Mural for Little Man

Little Man wanted something to do with Tony Hawk. I found some neat skyline pictures with skater silhouettes when I searched online for ideas. Here is what we came up with...
He liked one of the skaters and a different skyline...so I asked him about having the Kansas City skyline...he liked that idea!

Shutterstock images...


So sketched it out as best I could and projected it onto the wall.

More Murals

So, these pics are a little behind the times but, I have them for you to see. About the only creative, crafty adventure the kids and I seemed to do this summer break was to paint a couple of murals in their rooms. Sissy wanted to have an American Girl Doll room. Well, the first thing I thought was that could be expensive. When running the idea by my sister and sister-in-law, the idea of trying to make the box somewhere in her room seemed to be something we could play around with. Thought about painting her door as the box...may still do that, not sure that Dad would like that idea though. Then the other idea was to make her bed look like the box and Sissy would be the doll. Well, Sissy and I went surfing the web because I didn't save the box her doll came in. OOPS! We actually found one on ebay to look at. Wow, did we luck out because her wall are already lilac like the box so we needed to find some red paint in our stash to make the banner.

We had a lot of fun painting on the wall!
We cut out posters from the catalogue and glued them to posterboard.

We are recycling...pictures from the catalogues glued onto pizza boxes = mini books.
Can you see some of the posters we made? On top of the green shelf is her pink locker that she decorated inside for her American Girl doll. It has pictures of her friends from the catalogues and the "mini books" on the shelf inside.



We added the doodles that are on the sides of the American Girl Doll box. She just loves her room!

Getting Creative Again

So the kids are back to school now and I have been surfing the web, updating pictures on Etsy, trying to "clean-up" the computer, completing mending jobs, trying to dig out my desk from all of the piles of endless towers of paper...so I can create again. So far there is enough space for my sketch book and the book I am reading, "Drawing With Children", by Mona Brookes. It is a wonderful book. I bought it quite a while ago so that I could brush up on my drawing skills and be more confident in drawing my own originals. I find that I feel more confident right now when I have something to look at to try to replicate. I want to be able to be confident in my own skills and talent. So I am reading and doodling. In the process, a thought came to mind that I should take the kids to the Nelson Atkins Art Museum and over to Kaleidoscope. When I went to look up their hours I ran across a few neat websites having to do with kaleidoscopes... Kaleidescope Painter, Zefrank, and PBS parents.

More Beautiful You

Ok, so I haven't posted anything in quite a while. I have been trying to enjoy the summer with my kids. They will both be in school full time in the fall and unsure what future job I will have other than being their Mom. Looking into substitute teaching and have not heard back from the state yet. Other options...my arts and crafts, Wal-mart, McDonalds, Cosco???????? Want to be able to be home with the kiddos and not worry about daycare. Here is a new favorite song of mine. More Beautiful You by Johnny Diaz. I have been looking for something to write on a mirror for Ciara that I have taking from trash to treasure for her. It has been in the making for about 3 years (wanting to make it just right for her.) Have been toying with the "mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all", or lyrics from Go Fish's Your My Little Girl but, I am thinking of using some of these lyrics now. (Will post pics when it is finished.) Here is a video and lyrics for it. Hope you like it.

1. More Beautiful You

Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn’t straight her body isn’t fake
And she’s always felt overweight

Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

Little girl twenty-one the things that you’ve already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you’ve got a man but he’s got another plan
Only wants what you will do instead

Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there’s a man whose love is true
And he’ll treat you like the jewel you are

So turn around you’re not too far
To back away be who you are
To change your path go another way
It’s not too late you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear they can all be washed away
By the one who’s strong can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light He will show you truth
And again you’ll see through the eyes of a little girl

The redbuds don't last long but at least I got some pictures! They are so beautiful.

Four wheels is so boring, Mom.

Dad took off the training wheels and Little Man is doing great.
With Dad close, Little Man switched to a bigger bike.


Sissy decides to get into the action.
My friend helps Sissy so I can take pictures. Little Man says, "four wheels is so boring, Mom."

North Dakota for spring break

I have been behind on blogging and am catching up today with so many posts. We have been sidetracked with our family and friends going through the flood in North Dakota. We visited them the week before it all hit Fargo and got to see a lot of snow then. (Second week of March) They received a couple more feet after we saw them, during the sandbagging and trying to hold the flood back. Many of our family and friends had to evacuate. We received good news today though, businesses in Valley City could open again!