Home Spun Fun

This is a perfect example of what happens when a Martha Stewart project goes awry. I wanted to do a project with my daughters that would be fun and creative for them...yet, inexpensive. We decided to make beach bags decorated with shell shapes. I had seen a step by step "how to" in Martha's Stewart's, Living (June 2009 issue). We used fabric paint (Tulip soft fabric paint, $1.49 each at Joann's), sea shells from the store near our house and mini canvas bags (about $3.00 each, also at Joann's)... We were supposed to paint the shells and then press them onto the canvas bags...Early on, things were already veering off course...I had forgotten to put a towel down underneath the bags to give them, well, a little ..."give." Duh, Mom! So the shell impressions actually just looked like weird dents on the canvas....the girls seemed unfazed and being "zen" like kids usually are, had already moved on...They wanted the brushes to paint directly on the bags...Worried my entire endeavor was quickly circling the drain, my inner dialogue went something like this... "What? but they won't look like the perfect ones pictured in the magazine? The great star fish shape? The cute little sand dollar?" ...I quickly re-grouped...remembering this was for THEM...their creations...So instead, I said "Sure!..That is a great idea...paint whatever you want to...and you can turn the shapes into anything you want as well." They went on to paint some great designs on their bags... turning the "not so shell shaped" blotches into animals and other designs...from "their" own hands and "their" own hearts. The bags looked great! Exactly how I had expected and intended...Though they were not what I had originally envisioned...We tweaked Martha's (Yes, we are on a first name basis now) ideas and made them our own...Their own - Which was the point from the get go, right?...They proudly showed off the bags to their Dad when he got home...Happy as "Clams." So the moral of this story is..?... Take the original idea and have fun with it - go with the proverbial flow...You'll be surprised where your kid's ideas take you. Another few "tweaks" of advice?...Dilute the paint with a little water...it's pretty thick... make sure your kids wear something you do not care about too much...The paint really works!!!...Remember to check your expectations at the door...and most importantly... Have a lot of fun with your children...& I can almost guarantee they will too.