My princess and I had a date to play dolls tonight, but when I went around to find her she was asleep.  She needs to rest since she’s been sick, so I tucked her into bed. I decided to make something for her — a chimney cupboard!  She’ll also have some new dolls tomorrow, as I stepped into a local toy store today and could not resist a family of wooden dolls.

The chimney cupboard is made of match boxes.  (They are great for making furniture.)  Each drawer has a different little button for the drawer pull.

The doll family admires the beautiful veneer on one side of the cupboard…

and then the other side.  It is actually a few pieces of paper cut from some scrapbook material I have, glued into place and then covered with a coat of mod podge.

But what’s this?

It’s a little letter for my darling!

What does it say?

We’re rowing Roxaboxen right now and my daughter just loved our first reading of it tonight.  This little letter will be a fun “find” for her tomorrow while I am at work. Her dolls can play Roxaboxen.

They’ll need the pretty treasure.

Happy rowing and happy doll house playing,
Lynn

I want to tell you about “The Art Wall.”  It is a place in our home where an artist is showcased for a period of time.  Several major works are placed on the wall in the form of postcards or small posters, the titles of the works placed underneath them, and information about the artist put up as well.  Most times the postcards will tell you what medium the artist worked in — oils, water colors, etc.  That is placed on the wall as well.

This month’s artist is John William Waterhouse.

The works included are:

• Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May
• Miranda, The Tempest
• Study from La Belle Dame Sans Merci
• The Awakening of Adonis

The benefits of doing this are many.  Not only do the children learn to recognize the style of the artist being studied, but they place that person on their own mental timeline.  In addition, many paintings lead into studies of various literary works and historical events.  For example, this particular set of works leads to studies of Greek mythology, John Keats, William Shakespeare, and Robert Herrick and the meaning of carpe diem.

I am always on the lookout for art-themed postcards at thrift stores, but other places to look are book stores, print and poster shops, museums, art galleries, and little gift shops.  They are usually only 75 cents to 3 dollars apiece.

Have fun if you decide to create your own art wall!

Lynn