Although I am over 50, I still have a penchant for certain styles. As an artist, muted colors, animals, and flowers still make my heart flutter when I see them incorporated into fashion. (And when I say animals I do NOT mean fur!) I can't get away with the same things the twenty somethings can. Plus when you are young, people assume you are experimenting, learning, and are willing to put yourself a bit more out there when it comes to fashion.
But today I found shoes that I may not be able to resist. These grey flats (already two checks in my BUY THEM box for color and heel height), with a very faint stitched and sleeping bunny, complete with ears on the instep, make me happy just looking at them. They are fairy tales for the feet! To make us smile even harder, the same company, ModCloth, (click HERE for their website to buy) sells Tiffany blue flats (two checks), with a wide eyed cat on the front that is reminiscent of the Totoro cartoon. Who is the genius that designed these! Love them.
Okay, okay, maybe the Totoro skips are a bit too youthful for me, but the Furry Up, We're Dreaming bunny shoes might be just subtle enough for me to get away with. And ya know what, if something makes you THAT happy, go for it--opinions be damned. xo
And for those of you that have not seen Totoro yet, please see the trailer above, then rent it for the kids. It is one of the most beautifully animated shows you will ever see. Enjoy!
Pablo Picasso said, "We are all born artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." So true!
Children gain self-esteem and emotional fulfillment when they are allowed to create without judgement. They do not have preconceived notions or endless loops of internal negativity to get in the way of their thinking. If we foster the creativity in a child we are allowing them to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The Whole Child of PBS states: "Theexperiences a child has during their first years of life can enhance their creativity."
For all those parents out there that want to do art with their kids but think I do not have a creative bone in my body--maybe you do, but need a little help finding it. Make it easy. Get some paper and some pencils, crayons, or paint and go for it. Don't worry about the result. Enjoy the moment and just go for it. For those that need a bit of a nudge, here are some prompts: * A lovely November morning * A yellow bird * A cup of tea * A monster in the closet * A rocket ship in space * A new planet * A flower no one has ever seen before * Constellations in the night sky * Your pet * A pet you wish you could have * A cool car * Snow flakes with faces Choose any of these items and draw one on a page, a few, or 50. Just have fun. And here is a quick how-to for Kiki the Cat :) Show me your version when you are done! xo
Kiki starts with two circles, kind of like a snowman, except the bigger one is for her head! (Only slightly bigger--mine almost look the same size and that is fine.) Draw lightly here because you will be erasing some of these lines later.
Now draw some VERY light guidelines on her face so you know where to put her eyes and nose. Her face is looking right at us, so her nose will be right in the center, on the lower guideline.
Make the nose with just a tiny triangle, and then draw another short time down from the bottom point of her nose. Then draw the top of her mouth--it looks like two very shallow Us. Her eyes fit between the top and bottom guidelines. My Kiki will be looking to the right. (Her head is facing forward, but her eyes are looking off to the side.)
Lightly draw two triangles on her head for ears. If you draw them wide apart she will look calm, if you draw them more on top of her head she will look alert, or surprised. Her front paws are just small ovals with the tops of the ovals erased. Her back paws are kind of like parenthesis with tiny cat toes. Her tail looks a bit like a large backwards C. She's starting to look like Kiki now!
Now we can darken the lines and make her look fluffy. I also left some white spots in her eyes for highlights, and lines under her for a shadow. I also added some very light whiskers and I shaded part of her ears. Voila! Kiki! I will be adding more Kiki how-tos in the weeks to come. I'd love to see what you draw!
If you ask any kid in the world what he wants for his or her birthday there is probably a 90% chance they will say A PUPPY!
Or a kitten, bird, fish, hamster, gerbil, ferret, mouse, or pot bellied pig.
Even if there are pets in the house--they will want more pets. Especially the young version of any animal they may choose. It seems kids just know they are on the same level. (CLICK HERE to see a few pix that drive that point home just a bit ;) ).
Kids and puppies just go together. If you have one or the other you are already stuck feeding them and keeping them clean--so why not just get the other?
They also like being around each other. They both have endless energy to play and can help with your already greatly diminished energy level.
I think this is also the reason kids love books with animals. They have a natural love for the outdoors and nature, and animals in books, whether anthropomorphic or real capture their attention. Even the Cat in the Hat, who bears only the most faint resemblance to a feline, (I think he kind of looks like Jack Benny), grabs their attention.
It's a mutual admiration society, kids love animals and animals love kids.
They truly love animals, and love the books they are in. From Clifford the Big Red Puppy to Peter Rabbit, kids feel warm, safe, and familiar when they read about animals.
Even my favorite book as a child, Where the Wild Things Are, has animals in it--kind of...
Some scientists warn that kids could get confused if reading about animals that have human traits. I think
(I'm not a doctor) that we do not give kids enough credit. I do not think Winnie the Pooh, Dory the fish, or Snoopy did me or any other kid any harm.
Has it been done already? Yep. But kids love it, and it will be done again. I'll do it in my next book in fact. And I'm pretty certain all the kids will be fine even after they see the main character in the book is a mouse, and he wears a vest. I think they will be just fine. :)
