Still Life

After seeing my friend frame and display her still life final from our Drawing 101 class in college, I have been on the hunt for a frame to display mine. I finally found one that would work for now and have loved having this piece that I worked +40 hours on displayed in my home instead of just hidden away in an old art portfolio. I just need to get a mat cut or cut the frame down a bit for it to fit perfectly. 

Every time I walk by it or look at it in the living room it makes me feel awesome knowing that I created it. 

Whatever your talents are, share and display them! It feels great to use them and share them with others and gives you a sense of self worth and accomplishment.

You can do awesome things!

Pregnancy Pics

As of today, only three more weeks left! 

Here's to an uneventful remaining three weeks of pregnancy and delivery on April 17.

We are looking forward to meeting our baby girl!

March 17, 2013

Almost 35 weeks

Air Dry Clay: Valentines Hearts

Another fun activity for Lucy from our February Advent Calendar was working with air dry clay. We rolled out the clay and used cookie cutters to make hearts for Valentines Day. Lucy also had fun making snowmen out of the clay. 

After letting them dry for a couple of days we used red tempera paint to paint them. Lucy did a great job painting and had fun learning a new art medium with the clay!

Lucy's Scrapbook

Lucy always wants to look at my Peter book, pictures on my computer, and the little photo album of her ultrasound pictures that used to reside in her room. I'm always protective of my Peter book, and she naughtily took her ultrasound pictures out of the baby album, so I decided we should make a scrapbook/photo album of her own that she could look at whenever she wants and that I don't have to worry about her ruining. 

We already had a big box of kids scrap booking stuff that was a gift from one of Zach's coworkers for Lucy when Peter died. (What a great idea for a gift, huh?) 

I used duplicate photos that I had already used in Lucy's baby book to give her for her scrap book, and I let her pick out what she wanted on each page as I helped her cut and glue. 

Materials:

- Scrapbook kit: Foam covers, blank pages, plastic cover sheets, stickers

- Scissors

- Scrap booking glue

- Bone folder and ruler (for scoring pages so they will bend with the spine of the book)

- Colored pencils

- Fine point pen for writing captions for pictures

Showing Dad her project and telling him about each picture.

We started with her own baby pictures and eventually we will continue to add more pages and she will have some of her and Peter to look at too.

I let her pick out the stickers and put them on herself.

Line up the ruler and use the bone folder to score the paper so that it bends naturally as you turn the pages.

Letting Lucy fill in the blank pages between the photos with colored pencil drawings.

I showed her how to trace her hands and scribble-fill the page. She loved this and wanted me to do it for her on every page.


Lucy loved showing off her own scrap book and explaining every little detail. This will be a fun project for us to work on together throughout the year as we add more pages.

Toilet Paper Roll Stamps: Valentine Heart Cards

For one of our February Advent Calender activities Lucy made Valentines for her friends and family using toilet paper rolls as stamps.


Materials:
- Toilet paper roll cut in half
- Blank cards (Walmart)
- Pink and red paint
- Paper plate for paint pallet

Directions:

1. Bend the TP rolls to form heart shapes.
2. Pour paint onto paper plate
3. Dip heart "stamp" into paint
4. Press stamp onto card
5. Repeat until desired outcome
6. Set card aside to dry and work on a new one

Lucy had a good time stamping away, and it was good practice for me to let her make her own art work and not micromanage it so much. I would definitely do this project again and even do new kinds of stamping with her. It was an age appropriate art project for her.

She did half of the cards with pink paint and then we switched and did the other half with red paint. After drying overnight I gave her silver and gold sharpies to draw on the cards to add more detail. Then Lucy annotated to me what to write in each one and told me who it was for. This part always makes me laugh with what she wants to say.

I like letting Lucy write cards to friends and family who are so far away. I feel like it helps her remember peoples names and who they are, and it is always a fun activity for her as well. She is always asking me if we can do artwork or a project. Makes a momma proud. :)

Box O' Fun

Everyone knows that the box the present comes in is way better than the present itself. 

Zach was generous enough to share his box of packing peanuts with Lucy. She enjoyed herself immensely. 

Garden Club: 2013

Another year, another attempt at growing some stuff. 

It's been a few weeks since we planted and the forget-me-nots are in the lead, followed by three or four sprouted sweet peas, one daisy sprout, and no chives. 

The daisies got knocked over and Lucy decided to "play" in the flower pot that contained all the chive seeds outside. 

We need to get more soil and bigger planters to transplant the seeds that have survived. 

So far, so good! Better than no sprouts last year!

RIP Chives.

Chalkboard Art: February

I got the idea for this month's chalkboard drawing from this pin. This project also helped meet another one of my goals for the year by introducing a new medium to Lucy for art projects- chalk!

It was fun to work on a project together and have it displayed in our home.

Final Product

Creating letters with masking tape.

Materials: masking tape, scissors, rag for erasing, white and colored chalk

Turn canvas/board different directions to help fill the space as your young apprentice works.

End of Day One.

Day Two:
Finish drawing over board, then remove the tape!

Fin!

Lucy Lately: February

Lucy and I had a lot of fun together in February. Here are some of the things we did. 

Lucy working on her scrapbook project. 

Making Ooey Gooey Rocky Road Cookies with Mom. 

Lucy modeling her "new" tennis shoes.

She "loves them."

Art time.

Writing notes for Grandpa Billy and Bishop D.

Lucy enjoying her treat after her first successful day of potty training.

Mine.

Hers.

Lucy wasn't feeling well and put herself down for a nap. We found out a few days later that she had RSV!

Playing with marbles on foam.

Making Valentine Canadian Bacon Pizza.

Fun at the park.