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Art Therapy- Creative Self Care

Over the past month I’ve needed to tap back into my creative side to work through the current energy shift. I heard about art journaling, where you create art to represent your current feelings and I thought I would give it a try. I’m all about creative self care! I bought a mixed media journal and have tried to work on it every day since. Working on layered pages has taught me patience (there’s no instant gratification in art!) and has been perfect to fit in throughout the day instead of trying to sit down an focus on painting a canvas.

I’ve always loved art. When I was in high school my passion was charcoals and pastels. Then in college I painted a lot. After I had E, I got into scrapbooking. But then when she got to the age of using my materials without asking, I stopped buying the good stuff an focused on kid art supplies. So this is the first time in 8 years that I’ve worked with great art supplies- and my how they have changed!

I’ve found several acrylic paints that I am loving- especially a few that come in spray form and markers. I’m also loving PanPastels. I’ve been practicing with layers, stencils, incorporating my poetry and even excerpts from books I’m reading into the piece, and trying new art supplies to see how they work. It has been such a fun experience.

Here are some of my first journal entries:

I’m excited to see how they progress now that I am getting used to the supplies. Have you tried art journaling? What are some of your favorite products?

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Seedling

My kids love to craft. They get it honestly- because before I had kids, I crafted every weekend. But after I noticed my daughter comparing her projects to mine, I decided to let her do her own thing and just guide her with the materials and brief instructions. The results have been amazing- most of the time.

I love buying art kits. Putting together projects and getting all the materials can be challenging with 3 kiddos- especially when we don’t have an art store near us. We have used Seedling kits for a while now and I LOVE that some kits can be found in Target!

They just released a Disney line including art projects featuring The Little Mermaid, Finding Dory, Through the Looking Glass, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Tangled and more!

My kids love music, so they got to make a Circle of Life Drum from the The Lion King.

circle-of-life

The kit includes:

  • Cylinder drum box
  • Faux suede cord and fabric
  • Acrylic craft paint
  • Natural bristle paintbrush
  • Stencils
  • Painter’s tape
  • Drumsticks
  • Instructions

The stencils allow your child to paint Simba, Pumba, Timone, and paw prints to the drum. My 9 year old and 4 year old completed the tom-tom drum together and they had a blast- so they tell me. They snuck downstairs early one morning and completed it without me knowing- so I didn’t get any pictures. But they did a really good job on their own!

You can get the Circle of Life Drum kit online at Seedling for $34.99.

Here are examples of other Design Your Own Disney Kits that are amazing!

The 15-piece collection retails from $14.99 to $39.99 and is available on seedling.com and in select Nordstrom stores. Be sure to join the Seedling email list to find out about amazing holiday savings and how you can earn $10 by getting your friends to sign up and shop!

You can find Seedling on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Sample Disclosure: The opinions expressed above are honest, accurate, and not encouraged anyway by monetary donations. A sample free of charge was received from said company, as stated within the editorial.