Crafting with Teens: Halloween,Part 1

The truth is pretty obvious. My son is getting older. So now what? We have an annual tradition of making a craft for all of the big holidays. I have been struggling to find the right one. He is still willing to sit down and craft with me, but the usual crafts just don't capture his interest.

After poking around a bit, an idea dawned on me. I have been trying to get my son interested in mixed media. He loves to draw but has also been looking for another outlet for his creative energy. So far, he hasn't been interested in mixed media at all, but I think the no rules concepts of this art form are perfect for a teen.There are a few mixed media style Halloween kits available right now. I decided to show K the options, leaving the choice up to him. After all, at the end of the day, I don't want to push too hard. We browse a few websites and I can see his face light up with a bit of enthusiasm. Maybe getting older doesn't have to mean he will lose some of the excitement and magic of Halloween and Christmas after all.

His first choice is a kit from JBS Mercantile. K is drawn to the little vials and vintage labels of Halloween Decor Easel. The kit looks more sophisticated than a standard Halloween craft and it's quite unique. I admit to loving his choice.

My son's second choice is to make some Halloween houses with my Frog Dog studio Mixed Media kit. I guess I will have to let go a bit with this one. I had plans of my own for those houses, but time spent with K is far more important.

The first kit to arrive is the Frog Dog Studio kit. This sort of predetermined what we would make first. K had an assignment for history class. So he decided to borrow the sugar skull stencil and to snag the big canvas from the kit. The result is his first Mixed Media canvas. For his assignment, he had to design his own pirate flag. We decided the flag can double as a Halloween decoration.





The Halloween houses are currently in a state if being assembled. K has been playing with the Lindy's stamp gang mists to create a background. It's a little hard for me to let go of my supplies sometimes, but at the same time, I love seeing what he creates. I learn so much by just watching him explore each medium.

The Easel kit arrived from JBS Mercantile on Monday. I guess the good thing about these projects is that we can have several going at once. While one dries, we can work on another. We're intermixing the work between our homeschool classes which makes for a more relaxed day of work. I think also, that K has found a love for working with mixed media a canvases. We'll see if he produces more in the future.

I'll be sharing our Halloween crafts here on the blog. Stay tuned to see our next completed project.

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