Books are for Reading with Grandpa!

My husband and I both write.  I literally love children's books.  I love them for their stories, but I also love them for their art.  I collect them and really need to review some of them here in this blog . . . but I am getting off subject . . . .

I am working on an illustrated book series for children (my progress is chronicled  here from time to time in this blog.) Hubby has already published two books, one of which is for children. He's currently working on a novel, but he loves children's stories as much as I do.  Last year he finished a second children's book for our grandson, Owen, who has a speech impediment.  It is a common impediment, that he will eventually grow out of, they say, by the time he is about 8 or 10.  He has trouble saying his R's.  So grandpa wrote him a little book replete with R words!! It was Owen's fifth birthday present!  

Anyway, a couple of our other grandchildren were visiting this weekend, and grandpa read Owen's little book to them at bed time!  I just had to snap this sweet picture.  Vivi is intently listening, while LaRaya is looking at his first book, while she listens.  

I really need to finish my book project. It the first in a series, which I call my Grandma Books.  There is a tab at the top of my homepage if you are interested.  Books will be available on this site, eventually . . . :)

Header Sketch

Recently I have been  working on a new header for my art and creative writing  blog -- this one obviously!

 I did this sketch for my theme.  Turned out pretty good, except when I photographed it, it was an overcast day outside and the photograph turned out blue! I know the rule, "Let your white be WHITE and your blacks be BLACK!" I've tweaked it all I can to remove the color, but alas, it's still blue!  Maybe I should have run it through the scanner instead of trying to photo it!! 

Enjoy anyway . . . 

Linking today with:
Sunday Sketches

Inspired by the Children

Recently I visited the pre-school where several of my grandchildren attend. 

It was a colorful, busy place, indeed!

As many other schools, art was displayed on the walls.  I was particularly taken with one hall wall, since my latest art passion has been fiber art, or textile art quilts. The children's art was a similar type.

The wall looked like a crayon box with one textured art piece for each color.  Each piece was a collage of items in the specific color glued to a background sheet cut out to a specific shape.  There was a brown bear, a black sheep, a white dog, a blue horse, a red flying bird, etc.

Apparently the teacher chose a photograph, cut out the larger shape in the same color paper, then had the children pick items of the desired color to glue onto it.  Here, she had a frog picture for the green inspiration piece.

And, voila! The finished piece.  I love what the kids used for the eye, the nose and the mouth line in this piece:

Another was a picture of a gray cat with a purple tinge to the picture.

The finished purple cat reminds me that we don't have to stick to the exact color of an item that inspires us!

Sew . . .  here is one of my own textile art quilts where the color does not stick to purely nature's colors:

Plum Blossoms in Blue by AbigailJayneArt

Although it may be a little hard to see on your monitor, I used pale blue tulle to accent my blossoms in this piece--and I don't remember ever seeing any Spring blossoms in blue--except maybe an occasional hydrangea flower! But these are obviously not hydrangea flowers!   Sew fun using other colors to create!  

What inspiration have you received lately and . . . 

what did you do with it? 

Linking today with: 

Inspire Me Monday

Mantel Art

More of Bella's art (see yesterday's post), displayed on the mantel.  

Soon, her mom will need an entire wall.

After my own heart . . .

A girl "after my own heart" . . . have you ever heard this expression?  Meaning a kindred spirit, someone who likes what you like, originally used in the Bible when God was looking for a king, someone to rule like He himself would.  Well, one of my grands is shaping up to be a girl after my own heart!  She is Bella Jo, she is nearly 5 years old (in September) and she is taking up painting and art!  She used to draw a picture, wad it all up in a cute ball, and reach her hand out to you with the ball in it and say:  "Here I made you a present!"  I think that she is beyond that stage now!

Bella's mischief look!

 Shes says that she wants to be a painter/designer!  Here is the picture she was working from and her finished work in the bottom picture:

Feels good to know that your artful heart will have a legacy down in the generations!  Yay! Go Bella!