Canvas!

Fact: there is nothing grandparents love more than their grandchildren... Except for maybe their great grandchildren.
I speak from experience!

so, for Christmas (now that Christmas is over, and I can post these things without spoiling the surprise) my children and I set about making all of their grandparents (and great grandparents) (and even their regular parent (who does not live with them - aka not me.)) presents that were not going to make my wallet empty, but would really make them smile.
well, I thought salt dough ornaments at first, but there's really only one time a year that those can even be seen, so I eighty sixed that idea.
Then I thought of having the kids tell me a story (something they're very good at) and I would write the words as they drew the pictures. (ain't nobody got time for that. Plus, I would have wanted to put it in a legit book form, not just printer paper folded in half and stapled, and that wasn't going to happen.) So I thought, and I thought, and I thought.
and then I got on Pinterest.
and I was Pinspired.
aha.
canvas.
Wine and canvas are huge these days, so why not have my minions create their own art to go along side the well thought out and carefully painted masterpieces of their grandparents?
so I went to work.

first, I browsed the billions and billions of kid's canvas ideas, and I settled on using body parts and paint.
so I went to hobby lobby on my lunch break, and bought 6 canvases. (they were sold in pairs, so I just bought three of them) grabbed some paint (in metallics and neons. woohoo!)
in total, the project probably cost a whopping $20 bucks. FOR ALL OF THEM.
Eep! So excited.

I picked my kids up from daycare, took them home and immediately stripped all three down to their knickers, so I wouldn't paint their clothes (trust me, it would have happened.)
Children were confused but I busted out the paint and they were game!

I painted Rhys's foot first.
she was less than pleased, it was hilarious. she eventually got into the spirit, but she was pretty hesitant about letting me touch her feet again.
The kids were less than pleased to have to wait.
so, as I sat on the middle of the kitchen floor with naked children pressuring me to paint them, I regretted this decision.
but it's okay, because look how well they turned out!!

hahahaha, I'm kidding. This was just step one.

check out the final product though :D

I know you got a sneak peak, but here's what happened.

Mema & Papa, Mimi & Papa (the in-laws) and Gigi all got one of the "Hearts and Toes" Canvases.

MeMa & Papa Got a Grand bay bees one (because they're great grandparents.)

Mema got a "wrapped around my finger" canvas from Rhys because honestly, my grandmother spoils my youngest child more than she spoiled me, and I thought that was pretty hard to beat.

Shayne got a canvas that has the kids feet painted green, hanging down with berry or something (idk pinterest) and it said "Mistletoes" across the bottom.

I was not present for the Mimi & Papa / Shayne present opening, but Mimi (Melanie) sent me a text saying she loved it (score!)

I was present but not competely awake when Gigi opened hers, and she loves it (currently hanging in her bedroom - another win)

and as you can tell, Mema & Papa loooove theirs too!

so that was the pinspired Christmas present making of 2014, woohoo!