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Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Putting those fancy store-bought ornaments to shame

We picked up a couple of you-paint-it plaster ornament kits at the drugstore today and the girls could not wait to dive in. They both loveLoveLOVE painting, I think it must rank up there with candy on their list of favorite things. And the messier and more permanent the paints the better—they scoff at sissy washable watercolors. Anyhow, I velcro them into their Hazmat suits (uh, I mean smocks) and let them have at it. Ree is on the left and Ro on the right. DSC_9190LR Carefully, carefully, must get exact coverage: DSC_9192LR Ah, painting, I just adore painting... sigh...: DSC_9195LR Hey Ro, do you have any brown paint? DSC_9198LR Don't bother me, this is serious business: DSC_9199LR Aw, they turned out so cute. Can't wait to hang them on the tree this year (and every year from now until eternity). My mom still has the mangy ornaments my little bro and I made a few decades ago, and they are hands down the family faves. Same in every house, I'm sure. I liked watching the girls' radically different painting styles. Ro went for speed and full coverage, even painting the backs of her ornaments. She boldly combined colors right on the ornaments to create new colors. Ree carefully studied the pictures of the finished ornaments and tried to closely replicate them. She mixed her colors studiously on a little plastic lid after asking me which colors would combine to make other colors. I only had to tell her each combo once, and then she remembered from there on out. Fun! Ro's ornaments are on the left, Ree's are on the right. You'll notice that Ro quickly figured out to combine those tubs of primary colors to produce her beloved pink, which then took center stage. DSC_9210LR Oh, and I should probably own up to the fact that I was planning to give half of these ornaments away once they were finished. Grandparent gifts, ya know? But there is just no way I can part with those treasures now. So, um, sorry to our relatives. You can visit these beauties any time on our tree. :-) PS: TubaDad finally went back to work this week, but still isn't feeling good. His ribs are a little better (still can't play the tuba), and he's still getting over the concussion effects.

14 comments:

  1. I don't blame you for not wanting to give those away! The did a great job!

    I have some ornaments that Peter and I made when he was 4. Made them out of modeling clay and you bake it and it becomes hard. He LOVED it and still loves putting them on the tree every year. In fact, one of them was a sock monkey.

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  2. Anonymous12/16/2009

    Aw, those are right up there with the ones that are antiques on our tree.
    love,
    wela

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  3. Those are great, looks like they had fun.

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  4. Those are too precious!! No wonder you can't give them away! Love the different styles of painting and also how they sat as they painted. Such cuties! Miss them like crazy!!!

    Hmmmm....did your mamma call you an antique? wela!! ;o)

    Glad to hear Rod is on the mend although sorry to hear how slow it's going. Poor guy!!

    Love to all from the snowy north! xoxo

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  5. Anonymous12/17/2009

    My kids did ornaments using that clay you bake. They used cookie cutters on some & designed their own shapes on some. I bought gold & silver paint in addition to the colors & let them glitter to their hearts content. They loved it!

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  6. FUN!!! They'll look great on your tree, I'm sure!

    Our girls have the same painting styles...radically different.

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  7. Oh yeah, my fave ornaments are the ones that were made by tiny little hands with a very unique artistic concept :)
    These year the preschool gift was 2 ornaments for our tree, lovingly made by our little Picasso. They are hanging proudly on our tree this year and will be treasured for many years to come.

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  8. Such cuteness! My kids adore these little paint kits though the paints are so freekin hard to open!

    I am impresses that they mixed their colors! Wow!

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  9. Well....I see things are merry "chez vous". Yes, those ornaments will be heirlooms one day. Don't ever give them away! (No matter how much you love the prospective receiver). :)

    It's so interesting how your twins are so different (and so alike too). Reminds me of arts and crafts with my twin. We were the same as yours. Very different yet so identical in some ways too.

    Ahem....so when you travel to the north pole.....why not deviate a little east? Montreal is beautiful in Dec/Jan!!

    Merry Christmas to your wonderful family. Thank you for sharing them (and you) with me.

    Wanda (At Last...)

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  10. Those are just too sweet and I wouldn't be able to part with them either.

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  11. So sweet! With 5 kids, our tree is full of special ornaments like these!!!

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  12. # 4 is my FAV! Oh my gosh. The attitude kills me! Okay, so the homemade ornaments. You are one of those amazing moms. We are leaving on a trip soon. Be back after Christmas. Hope you guys have a great Chrismas. Can't wait to see what happens!

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  13. Those ornaments are adorable. I wouldn't give any away either. I may have to try to find a kit like that one here. Jammer would have a ball.

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