Stamping and Painting

It's raining. It seems to do that a lot lately. We've been doing lots of art projects to keep busy.

I've been wanting to do a deeper review of some of our favorite products from Stubby Pencil Studio that only got a quick mention before, and this seems to be a good time.



Watercolor Paint Set from Faber-Castell ($9.95)



Art was my favorite thing to do when I was a child, but I never thought I liked watercolors because they were always so wet and anemic. They were frustrating. The colors blurred and looked muddy and the paper always crinkled up from the water. When I finally got to try the real stuff in college, I was surprised by how much fun watercolors are and how easy to use.

I bet these would have provided a better experience. The Faber-Castell water colors are strong and bright and also easy to use.



Even two year old Linnea is getting strong colors and clear lines. A good paintbrush helps. We like Faber-Castell triangular brushes ($7.95).



Here's Arielle's masterpiece. Birds, of course.



The watercolors are certified safe for children and are made in Turkey. We used regular drawing paper this time, but Stubby Pencil also offers nice, thick, recycled watercolor paper ($9.95 and $12.95/20 sheets) that is perfect for making special gifts or Father's Day cards and doesn't pucker at all.

Animal Stamps (5 for $19.95)



These are so much fun, but messy. So we covered the table and put on our messy-shirts (recycled from Dad). Our ink pads are from Djeco ($12.99).



The stamps are nice and big and easy for a toddler to handle. They are also super cute and made in Thailand from rubber wood.



They do get messy. If you use washable ink, they clean up with soap and water. Otherwise, try a bit of rubbing alcohol to keep them clean and cute.



Lots of messy fun, but it all cleans up. And, the kids are so proud of their creations. We just stamp like crazy, but older children could make cards or decorate book covers and notebooks for themselves or for gifts.