Tag: tulsamoms

face painting, Uncategorized

But… Is It Clean?

Holly Embry

Face painting: is it clean? I feel like so many people want to ask, but may not know how because they’re afraid of offending someone. I totally understand why cleanliness is an important factor when deciding whether to allow your child to have their face painted. So, I’m here to give you a glimpse into the techniques I use to keep my supplies safe and sanitary!

General Practices

Face Painting On-the-Job

For starters, here are some things you should know about my paints and my policies:

  • The paints I use contain antimicrobial ingredients, are FDA approved, and are designed to be used safely on multiple faces.
  • I do not paint over wounds, broken skin, or dirty faces (I keep face wipes on hand to clean up those messy little faces when necessary).
  • I don’t paint children with contagious illnesses. I’ll give them a sticker or a temporary tattoo to take with them instead.
  • Likewise, I will not work when I am contagious. If I become ill when I’m scheduled to face paint, I’ll do my best to arrange a substitute face painter.

On-the-Job

ffccpicnic1

While I’m painting a group of kids, I use the following techniques to keep things sanitary:

  • Clean water, stored in a spray bottle, is used to activate the paints. This means I’m not dipping brushes in dirty water, then back into the paints again, to moisten them.
  • A clean sponge is used for each child, then the whole batch is double-washed after the event (more on that later).
  • The rinse water contains a hypoallergenic solution to sanitize brushes. I bring lots of clean water with me, and change the rinse water frequently.
  • I sanitize my hands regularly on-the-job.

After Hours

wagon

The wagon is all loaded up and the party is over, but there’s a lot that goes on behind-the-scenes after each job I do, including:

  • EVERYTHING gets cleaned- brushes, sponges (a preliminary hand-washing, following by machine washing), stencils, and all containers are washed with soap and water.
  • All linens, including table cloths, are washed after every use.
  • Even the surfaces of the paints themselves are wiped clean.
  • I’m careful to only use hypoallergenic, fragrance-free cleaners to avoid any skin irritants.

img_20190628_180956-e1571169074644.jpg

The entire process of cleaning all my supplies and laundering the linens can take several hours. There’s a lot of work that goes into making sure everything looks pristine when I set up my face painting station at events.

clean_setup

I’ve noticed people seem to really take an interest in face painting. I’ve even considered setting up more chairs since I often have a small “audience” watching me work. It’s fascinating stuff! So I hope you enjoyed this insider view of how we keep our things tidy.

With love,

Your Friendly, Neighborhood Face Painter!

painty_heart

 

crafts, Uncategorized

Low-Mess Painting for Little Artists

Holly Embry

Raise your hand if you sometimes let a distaste for messes get in the way of trying out fun activities… ✋✋✋ I place a very high value on creativity, so I always pictured myself as the kind of mom who would provide ample opportunities for artistic ideas to unfold. But in reality, I find that cleaning up little messes all day makes me feel less-than-excited about doing things that would create even bigger messes.

However, my artistic ways are winning over and I’m slowly letting go of the expectation that things should always be tidy and perfect. Now that my son is 2.5 years old and mostly through the eating-crayons phase, I figured we should start making art a part of our routine. I found something that worked perfectly for us, with easy clean-up and colorful results, so I thought I’d share.

The Perfect Low-Mess Painting Project for Little Artists

painting1

Materials:

  • Paper- Any kind, really, but we used marker and watercolor paper.
  • Washable Paint- I used Watercolor Magic, but any washable liquid paint would work. 
  • Paintbrushes
  • Table covering- Protect your work surface using newspaper, an old tablecloth, cardboard, or a cut-up paper bag.
  • Tape (optional)
  • Stickers (optional)
  • Smock or play clothes

Early childhood art supplies

Instructions:

  1. Prepare your work surface. Protect your table by laying down newspaper or whatever you have on hand. I used a paper grocery bag taped to the table, then taped the marker paper on top of that, which kept everything in place even if the art session got really active (which, of course, it did).
  2. If you like, you can put some stickers on the paper before painting to make your picture a little more fancy or create a scene.
  3. Give your child a paintbrush and explain how to use it to spread paint onto the paper. Drop some of the liquid paint onto the paper and let your child brush it around. Dropping the paint directly onto the paper kept things fairly neat, for us.
  4. Once you’ve painted with one color, allow your child to choose a different color. We kept going this way until my son declared his work of art complete.
  5. Cleanup is super easy for this project- just rinse the paint brushes and put away your supplies.
Low-Mess Painting Demonstration
Here’s a little video of this project in action!

Allow the paint to dry, then proudly display your new artwork! These are great to give away to family because they are bright, cheerful, and quick to make. My little artist usually cranks out 3-5 paintings each time we do this.

paintings

Other Tips for Making Art with Littles:

  • Rather than telling young kids what NOT to do, remind them of what they SHOULD be doing. A young child’s brain has not yet developed the ability to control impulses, so focus on the desired behavior and don’t give them any bad ideas. Instead of “Don’t paint on the table,” you might say, “Make sure the paint stays on the paper,” for example.
  • If you have any white crayons laying around, you can add an extra step to this project by drawing some designs with white crayon before you begin painting. The crayon marks will resist the paint, leaving fun designs on your project. Older kids might even enjoy making secret messages!
  • When using watercolor cakes with young children, buy a cheap set (Crayola makes some that are inexpensive but surprisingly vibrant, and I’ve also seen watercolors at the dollar store). Then don’t worry about the colors getting mixed up, and let your young artist go wild.
  • If you can get your child to wear a smock- that’s awesome! My kid refuses. He will, however, let me slip an old T-shirt over his head with no problem. 😉

What kind of stress-free artsy things do you like to do with kids? I’d love to hear your ideas!

books

Favorite Fairy Books

Holly Embry

I have seen a lot of things in my 35 years on this planet, but last Saturday must have been one of the most magical evenings of my life.

fairyfest5
Photo by Scott Grizzle

Tulsa experienced its first ever Fairy Festival, and I had the honor of presenting an enchanted storytime, complete with music, dancing, puppets, and bubbles! It was so much fun to see an entire flock of fairies join each other in song and play.

fairyfest1fairyfest6

fairyfest4
Photo courtesy of Tulsa World.

It was almost otherworldly to be surrounded by so many beautiful fairies. You can get an idea by viewing this gallery published by the Tulsa World. I was so inspired by this event, I decided to put together a list of my favorite fairy books. Hopefully, readers of all ages will find something to engage their imaginations.

fairy_books

I’m linking to the Amazon listing for each title so you can gather more information and, in most cases, see a preview of the book. These are not affiliate links, and I gain nothing from any clicking or purchasing you might do. There’s a good chance your local library has many of these titles available if you see any that spark your interest. Enjoy!

For Babies & Toddlers

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A BabyLit Fairies Primer by Jennifer Adams-  A short and sweet telling of Shakespeare’s beloved story, adapted for the tiniest of readers.

 

Good Night Fairies by Adam Gamble- What better way to send your little sprites off to dreamland than a charming bedtime story?

 

Fairy Friends: A Colors PrimerFairy Friends series by Merrilee Liddiard- This set of board books teaches little ones about seasons, colors, counting, and opposites using colorful photography and whimsical fairy illustrations.

 

Picture Books

Child of Faerie, Child of Earth by Jane Yolen- If I had to pick a favorite fairy book, this would be it. Although I opted for shorter books during my Fairy Fest performance, it would be perfect for a quiet storytime at home. The story and illustrations are breathtaking.

Backyard Fairies by Phoebe Wahl- A trek through an enchanted forest gives readers a glimpse of a fairy realm, with rhyming text and a sweet ending.

 

The Fairiest Fairy by Anne Booth- Yet another that was a bit too long for storytime, but so cute nonetheless. A rhythmic story about embracing who you are, quirks and all.

 

The Foggy, Foggy Forest by Nick Sharratt- As for my own little sprite, this was definitely his favorite of the fairy books. Transparent pages reveal a variety of forest creatures.

 

A Fairy Went a-Marketing by Rose Fyleman- This beautifully-illustrated story reads like a poem and gently embraces concepts such as kindness, freedom, and generosity.

 

For Young Readers

Pinkalicious Fairy House by Victoria Kann- A sweet tale celebrating the magic of make-believe, with gorgeous colors and dreamy illustrations that will leave your little fairies spellbound.

 

Tooth Fairy’s Night by Candice F. Ransom- Because we can’t have a list of fairy books without including at least one story about the Tooth Fairy! This one has a fun plot, with small sentences perfect for beginning readers.

 

Image result for diverse fairies by Daisy MeadowsRainbow Magic Fairies by Daisy Meadows- This series is massive with more than 250 titles in all, but I can tell you from my years in the library- the little fairies LOVE these books.

 

For Teens

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull- Fairies are only a small part of this mesmerizing cast of characters! Mull’s writing is imaginative and humorous.

 

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer- The first in a hugely popular series, this one is often recommended to fans of Harry Potter.

 

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black- I made a point to include Holly Black on this list, because her work is unmistakably magical. This eerie story would be great to curl up with in the fall or winter.

 

For adults

Among Others by Jo Walton- A unique and adventurous coming-of-age story, Walton did a great job of making a fantasy novel feel relatable by including familiar themes such as family issues and grief.

 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas- This author has a writing style that will grab your attention from the first page, with witty dialogue and interesting characters. This is the first in a bestselling trilogy.

 

Have a lovely night, and may all your fairy dreams come true…

twinkles