Phone Case Scripture Doodles

Scripture memory doesn't come easily for me, and I have to be intentional about it. Recently I've started putting scripture as my phone case. I bought the clear case for ten dollars on Amazon, painted a quick water color background, then used sharpie after the background was dry. An easy and personalized way to memorize scripture...because how many times a day do you look at your phone, right?!

What is your favorite way to memorize scripture? 

Art by Liam

"All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." Pablo Picasso

My little guy loves to create. It's become a daily thing now to grab his box of art supplies (for now it contains crayons, washable markers, stickers, and the coolest gel sticks) and color at the art table. Of course I am thrilled about this having studied art throughout middle and high school (and regrettably only one class in college). It's always been something I enjoyed and sometimes feels therapeutic. 

Recently a friend asked if I would do an art project with her kiddos, and I had a fun time putting it all together and teaching my first art "class" (there were 4 students, so that counts, right?). To add meaning to our project, we read "A Color of His Own" which tells a story of a chameleon who tries so very hard to remain just one color so he could have his own just like the other animals. He eventually learns, with the help of a friend, to be as he was created. Not a Christian book, but at the end I add that God made us unique (Psalm 139) and for a purpose. We should live as He made us and not try to be something we are not. 

Then we made our own chameleons with poster board and water colors. 

To start out, trace your chameleon onto the poster board, but do not cut out until the very end.

After tracing, take a medium-sized paint brush, fill with only water, and spread the water all over the chameleon. Then take a color from you water color tray and dab onto the watered surface. By doing the water first, this allows all of your colors to blend well together and have a tie-dyed effect like this:

Even my 22 month old was able to water color his chameleon - so easy! After drying, cut the chameleon out then draw his facial features with a sharpie. 

I am looking forward to our next art project and fostering my little guy's creativity!

Pastels, oil pastels, acrylics, charcoal, colored pencils...there are so many ways to create!

It's Been a While...

Since I was a little girl, one of the hobbies I have enjoyed most is drawing and painting. I love to sit and create something with a brush in my hand. I realized today that it has been a full year since I last painted (on a canvas - I have painted my walls recently, but that will be another post). This is a pic of the last painting I did - something fun and whimsical. I am NOT claiming to be good at it; it's just something that I enjoy. I would like to paint something for my dining area (about 16x20 size), but I am still waiting for inspiration...hopefully I will not let another year fly by before I paint the next one.

Mona Lisa & So Much More

The Louvre is an amazing and enormous art

museum. Thousands of people walk through the halls and admire the relics and pieces of art every day. One of the most famous paintings at this landmark is the Mona Lisa. As you enter the large room that contains the Mona Lisa encased by plastic, you have to fight for a spot to see it up close. (The pic above shows the crowds that constantly surrounded it the day we were there.) At first, I was disappointed with the painting...smaller in scale than I had assumed, and compared to the other magnificent paintings, it left much to be desired (only my opinion). Ironically, directly across the room from Mona is a painting of Jesus at the last supper that fills the entire wall (see pic for proportions). This painting's subject seemed much more significant and meaningful to me. I couldn't stop staring at it. Unfortunately, there were few others that felt the same. I might be taking this illustration a bit far, but this seemed to compare to our world today. Often we are enthralled with something that, in our finite minds, seems important and grand. On the other hand, if we do not look around us and see beyond our small perspective, we could be missing an incredible masterpiece!