My Art Gallery

I have an art gallery in my house.  Is it prideful?  Perhaps.  

It used to be in my craft room which seemed appropriate, but upon having children (and upon my craft room/office/guest room becoming the little girls' room) I had no other choice but to move it to the main room.  What could I do?  Now, they are not all mine.  Some are friends' or local artists', and some are my oh so talented daughter's.

It took me literally years to get it just right and with the recent round additions, I think it finally feels finished (although all I'd have to do is get another painting bug and it'd all be over.  It's a brick wall too so yikes!  I found these awesome little plastic hooks with tiny nails inside it.  They hammer right into the brick and hold beautifully.

This was drawn by my eldest.  It is called  Totoro in a Tree (If you haven't seen the movie My Neighbor Totoro, please, please do!) 

This one is old, Bleeding heart of Jesus, body of the church, blood of Jesus flowing out into the world through the open doors...you get it.

This one is also old.  I was afraid to paint faces.  She is a mother and a tree, and she is hella strong--protecting her babies in the grass from the harsh flames of the sun.

 This one is my newest.  It's called "MY BOY!"  Not a self protrait, but one day maybe I'll have my boy.

 This is one of my favorites.  I call her Rhonda.

 This was inspired by my friend's angry girl painting.  I went home and made an angry girl of my own.  "Cheers, Debs!"

Here is another old one.  I got bold enough to draw a face and lots of other body parts as well.  I'd like to re-do this one with better background work, but I still like the concept.  She has lost herself piece by piece as she left home.  It was a lonely time for me before kids and before all the wonderful people kids bring into ones life.

Also older and also dark.  Kind of Where's Waldo-esque.This is a carnival (clearly) and someone has fallen out of the Ferris wheel.  And no one seems to notice.

This one is newer, and not a favorite. Cactus from this desert life and a girl who is standing a little too close to the camera...and the cactus.

 This one was an attempt at painting a man.  I like him.  He is on display.

 This is a masterpiece of my eldest.  A folding symmetry project we did.  The colors and shapes are so beautiful to me.  It's one of my favorites.  By the way she feels very valued to be up on the galleria wall.

This is another of my eldests.  She called it "The House" and I have kept it on display ever since.  Anytime a child titles a work I think they must be extra proud of it and so am I.  This was before she began painting actual people (well mostly fairies, unlike my other daughter who always paints a "big Huuuuuge monster")  This is special because it shows her progression in painting and drawing.

So that is most of them.  All that to show you.  You do not have to be an artist to have fun painting, to paint meaningful things that are meaningful to you, or to have your own damn gallery display. Carry on.

Guest Post from the Daddy-Do of our Hearts : Fathers & Daughters

The other day, someone pointed out that my toes nails were pretty and matched my finger nails.  I blushed and said thank you, I become shy with compliments.  It occurred to me the exclusive club I belong to, one in which fraternity style hazing still runs rampant, and little regard is held for personal dignity or pride.  It's lawlessness, really.  Membership dues are paid in rainbow-painted nails and random chunks of braided hair.  Such is the cost, and like so many initiation rituals the meaning isn't necessarily found in the effect but rather in the act itself.  Grown men walking around respectable places of business with glitter on their collars, sky-blue finger nails shimmering, carefully crafted sections of hair braids...we understand.  We understand that if you are a father and you don't occasionally walk into work stinking of nail polish remover or donning pink stars on your toe nails, then you might not be a member yet.  If you don't understand how important, how critical it is to little girls when dads step into their planet, then you should look at your calendar and plan on attending the next meeting.   

Recently I celebrated my 5^th year as a member.  I think the festivities included chasing my daughters around the yard as if I were some deranged four-legged creature. Which might be my next entry: “Creative ways to stay in shape with your children”.  The next day, I limped around sore and tired from freeze-tag bear-crawl style, but I sat in my office cube smiling to myself, proud of the new patch I get to wear.

Crafty-Do Session 1

Crafty-Do has officially begun!  

We had our first craft class today and experienced the serenity of mandala-making.  

Not so serene, but definitely fun!

The kids and moms did fabulously, and it really got me thinking that mamas taking their kids to school would really benefit from this type of organized event to get creative and messy with their kids after school (messy in my house, not yours, that's a bonus!).  Since I will not be letting go of my little kinder just yet (homeschool bitches!)*, I will not have to deal with the feelings I imagine I'd feel having my child be away from me, experiencing life apart from me, for the school day.  I understand the potential need there for connecting with ones child after the school day is through and what better way to do that then creating something with them.

*I do understand that homeschooling is not for everyone, and I hope everyone understands that regular schooling is not for I...I mean me...at least not now.  I am able to stay home with my kids because this is what we choose.  I could go back to teaching and put my kids in school and preschool, and we could have a much more comfortable life, but I choose this life--all together in a 1000 sq feet of familial bliss.  Now if we could just get my husband a stay at home job we'd really be living the dream.  Our dream, that is!

Back to Crafty-Do...

One way I am working to add income to our household is this wonderful gift of a craft class.  Today's session went so smoothly.  Teaching the craft step by step was so fun and having moms help out was perfect.  I'm so grateful.  We saw some new faces, and I can't wait to see what next week brings!

MOPS Crafts

For the past two years I served as the official Craft Coordinator for the MOPS group I am a part of here in Phoenix.  The group is wonderful and welcoming and has been a life saver for me as a new (newish now) mom.  I loved being the Craft Queen, and doing this definitely lead to my new love "Crafty-Do" Craft Classes.  I wanted to share a few of the crafts we have done over the past could years.  I wish I took more pics, but these are a good enough to get the general idea.  In no particular order:

These were a pinterest find.  They were given to the child care workers who blessed and loved on our kids while we had some much needed mom-time.  Spray painted mason jars, floral foam filing, some tinsel to cover it, painted kabob skewers and hot glued dove chocolates.  The leaves are made from paper plates and the scrapbook paper envelope holds a little gift card to the best place on earth...Dunkin' Donuts.

Next is another pinterest idea.  We used Hobby Lobby glass blocks which have a hole in the bottom (wait for the sale) and sprayed them with frosting spray. Then glued on a black paper cut out the silouette.  Some used black felt some put the image inside for more "effect" and some on the outside for a sharper image.  They turned out beautifully.  We lit them up with dollar store mini light strands.

This next was my own vision.  I wanted to do it so badly for my first year as Craft Leader.  The theme was "A Beautiful Mess" Which was perfect for me as craft leader because I am no perfectionist and hodge- podge, mess-cat, fake-it-til-you-make-it kind of crafts are right up my alley.  I must say all the posts I read on this "easy" project, did not indicate the immense amount of time it took to melt those little freakers, nor how hard it is to keep babies away from you while you are making so much noise and looking like you are having so much so much fun while you are "ruining" their crayons.

Here is another Christmas craft.  This was very fun.  Great for those who are not crafters and more enjoy the keeping your hands busy while chatting aspect of crafting.  Styrofoam cones and wrap away.  We use multicolored yarn for fun.  The bases needed some weight though.  If I had a do-over I'd add some kind of wooden base to keep it more stable.

Same concept.  Wrap away!  I think this was just a craft potential, not an official choice.

This is the only picture I have of this craft though I think it was a favorite.  The painted bowl vase on the left was the craft.  It is another one of those fun messy crafts that is good for non-crafters (it's really surprising how many non-crafters there are in a MOPS group.  Just pour in the paint and swirl.  Super fun!  I have yet to discover a good sealing mechanism though, so feel free to comment if you know of a good enough water proofer.

These beauties were Oh so fun.  Coffee filter flowers dipped in water with food coloring. The filters are cut in various sized tear drop shaped and wrapped around, adhered with floral tape to a bit of floral wire. Some of the internet versions of flowers like these are outrageously realistic looking.  They let them dry then add watercolor paint to the edges and it is amazing.  Mine were pretty gorgeous though, if I do say so.  I was making them for weeks after just for fun!

This one was a lot of fun, and I wish I had pics of everyone's because people got so creative!  It was good for the messies, like me.  Fun for the more precise and particular personalities as well.  I bought wood blocks for cheap from hobby lobby (wait for the sale), nails from the hardware store, and bright colored thin embroidery floss (on spools not the little bits I bought as a girl to make friendship bracelets).  The ladies went off.  I was so impressed.  Names, states, hearts, and mine...a feather to represent the theme for that year: Be You Bravely (MOPS decides the themes and the icon not sure why feather means brave, but I rolled with it).

So those were a few of our MOPS craft projects.  If you attend MOPS and are looking for ideas for this new year (2015-16) "A Fierce Flourishing" is the theme.  I am not the craft leader, but I can't wait to see what celebratory, fiery, bold, and creativity sparking projects we come up with.

Keepin' Them Busy

Keeping kids busy on the cheap is not always easy.  The pool is good, but sometimes enough is enough of that hot hot summer heat,  For summer fun we use these ideas and others to keep us busy indoors or out:

• Bath Time Fun time:

My kids use bathtime as fun time.  Long ago I thought it'd be fun to introduce popsicles into the tub time (a bit Gummo-ish, yes).  I get two packs of Bolis for a dollar at the 99 cents store and they only eat half at a time.                               

This idea was super fun at first, but now my kids are popsicle obsessed and do not take a bath without them.  I've tempered the sugar with juice pops...I like these ikea molds because they are cheap and you don't have to run the whole set under water to loosen it.  

I use smoothies or sometimes (when it's on sale) the V8 Juice Fusions with fruit and veggie juice.  I know its still sugary but helps me feel better. 

 Then I started to just use water for the same fun effect when they've reached their popsicle quota for the day.  This keeps my fun baths going strong.

I also add things to the bath:  

1. Popsicle sticks are fun because they float and can be stuck to the wall the make letters and shapes.
2. Glow sticks are fun for play in the dark bath fun, just toss them in (I haven't gotten into the whole breaking them open fad yet (still scaredy).
3. Food Coloring!  My kids call it Blue bath because that's my littlest's favorite color.  Itdoesn't stain and it's so fun for them and me. I used to buy those color tabs at the grocery store, but food coloring is just as good and I always have it on hand.
4. Bubbles...actual bubbles to blow.  They end up dumping it in, but it's always fun to start.  I've used a bubble machine as well, which is better, but batteries are always running out.  Am I right?

• Easy forts:

There are so many build your own fort types of products as well as tents (which we have but are a pain to set up and take down each and every time in a small house.  We have resorted to using clamps (you can buy a pack at the dollar tree for...surprise 1$!) or just get the super strong ones at the hardware store and use fewer.  With a light weight sheet you can make a perfect fort with easy pick up.

  The kids have so much fun building forts indoors and out and for some fun reason doing things in forts is always more fun (for them and me!)

• Don't be afraid to let them paint!

My kids paint all the time.  I know some moms shy away from the mess, but I keep it contained outdoors or at the table and then of course...bath time after!  We use aprons and old food containers and tempera paints (which mix colors well for color blending lessons.   I prefer regular tempera paint to the washable kind which is just a bit watered down in color brilliance.  Acrylic paint is no good because it hardens when it dries and it inevitably will dry on a brush some time and ruin the brush for you.  We use construction paper most times, but when I have a spare slab of wood I like to let them make masterpieces.  I had my girls work for a week on one painting (trying out the layering process art discussed in these awesome blogs: (http://www.lilblueboo.com/category/painting-with-children) layered painting/process painting (http://www.mericherry.com/2014/04/08/evolving-canvas-process-art-painting-for-kids/).  It really turned out amazing I think and is on display in our bedroom.  I like that I can control the colors by giving them set colors for each layer.  It teaches kids that more work and effort=more quality and special-ness.  My oldest loved that she was making a "masterpiece" for her daddy, not just one of her daily paintings.

We have also experimented with face/body painting...which could open up a can of worms, but still worth it for the fun factor.  We just used non toxic tempera paint, but watercolors would be fine too.

That is a dancer on my face and a unicorn on her belly...in case you couldn't tell.

• Puppet Shows

I love the concept of puppets and the creative outcomes they promote, so I buy them secondhand whenever I find them.  We have an odd collection so far (rabbit, armadillo, walrus, pelican, deer...).  I find that when I perform a puppet show first it helps them to mimic and get the concept so they don't just fight the whole time over who gets to hide behind the screen and who gets to watch.  Plus, making my kids laugh is the best!  

Speaking of screen...my best find!  I found an old fabric lined shutter outside of my friend's neighbor's house.  They were remodeling and just going to throw them out, so I snagged one (no shame in dumpster diving).  I ripped out the staples and used Velcro instead, so the puppets can peak through the curtain. And that's all I did!  It still needs some securing chains, so that it doesn't fall over so easily, but as long as the sides are squared out it's perfect!  Of course you could just use a sheet over a chair back too, but this is Oh so fun and free. 

Keeping kids busy on the cheap is really not too complicated.  Some of these ideas serve as a mom-breaks while the kids are busy playing, but mostly playing with your kids is all it takes.  

The sillier the better!

Introducing ... Crafty-Do!!!

I have shared my intention of making some extra money to help my girls and I to remain at home together--this is especially important to me as my eldest starts kindergarten (homeschool style) in about a month! (More on that later). 

I have always been crafty...not necessarily super artistic, although I've been exploring that over the past few years with some painting: 

...(I'll show you my "gallery" later). 

For the last two years, I was the Craft Coordinator for the North Phoenix Baptist Church MOPS group.  It was a job I really wanted and had so much fun with; however, starting school this year, I didn't want to tackle that responsibility and the new life of homeschooling.  I had been encouraged by many MOPS friends and others to teach craft classes, and now I am finally doing it.  

Introducing ...Crafty-Do!  

I will be teaching little ones to do crafts, such as the ones found in the Pinterest collage above, and  I am giddy!  It is a chance for me to teach (which I love), craft (which I double love), and hopefully add a little something to our household income.  I will be documenting our crafting adventures here, so stay tuned!

Also, I am available for crafting parties--for kids' birthdays and for adult fun too.  I'll be setting up a schedule of adult crafting parties (with adult beverages of course) in the near future as well.  We'll call it Crafts & Carafes, or maybe Pins and Gins or Crafts on the Rocks? Mojito Craftito? Margarita Craftita? Crafte' Soiree?  We shall see.  It's all exciting!

If you are in the Phoenix area Wednesdays from 3-4 pm come on over with your littles and Craft it Up with us!

Our first craft is this beauty on Wednesday, August 5, 2015:

BTW...Thank you to all you friends who have encouraged me in this endeavor.  You gave me the push I needed.  Oh what dear friends you are!