Crafty In Cobb

Lewis and I planted some flower seeds 9 days ago and wanted to show off their progess. Look at 'em grow! All it took was a little watering every day and the morning sun. Based on past experience they're going to get bigger but not look especially different for awhile. I'll post next when they're ready for planting outdoors. If you haven't tried planting from seed before it's really easy and seed packs are pretty inexpensive. You don't need a yard either. Just a planter, a sunny spot, dirt, seeds and water. As we all know, in addition to being pretty plants also help oxygenate your home. That's a win-win in my book! Every pod has something growing in it. Very exciting!   These took just over 7 days to show themselves.

Do you like to draw or maybe just like the idea of drawing and don't know where to start? Drawing, like any other skill, is learned. And you have to start from somewhere. I find the best place to start is with simple and colorful shapes. The following post will show you step by step how to make a colorful leaf drawing. There is no pressure to be perfect here. This is a small drawing. It's just a matter of you finding a half hour to an hour of time and some very basic materials. You will need a piece of paper, a ruler, a pencil,  eraser, a black pigment marker (I use Faber Castell but a thin Sharpie is fine) and some color pencils. Do not use a ball point pen as it will smear. Do not use crayons as they will also cause the ink to smear. This drawing will fit a 5x7" mat or frame. Draw a box that's just a bit larger than 5x7" on your paper. Using your pencil draw the shape you see on the left. Erase as needed until you like the shape. Draw two li...

Live in the Atlanta area and want something fun to do next weekend? The High Museum and Woodruff Art Center are hosting a FREE Family Festival from 12-5pm on Sunday, March 13. (Note: Parking is not free and costs $10 if you are not a museum member.) The festival will be celebrating the works of two artists, Vik Muniz and Jean Michel Basquiat. In celebration of these two artists there will a live Haitian musical performance and also Brazilian music (not live from what I can tell, but still probably pretty fun). The live performance will be given at 1 and 2 pm. There will be also be two creative activities for children - art making with unusual materials and kite making. The grounds are quite large and children can fly their kite right on the grounds! Click HERE for the Festival webpage. I don't know much about Vik Muniz but from what I can find his work is quite whimsical and he often chooses unlikely materials to make art. This is something that kids of all ages can wr...

Playing games with your family is a great way to pass an evening. We try to have a "Family Fun Night" once a week, usually on Friday. It usually involves playing games, going out to dinner or watching a movie. Nothing complicated. Yesterday, Lewis discovered the game "Would You Rather..." There are lots of versions of this game and it's easy to keep it age appropriate. Lewis decided to make up his own scenarios and present me and Chris a variety of difficult choices to discuss. Most were totally hilarious and presented the unique point of view of a fairly sheltered 8-year-old boy. I highly suggest trying this. To get you started I'll share some of Lewis' situations. Would you rather get divorced or struck by lightning? Would you rather eat lima beans for a year or be a total moron? Would you rather marry Justin Beaver (yes, that's his spelling) or wear clothes made out of ear wax. (Funny anecdote - Lewis thought Beiber was a made up person...

 I love gardening and want to teach Lewis what little I know about growing plants. I have loads and loads to learn and not everything I do turns out roses. But I keep trying. And what I lack in experience I make up for with enthusiasm. My thought is that I'll eventually get a great garden if I keep working at it. And I'd like to instill the same "can do" attitude in Lewis. Because it's expensive to buy plants that I know that I could very well kill I decided to try seeds last year. Overall I'd say the seeds were a success. Almost everything I planted grew. And now I know not to plant zinnias that will grow 4 feet tall and fall over right by my favorite walking path. So, for the second year in a row Lewis and I are growing seedlings in our kitchen. It's a blast to watch the seeds pop open and then start to grow. And kids love to mist and water seedlings. Lewis also likes a routine and got right into the groove of caring for the little plants last y...