My family and I have been taking a lotta walks lately.  As dog owners, we have always been regular walkers, but this lock-down has taken it to a new level.  Walking outside in the spring sunshine while oo-ing and aahh-ing over the spring blooms has helped keep us sane during the lock-down.

There's a lovely little park nearby that just consists of nature trails (and one playground that is currently off-limits).  Surprisingly, Ransom has had a blast walking and running on the trails and has not constantly asked to be held. Its been really sweet.  We even discovered an awesome tree-house, that I later found on Airbnb.

We also spotted these pretty trillium flowers.

We didn't know what they were at first and had to do some internet sleuthing when we got home. We only noticed them for about two weeks (if that, I honestly don't remember when we first spotted them) and now their time is gone.  So I've started drawing one in my sketchbook.

Usually at this time of year we're starting to go on more hikes at epic places like Mt. Hood and the coast, but our life is smaller right now, closer to home.  I'm thankful we have such beauty even in our own neighborhood.

That's all I really wanted to share.  Just some simple walks and a simple sketch.   I hope you can spot some simple joys today as well.

In my last post I share lots of fun little art projects I've been doing with my son during the lock-down.  I don't anything like that to share today.  This week he has decided he's done with art projects, and instead just wants to play superheros and fight bad guys all day.  Sigh.

It was about a year ago that I received my first tattoo design inquiry. I've since completed eight floral tattoo designs for clients.  It's been a fun and expected endeavor.  In the past month I finished these two designs for clients.

I also heard back from a former client.  She shared with me the finished product of her tattoo.  Each flower represents the birth month of each of her children, with their names on the stems. It turned out  lovely!

If you'd be interested in a tattoo design, you should know that right now my entire Etsy shop is on sale -- 20% through next Friday.  That means your $30 deposit would be discounted.  Just send me a message and let me know what kind of tattoo you want, and we can get the process started.

We're all stuck at home, and I thought I'd take a moment to share what that looks like in the Maxwell abode.  I'd love to say I've had tons have time and motivation to create, but both have been lacking.

  The reason I can't say that, though, is because I'm spending the majority of my time with my three-year-old. In the alternate reality where I do have tons of time to create, there is no Ransom.  So really, I'd rather things be the way they are. Not a lot of drawing, and yes there's a lot of frustration, but I wouldn't have it any other way. 

I spent the first two weeks complaining a lot about the fact that we're stuck at home.  There is definitely something to be said for the value of venting, but I really want to try and savor this time rather than just wish it away. 

So since I don't have a ton to share of what I've been making, here are some snapshots of what Ransom and I have been making together. (Also, side-note, I'm trying out using affiliate links with Amazon. That means if you happen to click on something on this post and purchase it, I get a little money.  I thought I might as well try it out since I'd be sharing all this with you anyway.)

Green is Ransom's favorite color, so we've spent some time just free-painting with green washable tempera paint.  Anytime I paint with him, I try to limit it to three colors so it doesn't all mix together and become brown.  And I like to have white be one of those colors.

Ransom's preschool teachers have been sending him cute little activities to do everyday.  This one was one of my favorite so far and he really enjoyed it.  He watched a video of his teacher reading The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear, and then we made a shape mouse together.  I cut out the shapes, and he choose the colors and did the gluing. The addition of googly eyes made it particularly charming.

We made a newspaper boat based on the book Curious George Rides a Bike (another suggestion from his preschool).  The tutorial is here.

We've also sorted bottle caps and made a few pillow forts.

Of course, he's also watching plenty of Paw Patrol and Octonauts and throwing plenty of fits.  It's not just peaceful afternoons full of painting and pillow forts.

If you have any other suggestions for fun three-year-old activities, send them my way!

I hope you're finding fun and creative ways to keep busy.  And taking long naps.