Coffee Grind Art

As any parent I have my moments of hectic and sleepy mornings. Even thought I am not a coffee drinker, I must admit that a cup of java can save my day by charging me with enough energy to avoid sleepwalking while preparing lunches for the kids and arranging breakfast on the plates. However, most of the time my first cup of coffee is my last one for the day, although unfinished one. It would sit on a counter, half full, getting cold and bitter with regret of being misused.

Coffee grind is another story. I make sure I have a good use for this sandy once dry substance. I fertilize my garden and house plants with it, but sometimes it is called for something more creative.

Once I saw an instant coffee ad in a magazine with images made with coffee. So I decided to get creative and use my chocolate colored media for an art hour with my son. He wasn't going to school yet and I had to make sure he has something to do other than playing on the computer during the day. As any kid his age, my son loves to paint.

This time instead of paint that I ran out of we used glue and used dry coffee grind. It was so much fun watching as images appear after you blow the extra coffee dust away.

Besides the coffee grind we used school glue, paint brush and cardboard. We 'painted' silly images with glue and since it was white we couldn't see what is on the cardboard. Then we covered freshly 'painted' cardboard with coffee and then blew it off—coffee that stuck to brushstrokes revealed the picture.

Warning: this is a highly messy process, but what art project isn't?!