A New Painting...That Still Needs Work

This morning poor little Doh Doh woke up with fever. Which totally explained the last 2 almost sleepless nights. Sigh. So we started our morning with my mom coming over to watch the boys while I took Doh Doh to the doctor. Double ear infections. We obviously weren't going to be swimming today.

But, because I'm blessed, the boys got to swim to their little hearts' content. And spend the night with their grandparents. Which means that not only will Doh Doh and I have some girl time tomorrow, it also means that I had the afternoon to myself. To myself. While Doh Doh slept. Myself. All to myself.

(I'll insert here that last week the boys spent the night with my in-laws and Doh Doh and I had some wonderful girl time then, too. At TJ Maxx. And visiting with my brother and family. Her favorite part was some one-on-one time with Zeus, one of their dogs.)

But before I get sidetracked and start some really random tangent, I'll get back to today.

So I finished a project I started almost a month ago. Yes, I said a month.

I should probably mention, if you don't know me well, that I'm really good at starting projects. Starting. Finishing projects? Well, not so much.

Ok, so it depends on the project. A lot of times I won't start a project unless I know I can "finish it to completion." That's somethig my dad used to quote a lot when I was a kid. A lot. Guess where I got this wonderful inherited trait?

So, looking for an easy craft to do with your kids? Here goes......

Let me start by saying, I'm not THRILLED with my outcome. However, I'll be doing it again and trying to 'iron out' some of the many, many flaws.

Start with a blank canvas. Paint it whatever color you want.


Make stems for your flowers out of decorative scrapbook paper. I also made three dimensional flowers so that they stand out on the canvas. You might not like that look, but I did.



I also used green paper for the grass at the bottom. I cut out notches in it and then pulled it out in places so that it too was 3D. I'm discovering at this point that 3D doesn't photograph all that well.

Then use some chubby little hand prints as the flowers. The chubbier the better.

So originally that was going to be the entire picture. Just the handprints and the flowers. But the top lacked SOMETHING. And b/c I'm a total and complete sucker for any type of wording, especially Scripture, then I decided to add to it.

And that was the beginning of the end.

I used black, which was just too much black with the handprints AND lettering.

But that's ok. It actually looks better in person than it does in the pictures. And those chubby little handprints -- and the stories of how I got those handprints, especially from Doh Doh -- forever immortalized.


Precious. Absolutely precious.

And the Scripture....well, I was torn. There are so many to choose from. Originally I was going with Ecclesiastes 9:10: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might...."


But I came across Psalm 139:9-10 and I just loved it. It seemed, at this stage of parenting, to be the best Scripture for the long haul. "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea...your right hand will hold me fast."


Does that speak to you like it does me? Sniff. Sniff.

I don't like my lettering, the colors, or placement of the words. But I do love the painting. I'll probably redo it...and hope that I make more priceless memories in doing so...while capturing chubby little handprints.


As long as I get around to it before those chubby hands lose some of their chubbiness.....