Pass the Potatoes Please & No Fries Please

What is summer without some creative outlet?

Summers are so full of fun things to do would be a shame not to have something to remind you of those fun times.  

Some of you are experts at keeping a visual journal and I am by no means an expert. In fact, although, I may keep a sketchbook a visual journal is a new thing for me.   I just want to share what the kids and I are doing.  The kids loved working on their pages and are so willing to show them off to anyone who will look.

So look what they have done today.

We have worked in stages on our journal.  One evening we completed the wash of colors and completed potato stamps on a separate page so each child had a color washed page and at least one stamped page .

The second day we cut out stamped designs and photos and began to glue things down. Then the finishing touches came, adding additional stamping with purchased foam or rubber stamps in various colors that blended into the background.  As you finish up the first journal page you can quickly wash in color on a new blank page for tomorrow's journal. 

Preparing the paper with a wash of color:

• We like to start with a board that has several layers of newspaper covering one side, and then staple or tape our paper on top of the newspaper for absorbing the spill overs.
• We thin our acrylic paint with water in coordinating colored condiments bottle.   (Ketchup bottle is red paint.  Mustard is yellow paint.)
• Then we squeeze out color on the paper and allow it to flow together.
• Set it aside to dry. It can take hours depending on the paper and how much water was used.

Potato Prints
You are going to need a potato for this next part.  And a knife sharp enough to cut into the potato.

• Cut the potato in half. This will give you two stamps.   
• With a sharp pencil or a pen that no longer writes draw a shape
• Carve off the negative space.
• Remember to reverse or cut the mirror image of your asymmetrical shapes.  Pictured is the letter "P" reversed for printing.
• Use ink pads or acrylic paint to stamp on paper.Experiment wth colors. 
• Stamp on a clean sheet of card stock
• Cut out when dry to glue down on paper

Putting It Together
While everything is drying find a photo to use and print it out in various sizes, cut and glue down on your prepared page. Prepare a week's worth of pages to use and have ink pads, and purchased stamps to add more texture to the surface.

Now you have a surface to start your journal writing.

Pearson's journal page.  (3 1/2 yrs old)

Reese's journal page (5 yrs)

Everybody helped with 19 mo. old Blakely's page.