Best Shot Monday: Creative Frenzy

This weekend has been a creative frenzy. Baby Angel had a school project to 'make a model or puppet or dress a stuffed toy' to represent post school 'options' ie jobs!

Now it must be said that the BA has never been much of a 'maker'. For years we were given beautiful craft sets as birthday presents, cos that's what you give girls right? I am sad to say many of them still sit in our cupboard and still others were given away to other little girls who really DID like that sort of thing.

Many times I would try to instill my love of all things crafty on my daughter by sitting with her and helping her complete some craft task. She usually quite enjoyed the experience and was sometimes pleased with her results but mainly I think she did it to humour me. Certainly she never came to me with a box of bead making or paint by numbers or design your own T Shirt and asked to do it. I think she lacked confidence. Anyway, of course it was a bit of a disappointment to me but on the other hand.....I can't play netball. We're all different.

(On another occasion at age 3 she flatly refused to be involved in the ballet school concert.
"What do you mean sweetheart, I've already made the costume!!!"
"Well, I'm not doing it. I don't want all those eyes looking at me."
...........whose child IS she???????????????? I would have LOVED all those eyes looking etc etc)

But once more I digress!

Today she announced that she had to make this puppet/model/thing and of course its due tomorrow and she had no idea what she wanted to make. After a bit of discussion which left me crabby and frustrated I announced that I couldn't be doing this for her as I had my own school work to get on with and anyway she should have discussed it with me earlier etc etc etc (grr)

"Don't worry Mum," she chirped,"I'll do it myself.....just show me where the needles/thread/scrap material/buttons etc etc etc are."

She decided she would make a 'dress designer' and, once we had sorted out how you sew on buttons, she proceeded to use her initiative and make a jolly good job of it too! The photo above shows how proud she was of her achievement and as she said, she made it herself which is more than can be said for many kids who will come to school with exquisite models made mostly by....Mum. And now, a more detailed picture of her work of art!
Her big step brother was, of course, quick to point out the relative ugliness of the model! We informed him that dress designers did not have to be attractive, just make good dresses. This one seems to be of African origin and has obviously been working out. BA found the jewellery in her old dress-up box, used bangles for ear-rings and even created the 'new design' dress that the model is holding.

I am sure with more time we could have refined a few of the elements but it is all her own work and it productively filled a Sunday afternoon and left a young girl feeling on top of the world. That's worth an A in my book!!!!

Of course, having ignored all of us for most of the day by playing the X Box with his big brother, (except for an altercation over finding his muddy football gear and bringing it in to get washed) Small Boy inexplicably decided, 45 minutes before his Mum was due to pick him up, that he wanted to do some sewing too. I found him some scraps and let him get on with it. I think the BA threaded the needle for him but after about 25 minutes he came back into the kitchen to show me his handiwork. Since this was the most communication I'd had with him all day, that didn't involve a pout or a scowl, I thought it was worth a photo.When he'd seen the picture in the viewfinder he looked at me and said,
"Can you put it on your blog?"

Maybe this is my best shot after all...................................................

For the best of last week visit Picture This!