Monet, Matisse, Picasso, Arabella

A few days ago, Arabella had enough of the pool sooner rather than later. So we came home, had an early lunch and decided to do, what she calls "projects". Since it was a warm and sunny day out, I decided we should do them outside. Since it will be cold here again before we know it, I try to spend as much time outside as we can! We purchased a wooden bird house a while ago and she hasn't painted in a while so that is what we did. She had a blast painting her bird house, a wooden dog and then my favorite, we painted sea shells that we had collected on the beach. Painting the shells brought back memories of doing the same when I was little and spent my Summers in Westbrook.





We had a great time and it was the perfect way to spend time between lunch and nap time! Note to self: take more craft projects outside!

She's Crafty

Since it has been so cold outside, we have been spending a lot of time indoors, much to our dismay. It has just been too bitter cold and windy to go out and play in the snow or go for a walk. So I have been catching up on my magazines and looking for fun things to do with Arabella. She loves to draw, paint and do other craft projects so we spend a decent amount of time doing that...much better than sitting in front of the TV! However, there are times when I come across a project or craft that a 2 1/2 year old just can't help with. So when my little helper is napping or in bed for the night, I break out my supplies. As much as I love when Arabella helps me, I sometimes like to do the projects on my own, it gives me some time much needed alone time and lets me clear my head.

When I was doing some last minute Christmas shopping in Florida, I came across my most recent project. I saw the cutest framed heart for Valentine's Day...yes, at Christmas, Home Goods already has out Valentine's Day decorations. I couldn't believe it, but really, it was less than 2 months away at the time! I figured I could do the same thing, only it wouldn't cost as much and would be nicer. So while out with mom at one of our favorite craft and decorating stores, Hobby Lobby, I picked up the materials to make it.

The materials:

A simple white picture frame, a piece of scrapbook paper, and buttons.

From there, I drew a heart on the scrapbook paper, and then began filling it in with the buttons. I attached the buttons with a glue gun. (I made a second one as a gift and used plain old Elmer's Glue which worked just as good.) Once it was done drying and cooling, I put the paper into the frame and Ta Da:


So the heart is not exactly perfect, but I still think it came out cute and it looks nice brightening up our wine table. I think it is a fun way to put a little Valentine's Day cheer into our house.
Since I have been feeling so crafty lately and I have a lot of little projects I would like to do, I think this posting may become a recurring theme. So follow along if you would like to see what fun decorating ideas I come up with!