Painting the Sidewalk

Getting Patrick to do art is like pulling teeth. The child just doesn't love art, which pains me greatly. However, he does occasionally enjoy painting. So when I saw the opportunity arise for this neat little project, I jumped right on it.



Last week, it was unseasonably warm here in New Jersey. It felt much like early summer. I knew it wouldn't last, so when I heard him stir from his nap on Friday afternoon, I ran to the kitchen to grab the cornstarch. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and thought I'd give it a shot. One cup of water, one cup of cornstarch...mix it up, evenly distribute into muffin tins, drip food color to desired color and paint. Simple enough!



He came down tossled with bedhead. "We're going to paint today!" I told him. He resisted. "Outside! Look!" I showed him the paint, but he didn't look overly thrilled about the prospects. It was 75 degrees and the paint was already made. We were headed out no matter what! I got him a snack and we headed out to the sidewalk to paint. I got him motivated for a bit. Our sidewalk took on quite a hue for the few days before the rain swept it away.



I don't think the recipe was quite perfect though. It was too watery. I think it needed to be a little pastier. When I do it again, I'm sure I'll do it a little differently. It was too watery! So, here is my suggestion.

1 1/4 cup of cornstarch
1 cup of water
Food Coloring



Let me know how it works for you!!

Wacom!!

I got a new toy this week! I ordered a Wacom Bamboo Tablet. I figured if I really am serious about doing something while I'm on maternity leave to try and make a job, this would be a good investment!



Did I ever mention I was a Textile and Design major in college? I know...I teach..you'd never know..but really, my love has ALWAYS been with fabric. I remember when I was in college, I thought I don't want to student teach! Who does that? You don't get paid!! And there I was...with my love of art...making it work...

Then I came out and realized that I really DID want to teach! What had I done?! Oh, what a mistake! So I went back and got my teaching certification and thought Art is my hobby. Why would I want to do art for a living and get burnt out?!

Oh life is so conflicting! Here I am, 10 years later, thinking maybe art isn't such a bad choice! It's what I love after all!

So for now, we'll see... but in the meantime, I'll be honing my skills digitally and playing with my new Wacom!