I was too embarrassed to actually submit my blog name for Art Every Day Month 2008. I much prefer to stay out of the spotlight and just do my thing. I’m in awe when I see the kinds of things the others create and pretty much feel like the poor relative living in the attic.

Just in time I read this bit from The Hidden Art of Homemaking (p 48):

First of all, be satisfied with the fact that although your art or talent may never be accepted by the world as anything ‘great’, and may never be your career, it can be used to enrich your day by day life: enrich it for you, and for the people with whom you live. And secondly, come to a recognition of the fact that it is important for you to be creative in this area to the extent of your talent: important for you as a person who is a creative creature.

AHHH!

I’m going to stop joining these once-a-day-for-a-month things! Every time I try crazy things happen. This time Princess (14) fell and twisted her ankle badly at her first basketball game and my sister ended up in the hospital. My dryer went kaput with six loads of laundry waiting and Flower Child has been sick for four weeks.

*sigh*

Yes, I skipped over a few there. What can I say? It’s much easier to remember the date than it is to remember how many posts I’ve made so far this month.

My Sunday project:

Flower Child’s Sunday project:

I took some other pictures but I wasn’t paying attention and that fancy new Mod Podge caused funny reflections. I’ll fix that next time.

My Flower Child (age 10 years 10 months and 29 days) helped me got into the groove today. She is my artist in residence and general all-around creative kid. She loves to create using whatever she can find. She has lots of cool art supplies, but the key word there is ‘whatever she can find’. What can be found is directly related to how deep the clutter is on the floor of her bedroom!

Today, she made several pieces using finger paint, cardstock, tissue paper, acrylic paint, watercolor markers, red plastic wrap, glue, glitter, and our experimental stuff of the day: Mod Podge. Evidently she has no more red acrylic paint (although she could produce neither the empty tube nor any other tube from her own stash), so she was very excited to see my new (cheap) set. Watching her wheels spin when she’s working does wonders for letting go of my inhibitions.

Here’s a picture of her hard at work:

Is it cool to mention that I love white glitter? At my age, that might not be politically correct. Maybe it’s some kind of subconscious connection to the snow in Illinois or possibly it just reminds me of Christmas. In any case, I believe that no home should be without at least one, very large shaker.

During my shopping spree at Hobby Lobby this week I just happened to walk down the arts and crafts aisle and spied one of those honkin’ jars of MOD PODGE. My mom was a neat freak. There was never Mod Podge in my house growing up so I’ve always had this secret longing to stick my fingers in this stuff. Being my mother’s child and all, I did NOT go for the honkin’ jar but instead brought home two small jars: gloss and matte. I may have to put it under lock and key… Flower Child has been drooling over it since I got home.

I also bought a big paint brush. Not just for the Mod Podge, but because all of Flower Child’s brushes are small. Good for her, but I like BIG strokes. Come on… I’m an amateur. Big strokes are much easier. Okay, maybe not. But they just feel right to me.

Okay… there are bears singing STAYIN’ ALIVE on the television. My brain just shut off to process….

Well, I have the supplies. What fun shopping!

But today I had way too much fun talking about the election. Then I had to make it look like I actually accomplished something, so I helped the 10yo sort her clothes. (She’s in the middle of a MAJOR bedroom cleaning.)

Tomorrow I will do something, but I don’t think I’ll break out the new stuff until Friday so I have time to share it with the 10yo.

Yesterday I dusted off the art shelves and took an inventory of the supplies. I’ve been suffering from depression off and on since we moved here three years ago and I’ve hardly used anything. Of course, my dd(10) is not only our resident artist, she’s also a supply hog. Things have a way of disappearing into her room and I am NOT woman enough to wade in their and attempt to reclaim them.

So, remaining supplies inventoried, shopping list made, brain cooking new ideas.

Tonight I went shopping!

Tomorrow: ACTION!

If I weren’t so tired I’d probably start tonight.

The first day of Art Every Day Month 2008 turned out to be a beautifully warm and sunny fall day. Hard to stay inside!

On my first day of my first attempt to do something this radical for me (I don’t even have the courage to send a link to my blog to the lady who organizes this each year!), I worked on a new header for my blog. Now I just have to figure out how to change the background colors…

I have decided to commit to Art Every Day Month 2008 which starts (eek!) tomorrow, November 1st.  I’m probably more suited to NaNoWriMo, but my kind of writing is more along the lines of short, non-fiction pieces and the thought of attempting to write a novel in a year, let alone a month, is enough to melt my jello.

Yes, it’s probably nuts to commit to something like this right before the Christmas season, but I’m thinking that since we’re planning some artsy-type gifts this year that this could work well.

This blog has been silent for far too long as the waning days of summer, with its endless food storage chores along with attempts at wrangling the new fall school schedule, don’t leave a lot of blogging time.  I did take many pictures and hopefully during the long, dark hours of winter I’ll find time to actually get them on this blog.

In the meantime, check out the challenge.  It’s going to be fun!