Perhaps some of you may remember the header image above, not to mention the images below…..
…and all of my non-stop talk in that post, about how much I LOVE COLORS!! It was a post called ‘It Takes a Village To Make a Mess’ and can be found in the December archives. So what were we making that day??………….
We called them “Mini-Masterpiece Magnets.”
It was abstract fine art, done our way! And each one SIGNED by for the artists, no less!!
We took those full sheet finger paintings, mounted them on magnetic material, cut them into 3″ x 3″ squares, and then ‘framed’ them with some black vinyl. Then we made up sets of three, put them in those nifty clear bags I love, with a ribbon and a tag that said ‘Mini-Masterpiece Magnet Set’. : ) We thought they were so colorful and fun, and honestly, it was my favorite hand-made craft gift we made to give as Christmas gifts. We can only hope others could appreciate all of the colors and happy-emotion of these paintings, to adorn their refrigerators, perhaps to hold up a masterpiece of their own child’s, or a shopping list!
We made A LOT of them, and really…….they were truly hand picked into sets, for each recipient. They may look all the same to some, but it was a painstaking task for us silly ones, choosing which ones we wanted to give to who, and which we just had to keep!
Here’s a closer look at a few of these priceless paintings:
Big Mess. Crazy Colors. Loud Laughs. Huge Fun. = ART
It is just one great project after another at your house! These are very cool, and really ALL the kids can do it no matter their ages, since its finger painting! Just to clarify, you mounted the paper on magnetic material … Then, is the black vinyl piece an actual frame or is it a little bit larger square on the back? Just checking, because I think we could actually do this one! LOL (My kids are still pretty little.)
P.S. What are the clear bags that you like? Do you have a link to them or an archived post?
Hi Sarah!!
Yes, all of your kids could so this and have fun, and make beautiful art, just being messy!
The vinyl is actually material my husband uses for work, which makes lettering which is cut with a machine, so he just cut out frames. BUT, there are other ways you could improvise. One idea is to look for thin black tape, and just got around the little square mounted painting. Or, you could use a black backing of some sort, as you mentioned, and just make the painting smaller, leaving a relief for the frame!
The plastic bags are crystal clear and just close with a twist tie…and they are just LOLLIPOP bags!! They are right in the candy making aisle of any craft store. They are the bags you put your little chocolate creations in after making them. They come in a few sizes. We used them for a few of our crafts this year-they were perfect.
Any other questions, just let me know!! I hope I was helpful!
oooh. i am loving all of those bright colors. thanks laura for this cheerful sight.
I love this idea! Off to the Twin cities today, hoping I can find some magnetic material!
Paula
– The day is almost out now, as I type – I hope you found what you needed in the Twin cities. ???
Regan
– Glad it brought some cheer to you! And you are QUITE welcome!
These are really – really cool! I’m going to suggest making these for teacher appreciation week.
Jul and I did the soap making this week and all her classmates and teachers were in awe of the pretty, fragrant bricks she made. Of course she said her Godmother showed her how on her website, and a few of them wanted to know if they could have the address so they could learn? I won’t give it out without your permission. Have a great day. Love, ~R.
What cool masterpieces. And how creative. Do they just make a bunch of paintings together, cut them up and then mix and match to put on the final product?