Make mistakes.....
...isn't that what Ms. Frizzle always tells us? Baby Bird and I made a fun one yesterday. I read somewhere (couldn't tell you where) recently that mixing craft glue with tempera paint can be a whole lot of fun. In my early morning, pre-coffee, mother-of-two fog I grabbed the finger paint instead. Okay, so it's not an 'oops, there were no weapons of mass destruction' kind of mistake, but still- it lead to completely different results. The beauty of open-ended *art* is that since there is no planned outcome, mistakes like this really don't matter!

We filled up our trusty squeeze bottles, and almost immediately noticed the raw egg-like consistency of the glue/finger paint combo. Sort of sticky, stretchy, and shiny all at once! Baby Bird was in sensory/texture heaven :)

Like any good almost-two-year-old, the fingers got involved fairly quickly...

Maybe tomorrow we'll do it the *right* way.....or, maybe not!

Daddy doesn't often get the opportunity to "do art" with the kids (something I suspect he may secretly be ok with!). On Sunday I set them up for this activity from Preschool Art, by MaryAnn Kohl. The glue and squeeze bottles came, as usual, from here.

First, a little design with the glue.

Next, sprinkle some sand on top...

er.....and a little more sand.....

... and then shake off the excess. Both kids enjoyed this, although I will say Baby Bird got a much bigger thrill out of it. She was ready to keep going after completing several pictures. The designs are dry now, laying on our kitchen table. Every time the kids pass by, they stop to run their fingers over the sand squiggles; they seem to be enjoying the texture.

This activity would be fun with coloured sand too. You wouldn't necessarily need a backyard sandbox to make it work either. A large, shallow container from your local dollar store would do the job just as well.

Happy Monday! Have fun :)

We have been sick. All. Week. Coughing, drippy noses, fevers, hallucinations......you name the symptom, we've had it.

And frankly, we've been grumpy too. It's hard to be kind and loving when you feel like....well, like crap. Both kids are at that stage of sickness where they want/need lots of comforting, but they can't find it within themselves to be nice to anyone. Which makes mothering a bit of a....oh, let's call it a challenge. Especially considering that I am sick too, and really just want to lock myself in the bedroom and crawl under the covers.

That said....I did manage to pull it together long enough this morning to get some paint out.


My intent was to use acorns, but in my delirium I couldn't remember where I had hidden them (I can hear the squirrels laughing at me). So we opted for the next closest round object I could find; wooden lacing beads.

Lay some paper in the bottom of a box (conveniently, the average size Amazon.com box is 8.5 x 11 inches) , roll the beads around in some paint, toss them in the box, shake and roll at will.

Voila! A Masterpiece.


Big Bird noticed that this picture looks like it has a T-rex in the middle of it. Of course he did.

Anyway.....my point this morning is not really about this project. It's about what happened after this project actually.

I went inside to find some clothespins so that we could hang our pictures on the fence to dry. Again, in my semi-delirious state, I left the kids outside. Alone. With the paint.

You can imagine what happened next. And I have to tell you, it turns out that covering your entire body with paint is really, REALLY good therapy for sickie kids! And sickie mommies too. Unfortunately for you, I had to put the camera down in order to participate in the fun. I did manage to capture this pic before they attacked me though.

It was warm enough today (sort of) for some outdoor painting. I chose black and red...not really sure why, I guess I'm just in a black and red mood!

The kids always enjoy painting outside....they seem to relish the fact that they can fling the brushes around a bit more wildly than they would do inside. A little paint on the lawn never hurt anybody!

They also seem to find clothes pins endlessly fascinating. Both Birds enjoyed helping me clip the paper to the fence.

Happy Earth Day!!

Ok....I know they look a bit strange, but they sure are a lot of fun! I believe they're called Finger Crayons...but as it turns out, it's much more fun to stack them up than to colour with them. They make a very satisfying "pop" when you pull them apart. Who knew they would entertain my children for a good 30 minutes? I think I'm in love.


I had fun over the weekend leaving some Hope Notes around town....here's one I left in the lavender outside of the yoga studio I take classes at. I'm getting a ridiculous amount of joy out of this! Possibly that's because I live in an area that could use a whole lot of hope....

And finally, an update on my current Mochimochi project. Shhhhh....it's a surprise for Big Birds upcoming birthday! And although I know it's hard to visualize....it really is a snake. The white part, to the right of the photo, will eventually get stuffed back in to the snakes body, thus creating the "tube" that you can stuff the mouse into if snakey gets hungry. Seriously ingenious. Makes me feel a bit inadequate really. Considering that I've been knitting for 27+ years (started when I was 5 or 6ish). But alas....I am most definitely a pattern follower, not a pattern creator!

Little Miss Bird picked out her watercolour pencils this morning.



I love the versatility of these pencils. Sometimes we colour with them first, and then paint over our work with water and a paint brush.....discovering how the water moves and mixes the colours. Other times we brush the paper with water first, and then use the pencils...same tool, completely different effect. And then there's one of Baby Bird's favorite techniques - dipping the pencils into a container of water, and then drawing with the wet tip.

Oh, and let's not forget her other favorite technique.....


As I write, I'm realizing how often we use watercolour paper in this house. Not just for the obvious watercolour pencils and painting....but also for finger paints, tempera paints, scissor and glue parties....you name it! I guess it's because I really prefer that the paper my kids are using not fall apart mid-way through the project. Maybe it's just here in this house, but "art" in its various forms seems to involve a lot of experimenting with just how much force can be applied to the tools before the paper rips ;) Watercolour paper really does stand up to the abuse.

Here's where I get mine, and most of the other art supplies we consume in our home. This company, although quite large, still manages to have quite a bit of environmental integrity. And the best prices I've seen for the quality of the products...which never hurts, does it?

Good morning!

I'm happy to report that we managed to get around to this little project over the weekend. The delay had nothing to do with a lack of enthusiasm, but more to do with a serious lack of Sculpey....everywhere....in the entire county. We headed "down the hill" this weekend for our monthly retail therapy session, and located some of the elusive clay at Michaels.

For what it's worth, I have to say I like the terracotta color better than the others we tried. For some reason, it's MUCH easier to roll into balls and to push down over the flowers, which is important when you're working with small hands.

True to form, Big Bird enjoyed the rolling and pushing part, and even enjoyed the finished product for about 10 minutes.....at which point he discovered they made great hockey pucks (what can I say...it's in his DNA).

Baby Bird, on the other hand, wasn't so interested in the rolling and pushing part, but has been finding great joy in carrying the finished treasures around in a basket and taking them all out....putting them all back in.....taking them out.....putting them all back in....you get the picture.

The sculpey captures an amazing amount of detail. The kids (and I) find it very gratifying when projects turn out well....they seem to appreciate quality, things that last. Give this one a try.

We finger-print painted cherry trees today in honor of spring. I had a conversation with myself before hand and we agreed (myself and I?) that I was prepared to accept whatever the kids decided to do with their finger-print painting experience...it's hard to let go of that sometimes, isn't it?

Big Bird chose to make several individual cherry blossoms on the branches that I had drawn for him. Baby Bird chose a different path and turned it into a full body experience. She started by painting her hands and then moved up to her head! Good thing I had that conversation with myself before we started ;)

Afterwards we decided that a picnic was in order to complete our celebration of spring.

I also managed to get these finished while the kids were happy entertaining themselves. They are for my soon-to-be nephew (or niece, but Big Bird already has 8 girl cousins and 1 sister, so we're rooting for a boy!).


I have been enjoying working on small, quick gratification, sewing projects. Sewing a straight line is pretty much where my sewing skills end. Projects like these bibs and the chickens from a few posts ago are helping to teach me new skills, and boost my sewing ego:) If you have suggestions for quick, fairly straight forward sewing projects, send them my way!

Cheese!

I put the batteries back into our Fisher Price Kid Tough camera yesterday. Honestly, I can't remember why I took them out....the camera doesn't make any obnoxious noises, or have any bright flashing lights (2 of my top reasons for removing the batteries from a toy). The kids still play with it without the batteries, and they play with it often, I might add. I'm sure that has something to do with them copying the behavior of their OCD parents who are constantly taking pictures of them ;) But I digress....

After I put the batteries back in, both kids took turns (!) roaming around the house taking pictures, while I occupied myself in the kitchen. Afterwards we downloaded them onto the computer and watched ourselves a little slide show. I won't torture you with all of the photos, honestly I got a little sea-sick myself when they were coming up on the computer. But here are a few which illustrate what I've been mulling over for the past few weeks.

The first one was taken by Baby Bird:


And these 2 by Big Bird:




I am endlessly fascinated by how the creative process is unfolding in my children. I strive to keep all the "art" type activities that go on in this house open-ended, that is to say, with no particular desired outcome in mind. I really believe that if you put boundaries or expectations on what your kids are creating, they will fairly quickly come to feel like they are failing in some way if their creation doesn't end up looking a particular way.

Watching the photo slideshow with the kids gave me new insight into their creative mind. I noticed that they both chose to take pictures of things that are important to them. This is exactly what I tend to take pictures of too. Big Bird took a picture of his basket of trucks and his new tractor, and also a picture of Baby Bird and me (apparently though, our heads are not important!) And although I only included one, Baby Bird took a whole montage of pictures of her beloved duck, well, his feet mostly ;)

Something else that I thought was interesting is that they also took some time arranging favorite toys just so, for portrait style pictures:

I will definitely be putting the batteries back into their camera more often now. It's yet another great creative outlet for them, that has no boundaries or expected outcomes.

One of my favorite blogs is the The Artful Parent. It is filled with beautiful, inspiring photos, ideas and interviews which constantly motivate me to keep opening up the craft cupboard, even when I don't think I can stand cleaning up after one more painting spree.

Check it out....and see if you don't find yourself pulling out your camera or maybe even the finger paints :)

Not much happening here today. It's a rainy grey northern California day, the kind you would more typically associate with Spring than all the sunshine we've had lately. We did manage to have some inside fun with this tissue paper stained glass project. Although you can't see it, the backing is clear contact paper. You frame it with your shape of choice (or no frame at all) made out of construction paper, and then the kids went at it with various colours of tissue paper. When they were finished we placed them sticky side against the window. They peel off easily when it's time to change the art gallery. As usual, Big Bird charged through his and finished in 5 minutes flat, while Baby Bird took her time and precisely placed every. piece. carefully. diligently. and thoughtfully ;) Happy Weekend everyone!

Finger paint, plus a few drops of dish detergent, et.......voila! A project perfect for a glass sliding door, or low window within reach of little hands. The added soap makes for easy cleanup afterwards with a hose (even a few days later if you're like me and get, er.... easily sidetracked ;) The kids get completely engrossed in this project every time we do it. I love to watch them block out everything else, and focus just on their creations!