All of my family lives in Arizona. Sometimes this is good and sometimes it's bad. It's especially bad when I'm reminded how little I get to see my 11 year old niece. Well, it just so happens that my niece is in the Mitten for the summer. She has been staying with her grandmother and visiting with friends and family for the past few weeks. Unfortunately, work and school have limited the amount of time I get to spend with her. I was finally able to pick her up on Saturday. Over a biscuits and gravy breakfast I asked what she wanted to do for the weekend. Shy at first, she finally came clean and said she wanted to back to "that craft store." Turns out, she was referring to Michaels. I had taken her two years ago when she was visiting in the summer of 2009. The fact that she hadn't outgrown the crafting bug made my heart swell. No one else in my family shares my creative tendencies. While we were in Michaels the ideas started spilling out of her... The one that stuck? She wants me to teach her how to make a scrapbook, like I do. Then my heart was breaking. If only we were closer. If only we could craft together more often. We actually skipped the scrapbooking and decided to do some painting instead. We picked up a three pack of 4" x 12" canvases and some paint. Here's what my crafty niece came up with:
I noticed some things about this girl while she worked on the canvases. She is a lot more like me than any of us have ever imagined (my mom is always saying this is so, mixing our names up and such). Turns out, this girl is quite the perfectionist. She was fretting over every dot, swirl, and letter. This is just like me. Sometimes I'm so worried about how a project is going to turn out that I can't make the cut into a piece of paper. I've mostly gotten over this, but it still takes me quite awhile to finish the simplest projects. I don't know how such detail oriented, perfectionist type A's like us get drawn to the creative hobbies. Anyhow, she actually ran of time to finish the third canvas. Her and I are both hoping that she can come back before returning to Arizona to finish her canvas. Rumor has it... the last canvas is going to say Castle.
Cute canvases and a great project for an 11 year old! My 5 year old loves to "scrapbook" with me. Her version is mostly gluing random pictures and buttons and paper shapes together on paper. I'm hoping as she gets a little older I can teach her more about actually using the pictures and words to tell a story and remember something. It does break my heart though when she says her stuff isn't as good as mine. I tell her her's beautiful, I've had years of practice and I don't always like what I make either!
ReplyDeletelove this!!! there can truly be such a special bond between aunts/uncles and nieces/nephews! she will remember the things you teach her forever, and will always have a fond spot in her heart for her aunt!
ReplyDeletewhat adorable projects! i think 'castle' is perfect for the last canvas!
ReplyDeletelove the canvases! and I castle would make a perfect 3rd!
ReplyDeletevery cool! i love your blog titles too, how did you get them that way? :)
ReplyDeleteHi Danielle - Do you mean my Post titles? The handwritten font? From the design link in blogger, you go to the Template Designer link, then the Advance link. Then scroll down to Post titles and you can select the font. I've picked Handwritten Apple.
ReplyDeleteI love young talent! How fun that she has the crafty bug like her aunt and that you were able to spend time with her doing that. :)Marti
ReplyDeleteI love the handwritten font too!
ReplyDeleteso lovely that you could spend this time together. her projects are adorable.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I will try this with my boys soon! It will probably be a hot mess becuase the are 6 & 4 but they'll have fun!
ReplyDeleteHow awesome to share your love of art with her!
ReplyDeleteSo sweet! Loving her canvases!
ReplyDeleteLoved scrapping with my girl..she is now 23 and we live on separate coasts :-( Fun for your niece to have that time with you!
ReplyDeleteScrapbook princess
Great, easy kid project! Minimal financial investment, maximum result!
ReplyDeleteYou're such a great auntie! Even though you don't get to spend a lot of time with your niece, I am sure she knows that she has one awesome aunt!! It's neat that she loves doing craft stuff with you.
ReplyDeleteThis work is breathtaking! Fun and cool idea!
ReplyDeleteSimply beautiful, such careful work for a kid. Love, love love that you and Amaya got to craft together.
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