Stuck indoors? EJaRt Creative of Suffolk’s ideas can be produced using everyday items you have around the house.
Arts and crafts are brilliant for boosting your mental wellbeing – and now we’re all spending more time at home, it’s the perfect opportunity to get creative! Emma Jayne Robertson, owner of EJaRt Creative, based in Hasketon, wants to help people of all ages and abilities fight isolation boredom and anxiety by sharing some stay-at-home makes that use everyday items. So, whether you’re stuck in on your own or want a fun way to entertain the kids, try these quick and easy makes and unleash your inner artist. Find inspirational ideas and share your latest creations here.
Cold Porcelain Clay
What you’ll need:
½ cup corn flour
Just under ½ cup white PVA glue
Petroleum jelly (Vaseline)
Vinegar (optional)
Mixing bowl
Mixing utensil (lolly stick)
Cling film
What to do:
1 Add the corn flour and glue into a bowl and mix – this may take a little while.
2 Once the mixture has combined, move it to a surface and knead into a ball.
3 Add a small blob of Vaseline and knead into the mixture. It is now ready to be modelled or rolled out.
4 The cold porcelain will dry hard in about a week depending on the thickness of your pieces. You can then paint your designs with acrylic paints.
Top tip:
Add a little vinegar to preserve the clay if you’re not going to mould it the same day you make it. Also, add a drop of food colouring to make coloured batches of clay.
Decoupage
What you’ll need:
An image, at least 3 (use wrapping paper, repeat print outs or tracings)
Sticky foam pads or cut-up cardboard squares
Scissors or craft knife
Cardboard background piece
Thin card
Glue or double-sided tape
What to do:
1 Stick your first main image onto the background card. Then stick your second image onto the thin card and cut out.
2 Stick foam pads or card squares onto the back of the cut-out image, spacing them out around the surface so they will act as supports.3 Next, stick the second image on top of the first image so it stands out from the surface to give a 3D relief effect.
4 Stick the third image on some thin card and choose some features that could stand out further, for example a beak or nose, a protruding belly, a hat or bag or petals on a flower. Cut these pieces out.
5 Stick foam pads or card squares onto the back of these pieces then stick directly on top of the second layer. You can keep layering up to create as much 3D relief as you wish.
Top tip:
Use multiple images on one background to create your own scene. If you don’t have a printer, use old magazines, newspapers or draw your own images.
Tie Dye
What you’ll need:
White or light-coloured fabric
Food colouring
Vinegar
Rubber bands or string
Washing up bowl or bucket
Water
Empty water bottles (with squeeze tops)
Cling film or Ziplock plastic bags
Newspaper
Metal cooling rack (optional)
What to do:
1 Soak the fabric in a solution of half water and vinegar for one hour.
2 Remove the t-shirt or fabric from the solution and wring out.
3 Choose a design (from the patterns below) and use rubber bands or string to tie them up.
4 Mix up the colours in bottles: 8 drops of food colouring to 120ml water.
5 Drop the colour on to dye the fabric, then lay it on the cooling rack to dry so the piece doesn’t end up in a puddle of dye. Put down lots of newspaper - it can get messy!
6 Wrap your t-shirt of fabric in cling film or place in a Ziplock bag overnight, or for at least eight hours.
7 Rinse in cold water until it runs clear and then leave to dry, then undo all the elastic bands to reveal your masterpiece.
Warning:
Wash separately to other clothing as colour may still run. The food colouring will fade after time unlike proper fabric dye.
Tie die patterns
Crumpled effect
Scrunch up the fabric surface and hold in place loosely with elastic bands or string.
Siral effect
Pinch the centre of the fabric and twist on a flat surface to create a spiral. Hold loosely together in a circle with elastic bands or string to make 6 portions, like a pie. Use these portions as guides for the colour application, alternate between two or three colours.
Sriped effect
Fold up the fabric in a pleat style so you have a long sausage. Tightly tie string or elastic bands at intervals along the fabric sausage.
Target pattern
Pinch the centre of the fabric and pull to create a long sausage. Tightly tie string or elastic bands at intervals along the fabric sausage.
Circle effect
Pinch a piece of fabric and tie tightly with elastic bands or string. Repeat all over fabric as much as desired.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here