Doesn't this guy just make you smile? My favorite part of this picture is the chicken (big surprise...) - that is exactly what a chicken would look like if it was being juggled by a bear on a unicycle, don't you think? This is just one of many new prints and original paintings available from my talented sis-in-law Cindy on her etsy site. Go check her out - this guy would look great in your kids' room!
My sister-in-law's etsy shop is open! Hooray for everybody who can now buy her beautiful paintings! Go check her out...
A long time ago I bought a large canvas and some paints, with plans to have Moses paint a picture to decorate his room. He decided that he wanted to paint a picture of a truck, and I set about non-artistically drawing a (terrible) picture of a truck on the canvas and helping him "paint inside the lines"... You can see where this is going. It was not fun for either of us, and the end result was boring and ugly. Fortunately, in this area I can admit my type-A limitations, so I called in an expert: Aunt Cindy.
Cindy is a real artist - some day when I have wall space I want to buy everything she has ever painted. She is also great at hanging out with kids, so when she showed up with her bag of paint brushes, the entire truck painting experience was transformed.
Moses had a blast painting the sky, splattering rain drops, mixing colors, even playing tic-tac-toe while waiting for parts of the painting to dry. Cindy did a great job of guiding Moses without stifling his creative spirit. She explained to him that when painting it is really easy to paint over the best parts, so she encouraged him to take his time and stop painting when things looked good.
It was so much fun to watch the two of them create something so beautiful. I love how Cindy's painting and Moses' painting blend together seamlessly. It is definitely a truck, but definitely a truck that a kid painted. It is hanging in the boys' room which is still in transition. When I get things finished I'll show you pictures of how the painting looks on the wall (don't hold your breath, though. I'm a very slow decorator!) Thanks Aunt Cindy - we LOVE our painting!
I just found Yangyang Pan's gorgeous paintings via Scoutie Girl, and I am in love. Like, checking-my-bank-account-to-see-how-many-I-can-buy in love. I adore her use of color and how much texture she has put into each painting. If only I had more wall space!!!
Did you know that you can buy "sticker paper"? It is sold at any office supply store, somewhere near the printer paper, and is exactly what it sounds like: 8x11 sheets of white sticker paper. We spent a long time making our own stickers the other day and both Moses and I had SO much fun! Now we have a huge supply of home made stickers, many of which have been stuck to either Titus or the toilet while I wasn't looking.
Here's a fun February activity to do with your kids. Cut out a bunch of pictures from magazines and have your kids choose which things they "love," then make the pictures into a collage. Very simple and lots of fun to see what they choose and talk about why. We did this last year and it was a big hit. I think this year we're going to do a "things I love about Daddy" collage using the same idea.
Our friend Danny, who also happens to live at my Dad's house and is thus our closest neighbor, has been working on a pretty cool project that I've been waiting to show you. He is restoring neglected old furniture and painting delightful murals on it. This is his first piece, a totally awesome chest of drawers. This thing is so cute - if it was mine I wouldn't be able to put anything on top of it. I always knew Danny was artistic, but the attention to detail and the whimsical fun characters he's created are just so sweet.
Yep, that's a robot feeding squirrels. There is also a pile of books at the base of the tree at the very bottom of the chest. See it? So cool. This piece is already taken, but he's working on the cutest toddler bed right now and I hear there is another bigger chest of drawers in the works. I think he's planning on opening an etsy shop... are you drooling yet? I'm hoping he starts making smaller things for those of us with no room for more furniture - wouldn't you buy a set of blocks painted with this fun stuff? Or hang a picture in your child's room? I would (Danny, I know you're reading this...). :)
Man, having 2 kids sure makes it hard to find time to sew! Thus, the introduction of thrice-weekly "project time." I LOVE this and can't believe I didn't come up with it earlier. If there happens to be a time during the day when Titus is asleep and I don't urgently need to be cleaning something, it becomes "project time." Moses and I sit at our huge kitchen table, I at the sewing machine, and he with play dough, markers, or whatever other project he decides to work on that day. It is really fun to have a crafting buddy - we get to spend some one-on-one time together, and I get in some much-needed creating time. Afterwards I can tell that he feels just as refreshed as I do. Hooray for project time!
Moses "painted" this today on Photoshop - I decided it was high time he learned what a "mouse" was other than those annoying little guys who keep eating the rice in our cupboard. Doesn't it look cool? He especially loved choosing what colors to use. Now I need to get a good color printer - my brain is full of ideas for kid-created artwork for our walls...
We're both still feeling a bit under the weather, so Moses and I spent most of our day inside with the two best standbys a mom could have: playdough and crayons. God bless the wonderful people who invented these things! It seems my drawing skills could use some improvement, though. Moses kept asking me to draw a chicken, and each time I did, he insisted it was a cat and asked me to "try again." Needless to say, there won't be any ACEO's in my shop any time soon. :)
