Wondering What To Do With All Your Child's Artwork?

I started scanning my daughter's artwork into the computer when she first started drawing and I didn't want to throw out those first precious drawings but they were starting to take over a basket in our office. Then I could throw the majority of them away without feeling guilty. Of course I saved my favorites but just a few. After we moved I got lazy about scanning them and the pile from the last two years was starting to build up again. Especially since she started pre-school last fall. I finally sat down and scanned in the last 270 drawings. But what do you do with them? 

The timing for this couldn't be better. Let me give you the back-story...

A while ago I had an offer from Groupon. (If you'd like me to refer you I get $5 credit for each referral, cough cough ;) Anyway, the offer was to purchase a $50 gift card to Mixbook for $15. The catch is the gift-card is only good for six months. After the six months it is only worth the amount you paid, (in my case the $15). I purchased one of these in December that I had to use by May 4th. I used it to scrapbook all of our trips and time in Europe. I got a pretty decent sized book out of it too and only had to pay shipping. I waited until five days before it expired to order so I could fit in every last adventure. The second gift-card I bought in February and it had to be used by the end of August. I knew I won't have enough vacation photos to fill it in the next three months but it was such a good deal that I couldn't pass it up. After I finished scanning all the drawings in dawned on me! 

I'm going to put all of her art in a photo-book from Mixbook so it will be easy to take with us wherever we move! Luckily I have the next three months to get it just the way I want it before I have to put the order in. When I finally get it I'll make sure to show you. (If you'd like to see the draft send me your e-mail and I'll invite you to see it.)

Water Marble Nails

I have a military ball coming up in less than 2 weeks. I have my dress (well the alterations place has it LOL), I have my jewelry (I just need a new chain for my eternity pendant), my shoes (comfy ones this time!), and I have an appointment the day of to get my hair and make-up done. The only thing missing was nails. The local salon is booked until after the ball so that's not an option. I've never been one for fake nails anyway so I thought I'd buy some new polish today and experiment. I had seen a tutorial on Pinterest for marbled nails and thought I'd try it. The first tutorial I watched made it look super easy. I'm guessing that person has had a TON of practice. I removed some of my worst paint jobs and tried them again. The second attempts were much better. If you did it enough it would probably turn out really neat. I don't have enough patience to keep trying so this probably will not happen for the ball but maybe another time. 

I couldn't find the original video I watched but I found another that works just as well. (Click here to see the tutorial) I like her colors and designs. The colors I used are subdued since my dress is a dark grayish brown color. Hand model I am not so please, ignore my old wrinkly fingers!! 

This is probably my favorite one

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I guess I'll keep practicing!

Little hborstad art

I love the way kids color. They don't worry about staying inside the lines. They don't worry if they're using the right color. They just color. For fun!

I hope you enjoy these as much I did. They were made by my daughter 2 years ago when she was only 20 months old.

Decorating a package for daddy when he was deployed

These were done more recently. She's out of her abstract phase ;

The cat monster (the beginning of her surrealist period perhaps?)

I guess I need to scan more in. I have a whole drawer full of her drawings. She's always been very artistic. She started drawing faces very young. Now she puts tiny little details in them like fingers and ears that make them so special.  I can't wait to see what she does as she grows up!