Cypress Trees and Fairy Dust

A few months ago I decided it was time to give Lily's room a makeover. I pulled out my Art History text and found one of my favorite paintings by Vincent Van Gogh. I always loved how Van Gogh used cypress trees to add height to his paintings. Additionally, he created a unique texture for his sky that gave his paintings their most memorable attribute- movement. So, with this in mind I began working on Lily's largest wall. It took two days to complete this mural, but when I was done it was nice to be able to sit back and see the effect of my efforts.

From there I decided to fill Van Gogh's world with flower fairies. Since Lily is named from a flower, I've been fascinated with flower fairies. On the remaining walls I interspersed paintings of flowers (mostly Lilies, of course) with fairies found in Lily's baby book. Now, when I put Lily to bed I know she is watched over.

The Truth about Bamboo

I love the idea of creating something that has multiple uses. When I found unfinished boxes with bamboo handles I fell in love. They can be used as a purse, a trinket box or a place to hide love notes. Bamboo's a funny thing, though. I love it in art, fashion and it makes a wonderful handle for a paint brush. Photographs of it are amazingly relaxing- I have one as a screen saver. But I tell you what, if I could find a way to eradicate the bamboo stand in our backyard, I'd do it in a heart beat.

Painting Children's Furniture

I've recently ventured into working with children's furniture. I painted a children's rocker in pink toile and a step stool in blue toile. They were fun to make, but more importantly Lily was very interested in them. Children love to have furniture that is made especially for them. Not only is it more comfortable to be sitting in a seat where their feet can touch the ground, but to also know that this chair or stool is just for them.

Going to the Market

Why is it that the same moment you decide to do something different that will require a lot of energy and a change in routine your child chooses to get sick? Saturday I turned in my vendor's application for the Mandeville Trailhead Market. Sunday Lily woke up with a fever of 102 degrees. Luckily my child has an amazing ability to keep herself happy, even when she's uncomfortable. Whether she's watching a show, playing with her "hot dogs" (aka Mickey Mouse Clubhouse characters), or painting with watercolors, she can ALMOST ALWAYS keep herself out of trouble. Notice the emphasis on "almost." We try not to fret in our house. Milk can be wiped up and stains do wash out of clothes. That said, I'm ready for school tomorrow!