Make It Monday: Hand-Print Fall Tree

Some parts of the country have talked about snow recently. Thankfully, here in Michigan we're still enjoying the bright sunshine glowing on the oranges, reds, and yellows of the trees. I'm glad the rain has finally stopped so we can enjoy the beauty of fall. 

Now it doesn't matter if it does continue to rain though. I have my very own colorful fall trees right in my kitchen.

Let your friend paint your arm and hand brown. Watch out - it tickles!

Press your arm down on a piece of paper. If there are some white spots visible when you lift your arm, simply fill them in with more brown paint. 

After you wash off all that excess cold brown paint, return the favor, and paint your friend. 

Please though, paint just his arm and hand.

 "Hi, Mom! Wanna hug?"

 Embellish your tree by using your finger to add dots of colorful leaves all around.

I had visions of glorious trees sprinkled with the colors of fall. Masterpieces to be hung on the kitchen wall, for sure.

What they painted was far different from what my idea of the pages was. They seemed more interested in painting other accents. Very little leaves were being added.

This was not the plan. These were not the works of art I was excited to see created. 

Or were they?

Jake's picture, on the top, shows the leaves gently floating to the the ground with the slight breeze. There are 2 piles of leaves that the daddy already raked up for the child to play in. The child is jumping off the tree swing into the larger pile. The house is visible in the background.

Alyssa's picture, on the bottom,  shows a huge gust of wind. The leaves are being swept away and blown all around in the chaos. A little red squirrel tries to take shelter from the breeze near the tree.

See, it's all about perspective. Upon closer evaluation, and taking the time to listen to their descriptions, I realized that these were, indeed, art at it's finest. They weren't at all what I envisioned, but that's what makes them true artists. They weren't restrained to paint what I saw, but what they saw, what they felt.  

These little ones of mine are creative and talented and have minds of their own. Who am I to try to stand in their way, making them reform to my way of creating things? 

These pictures are hanging on our kitchen wall. Right where they should be.