Such a fun sleep-over

We never have to look hard for things to do together.  Gavin loves working on new projects. Sometimes we finish up things we began the last time he was at the castle house.  Other times, I'll have a plan for a new activity before Gavin comes over and that plan will morph into a completely different adventure.  And sometimes we even have projects we've talked about doing like hand sewing a burlap pirate booty pouch or whipping up some home made pasta, a la Great Aunt Jessica, but just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Gavin and I usually make regular runs up to the studio to get art supplies. We typically bring everything downstairs and work at the dining room table. Sometimes Hempi joins in the fun, like the last two times Gavin was here and we all worked on origami.  Usually, we make at least five to ten 'studio runs' in the course of a weekend. And I always ask, "Gavin, would you like to run up to the studio with me to get more 'stuff?'  Most of the time, Gavin is out of the chair before I finish the question. Each time we're upstairs, I show Gavin another art tool or gadget.  Gavin is getting familiar with where I keep my treasures.

This last weekend, we ended up in the studio for one of our projects.  Only right that it was a 'drawing activity.' Such a lovely turn of events, too.  It started innocently enough.  I invited Gavin to come up to the studio to see a surprise.  The surprise was a desk.  The desk his Mom and Dad gave me after they decided they no longer had a use for it.  And now, the same desk Gavin was used to seeing in his house, was in the "Castle House" studio.

When Gavin saw it, his face lit up.  The next thing he did was ask for some paper and colored marking pens.  Arranging them on the desk just so, he took a seat and began making the place his own.  Gavin said, 'this drawing is going to be for you, Ba'ka.'  

Together, we spent the next hour, drawing and working at our separate desks.  Time spent in the studio is usually good for me. But this was a first for Gavin and I.  Staying in the studio to work on something together and apart.  Each in our own creative space.

The next morning, we went back into the studio, this time because Gavin asked me to make a copy of his original work of art.  I love mixing art and technology! And especially when I can share my knowledge with this 5-year-old.  Little does he know that in another 5 to 10 years, his tech-savvy abilities will far surpass all of mine and I will never catch up.  We proceeded to scan and copy Gavin's artwork, do another drawing, more scanning, convert art into note card art and then write notes in the new cards for special people in our lives.

Gavin 's Art Note Card

Learning to draw using the Wacom tablet.

I love Gavin Quotes.  This was one of my favorites:  Gavin: "I'm going to need a lot more paper."  I smiled and replied, "Well, that's easy. I have a lot of paper."  And Gavin, making my whole weekend said, "You are the master."  *heartfelt sigh