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If you have little ones that want to create something special or you yourself like getting creative for your own mom this list of ideas is perfect!

10 Gift Ideas for Mother’s Day

1. A gift that is useful but also perfect for getting creative is this tote. These totes are fun, simple and can be made so unique.

Handprint Tote Bags by Nifty Mom  (You can purchase the canvas totes here for your project.)

2. Photo Cube by Crafts by Amanda

3. Chocolate Bouquet by Tikkido

4. Handprint Wall Sign by the Idea Room

5. Natural Coasters by Garden Therapy

6. Jar Gift by Lil’ Luna

7. Fabric Covered Vases by i Heart Naptime

8. Does your mom like to relax with an evening bath and a book? If so these DIY bath bombs are a perfect handmade gift!

Lemon Bath Bombs by a Pumpkin and a Princess

9. We LOVE art around here and painting is my utmost favorite thing. If you know a mom who loves to paint these inspired mugs would be perfect and a fun project to create.

Marbled Mugs by DIY Candy

10. Dishes are always fun to make, use and display. These fun dishes were made by some of my friends at Lolly Jane.

Polka Dot Ring Dishes by Lolly Jane

Whether you plan to give your mom a card and flowers or a hand crafted gift its the love that matters most! I hope the 10 Mother’s Day gift ideas help inspire you. Wishing all the moms out there an amazing day! Dovidenia. XO

Here are a few BONUS ideas for gifts!

DIY Wood Burned Appetizer Tray

Tied Fleece Blanket DIY

How to Make Painted Rocks

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What I personally love about wood-burning is the method of creating the art, the smoke, the heat (as I am usually creating in the Fall and Winter months) and the slower pace and attention to detail it calls for. Wood burning is a great project you will find yourself success in due to its simplicity!

Here is what you need to create your own DIY Wood Burned Appetizer Tray:

• wood burner
• wood pre-cut unfinished appetizer tray
• pencil, paper and transfer paper (if you choose to hand draw your design as I did)
• hot stamps or metal stencils (if you prefer to add design without free hand drawing)
• food safe sealant

If you are going to use a drawn design, after it is drawn you can then use transfer paper placed underneath your drawing to then transfer onto your wood. This will reduce errors and eraser marks on your wood. If you are avoiding hand drawn design you can find images and trace over them with your transfer paper onto the wood or use hot stamps attached to your wood burning pen or metal stencils to create designs. Once you create your design and burn it into your wood add the wood sealant to preserve your wood (make sure food safe) then you are done.

TIP: Make sure your take your time and move your burner across your wood slowly to get the nice lines you see below. The one thing I notice with my students new to this technique is they want to write as quickly as a pen would write. This speed causes uneven and spotted lines. Move your pen very slow and you will see much better line work. If you cross course ridges in your wood sometimes to create a line small dots very close together will give you the appearance of a nice line when the ridges want to pull your wood burner off track.

Here is a mandala design I created for an art class I taught locally:

In this post I was hoping to simply inspire you to begin playing around with wood burning art and experimenting. In future posts I will go into more depth of technique to creating the varied strokes I create and what tips I use to do so. Also, follow along with me at my friends AWESOME blog Moms and Crafters as I cover the materials, books and techniques in even more detail.

Follow all my art and local class options here:

Handmade cutting board with custom wood burning! This item is available as a custom made item I create for you or for a custom group class! You name the design???

A post shared by Simple Acres Art (@simpleacresart) on May 3, 2017 at 9:22pm PDT

I teach art classes locally but will travel to select locations. I teach DIY, wood burning projects as well as acrylic and watercolor painting classes. I also offer private creative events for birthdays, corporate events and more! If you are interested in my services inquire here or DM me on the Instagram account shared above. Dovidenia. XO

You can also shop at my Etsy shop here!

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When I told the kids we were going to make a rock craft they all got so excited! From my 8 and 6 year old boys to my 4 year old daughter…. they all squealed with delight! This craft is a great opportunity to go on a walk with the kids and spend quality time. It can also be a teaching opportunity, giving the kids a set number of rocks to find (teaching them counting) and encouraging certain shapes (of course it depends on the age of your kids). You can treat the finding of rocks part as a scavenger hunt even. Here is a gratitude scavenger hunt you may also like for future fun.

Let’s get started on everything you need for this project:

Materials needed to make rock art:

• flat slightly smaller rocks so they are not too heavy
• hot glue gun and glue
• round magnets
• acrylic paint
• clear nail polish

We painted our rocks white first to create a nice “canvas” to our art.

I then let the kids create whatever art their hearts desired. They had so much fun (besides fighting over paint colors ).

Once you are done painting your rocks, let the paint dray and seal them with clear nail polish. Once the polish is dry you can then glue your magnets with hot glue to the back of the rocks. Make sure you are gluing the correct side of the magnet first, by trying them on your refrigerator. After about 15-20 minutes your rock magnets are ready for use!

I hope you enjoyed this simple tutorial on how to paint rocks and create your own painted rock magnets. Dovidenia. XO

For more kids crafts check out these:

How to Create Scratch Art for Kids

Kid Made Wood Burn Ornaments

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What I love most about this project is it’s simplicity and seeing your child’s very own art come to life in a permanent way etched in wood. It is very important you follow the warning labels on the wood burner and offer very close supervision to prevent the chance of a burn.

Materials for making Kid Made Wood Burn Ornaments:

• wood gift tags
• wooden colored beads
• hemp string
• wood burner

How to make your ornaments:

1. With supervision, guide your child how to correctly hold the wood burning pen to prevent self harm.
2. I helped my son and guided his hand at first as we both held the pen to teach him the pressure he needs and the pace to draw on wood with the wood burner.
3. Let your child create the designs they see fit. I let me son create with no guidance or limitations to what he drew.
4. Once the tags are complete, place 6 inch string through your tag and string beads to your liking then tie the end and you are done.

There are many uses for these ornaments! You could use them as actual gift tags on presents, hang from your rear view mirror to admire daily, or simply hang on your Christmas tree as the ornaments they are!

Creating these Kid Made Wood Burn Ornaments allows your kids to be creative and you to have a special keepsake. These also could make great gifts your kids could make for others that is very affordable.

Enjoy creating friends! Dovidenia. XO

If you enjoy art, crafts and DIY projects you may also enjoy making these:

Up-cycled Watercolor Gift Cards

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Art

DIY & Tutorials

Home Decor

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Chalkboards, chalkboards, chalkboards EVERYWHERE! I still cannot get enough of the nostalgic feel these evoke…and what better way to display those statements, quotes, phrases and REMINDERS that encourage and uplift us! This is a simple DIY with a twist.

Rustic Chalkboard DIY Materials

• frame
• chalkboard spray paint

Being a country girl I love all thinks rustic, thus a barn wood style frame was my choice. You can pick these up at most craft stores.

Directions

1. Pop the glass out of the frame
2. Give it 2-3 layers of spray paint (allowing time for each layer to dry)
3. Place it back in the frame and you are ready to inspire!

 My twist is this fun spring butterfly garland I made and attached to my board. The butterfly garland is next on our DIY to do list! Dovidenia for now! XO

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Personal growth can be so painstaking at times. As gifted as each one of us can be, often we lack the tools to grow and be successful in the creative realm we so crave! I have THREE SECRETS to the creative process that will simplify your creative growth. Is your mouth salivating for success yet? I know you can taste it, so lets dig in to how to improve your creative process!

There are many things to learn in every aspect of art and creativity. I will continue to share insights into those here at Simple Acres. Today I am excited to focus on what I believe to be some of the main most important components of your creative process! Your creative space, your ability to SEE what you create and LED LIGHTING make a world of difference in your ability to improve your creative process.

How to Improve Your Creative Process

1. A creative space that inspires. I tend to find myself creating art all over my home and often whereever I go, but I have two main spaces in my home. (My poor husband has come to have patience with me in this although I am sure it boggles his mind. Ha!) My new more recent space is a vintage cart I found “junkin” which I converted into a creativity cart. I also found an awesome small vintage ladder I use as a seat. What inspires me in my space is surrounding myself with things I love such as my favorite colors, vintage finds and nature. Any indoor creative space of mine will always be facing a window, allowing me to day- dream as I view the outdoors.

2. Exceptional ability to SEE your creation. Whether I’m painting, wood-burning or creating jewelry the most important factor in that process is the ability to see the often minute details I am creating. This is where my SECRET comes in! OttLite lighting has blown me away! It not only has a sleek and appealing design it also offers several lighting options. The model I use is called the LED Cobra Desk Lamp with USB. It is turns on and adjusts with just a touch of your finger AND can charge your phone as you relax listening to music! OK….I will slow down my excitement and just share more!

Below is my before picture of my art without OttLite.

Now look at the difference in my painting with OttLite on!

With OttLite my art is brighter and lit up to where I can see every detail I am working on! I can move the neck of the light to get the best lighting possible.

3. Lighting. I have spent years perfecting my craft. It is a work in progress until the end. One message I feel confident sharing is that if you plan to share your art by selling it online your lighting is the deal breaker between being successful or not. Lighter, brighter and clearer pictures of what you create appeases the visual being we are as humans and potential buyers and fans.

Here is an example of how OttLite can improve the process of picturing your creations for entrepreneurial success. Below is a picture without OttLite. When picturing your art to promote online the darker light and shadows do not present your work well.

Now see how with OttLite you see the shadow of the rock disappear thanks to the adjustable positioning of the bulb and the natural light setting that is available to use.

I hope these pictures have demonstrated the three main areas I feel are game breakers in the world of CREATING! Your creative space, your ability to SEE what you create and LIGHTING make a world of difference in your ability to improve your creative process. I encourage you to continue or start expressing yourself with art! It is amazing how as we live out our own passions we can inspire our children as well.

I am so head over heels in love and excited over this lamp that I am sharing a 30% discount (30% off any purchase on OttL using coupon code OttliteLED30 through May 31, 2016 *note: Only USA customers can purchase through OttL If asked, storytellers can let Canadian customers know that they can call 1-800-842-8848 to speak to our Customer Service team to place an order).

I  am also GIVING ONE AWAY FREE to one lucky reader of Simple Acres! Comment below this article as to what you would have under YOUR OttLite for an entry and chance to win this same lamp for yourself! The winner will be picked at random and I will contact you soon! Go to my fan page on Facebook and follow to catch the fun as I share more of what Simple Acres is about! Learn more about the OttLite founders to get to know the company as a whole. Get inspired! See what is under other people’s OttLite lamps!   I encourage you to create, inspire and savor life! Dovidenia. XO

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