DIY: COLLABORATIVE ART PROJECT GIFT

Birthdays are special but they do not have to be overdone.  Little gestures and handmade gifts go a long way and especially when trying to figure out something for the grandma who has everything or really just wants a gift from her special grand kids.

For grandma's birthday this year, we decided to work on something together to present to her.  I racked my brain for a bit and came up with this:  a collaborative family portrait.  It is very simple.  For our particular portrait we decided to use a drawn picture of our house as a focal point.  You could choose any place you like.  The more familiar and familial the better.  We each took turns drawing our selves.  Vye has very little drawing abilities so I drew her.  But I could have incorporated her using a hand print or thumb print.  The eldest babes took turns writing the letters of Grandma's name and message and embellishing the pictures of themselves.  I completed the project with watercolors and a frame.

There are a multitude of mixed media you could use:  real pictures, collage, fabric, crayons, paint, markers, a piece of wood.

Our goal is to make a family portrait each year and to collaborate together to see how our artistic talents evolve as a family.

(Thinking back I should have put a year on it!)  All in all, grandma was super ecstatic.