Hand Tree Art

I love when E makes artwork for me! He makes me something EVERYDAY! He makes me things like colored pages from a coloring book, pictures of cars, skateboards, Spongebob & Patrick, Ships, Treehouses,dogs,cats, frogs, birds, leaves, rocks, stars, planets, people, places, things, and even the kitchen sink! (I kid you not!) And, this is just what he creates for me on paper at home!

He also makes models out of boxes that are supposed to be in the recycling bin, clay, play doh, rocks, legos, pillows from my sofas, wire hangers, string, food, etc.

And now, we are blessed with one major piece of artwork a week that is sent home from school, not to mention the hundreds of random papers that come via. backpack express into my kitchen for display.

So, who am I to tell him to stop creating Art? I would never! But, it has come to the point that I am starting to not think that every piece of artwork is "display worthy."

Don't judge me, you know what I mean!! Seriously, how many sheets of paper with a star can I put on the fridge?

Anyway, thanks to some amazing blogs that I am addicted to have discovered, I have found great art projects, that E can make, with my help or on his own, that are actually DISPLAY worthy for long term decorations!

Check out At Second Street for a tutorial on this Hand Tree.

This "hand tree" is made from fabric scraps that I went to Jo-Anns and bought so that they would match my dining room,  a canvas, burlap, and Mod Podge. I drew leaf shapes on the fabric, and E and I cut out hundreds it felt like thousands of fabric leaves. I covered the canvas with burlap, stapled it to the back, then arranged the first couple of leaves on the burlap, and mod podged them to the canvas. E put the rest of the leaves on, with my direction, of course. Then we traced his hand and arm and arranged it on the leaves as the branches and trunk of our tree. Then we covered the entire burlap with Mod podge, and let it dry over night.

The next morning, I wasn't happy about the edges of the burlap, as it barely covered the canvas, and  it was fraying. So, I asked my super cute husband if he could make a simple frame with scrap wood around the canvas. And he did...2 weeks later. Then, super cute husband asked if I wanted the wood painted or stained. I requested stain, but he heard, "go to Home Depot and buy paint and paint it brown," because painting is easier then staining... But, I didn't complain! Actually, I was so appreciative of him for helping with the project, and surprising me by painting the frame himself.

The best thing is that this piece of Art work, is a one of a kind piece, that was created by our family of 3!
What do you think?

I love how the fabric of the hand matches my Pier 1 curtains!!