I found this contest a week or so ago, where you can win $500 for the most creative Valentines Day craft. So the motors in my crazy little head started turning. . . I started running ideas past people and getting ideas from others. The result was a dang good entry if I do say so myself. What you see below is a joint creative effort between Sandra and myself. Wish us luck! Sandra, if we win – I owe you $250.

But, even if we don’t win, we had a whole lot of fun. And so did Bridget and Luke.

The contest ended yesterday. Take a look at our entry:

Glass painting

My daughter loves to paint. She’s painted on everything from paper to pumpkins to wooden blocks and picture frames, she’s even helped me paint paper mache. She’s only 2. So, it seemed only natural that the art project involve paint.

What you need:
– Enamel Paint (pink, red, purple, white – whatever colors you want) – $2 at Michaels Craft Store
– A sponge
– A glass jar, bottle, or vase (we also tried glass plates)
– Rubbing Alcohol
– Scissors
– Paper plate, or other surface to hold paint
– Apron, smock, or other paint-worthy clothing
– An oven
– Conversation hearts, torn paper, fabric scraps, etc (optional)

Prep:
– Cut the sponge into various valentines shapes. We did hearts, X’s, and O’s.
– Pour small to medium sized puddles of paint onto the paper plate
– Clean the glass container(s) with rubbing alcohol

The fun part:
– Dip one side of the sponge into the paint and press onto your glass container. Repeat as desired.

Note: This is fun for adults and children. My friend and I made some ourselves as our 2-year olds went to town on their own vase. At 2, the kids weren’t very successful at keeping the shapes of the sponges when the pressed onto the glass. But it doesn’t matter – the colors of the paint combined with the natural pattern of the sponge still made for a neat look. Besides, knowing that a 2 year old did it makes it even more special.

– Adults/older children may also want to use paint brushes to write messages on the glass: “Love,” “Happy Valentines Day,” “Be Mine,” or any other Valentines Day saying.

When you’re done painting (adult assistance required):
– Let the glass sit for 1 hour
– Place on a cookie sheet and put into a cold oven
– Turn oven to 350 degrees, and bake for 30 minutes
– Turn oven off, and allow glass to cool (to the touch) in the oven
– Once dry, items are top-rack dishwasher safe!!

Finishing Touches
– Fill the container with conversation hearts, little love notes (written on colored paper), fabric scraps, etc.
– Add a homemade flower (foam, colored paper, tissue paper, etc)

Note: I used heart-shaped Styrofoam, pipe cleaners, and hot glue (be careful if you use hot melt, not to melt the foam) to shape the flower. My daughter painted it with acrylics and covered it in glitter. After it was dry we glued a picture of her in the center. I had to use several pipe cleaners for the stem – the conversation hearts helped hold it in the jar.

Alternatives:
– Paint on the back side of a clear glass plate. Kids can make their own and use them for holiday meals, or give them as gifts to grandparents. Or adults can make them (like we did) because its fun.
– Paint on the outside of a glass candy jar. Fill with holiday candy. No flower required.
– Try similar for other holidays. Just change the color of your paint, and the items that go in the jar. The flower we made can also be an excellent 4-leaf clover when painted green. Cut your foam just right and you’ve also got poinsettas.
– I haven’t tried, but it might be fun to paint on mirrors as well. Perhaps more of an adult project though, if you want to have any useable mirror space left.

Random Notes:
– 8″ glass plates were only $1 at Wal-Mart. $1.50 for 10″
– If you are worried about little kiddos dropping the glass – line the floor with newspaper and put them on the ground.
– The vases/bottles we used came from a drink called “Fuze” – they were just the empty, washed out bottles.
– The Enamel paint washes clean from most surfaces with warm water. I don’t recommend getting it in clothing or carpets (as with any paint), but your table and your kids hands/arms should come clean pretty easily.

This is the plate I made. My daughter didn’t do a plate this time, just the vase. This is what it looks like from the top:

Up close look at the painting job of a couple of 2-year olds.

Kids, hard at work.

Up close of the foam flower we made. Note to self – it might be a good idea to paint the heart petals seperately, and then glue them together. We got too much paint on the stem.