Make a Pretty Pillow for Your Valentine

Who says you have to spend a ton of money on expensive roses or an overpriced dinner on Valentine’s Day?  How about making your Valentine a hand-made gift?  Hand-made gifts come from the heart and are truly appreciated by the ones we love.  For those of you who might like to make a gift, here … Continue reading →

Be Open to Art

Today’s artist to watch is Christie Leonard. A senior at Marple Newtown High School, Christie is actively involved in the arts at Community Arts Center. I recently sat with Christie to discuss work from a class she’s been attending for several years, building architectural models, and I really learned a lot about the process.  I’d … Continue reading →

How to Make Art from Trash

Today I’m giving suggestions on how to make art from trash. Ok, it doesn’t really have to be trash but it could be, or any old, extra pieces of stuff you may have lying around your studio or house.   I got the idea from a project my girls were doing in their art class.  They … Continue reading →

Mural Painting at Made in America

For “how to” Tuesday, I’d like to talk about mural painting.  Since I’ve never actually painted a mural, I’m not gonna give specific instructions on how to do that (although I am attaching a link on Steps to Making a Mural from the City of Philadelphia’s fabulous Mural Arts Program website if you’d like to … Continue reading →

Re-Creating Olympic Rings

For our “how to” today, I thought it’d be fun to give some ideas on re-creating the image of the Olympic rings with children. If your children are participating in some outdoor “Olympic style” games, have them help make flags or decorations with the rings to add to the spirit and festiveness of the games. … Continue reading →

How to Make Artist Trading Cards

Artist Trading Cards are small works of art created quickly for giving away or trading.  Recently, the CAC offered a class on Making Artist Trading Cards with Claudia McGill.  I think they are really cool and can be used as a marketing tool to promote an artist’s work.  There are many techniques you can use … Continue reading →

Easy Arts Activities with Children

Art experiences allow children the opportunity to practice working with their hands and fingers, refining small motor skills. It also improves eye-hand coordination. Working with various materials provides children with the opportunity to learn about the building blocks of art: shape, form and color while building confidence in their ability to create. Here are a … Continue reading →

How to Tie-Dye T-shirts

One of the favorite activities at Summer Spree Camp and at our Fine Arts and Crafts Festival is tie-dyeing t-shirts so today I’d like to give some instructions on how to tie-dye.  Tie-dyeing involves folding material into a pattern and wrapping it with rubber bands then applying different color dyes to some parts of the … Continue reading →

How to Add Art to Your Garden

Today I’d like to share some ideas on how to add art to your garden. Here at Community Arts Center, we have a lovely cottage garden filled with beautiful flowers and whimsical garden accents.  We also have a more formal garden area complete with large bronze sculptures and metalwork.  Both gardens provide a place to … Continue reading →

How To Support Your Local Art Organizations

If you’re not an artist (like me) but love the arts (like me), here are some ways to support your local art centers or organizations: Make an individual donation and ask if your company makes matching donations Become an art center member Sponsor an event or ask your employer to sponsor an event produced by … Continue reading →