DYI Disney Infinity Poster Art

 

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." 

- Walt Disney

   It's not a secret that our family has been wanting Disney Infinity in for home for nearly a year leading up to this past Christmas. The kids made no bones about it, and mom & dad masked their desire as "for the kids". We started the new year, defeating frost giants in the Marvel Avenger's play set. The kids got WAY creative in Toybox mode. Having come off a Guardians of the Galaxy high, we also delved into Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy play set. The game play is fun, the chance for both male and female gamers to be represented is cool, and the adventure seems endless. 

   One aspect that I hadn't anticipated is a little bonus gift that came with our starter kits. #DisneyInfinity starter kits include an incredibly cool 16" x 23" poster that features characters from that play set. I was tickled to have a few in our possession after the holidays and figured they'd be pinned up in the kids' room in no time. However, the creative side got a hold of me and I got to planning for a fun project with these awesome posters.

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A quick method to make these lovely bonus posters into a permanent art piece for the kids' room goes as follows:
1. I purchased a cedar tongue and groove board from Lowes, then sized and cut the wood to fit the size of the posters.
2. Assembly was easy with drilling pilot holes and putting both pieces together with wood screws.
3. I moved the project inside and prepped for the nest steps.
4. I adhered the posters to the wood with Modge Podge, working out the bubbles with a roller and my hands.
5. Once dry, I took the pieces outside for sanding.
6. Light sanding on the corners aged each piece. A small amount of dark finishing wax was used to age even more. An afternoon to dry, and they were ready for hanging.

    

   As Walt Disney's quotes says above, I talk a good talk, but need to do more. The Wife and I have SO many ideas that we want to see come to life, but when you boil down all the talk it comes time to actually do something about it. It was easier on this project, because our family is in the middle of a Disney Infinity REVOLUTION!!! These little posters are just simply the exclamation mark to highlight this moment in time. It adds something to the kids' room that they are passionate about (as well as mom & dad). The wood portion adds some dimension to already amazing artwork. The whole project was a creative outlet for dear old dad. Lastly, it's a way for me to show my love for the Disney brand, as it has brought us so much happiness and joy from when I was a boy, to the present day with our little family.

Happy gaming. 

J.

One Man's Trash - Wine Barrel Wood Projects

 

"One man's trash, is another man's treasure."

 

   The Wife and I have been working on some wood pallet projects lately. You can see some of what we have cooking on our Etsy shop. It's been a fun way to stay creative, pass time while watching the kids play out front, and so on which I've posted on Reclaimed Wood Projects. Our gardener saw us working in the garage one day and informed us that he did some landscape work at the local wine vineyards. He offered to bring us old wine barrels that were, in his words, "falling apart anyway, and just going to get thrown out." Enter The Cheeky Daddy.

 

   I had visions of weaving, lining them up for a new kind of canvas to paint on, etc. Then naturally I went on Pinterest to see what else inspired. I was not disappointed. Our gardener mentioned that he himself had made some benches out of them. The lids have the logo of the vineyard they are from on one end, and other cool looking text on the other. It set my creative mind ablaze and I haven't been able to get them out of my mind since.

 

   This illustrates the core of the "one man's trash" saying. Like discarded wood pallets, these wood barrel destined for landfill, inspire something more in people like us. I'm grateful that people we know see the potential and offer their "trash" to us to make something new out of it. The saga continues and be on the lookout for when we finally complete our first projects with these barrels of the forgotten. Geez, that sounds like a Nicholas Sparks novel.

 

J. 



Multitasking With Children

 

"Multi-tasking arises out of distraction itself." - Marilyn vos Savant

 

   Over the weekend I was fortunate enough to get to some projects moved along. The Wife and I have found a decent balance so that we both get some time for ourselves. That being said, we also sometimes are so into our projects, that it's hard to stop once on a roll. Case in point: this weekend's art project.

   I've recently had a good start on some wood pallet art on my small but growing Etsy shop. The only issue I've had is "the zone". You see, "the zone" is that place you go when you're SO into the project at hand that you lose track of time and block out everything else. Let's just say, it's tough watching my older two out front when I'm in the garage and "the zone" hits while working on a project.

   So Saturday afternoon, The Wife has a make an Easter run, and I'm watching the two older sprogs out front, Wee Lass asleep in her crib. Halfway through a wood pallet piece (Pictured above, and please excuse the mess. Artist on board.), the baby wakes up and I have to make a decision. Pack it in, or multitask. Que the Ergo Baby and we're back in business! At first she was looking up at me, staring me in the eye with amazement and wonder. Oh, if only all the girls did that. Then she watching me paint like "awwwweee, yeahhhh,..now THAT'S a mess I can get on board with!" By the time she'd had enough, The Wife was home and took over while I finished the piece.

   Not every opportunity is suitable for multitasking with children. There are a few that work out seamlessly and I found one this weekend. Granted, I'm still looking for the other two kids (KIDDING!). Actually, The Wife and I have noticed that the kids are into projects more, now that they've seen us in action working on the art pieces and Oreo Pops. So I guess it's rubbing off on them.

   I wonder if any one's had similar experiences. I'm always on the hunt for ways to pull of more in the same amount of time. Ideas?

 

J.

Blog Anniversary - Art Projects

"I intend to live forever -- so far, so good!" - Stephen Wright

 

   Today is The Cheeky Daddy's 2 year anniversary. As with any two year old, there's been a lot of kicking and screaming. I started off strong, slowed down after a bit, and am now back in the game. Time certainly flies, but I find that even in the busiest of times, I can fit in posts about being a father, husband, or just me.

   For my bloggiversary, I painting plaster horses. They were a gift to my 'Lil Miss from her horse riding grandmother. It was the Fantasy Plaster Horses that are only $12.97 at Walmart. They were super easy, there was plenty of paint to complete the two enclosed horses and cleanup was a breeze. The time with my 'Lil Miss on some "arts and craps" as she calls it was priceless. It was a fun project. The above pic was my little side project to commemorate The Cheeky Daddy's 2nd blog birthday. Fun stuff.

   Being New Year's Eve, be safe out there, and all my best.

 

J.

('Lil Miss hard at work painting her Fantasy Plaster Horses)

 

Reclaimed Wood Projects

"One man's trash, is another man's treasure."

    Okay, so it you can substitute "woman" for "man", but the topic is the same. The Wife and I are all about the reclaimed wood craze. While it's not for everyone, we're hooked. Sure, we're buying and refinishing secondhand furniture. The finishes all seem to contain some form of distressing. The questions though, is why not start projects with ALREADY distressed wood. The Wife and I looked around a bit and my better half came across Vintage Timberworks in Temecula, CA. They have a ton of various types of timber available for projects, as well as some amazing completed commercial projects. 

   There are plenty of projects that are MUCH simpler for the beginner. I'm itching to find some time to replicate this project by a fellow woodsman. The graphic can be anything, but the concept is simple enough that one only needs some time and the guts to get started on the wood project. I've found that going into the first project or two knowing that mistakes will be made helps me from becoming frustrated. By project two or three, MANY lessons have been learned and I'm more confident. That brings me to my final tip. 

   I was getting a morning drink and stumbled across a guy with a trailer FULL of reclaimed wood (pictured above). I had heard of the concept and asked if that what he was doing. He said he was a fence builder, and what I saw was ALL GARBAGE!!! I nearly died, seeing all that aged wood going to the dump. FREE WOOD! It wasn't the time to take it all back home, so I got his card. He said he takes several sections at a time to a local furniture maker, who turns it into something valuable (like this from another website). Oh, one can dream. 

   So dream big, and make a little bit of time each day. I've found that helps me stay creative, while being a dad with three young tikes. If you have any ideas, send 'em my way!

J. 

Indoor Hopscotch

"Do not, on a rainy day, ask your child what he feels like doing, because I assure you that what he feels like doing, you won't feel like watching." - Fran Lebowitz

   The whole family was sick late last week, and if your family is anything like ours, cabin fever sets in rather quickly. Our two little 'uns are SO active, that even in sickness they have a ton of energy. Going outside is a limited activity during days of the plague, so we find ourselves breaking out the indoor tent and couch cushions to make the ULTIMATE fort. Twenty minutes later, when that got old, I had the brilliant idea to bring the "black top" games from my childhood school years to the indoors.
   Hopscotch is what first came to mind. So I grabbed an old roll of masking tape and got to work. I had to look up the basic rules of hopscotch, but we got there in the end. 'Lil Miss was all over it and played well after I was done. Days later, she was outlining the squares on the back patio with colored chalk so she could play outside. It was great, 'cuz it's helped her to learn some rules, taking turns, tossing her marker with some accuracy, balance, etc. What's more, we kept the television off that much longer.
   Up next will be indoor four square and indoor kick ball (........ ouch! Should we do that indoors?)

J.
(p.s. Even old masking tape sticks pretty good to carpet. It DID come off, but I got worried for a minute there.)

Disney's Tangled - Review

Rapunzel: "I have made the decision to trust you."
Flynn Rider: "A horrible decision really."

   So trust me. My family recently rented Disney's "Tangled", and I was NOT disappointed. My wife and 'Lil Gal saw it in the theater for a birthday treat, but I was unable to attend due to the Little Man's nap schedule. We got all the treats, drinks, pillows, blankets and such in order. The movie was cued up and we were set to go.
   The movie flowed great, the animation was awesome, and the scenery/color palette were delightful. (Here's an interview with the directors, on The Disney Blog) The characters were easy to fall in love with, and the mother was easy to dislike. My favorite, though, was Max the horse. The animation behind his character nearly stole the show. His body language was great, and made me laugh several times. I also teared up a few times (yeah, I'm easy to manipulate).
   The sign of a good kid flick in our house is how much it infiltrates our daily lives. Not only does 'Lil Gal want to be Rapunzel for Halloween, we play the characters in her castle all the time. I play Flynn Rider and she is, of course, Rapunzel. There are a multitude of games and crafts that can follow a great film like Tangled. I like to think big and different, though. We were watching Disney Jr. and I saw the following:

   I'd better get started, eh?

J.