Inky Fingers

My boys love arts & crafts.  They love to make things with pipe cleaners, construction paper, markers, colored pencils, glitter glues, popsicle sticks, googly eyes and a multitude of other things found in the kids' craft section at your local Hobby Lobby.  And while they have fun with their supplies, they are always admiring my stamps, ink pads and "special" glitter glues.

I will admit that I am a little OCD about clean stamps and stamp pads, so it isn't very often I let them get into my art supplies.  Yesterday was an exception. Since it was kind of cold and snowy, and it was the first day of Spring Break, I decided to relent and let them dig in to my craft stash.  They each picked out several stamps and ColorBox cat's eye pigment inks to make some creations.

Both of my boys' names start with the letter "K".  I know, very "konfusing".  I proudly introduce Big K and Little K!  Now you won't have to remember which "K" is which!  I love these guys.



Little K was very focused on the proper application of ink to his stamp. Focus, focus, focus. . . . He did a fine job, I must say!



They spent a few hours meticulously stamping book marks, and making pictures.  Big K started smearing ink on the paper and said, "Look, Mom! I made smoke come out of the airplane engine!".  He was excited to learn he was using the "direct to paper" technique with pigment ink.  I was especially impressed with Little K's idea to use parts of the airplane stamp to make it look like it had crashed and parts of it had fallen off.  In the stamping world we call that "masking".

I laughed to myself.  We adults are so silly.  We read books and take classes to learn art techniques.  Not kids, they just create with reckless abandon and could care less if they are using some fancy "technique".  I should be more like them!  Big K made one of his his airplanes crash upside down into the lighthouse.  Little K called his picture "World War III".  Yup, kinda looks like it.  Only boys.





They were very pleased with their finished works of art and so was mom.  I loved watching them go to town and be creative with my art supplies.  No direction, no restrictions. . .just have fun.  Makes me think I need to stop being so OCD with my own creative process.  Stop worrying about about ink on the stamps, stop worrying about ink on other ink, just get inky and have a blast!

Spring Fever

Okay, I love winter.  I love snow and snow days.  I love to watch my boys throw snowballs at each other and race down the hill on their sleds.  I love the feel of crisp, cold air.  I love the smell of smoke from the chimney. I love to wear sweaters. I love hot chocolate and I love the holidays that come with winter.  

Our desert Southwest climate needs all the moisture it can get, but it seems like we have had a lot more snow than usual this year.  And, I will admit, I am really over winter!  It was only 14 degrees when I got up this morning. . . .Brrrrrr!  Here is our most recent 10 inch snowfall.  Yes, that lump at the bottom is a car.




Now that the calendar has turned to March, I see spring and summer on the horizon.  I am looking forward to  playing in the dirt and enjoying my yard. I miss my beautiful gazing ball.  It has been buried in the snow too.




This is the "Walker's Low Catmint" I planted last summer.  It was so pretty and it did really well in our dry, clay soil.  I am looking forward to seeing it again, along with all of the other new perennials I planted last year.

I am really looking forward to opening the windows in the house, hanging our cloths out on the line, longer days, feeling warm sun on my skin, hearing the birds sing and watching the hummingbirds fight over the feeders.



Can you tell I have Spring Fever??  What are you looking forward to this spring?