Blueberries.

Eve LOVES them, especially frozen blueberries.

So as she sat and ate frozen blueberries, more than any child should probably have, a strange thing began to start happening. She began to change before my very eyes! She was becoming... BLUE!

Seriously though, blue.

EVERYWHERE.

I brought Eve over to the mirror and she dissolved into giggle fits about her new look, I believe this is what inspired her to help me create, "Mr. Blueberry Giraffe."

I have been so excited to not only to continue collaborating with her, but because there are just SO many ways we can! Since she usually starts the painting and I finish it I thought, this time, I would try letting her have control of the paint and I the drawing.

I had recently finished a giraffe sketch that I was planning to paint solo just that morning when I realized it would be a great way to kick off this idea.



SO after a much needed bath, Eve sat down to paint, of course another bath would eventually be inevitable.

I love watching her paint, I envy her greatly. A child's strong confidence and their lack of fear of making mistakes is beautiful and something I think we all lose as we get older. I don't even think the idea that it is even possible to make a "mistake" could ever cross her mind. She is still in that innocent phase of childhood where negativity hasn't seeped in and damaged the pureness of her mind. This is one of the many ways she has become the greatest art teacher I could ever wish for.

Now back to Mr. Blueberry Giraffe. As Eve and I talked while she painted she showed me how the Giraffe had eaten blueberries just like her, hence why his mouth was so blue. Because his hands were blue from eating he had forgotten and touched his head covering himself in blue, much like the reflection she saw looking in the mirror.

From there on she just enjoyed the painting process and used different colors. (I wish I could peek into her mind to hear her all of her thoughts) She had just gotten her hands into the painting when all of a sudden she decided now would be a good time to go blow some bubbles.

So off to the bath and then to the park for bubbles.

She went to bed that night leaving me a giraffe filled with lovely shades of blueberry and her inspiration led me to a bubble blowing blueberry giraffe. (quite the tongue twister) I decided to fill in the eyes and add some detailing to make the giraffe a bit quirky. I saw what could be a pipe in the two black markings and realized it would be the perfect bubble blowing pipe for Mr. Blueberry Giraffe.

 
Mr. Blueberry Giraffe had two favorite things, blowing bubbles and eating blueberries. He would be hard pressed to say which one he loved more. One day he ate WAY too may blueberries, they say it was close to a thousand! Despite his sore tummy, he thought nothing of it, and sat under his favorite tree where every morning he used his beloved red pipe to blow bubbles. Mr. Giraffe would spend hours watching them drift off into the sky wondering about the journeys each would have.

But there was something different about today!

He had eaten so many that he began to hiccup... and hiccup... and as he began to blow his bubbles carefully watching the first one come out he was astonished, it was BLUE! He was so startled that he jumped up causing it to pop right on his nose. Mr. Giraffe went cross eyed as he stared down at his nose, it had turned BLUE! He dissolved into a giggle fit thinking this was the most fabulous thing that had ever happened to him.

And to this day every time Mr. Giraffe blows through his bubble pipe he makes sure to eat fruits and veggies of EVERY color just so he can watch his rainbow colored bubbles fly away on their magical adventures.
< This is the story that I told Eve about the painting, being a mom with a fussy eater I HAD to throw in that last bit. >