Family Fun Friday - The GREAT Pumpkin

Starting something new here... I usually post some family friendly on the Kaleidoscape Play Studio Facebook page on Fridays, but I want to take that a step further. I want to help you have some family fun and give you a list for next week too! That way, you'll be ready to make some family fun a week early. (In theory)

Fortnuately, today's Family Fun Friday project is rather timely and you may need to do it anyway! Let's talk pumpkins! Whether or not you celebrate Halloween, finding joy in a pumpkin is easy. They are round, orange and super tasty in a pie! That said, this article does feature how to DECORATE a pumpkin.

So, first things first! If you decide you want to do some traditional pumpkin carving, PLEASE take the time to click here and read some Pumpkin Carving Safety Tips! But we are thinking after reading this... you may opt out of knife weilding with your kiddos and take one of these fun ideas instead.

First up... yes, I'm going there. MUSTACHE PUMPKIN!

Super simple tutorial here!

 

Next on the No-Carve-Menu, RAINBOW PUMPKINS!  

 

Neon + rainbow = amazing.

 

These pumpkins are also very kid-friendly, as all that's involved is acrylic paint (no hot glue or spray paint).

 

An egg carton served as our paint holder, with different colors in each compartment. Using a different brush for each color will keep them from mixing.

White Artist's Loft brushes worked well. The square brush gives you a straight edge.





A few coats of paint will probably be necessary to get good, thick color. When you're putting one color next to another, wait for the first to dry before starting the second.

One way to easily get in all the shades of the rainbow is simply to paint small pumpkins in different colors. This looks great, and is super simple to do.

Rainbow Pumpkin Ideas from here! Best Hallwoeen Ever!

Nine More No Carve Ideas!

1. Use hot glue or stickers
2. Masking tape
3. Glue cardboard words and spray paint
4. Duct Tape
5. GLITTER!!!
6. Patterned pantyhose
7. Pushpins
8. Decopage and add ribbon
9. Use Mr. Potatoe Head accessories



We LOVE this toy! (Like, REALLY!)

Part of our goal at Kaleidoscape Play Studio is to bring play elements that everyone wants to play with. We fell in love with the Perplexus mazes and actually have all four! Although they were purcahsed for the Play Studio, we couldn't resist them and opened them up!

 

There must be something pretty special about a man who can come up with a toy that appeals to so many age groups, that is durable and visually stimulating as well as completely addictive. Michael McGinnis is the inventor and developer of exactly that; the Perplexus. Michael is not only a sensational toy-builder-man, but also a sculptor, painter, art installation-er, and a host of other things…our kind of guy for sure! Michael has said how the development of the Perplexus was something of a dream, as he developed his long term passion of creating beautiful designs into something practical that could be enjoyed by numerous people, and thus a great business venture.

 

With eleven siblings and thirty-three nieces and nephews, as well as two children of his own, all of whom are cut from the same creative cloth that he is, the development of his invention may have been partly a result of creating something for the people he loves.

The Perplexus (formerly known as Superplexus) is a 3-D ball-in-a-maze puzzle or labyrinth game enclosed in a transparent plastic sphere. By twisting and turning the sphere, players attempt to maneuver a small steel ball through an intricate maze composed of 100 steps along narrow plastic tracks. Additionally, some of the steps involve dropping the ball into a cup or through a small rim to take advantage of its three-dimensional nature. There are obstacles of varying difficulty that must be navigated in order to reach the end.

We got our all of our Perplexus mazes at Over the Rainbow Toys and we are tickled to put the official KPLAY stamp of approval on them!
Reference Links
An Interview with the Perplexus Inventor
Wikipedia

There are NO mistakes in art.

If you get me chatting about art, I will eventually share my theory of creativity with you. Basically, I believe that everyone IS creative and that we ALL share that same gene. Now, before you argue, "Jennifer, I am so NOT creative!", let me explain.

 

As tiny children, we all color and create with abandon. Scribbling and fingerpainting to our heart's content; not worrying about the final product. Back then, we created for the fun of it. It's not until one day when you are showing your art to a "grown-up" that you heard, "Cows aren't suposed to be purple," or "Oh, you didn't stay in the lines," that you begin to second guess your self expression.

 

I dare you to challenge that way of thinking! There are no mistakes in art. NONE. If you "mess" up, just use it to embellish or start again. Trust me, you were made for this.

Create image credit: Tangram SM Store

Chairs... they are for people! Y'think?

Kaleidoscape Play Studio is currently hosting a Call to Artists for Chair PARTY, (click the title if you haven't heard about it yet and with this sudden awareness for inspired seating, I am giggling at the many ways that chairs have wriggled their way in my silly point of view.

 

Wikipedida says:
A chair is a raised surface used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs are most often supported by four legs and have a back, however, a chair can have three legs or could have a different shape. A chair without a back or arm rests is a stool, or when raised up, a bar stool. A chair with arms is an armchair and with folding action and inclining footrest, a recliner.
A permanently fixed chair in a train or theater is a seat or, in an airplane, airline seat when riding, it is a saddle and bicycle saddle, and for an automobile, a car seat or infant car seat.  With wheels it is a wheelchair and when hung from above, a swing. A chair for more than one person is a couch, sofa, settee, or "loveseat" or a bench. A separate footrest for a chair is known as an ottoman, hassock or pouffe.

Really now? Interesting...
Then, my mom sends me this little video produced by Facebook with the comment, "Chairs, lotsa chairs" and she's right... there are lots of chairs and I love it!



Who knew chairs were so interesting and for people too? (giggling)
I know... crazy girl writing here. Thanks for believing in my weirdness.

Mustache Monday Explained!

It is possible that you may have noticed on our Facebook page that we have an awful lot of silly mustache photos and particularly on a certain day of the week. You may be wondering, "What's with all the mustaches?!"

Allow me a moment to explain.

By nature, I am attracted to all this silly and I love to laugh. I all love alliteration, so when the concept of Kaleidoscape Play Studio was created (<<< example of alliteration) the idea of Mustache Monday was born. I just think it's so splendid to see all these people donning handlebars for the sake of silliness. (<<< another example of alliteration)

That's pretty much it. Turns out, there isn't a mystery or an obsession with facial hair... just one person making a difference in her corner of the world. <3

alliterational·lit·er·a·tion     noun
The use of similar consonants: a poetic or literary effect achieved by using several words that begin with the same or similar consonants, as in "Whither wilt thou wander, wayfarer?"

You're are gonna get in troooooouble!

True story:
For years I had an art studio in our house. It was a joy, full of creative mess and open space. I had eight bar stools in there for years, but one summer, on a whim I decided to alter my plain-o chairs. Now, let me set the scene for you...

So first thing, I do NO prep work at all.
I just start to paint, alter and create!

I begin painting the first chair and my oldest comes downstairs and stops in her tracks.
"What are you doing? You're are gonna get in troooooouble! Daddy's gonna be mad at you."

And I start laughing. "Honey, they are my chairs, Daddy won't mind if I paint them."
Dubious, she said "Well, I don't like them. I won't sit in them and I'm NOT helping you."

Of course, I got the giggles and continued on my project. When Daddy did come home, he liked them and then OH! Suddenly, she has a favorite! (See the pink one in the middle?)

So, now that we are opening a play studio, I want to bring that same whimsical element to the space. While I don't doubt that I could do a whip out some chairs for the space myself, the point of Kaleidoscape is to draw our community together. Wouldn't it be more fun to feature twelve extroidinary artists as a permanant exhibit within the Play Studio as a collaborative effort?
So, I'm hosting a call to artists...

Allow yourself to be inspired by kaleidoscopes, playtime, fun, kids, birthdays, party (any of those, not nessecsarily all of them!) Artists may select a sturdy chair to "flip" and transform with the inpiration. I invite you to take a look at what style we are drawn to in my "eye candy Pinterest Collection of art chairs".

The collection here are just ideas found online, NOT to copy.

 Criteria: MUST still be a functional chair to sit at regular table height and be family friendly.



Deadline to submit: December 5th by midnight.
Submit detailed photos by email to: kplaystudioak@gmail.com subject: “Chair Party”​
12 chairs will be selected for the final project display.

Selected submissions will become the property of Kaleidoscape Play Studio.

Each artist selected will recieve:
Artist Credit for their work at Kaleidoscape Play Studio
A commerative, limited edition Chair PARTY calendar.
If you have any questions: please contact Jennifer: kplaystudioak@gmail.com 

This week, I am...

 

I'm going to play a game of checkers, read a comic book, plant an apple tree, invite my neighbor over for some breakfast, and drink a caramel mocha! What a week this will be!