i is for...

the feeling when you want to create something can be...

intense.

the feeling when you look at your child can be intense.

there are so many emotions wrapped up in being both an artist and a mother. The artist part alone can be overwhelming. I believe all types of artists look at the world a bit differently. Maybe we see something that is not immediately obvious, get inspired by an orange gummy bear dropped haphazardly in the grass, the splash of a lime green wrist band at the gym, or the dark abyss of frozen lake water dusted with snow. 

There are many catalysts to creating.

I have often stepped back to look at a completed piece of art work and I feel this sort of high about what I created. It is the best feeling. 

and then...there are times when I look at my son, and I am knocked over. There is this love that sits there, heavy on my chest, almost as if it is...too much. I have no other way to describe it. Intense.

My guys recently brought me some lovely tulips, a burst of orange and yellow spilling color through my mind as they sat for a week, fully vibrant then drooping quickly. They often caught my eye as I walked past each day, and became the inspiration for the letter i painting. 

sometimes...

sometimes I need to feel paint on my fingertips.

sometimes I need to write...the words are all there, hovering, in the imaginary space above my head,and then they are tumbling down and sometimes I have to find a place to put them.

sometimes I just sit in silence. Or at least, in relative quiet. Silence is hard to come by these days.

sometimes I drift off and it takes me a moment to return. 

sometimes I really look at people instead of just glancing. I wonder who they are.

sometimes I feel so insecure I can't handle that exact moment with myself...and in another breath I could never imagine being anyone else.

sometimes I need to feel paint on my fingertips and then I cannot wait to wash it off.

h is for...

I know we all have that part of ourselves - you know the one - the secret part that we don't always share. 

I do.

I feel hidden away. Invisible. Sometimes I'm shouting to nothing or I'm shivering in the silence. I'm a blank canvas with a zillion colors swirling beneath. 

If you're a mom, a parent, do you ever feel yourself covering something? Do you stuff your emotions down inside and put on a brave face? Do you worry and wonder and tuck the toys under the couch for visitors?

Do you mask yourself with a selfie, some words, a piece of artwork that is abstract enough it doesn't have to explicitly say what you are feeling...

Are you hiding?

Come out and show yourself. 

I know you're in there, it's ok, I want to see you too. Maybe we will have something in common. xoxo

I would love for you to learn more about the side I hide. Learn a bit more about me at the mother manifesto right here

rainy day project

We have a had a lot of rain these past few weeks. I love the rain, I could sit around all day and drink tea, snuggle up under a blanket, and bask in the gloominess. That's not really possible with a wild four year old. Rain makes the glorious park wet and dangerous and it also makes SAHM's kinda stir crazy. This is an easy rainy day activity for kiddos to help make some Easter (or spring if Easter isn't your thing) decorations. It is as simple as drawing or tracing some shapes onto construction paper and letting your children (or yourself) draw to their hearts content. My son chose an egg and a bunny. I steered him towards pastel colors for a spring vibe but he really wanted brown (for chocolate bunnies) and dark green (because it's pretty) Who am I to stand in the way of creative genius?

When they are done with their creations, cut the shapes out, punch a hole in them and either thread them through some ribbon for a quick decoration...

Or add some letters to make a cute banner. Make a fold on the back of some rectangles or triangles of construction paper, place the ribbon and then glue the fold down to hold the ribbon in place and keep your banner letters facing forward. I used pipe cleaners to attach my cut outs so they would also stay forward facing. Make sure you leave enough ribbon on the ends of your banner to hang it. And if you don't remember, just tie some other ribbons on the ends and pretend you did it for aesthetic reasons. Happy crafting!