How green is your thumb? Do you like bringing a little of the outdoors inside with houseplants? Potted plants are a great way to dress up any room, windowsill, or patio. But while the plants add life and color, the pots themselves are often overlooked. Add some personality to your little terracotta tubs with paint. There are tons of ways you can paint your pots—and feel free to try any that strike your fancy—but two techniques that stand out lately are color blocking and drip-drying.

For this project, you’ll need: terracotta pots (or any ceramic pot), masking tape or painter’s tape, and paint, either acrylic or spray, in any colors you like. As you can see, you’ve got lots of options here!

First, decide how you’d like your pot to look. If you want it to have a base color, start by painting the whole thing in the color of your choice and letting it dry. For those who prefer the natural terracotta to show through, jump right into whichever technique you’re trying.

Photo via Dellie

If you’re going to color block, start by wrapping tape around the pot at your desired height. Next, grab your paint (be it on a brush or in a can) and paint the half you want to be colored. Spray painters should aim for about two to three coats. If you’re using a paintbrush, you can also freehand the line around for a more rustic look.

Photo via The Proper Pinwheel

If straight lines aren’t your thing and you’re ready to drip some paint, flip that pot over! Once it’s upside down, pour a bit of paint around the sides on the “top” (what’s technically the bottom) and start swirling your pot around on its edges so the paint spreads closer to the edge and eventually runs over the sides. Try to do this over something like tinfoil or plastic—paper will stick to any dried paint that reaches the bottom and give you a hard time.

Photo via The Lovely Cupboard

Let your pots dry and then load them up with your favorite plants (cacti, succulents, flowers, etc). To weatherproof these, spray with a clear sealant and then set them up outside.

Et voila! Your pots are as pretty as the plants they hold. Which style do you prefer? Do you have any other favorite ways to jazz up your planters?

When the weather is so gorgeous out, my favorite projects are those that combine art with spending time outdoors. Whether it’s something that can be completed outdoors or something that requires found materials from outside, count me in.

Today’s project falls in the latter category. Painting sticks is a fast, simple, and fun craft… and is a unique, pretty decoration for any room.

So for painted sticks, all you’ll need are… surprise… paint and sticks! A quick trip to the backyard or local park is all you need to get started. On the other hand, some people actually collect neat-looking sticks (for many years, I saved one with a weird eye hole from a hike when I was eight years old). If you already have a good handful of sticks you’d like something to do with, now’s the time to use them! If you don’t have any, just go for a walk and grab some! Look for various lengths and widths and avoid those that are too tiny or brittle to work with.

 Photo: Ginette Lapalme

Once you’ve got your sticks, wipe off any excess dirt with a cloth or damp paper towel (you don’t have to be too thorough). Depending on the look you’re aiming for, you could even sand your sticks down with sandpaper for a smoother surface. Personally, I like the rustic aesthetic. Let your sticks be bumpy—the charm of this project lies in the imperfections.

Now it’s time to start painting! Grab some paintbrushes and acrylic paint and decorate your sticks however you like. You can make your designs as intricate or simple as you choose. You could paint the whole stick or only a part of it. Use tons of bright colors or adhere to a limited color scheme. Have fun trying ideas out.

 Photo: Scandinavian Deko

Once your beautiful new creations have dried, one great way to show them off is to display them in a vase. It’s a bright, unexpected twist where one would normally expect to see flowers. You could also simply lay them on a shelf or mount them on a canvas to hang up.

What do you like to do your painting on? Do you tend to stick to canvas and paper or do you branch out sometimes? Have you tried other natural surfaces like wood or rock?

 Photo: Uploaded by

Pointillism is a real nifty painting style for any budding art lover to acquaint him or herself with. Not only is it an interesting moment in art history, but it’s also a great technique to play with and explore in one’s own work. In this project, we’ll make our very own creations comprised of dots. It’s a wonderful way to explore texture and color. This project is suited for anyone and is a perfect mix of fun and education for kids. If working with little ones, supervision or assistance is strongly recommended since there is a flame involved (see below).

First, a little background: Pointillism is a painting technique pioneered by artists like Georges Seurat and Paul Signac towards the end of the Impressionist movement (late 1800s). The artist uses dots of color to create a larger whole picture. The connection our eyes make between each dot can create the impression of different colors and specific images. Pretty neat, huh? It’s similar to Impressionism in that the brushstrokes are visible and central to the aesthetic of the painting, but pointillism is more precise and controlled—you can see each dot. You may have seen these famous pointillist paintings:

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884-86) by Georges Seurat

 The Papal Palace, Avignon (1900) by Paul Signac

It may look super complicated, but don’t let that stop you! You too can create your very own pointillist masterpiece! You’ll need: a canvas or sturdy piece of paper, a pencil, wax crayons (with the paper wrappers removed), and tea light candles. Ideally, you’ll want a lot of crayons—a couple shades for each color to add depth and make the dots stand out. For example, if you’re creating a blue sky, try using a dark, medium, and light blue.

Okay, let’s get started! First, take your pencil and lightly outline the picture you want to create—just big, general shapes… nothing too detailed. When you’re ready to start filling the picture in with dots, start with the background and work your way up to the foreground. Take a crayon and hold it about an inch over the candle flame.  Once it starts to melt, but before it drips, start dotting the desired section of the canvas. Leave some spaces so you can go back with another shade of the color. Repeat this process until you’ve worked through the section, then start with your next shade. The process is time-consuming, but I actually find it strangely soothing. The relaxed repetition of creating dots and seeing them slowly build a picture can be both calming and fulfilling. Also, don’t feel obligated to finish your whole picture in one sitting. Sometimes it’s better to take a break or even work on it over a few days.

Here are some great examples of homemade pointillist projects (click links for each blogger’s tutorial):

Photo: Intellidance                                      Photo: Helping Little Hands

One good alternative to melted crayons is using acrylic paints and unused pencil erasers (the pencil acts as a great brush handle and the round eraser makes perfect dots). This creates a similar look, but avoids using a flame.

Photo: Classic Play

Once you have a feel for the general method, feel free to make it your own. Art is a wonderful combination of understanding established techniques and experimenting to make them your own. Happy dotting!

When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do was visit the “duck pond” with my uncle. We’d bring a loaf of bread to this big pond by a playground and feed the ducks and watch them swim around. I was fascinated with all the ducks swimming around, from the gorgeous green-headed mallards to the brand new baby ducklings trailing their mothers. Watching them always meant that warm days were ahead, and so were many afternoons spent at the playground and duck pond.

These little pebble ducks are a perfect project for my four-year-old self and anyone ready to welcome the next batch of baby ducks and warm spring days ahead.

First, take advantage of these warm, lovely days by going for a walk to collect some pebbles or small rocks. When you get inside, give them a good scrubbing in some warm soapy water. Once they’re totally dry, you’re ready to paint! Grab some acrylic paint and create your little duckies. You can use whatever colors you like, but one classic combination is a white mama duck and yellow babies. For younger children working on this, or a just more minimalist look to your project, paint each rock a solid color so it acts as the whole body (like in the first picture). If you’re feeling more ambitious, you can draw a complete duck on each rock, as seen in the second picture. Once the paint has dried, go back in and add the face details with markers (black eyes and an orange beak).

Photo: Inner Child Fun

Photo: Babble

How cute is these little guys? And they don’t even need breadcrumbs! The ducks are truly adorable, but you can choose any animal you like! This project is extremely versatile and just waiting for your creativity to take over!

Do you have any childhood memories that automatically remind you of spring? Other than ducks, what animals would you try with this project?

Well, this month is off to an unseasonably warm start. That’s making it all the tougher to really believe that it’s already December! But don’t be fooled—winter is here. Let’s just enjoy the mild days of December while we can because chilly air and snow can’t be far away.

Speaking of snow, how cute are these snowman cups? Becca of Blue Cricket Design created these adorable little guys with Styrofoam cups, some pink and black paint, and a little orange stiff felt.

With a small, round sponge and pink paint, dab some rosy cheeks onto your cup. Next, dip the back of a paintbrush in black paint and create the coal eyes and mouth. Finally, cut a triangle of orange stiff felt and hot glue it to the cup as the carrot nose! That’s all it takes! If you’re making a whole bunch, you can set up an assembly line and do each step in bulk one at a time.

Cute, cost-effective, and useful! These little guys are just perfect for milk and cookies or hot chocolate. They also make adorable carriers for classroom snacks or clever goodie bags (just stick lids on them)! And even in the nice weather, these snowmen won’t melt. Have fun!

Photo via Blue Cricket Design

October may be the time for spooky, scary monsters, but once Halloween is over, why not take a look at other kinds of creatures?  Monsters can also be colorful, adorable, slimy, goofy, or funny. They can also be made with just some paint and a straw!

These cute and kooky critters are fun to create and just as simple! They’re a great opportunity to play with color, character, and creativity! You’ll need white paper, paint, straws, construction paper, googley eyes (optional), and glue.

Use a straw to blow the paint on the paper, creating the body and arms and legs (remember there can be more than two of each!). You can put small blobs of a few colors on the paper to see how they interact and add more dimension to your monster.

Then it’s time to create the faces! You can use construction paper or even googley eyes… whatever you want! Just glue them where you want the face to be. You can also add accessories or scenes around your monster! Remember—all these add-ons are how you showcase your monsters’ personalities.

Go wild! See just how crazy you can make your monsters. If you give this a try, take a moment and share your finished results with us! We’d love to see some one-of-a-kind kooky creatures.

Photo via smART Class

Photo via Raising Sparks

Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to get creative with expressing yourself and exploring your creativity. This year, surprise your loved one with personalized Champagne Flutes!

Get the supplies you need at Scribbleshop.com! Click here for easy shopping!

Using acrylic enamel, be inspired by love, hearts and X’s &  O’s to present something special when you sit down for Valentine’s Dinner! This can also be done with wine glasses!

Here’s a tip: find heart shapes and patterns that you love from magazines, stickers, ads, etc., then tape them to the inside of the glass to create a Valentine’s look or pattern. Once you have found that special look, trace the shapes and outlines of the words with the acrylic paint (Try using Plaid Folk Art Enamels in Metallic Gold, Metallic Silver and Engine Red). So simple !

Hi Scribblers!

You’ve seen the posts mentioning the launch of our new art and craft supply store….well, the day is finally here! Scribble Shop is open for business!!

At Scribble Shop, you will find over 75,000 items to meet all your crafting needs! Shop now to receive specials discounts on paint, yarn, craft books, kids art kits, food art, wreaths, decorations and more!

As a special discount for our Scribble readers, use promotional code SHOP1211 to receive an additional 10% off at checkout! Hurry quick- this special promo code is available until December 31st so shop now & save!

Hi Scribblers!

I just wanted to make sure you hear the news- Scribble Shop has officially launched! Love to shop and save? Scribble Shop is your one stop shop for creative supplies! Take a look around- you’ll find everything from buttons to baking supplies, painting books to polymer clay and much, much, more!

Shop & Save today with promotional code: SHOP1211

Check us out to see what special discounts we have for you!

Hi Scribblers,

I hope you’ve been enjoying your fall! Have you been busy making any fall crafts?

Today we made this Sunflower Smile Craft!

Sunflower Smiles

To make, you will need a small paper plate (about 6″), yellow paint, crayons, white paper, leaves, tape and a picture of your loved one(s).

To start, paint a paper plate yellow. Next, draw 1.5″ lines a half inch apart around the the plate and draw triangle points about a half inch down.

Cut the 1.5″ lines and cut out the triangle pieces.

Following the instructions from our leaf rubbings craft, make two large leaves and tape the ends together.

Tape the yellow sunflower plate onto the center where the leaves meet.

Cut a circle around the picture of your loved one (about 3″ across) and tape to the center of the plate. Hang up for display and enjoy!