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Father's Day - a creative gift like no other!

Updated on April 18, 2021

A Father's Love

Father's day in my home is important for many reasons.

1- I have no father, to speak of, but, my children have a wonderful father in my partner. Whilst I have a lacking presence of a father figure, I want to ensure my children uphold their love, respect and appreciation for theirs!

2- My Partner is an incredible man! A chance meeting on Sydney's Central Train Station 'platform 16' saw my life change- for the better!

3- Being a father does not always mean your DNA matches- as controversial as this may be for some, this is something I have been able to witness first-hand, and appreciate.

4- Recognition is not a rule, it is an important show of respect

My 5 daughters and I escaped horrific domestic violence, with the strength, support and kindness he provided.

Now, my daughters and I feel really safe and at peace- a devastating fact when you consider they may well never have in their young lives. The progress each of them have made over the last few years has been heartwarming. We also had twin boys 16 months ago- he is hands on with all the kids, helps with homework, changes pooped in nappies, is guiding to them all, loving, and most all, he is 'Daddy'.

My partner has not done all of the preceding for any personal gain or showboating or bragging- just simply because he cares so beautifully.

So, the 'Sunshine' painting I have chosen has great significance to our little story.

The blue skies are significant right across our lives, things are sunnier now, happier.

The sun, a symbol of the warmth he provides to our 5 girls- painted on the canvas by the girls hand prints- symbolic also for his hands holding them too.

The butterfly feet are obviously representing the twins - moreover, a reflection of my partner and I - both coming from less than desirable relationships before finding each other. Now, the transformation of our lives together - beautiful, colorful, 'I could fly' type feelings we now have together.

You are my sunshine is unofficially our family song- when we are cooking dinner together, we will often have his playlist from his phone playing music in the background. When 'You are my Sunshine'- by Johnny Cash plays, it cuts through to my core, knowing the road we have traveled has been rough, but, the road ahead, is looking wonderful. No matter what challenges may come our way, there will be no grey cloudy days, for we are together.

Finally, this painting ties us all in together, highlighting the man he is in our lives.

Though the girls do not have matching DNA to him, it's not an issue, I don't either, obviously, and he means the world to me too :-)

This painting ties us all in together, has some powerful words, fantastic colors, most of all, it is a piece of great looking art, for our family home that means so much to us all- so the piece is worthless to anyone else, but 'priceless' to us!

Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope.

— Bill Cosby

Art and Craft experience? - Please do not think that I am an experienced art/crafter, I am in no way, this would be the first and only item I have created that

How much art/craft experience do you have?

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The Gift of Your Children's Love - I created this with my children in September last year- Father's Day in Australia

The finished product
The finished product

What do you give a man who has all you can buy?

A photo shoot with the kids? Yes, nice.

Maybe a pair of socks? Another useful gift too!

Imagine this; a painting! Not like any you'll be able to buy, will have no real monetary value to anyone and most of all, will be priceless to Dad!

Where do you find such a painting?

That's the very simple part!

You will need to gather the kids, purchase the requirements from Amazon I have detailed below and have a fun, quality time with your kids creating a one of a kind, priceless to Dad work of art!

From your local arts supplies store, you'll need to buy a canvas*, and a bottle of craft glue**

*the one i brought cost me $8 from the Reject Shop (dollar store) here in Australia. It is about 1 meter wide and approx 60cms high- I chose such a large canvas because we have 7 children, I wanted to ensure that the hand and foot prints weren't squashed etc.

** glue cost me about $2- this is only used for the letters to be glued onto the canvas at the very end, after all the paint has dried.

Supplies for your own Father's unique Canvas

To execute your project with mastery, there is no REAL skill involved at all.

The following items are safe for kids- and their CLOTHES :-)

Crayola Washable Finger Paints, 4-Count ( 4 ounce tubes ), Red, Blue, Yellow and Green
Crayola Washable Finger Paints, 4-Count ( 4 ounce tubes ), Red, Blue, Yellow and Green
Paints that are specifically for safe use with kids is important- Crayola products are quality!
 
Pack of 2: Large Plastic Rectangle Party Tablecloth White 54 x 108 Inches
Pack of 2: Large Plastic Rectangle Party Tablecloth White 54 x 108 Inches
Easy, cheap plastic tablecloth to cover your work area whilst painting and drying time- won't stick to the canvas and can easliy be thrown out after your masterpiece is done- unless you get an artist itch and store t for another project in the future :-)
 
Loew Cornell Simply Art Wood Alphabet Value Pack 250 ct. (1021201)
Loew Cornell Simply Art Wood Alphabet Value Pack 250 ct. (1021201)
This Alphabet pack will ensure you have all the letters for the words you want to put on the canvas
 
SHARPIE 31993PP Fine Electro Pop Marker, Fine Point, Assorted, 24/Pack (1927350)
SHARPIE 31993PP Fine Electro Pop Marker, Fine Point, Assorted, 24/Pack (1927350)
These Sharpie markers are perfect for drawing the bodies of your butterflies
 

I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.

— Sigmund Freud

Here comes the fun part!

Ensure you allocate enough time where dad will be out of the house so your team of budding artists can get creating AND cleaned up before the chance of dad discovering what is going on.

The Sky - Step 1

Now that you have your materials and a workspace where you will unlikely be discovered, the first thing to do is cover it.

I have suggested a cheap, plastic table cloth for covering your surface, this can be stored away when this project is finished- just in-case you get the 'art' itch in the future.

The first part of the painting process for me was to ensure the canvas was completely painted well.

The sponges are the perfect tool for the job; I used the widest size sponge for painting the canvas blue to cut down how long it would take. What I loved about the sponge? The paint didn't simply 'cover' the canvas, it made great areas of lighter and darker combinations, depending on how heavy handed I was with my stroke and how much paint I had on the sponge at any one time. There were areas left on my canvas that showed through the paint color, the white of the canvas, adding to the 'sky' background.

This effect was great. You can however, apply extra coats of the blue, to your own liking.

The Sun - Step 2

Firstly, I painted half a yellow circle on one side of the painting

Next, each of the girls painted their hand yellow and pressed onto the painting.

note- I did get them to print their hand in ago order,- my oldest daughter is the hand-print at the top, my youngest daughter is the print at the bottom of the sun.

Whilst they were doing hand prints, I was painting the lettering for the wording yellow to allow enough drying time whilst butterflies etc were done.

Sun- complete!

Not as easy as it looks
Not as easy as it looks

Butterfly Babyfeet - Step 3

Instead of using a stamp shown in the picture, i just painted the twins foot the colors I wanted.

I then pressed 'Twin 1s' left foot a few times about the canvas, creating the right side of the wings of the butterfly- twin 1 was always on the right in my belly when I was pregnant- twin 2 was always on the left side of my belly.

note- removing the paint from skin is as simple as having some baby-wipes on hand, comes off in a flash

Now, pressing 'twin 2s' right foot beside each of the other foot prints made by twin 1- creating the left wing for the butterflies.

This was NOT easy, a baby will squish their feet and flex and extend all over the place when you try and apply cool paint using a sponge, I'm sure I'd feel a little tickled too.

After all the painting is finished and dried, that's when you will use the Sharpies to draw in the butterfly bodies and feelers.

These butterfly feet were inspiration from the picture here.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/213991419768385326/

Finishing Touches - Step 4

Ensuring the paint is completely dried.

I spaced out my lettering on the canvas, making sure it would all fit.

After trying different ways, I decided on having the lettering like this, I left the piece loose on the canvas, whilst I went along and glued them into place, where they sat loosely.

The butterflies' bodies and feelers were drawn on with a purple Sharpie- Butterflies - COMPLETE!

From here, I left the project for the glue to have approx one hour to dry.

This canvas is now hung in our lounge room and is a lovely addition to our colorful home

Credit to quote source

The 'Father' quotes here are courtesy of http://www.quotery.com/23-remarkable-fathers-day-quotes/

Regardless of my own lack of a father, I have so much interest and find happiness when I hear of good father's, or father figures. Please share your 'Father' memories below

Take care of yourself and your loved ones

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