across the room and seeing the preciousness of childhood waving back at me.

Happy Father's Day...to my hubby, to my awesome, fun-loving Dad, to my brother, to my father-in-law and to all you amazing, wonderful men who complete the great story of parenthood. We adore you.

Have a bright weekend, friends. Can't wait to show you what's in store for next week. Happy summer!

XOXO,

MJ

PS. One of my blogging goals was reaching yesterday! Gabrielle at Design Mom published my response to one of her Design Mom Asks. Design Mom was the first blog that I followed, and I've been faithful for years. So, when she opened up the chance to respond to a GREAT BIG question, I gulped down that bait. I'm embarrassed to tell you how long I spent on my answer, but then again, when you see the question, perhaps you'll agree that the topic is one we should probably all mull over. Cheers! Check it out. 

Father's Day is coming our way soon, and I've been seeing a lot of crafty goodness in my feed over at Blog Lovin' (shameless plug, you can follow me over there, too).

I'm taking a different bent and showing you some of the great art pieces I've found on the one and only Etsy, featuring my favorite medium - letterpress. I was able to create with a letterpress for two of my classes in college, and I became a quick addict. The quality of ink on paper, the dimension to the letter forms, the richness of material all come together for the unmatched beauty of letterpress.

Here are five great finds, that are affordable, too, for the dad or husband in your home.

For the quirky foodie or chef dad:

 this from here

For the risk-taker dad:

this from here

For the dad that's full of philosophy:

this from here

For the old school, outdoorsy dad:

 

this from here.

For the artsy, retro dad:

this from here.

Etsy has great finds for dads, moms, and everyone else on your lists. Happy shopping. And give some letterpress printers a little extra love this Father's Day.

Thanks for coming over!

XOXO,

MJ