My newest infatuation – Paint by number

Have you ever tried a paint-by-number? I thought it sounded a bit hoakey, but was willing to try anything to get some bonding time with my kids… and now I’m hooked!

Do you struggle to find things to do with your kids? Mine girls are 11 and 12 and one-on-one time with them is limited now to the rare pedicure. Mom just isn’t cool and their interests lie more in electronics, sports and their friends.

Sad sigh

I’m always looking for projects or experiences that we can do together – to create memories of fun moments that we shared – but beach season is over and I’m a less-than-average skier – so finding some common ground isn’t easy.

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I am however incredibly susceptible to Facebook and Instagram ads – yup, total sucker – so when I saw an ad for My Paint By Numbers pop up in my feed, I ordered three immediately and tucked them under the tree for Christmas.

While I loved colouring with the kids when they were small (although they’d just scribble all over a page and tell me to hurry up so they could move on to the next) – adult colouring books never appealed to me. To be honest, I found them boring and a bit tedious.

This My Paint By Number though was FUN. Truly.

I loved sitting with Chlo� chit-chatting away while we each painted our own masterpiece.

I’ll be honest, when I first opened up my kit (which includes 3 paintbrushes and all the paint you’ll need) I was intimidated – these sections are smaller than my pinky fingernail, and there are a LOT of them…

But it’s almost mindless work. Get a paint pot out, colour all the spots you can find, then move on to the next.

Or do like Chlo� and try one of every colour:

This is what her finished project will look like:

BTW, I’d say if you are thinking of getting a My Paint By Number to do with your kids – this “psychedelic cat” image is more appropriate for them (fewer spots and a larger area to work within). There are some great nature, dinosaur and nursery prints as well.

Chlo� and I sat together 4 or 5 times and painted away while talking. Maddie joined us once, but the iPad held more appeal.

These paint by number pieces come rolled up in a tube but are printed on actual canvas – not paper – so the acrylic paints don’t leak through and damage your table. This is one of my first attempts at painting my own canvas. Typically, I would get beach wall art australia to complete my canvases and I’ll simply hang them up in my home. But this time I thought I’d give one of them ago. Let’s see how the end result looks! …

When you’re finished, you can purchase a wood frame to stretch your canvas over, or whip one out yourself with some scrap wood (like I did)

Just centre your piece over the frame, pull taught and staple in place on the back. Once it was wrapped, I painted the outside edge of my canvas black to act as a sort of frame.

Then I decided I wanted to add an actual frame – I think/thought – so I made a wood frame that will slip around My Paint By Numbers. (I’ll show you below with and without and you can help me decide if it should be framed or not)

I’m sort of ridiculously proud of this; I love how it turned out, I love that it accomplished quality time with at least one of my girls and I love that I can say “I did it” – even if it is a paint by number.

Here it is in my office without the frame on it:

and here it is with the frame:

Which is better?

Maybe the red poppies aren’t an ideal choice in a pale blue office? I’m thinking one of these might be my next purchase:

I’m crazy for the navy blue with the greens in this William Morris – Tree of Life piece.

I can’t find the one I bought for Maddie, but I’m thinking this would have been a fun one for her to try:

There are cityscapes, famous artists like Klimt and Van Gogh, florals, animals, abstract and romantic images (to name a few).

Did I mention how much I loved doing this?

Creative, relaxing, mindless – almost therapeutic really – with the added bonus of Mom & daughter time. You really need to try this (AND I notice that there are a LOT of these My Paint By Numbers that are 50% off now!)

Still can’t decide on with or without the frame?

You really need to try this!

Have a great one!

 

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• Between Naps on the Porch