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Saturday, June 8, 2013

"Two Much" Talent!




"Two much talent?"
Yep, that's a real problem for me over here! My grandchildren are prolific in the fine arts and quantity produced has long ago exceeded square inch refrigerator space. Among the group of artists frequenting grandma's is a set of four year old twins. That means a run on dinosaurs, for example, leaves me with a head-spinning collection of watercolor behemoths. Thank goodness for Father's Day. Bless the person who invented that celebration! Bless him for clearing my cupboards and drawers and folders and closets and shoe boxes in advance of that national day of recognition for the fine young men whose precocious offspring fill my home and my heart with paintbrush, crayon, marker and pencil packing talent - "three much," actually, counting Bree, to absorb by myself!

The daddies in our family are not connoisseurs of the masters. They watch basketball for artistic stimulation. If we were to mention Picasso's "blue period" during a commercial break, they would nod in enthusiastic agreement, saying that there is only one more of those left in the game before the national championship is decided.

But I have seen one thing - one thing! - make them turn down the volume, drop the chips and set aside the beer. "Daddy, look what I made!" Awwww! Works every time. Crayons always trace the most direct way to daddy's heart! So, bless the woman who invented the recycle of kids' artwork into Father's Day gifts that surprise and delight while clearing grandma's shelves for next year's batch of creative overload! Oh, but wait! That's ME we're talking about here!

The Mother's Day gift cookbooks we made were a huge hit. That's when I decided we'd do the same for Father's Day, subbing original artwork for recipes. The twins' "Two Much Talent" book, with tabs for dinosaurs, creatures, rockets and abstract work, is pictured above, in progress.







































Bree's gift for daddy will always remind him of his daughter's love for her first favorite song, "The Itsy, Bitsy 'Pie-der.'" The two of them still sing it together, so one day I asked if she'd like to paint a picture of the "pie-der." This is the result. With a very inexpensive frame and a fancy sheet of card stock, the painting became a work of art. My hope is that some day daddy will rock his grandchild, singing the same song. The image of a framed purple critter will linger in his mind as he smiles at the wisdom of his lovely mother-in-law who told him often that the years ahead would fly by before he knew it!

Purists may argue, "That is not an arachnid! Those have eight legs, not six!" But I would protest, "We never said this portrait was that of a 'spider.' We said it was a 'pie-der,' and last time we looked, those still had six legs, not eight!"

18 comments:

  1. What a darling post! We're very familiar with the pie-der. :-) Sweet photos!

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  2. Such a good idea! I love the pie der artwork, my little baby loves that song and laughs every time we sing it. You have such talented artists in your family (and one extremely talented grandma!) What better way to celebrate Father's Day than putting a collection together, love it!

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  3. I'm so glad you help them learn to be creative, so good for children.

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  4. I sure wish I had you for inspiration when Amara was younger! What wonderful gifts you have made for everyone and what wonderful memories you are making with those grands! Can't you just hear the twins talking to each other 10 years from now -- "remember what did it Grandma's that time?" You are awesome!

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  5. Those boys are adorable ! The pieder is quite cute! See, normal grandmas ( like me )get some poster board, real paint ( scary...we've progressed beyond waterpaints now ) scotch tape a pic of the kids on the poster board, and then have them paint all around it. Then we think we are 'sumthin' until we visit Super Grandma, lol...Oh did I mention the cup that I ordered online. Yea....but I had to upload pictures for that at least :) Joyce I always anxiously await your next post because you are truly like an online magazine / love your stuff! :)

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  6. So cute! You have so many wonderful idea. I think you need to publish a book. :)

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  7. You are invited to share this Show Your Stuff:

    http://juliejewels1.blogspot.com/2013/06/chocolate-chip-oatmeal-flax-seed.html

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  8. Absolutely wonderful! Thanks for sharing :) Have a beautiful Sunday.

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  9. What a great idea! Have you ever tried the fingerprint art Ed Edgerly does? Your talented grandchildren would probably love it.

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    1. I have not tried the fingerprint art with the grandkids yet, but I am familiar with his method. I agree with you - they would love it! Thanks for the idea!

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  10. Awe! This is just too sweet! I love the "Pie-Der"!

    Thanks for sharing at Party In Polka Dots!

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  11. Hello there! I am coming to visit via Stephanie at The Enchanting Rose! Your blog seems like a lot of fun to read, and since I am going to blink and then be a grammy myself, I'd better start gleaning some ideas:)

    I'll be joining your blog by way of GFC Reader. Have a blessed week!

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  12. Adorable - what a great way to showcase artwork!!

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  13. What a wonderful idea and terrific gift. It is always good to keep all of those 'treasures' and in a book format takes it over the top. I also think just maybe they inherited some of their creative skills from Grandma!

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  14. What a cute idea for Father's Day!

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