Chalk Vases and Sugar Scrubs in Mason Jars in our Gift Shop

We have just designed a new line of chalk painted vases and sugar scrubs in mason jars for our gift shop at We Care Arts. 

The vases are decorated on the front with a few simple natural objects.  They are painted with the current colors of chalk paints, distressed and protected with a matte varnish.

The vases are left unpainted on the inside for your favorite flower arrangement and they are perfect for silk flowers.

These vases are a popular centerpiece in wedding decorations or for your home.

The sugar scrubs are made by We Care Arts and come in several scents.  They make your hands so soft and smell nice.

 

The containers are mason jars, again painted with the chalk paints and decorated with natural and other objects. The sugar scrub container can be used for decoration and match our vases.

The vases and sugar scrubs are priced at $15.00 and $12.00. Stop in our gift shop at 3035 Wilmington Pike in Kettering for these and other great gifts for yourself and others!

Students are Falling into Space Self Portrait

Here is a fun project that the Beavercreek High School students created to make themselves look like they are falling in space. 

 

First they traced their shoe at the bottom of the paper and added the shoe sole pattern. Then we traced their hands on each side. 

An oval was drawn for their head and the students drew in their personal hairstyle and face.

Then the clothes were drawn in smaller to look further away and were filled in with the clothes they were wearing.

This is such a fun project to make a self portrait!

Delaney

 

 

Scrambler

 

 

 

Spring Flowers with Pastels

These beautiful flower pictures were drawn with pastels by the Centerville High School students who come to We Care Arts each Thursday morning for their art class. They were created on mat board scraps that were donated to us from a frame shop. The pictures can easily be propped up by a wall for display!

 

 

 

 

Easy Animal Drawings

 

 

Do you have a hard time drawing animals? Many of Diane's students do and she came up with a solution. She found large pictures of dogs from a book on dog breeds. Using heavy vellum paper, the photo was taped to the underside of the vellum.

 

 The students then drew an outline of the dog's features with a black Sharpie.  The rest of the picture was filled in with water soluble markers as Crayola.

 

 

 

 The students were encouraged to have fun with the colors and to put in an environment so the viewer would know where the dog was - inside or outside. Some students named their dogs and added their favorite dog dish and bone.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                      The finished art work can be displayed in a window since it is translucent or on a wall with white paper behind it.

Supplies needed:

 

        Heavy translucent vellum paper

Tape

   Black Sharpie

   Crayola markers

 Animal book or calendar



Our Intern Mallory Paints with a Brush Visor!

One of the We Care Arts interns, Mallory from Wright State, painted with the use of a brush taped to a visor. She brought joy to herself, her staff and all of us at We Care Arts! Way to go Mallory!

 

 

 

 

 

Visit Our We Care Arts Gift Shop!

Did you know that we have a wonderful gift shop full of unique one-of-a-kind handmade gifts at We Care Arts
created by our clients?

 

 

Here are a few items that are in our Gift Shop now - our inventory changes frequently, so stop by often!

 

Here are some of Sam Carpenter's beautiful silk paintings, many outlined with metallic gold.

We have several adult clothing protectors to keep you or your love one's clothes clean sewn by Ruth.

Here are some of our necklaces in the popular larger sizes.

 

 

Our fused glass blocks with lights will brighten up a dark table or shelf.

 

 

These hand painted wood puzzles would be a fun addition to any child's room as a toy or decoration.

 

These unique, large and colorful hand built clay bowls by Kathleen would be a perfect artsy centerpiece for your table.

 

In our gallery you will find fine art and fine crafts such as the mosaic sun above and the tiger painting below. 

 

 

This just a small selection of artwork and gifts from the We Care Arts Gift Shop. Plan to stop by soon to shop for a gift for

yourself or others.  

 

Our location is at 3035 Wilmington Pike, just south of Dorothy Lane with a huge parking lot behind the building. Go through the left hand door under the awning to enter the Gallery and Gift Shop.

 

We are open Monday - Friday from 9 am to 4 pm, Tuesday until 8 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm.

Happy Valentine's Day from We Care Arts!

 

Many of our artists have been making art work with the heart theme for Valentine's Day. Here are some cut paper heart bouquets from Dynamic Senior Solutions in Beavercreek.

 

 

The artists used scrapbooking paper and heart templates from Fiskars. The care partners worked in tandem with the artists to help cutout and glue the shapes.

 

 

We Care Arts sends out Valentine's Day greetings to everyone!

Simple Weaving for Special Needs

This is a simple weaving project for special needs students, seniors or anyone who wants to experience the technique of weaving. Several of the art instructors at We Care Arts have used cardboard looms with their students to create a weaving.

 
Diane recently led a class of Independent Living and Assisted Living residents at 10 Wilmington place in a weaving project.. She used mat board for the loom.  Many frame shops have a few scraps that they may let you have. Cardboard from a cereal box or a packing box can also be used.
 
The pictures are from the ladies at 10 Wilmington Place. Diane had the warp thread all wound so the residents just started weaving with the yarn. They had worked an hour and 15 minutes when the pictures were taken.
 
1. For the looms, Diane used a 12x9" piece of mat board. Especially for kids, the card board loom can be smaller. Mat Board is easily cut on a paper cutter.
 
2. On each end, Diane cut a one inch slit with scissors around every inch. Make an even number of slits. She said that she would cut the slits every 1/2 - 2/3" next time for a denser warp. She used Aunt Lydia's crochet string. Any non stretch string will work.
 

3. The string is started on the back and taped down. It will be straight on the front and look diagonal across the back. Tape down the end of the string on the back. For the seniors, she use medium to dark board for contrast to the white string.
 
4. To make the whole weaving process easier, Diane used tongue depressor with a hole drilled in one end. The yarn goes into the hole and is knotted. The wide tongue depressor is easy to move through the warp strings.
 
5. On the front, the weaving is started at the bottom. tie on the string to the first warp thread.
 
6. The tongue depressor then goes over a string and under the next string then over the next repeating until the row is done.
 
7. All the thread is pulled through, then the next row is started with the opposite motion. If the last string went over the last thread, the next row is started by going under the same thread, over the next thread and so on.  If the last string went under the last thread, it will go over the same thread, then under the next following the pattern of over, under, over, under.
 
8. To make it easier for your students, when wrapping the warp ( up and down string) you can wrap a light thread on every other slit, then a dark thread on the remaining slits. then the students could be told to put the tongue depressor under all the dark threads on one row, then over the dark threads on the next row.
 
9. To prevent the warp threads from binding in, the yarn can be pulled through at an angle, then brought down to the next row using the fingers. This concept is usually hard for specials needs so the weaving will most likely be drawn in at the sides which is fine.
 
10. Be sure at the end of the row, the student use their fingers to bring the rows of yarn together.
 
11. Diane used yarn to weave through the warp. The weaving is made interesting with different colors and thicknesses of yarn. Be sure the hole in the tongue depressor is big enough to easily put the yarn through.
 
12. When a different color or more yarn is needed, tie the end of the old yarn to the new yarn. Cut the old yarn from the tongue depressor and replace it with the new yarn.  Diane usually cuts around 1 yard lengths.

13. Have the students keep weaving until the top of the loom is reached. Remember that thicker yarn will make the weaving go much faster! The weaving can be continued in other class periods or extra yarn can be given to the student to work on their own.

 
14. To finish the weaving cut the warp strings on the back of the cardboard across the middle.  Carefully take the strings off the weaving in twos.  The first two strings are tied together next to the weaving, then strings 3 and 4, 5 and 6, and so on till the end is reached. The loom is then turned around for the other side.
 
15. If you want to put a twig or dowel rod through the top to hold it, leave some room when you tie the strings. Or the twig can be placed next to weaving when you are in the process of tying it.

16. Realize that mistakes will be made and many times will not be seen when all the rows are done. Instead of tearing out rows, it is better to just have the student continue weaving.
 


 
 
 

Wine and Art Painting Class for Everyone!

We Care Arts is now offering painting classes for EVERYONE! Bring some wine (or not) and come and enjoy an evening of fun and painting! You don't need to have any previous knowledge or skill in painting. We will provide all you need to make the evening loads of fun!

The classes will be taught by our own talented Terry Schalnat in a step by step painting method. We will provide all the painting supplies including a canvas and you will go home with a painting you will be proud to hang on your wall! 

 

Every other month there will be a class with a new painting. This April painting is in the Spring theme of red tulips. The class is the evening of April 16th from 6-8 p.m. RSVP to tschalnat@wecarearts.org to let us know how many fellow artists will be coming with you!

The cost of the class is $35.00 and all the proceeds will help support our mission at We Care Arts. For more information on We Care Arts upcoming events, visit our website by clicking here.