Ouch.
Now, I think her sister was only half joking... but still, the comment dug in deep and hit me hard. I started this blog as a way to document all of the fun and crapty ways that I keep myself (and now, my son) entertained. And I've kept this blog going for because I want to keep creating things... and hopefully inspire other parents and kids to create things too.
In no way did I ever want to make someone feel bad about themselves...
So today's post is an honest post. Friends, hopefully I haven't made others feel that way. Let me share some honest, kid craft blogger confessions with you...
1. Ever notice how Chuck is always cute and smiley in photos?
Confession- I bribe my child to smile. *Gasp* Yurp. It's true. I give Chuck a gummy snack to smile and laugh for photos. Yes. Gummy snacks... the sugary, non-organic, artificial color-laden kind. It works every time and he enjoys working for this "fee."
2. Ever notice how the first photo of each post shows a lovely project laying on a clean, white background?
Confession- It's staged. *Gasp* It's true. I take up "office" in Chuck's room, move around his toys, place my artwork and projects on a white board, and shoot like a million photos.... and end up using only one or two. (Oh and btw- I also recently learned that images are considered more "pinnable" if they're vertical ones instead of horizontal ones... so I've been working on that too.)
3. Ever notice how my photos are nice and bright?
Confession- They are edited. *Gasp* Yes. It's true. I take photos in the morning (for the best light). Then I edit them on free software like Picassa. (And here's another confession- I even do this for many of my photos on my Instagram Feed too)
4. Ever notice that I post a lot of craft posts every week? Where do I get the time to do this stuff?
Confession- I'm a super hero and have the ability to stop time.
Just kidding! I hate cleaning. When Chuck is finally in bed, and I see a dirty bathroom/floor/kitchen/bedroom (take your pick) and an enticing list of craft ideas... the craft ideas win every time. So if you ever come and visit our apartment... sorry for the dirty toilet and the giant dust bunnnies... let's make something together!
5. Wow. So many of my projects seem to work out so nicely and neatly....
Confessions-
- 2/3 of my projects are "duds." Ideas often don't work out (like my exploding dinosaur eggs) or activities just weren't very fun (like my DIY math game).
- I usually go through several iterations of more complicated projects to get a version that I like.
- Of the 1/3 "successful" projects, only about 1/2 of them ever make it to the blog. The other ones are never posted because... (and I know this is superficial... but I'm being honest here)... the photos just aren't that great.
And now that I've bared my kid crafter soul, I'll end with this post with couple of photos from our latest creative endeavor. A couple of days ago Chuck and I had a TON of fun painting in our living room. Here's a photo of our activity:
Yes. this was in our living room. Yes. We went a bit crazy. He ended up painting his feet, hands, bubble wrap, a random tire, and some of his clothes green. It was a good rainy, day, stuck-inside activity.
And here are real* (and blurry) smiles from Chuck:
*No gummy treats were offered here
And here's our final artwork (made 100% by Chuck)
Heh heh. Isn't the image gorgeous? Isn't it super pinnable?
Friend, this is what a lot of our artwork and projects end up looking like...
So that's the end of my confession. I'm just a regular mom, who hates cleaning, but loves making stuff (some good, some really not so good) with my regular kid (who is sometimes happy and smiley and agreeable... and sometimes not).
Thanks for joining me on this crafty and crapty adventure.
Linking up with other ladies who are daring to be honest and risk rejection.