Our philosophy that art has the power to make you feel good means that we try to reach as many people as we can to help boost their wellbeing. While we are closed to the public due to government advice, we're sharing loads of ways to stay creative at home.

"Art for Normals" blogs are aimed at everyone. We want you all to feel good with a bit of art. No artistic knowledge or, dare we say it, talent required!

Today, Friday 8 May, marks VE Day so to commemorate the end of WWII, when fighting against Nazi Germany came to an end in Europe, we have put together some activities which tie in to remembering what life was like for the people of Britain during the Second World War. Back then there was no smartphones, tablets or laptops to stay in touch in real time with friends and family. Telephones and snail mail ruled the roost. Pun intended.

In this extraordinary time staying in touch is even more important than usual. Obviously video calls and phone calls and text messages are great, but nothing beats a little hand written note in a card. Well except a hand written note in a home made card.

So why not have a go at creating your own messenger pigeon card inspired by the homing pigeons which were used to send secret messages during the Second World War.

---

Equipment needed:

• Plain cardboard or thick paper (any size, we did ours about 19cmx19cm)
• Decorative paper (could be from a magazine or a newspaper)
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Black pen
• Glue

Instructions

1. Fold one corner of the plain cardboard over to create a triangle. Trim off any excess card.

2. Glue a matching triangle of your decorative paper to one side of your card.

3. Turn your card over and draw the outline of a pigeon. Make sure the feet are wide enough to support your card shape once it is cut out.

4. Cut the pigeon shape out using the scissors. Use the black pen to draw a dot for the eye.

5. Cut a strip of paper, magazine paper is perfect for this. Roll it around a pencil to roll it up, then glue it to the pigeon’s leg. You can write a short note on this as well.

Ta-dah! If you like, you could write a longer note inside the card, and then deliver it to someone - keeping a safe social distance though! How about writing a friendly note to a neighbour who might live alone? Or leaving it for a family member living with you to find?

We would love to see your creations – you can make them all different sizes and use all sorts of different decorative papers to create lots of different effects. You could also make different birds, or animals or creatures to deliver your message - up to you!