Making Snowflakes

We started a project yesterday to make some painted coffee filter snowflakes for our front door.  First we cut out snowflakes from coffee filters, which Jo had just done at preschool and wasn't that interested in doing at home.  Tess tried, but is still learning how to use the scissors, so I cut most of the snowflakes out for her.  She painted them with teal, fuchsia, and violet liquid watercolors, which are beautiful and work really well on coffee filters since the filters are very absorbent.  The colors saturate the paper and are vibrant.   

She used brushes and a few small pipettes to drop the paint on the snowflakes.  I usually use art supplies that clean up easily, and even though the liquid watercolors are technically washable, they don't come up easily!  I think Tess objected to my hovering to clean up any spills she made, and it's one real downside to making art in the front room.  I had her painting on an old cookie sheet which helps since the lip of the sheet keeps the liquid from dripping on the floor.  She enjoyed painting them!

Today was part two; gluing them to the door.  Both of them were less interested in this!  Neither of them love having glue on their hands for too long and there isn't any way to glue the filters to the glass without also getting glue on your hands.  Even keeping a wet washcloth next to them doesn't keep them from having that sticky finger feeling for a few minutes.

First we tried a glue pen and then moved to a bowl with some watered down white school glue and a large paint brush.  That worked better than the glue pen, but this part of the project was one of those that the girls could really have done without.  I found something cathartic in painting glue all over my front window though!  I didn't get a good picture, but I do think the girls like the final results.

Soundtrack: You Are My Little Bird, Elizabeth Mitchell