Accidental Art

Something for you to ponder Grandma...learn to recognize art in the most simple, unusual and sometimes irritating moments. Strive to impart this attitude to your grandchildren (and your adult children). As a mom I remember getting upset sometimes when there was an accidental spill, or clothes were ruined by a good day of unexpected play. It's normal, and you can bet most parents still get bugged when the kids make a big mess. One of my jobs as Rowdy Grandma is to not get bugged, but to pat them on the head and say "that's okay, everybody makes mistakes.....now what does that spilled milk look like to you, maybe a cloud, or a giraffe"??

rowdy handprints

A perfect example happens all the time in my studio...spilled paint. The rowdies and I now call it accidental art and we have fun with it. We have spilled so much paint on my floor it has now become a giant canvas. There are a few masterpieces we don't paint over but otherwise any of the kids can just pick up a paint brush and paint the floor.

Dylan's studio boy

When they spend time in the studio without me I am always pleasantly surprised at all the amazing things they come up with. The best are often the sweet notes they paint to Rowdy Grandma, sometimes it brings tears to my eyes.

studio girl

Now I know you may not have a floor you want painted. My studio was once a garage and I have a concrete floor, (by the way I love concrete floors... four rooms in my house are painted concrete). But take it from me you can also paint a carpeted floor. I know this because when Dylan was younger he was painting his model car in the sunroom and dropped the paint jar. Wow, the pattern it made on the carpet was awesome...and he really dreaded telling me about this major spill....talk about trouble from grandma!! He and I ended up making the most of it by taking some of the other paints and trickling them in similar patterns all over the carpet...he had created accidental art.

Heart America!!

Point being, Rowdy Grandma, try to lighten up and be the grandma who doesn't want to grow up!!!...and have fun with the grandkids!!

Taylor's major paint spill on the driveway.

Chalkboard paint is another really great paint for kids to use, next time I will show you a few projects you can do with the rowdies using this great product.

Here fishy..fishy!!

One of my passions has always been books. To tell the truth as I get older one of my silly, sometimes worries is where the heck am I gong to keep all these books I keep collecting.

I like all kinds of books, but I am crazy for all the wonderful craft books out there. They are crammed full of good ideas I can adapt in my own art and ideas I can share with the rowdie grandkids.

There are tons of projects using old socks...you know the socks that loose their significant other and are doomed to live out their lives in a big pile of singles. I discovered another great way to use these orphans in a book I read recently, D.I.Y. Kids, by Ellen and Julia Lupton.


Just take an old sock and partially fill with sand or raw rice and tie a rubber band, string or ribbon around it. Once you have it filled it's pretty simple to draw funny faces and figures on it with permanent markers, acrylic paints or dimensional fabric paints. As always ask the grandkids to use their imagination, they may want to glue sequins, buttons or glitter on to their sock creature.


Cute, cute, cute and so easy. Let me know if you and the rowdies make one of these, I would love to post some silly sock creatures on my blog.

Wow....I'm in the blogosphere!!

First off, why Rowdy Grandma.....cause kids like ROWDY!!!

My suggestion to all grandmas is become a Rowdy Grandma.
Rowdy grandmas yell with joy and often sing really loud when a favorite song comes on (even if they can't sing)...like me.
.....in fact my family teases me - when my son was small I would sing things like Zippity Do Dah, I don't want a pickle (Arlo Guthrie ...if you don't remember) and Santa Claus is coming to town.

He would say ...stop singing!!! Well, I tried the same thing with the grandkids - they all said ...stop singing...couldn't believe it!!

I am also a crafty grandma, my grandkids have been making gifts for Christmas and other holidays since they were little....one of their favorites is to use an old egg carton and turn it into a beautiful jewelry box. If you have a grandson who poo poos this idea just mention how much his mom would love this gift from him - little boys love making a gift for Mom. Of course no persuasion is needed for the granddaughters...being girls they love jewelry and all things associated with jewelry.

....and, oh yeah....Rowdy Grandmas are messy and let the grandkids get messy.....if you have a grandchild that seems a little nervous getting paint on their hands be sure and tell them that's the fun of arting and crafting - a little paint on your hands. It is also a good idea to have an apron or some old clothes they can wear so mom and dad don't consider you a little too rowdy!!

......tune in tomorrow for instructions and ideas for an egg carton jewelry box you can make with the grandkids.....see ya then