Getting Creative

There are many things that I am, but being artistic or crafty is not one of them.  I would say that I'm not creative, but that's not entirely true. I am a creative thinker. A creative writer. A creative problem-solver. But ask anyone who's had the misfortune of playing Draw Something with me - I cannot make a pretty picture to save my life.  And crafts? Ha! I once spent two hours putting together what I thought was a spectacular scrapbook page. When I finished it I showed it to my husband and his exact words were:

"That's a good start."

He said it with such sincerity I couldn't be mad at him.  The scrapbooking supplies (all $100 worth) sat in a box until I donated them to a friend who has put them to very good use.

The problem is that the kids are at the age now where they want to do more "crafty" things. My tendency is to show them some colouring books and crayons, maybe throw in some stickers if I'm feeling fancy and let them go at it. We tried paint once.  This is what happened:

But even with stickers we have to be careful. After all, not all sticky things are actual stickers, as Gavin found out when he showed me this beautiful craft he had made:

Those are real Canadian postage stamps he'd found, making this particular piece of art worth at least $2.15.

But that all pales in comparison to the wonderful drawing Gavin showed us this weekend. We were in the car on a road trip. The kids were looking at books. Mia kept asking for a crayon, "Like Gavin". I hadn't packed any crayons, so I wasn't sure what she was talking about. She dropped it for a bit and then Gavin announced, "She wants to do this."

That is probably one of the best pictures he's ever drawn. It just happens to be in a book that I'd borrowed from the library.  And the book's title?

Good Enough is the New Perfect: Finding Happiness and Success in Modern Motherhood

So crafts may not be our thing. But you know what? It's pretty entertaining anyway.