Iron Craft Challenge #1: Fifth Anniversary

It's the fifth year of Iron Craft challenges, and that means challenge #1 is the fifth anniversary present ideas: wood, silverware, or daisies.

Of those three options, I was immediately drawn to daisies.  I love flowers, and I've been wanting to add some more art to the girls' room for awhile.  So why not make some myself?  

I got a Hobby Lobby gift card for Christmas, so last week when we were near one, I picked a few crafty supplies, including a 14x18" canvas.  Can I confess something?  I've never felt like enough of an artist to paint on a canvas.  And also?  I haven't painted a picture since high school.   So the canvas just sat there for several days, waiting for me to be brave enough to put paint on the brush and start.

For awhile I was kind of paralyzed by fear of how it was going to turn out.  I actually just finished it about an hour ago.  But in the end, I just started.  Amidst children building Legos and reading books, I pulled out some newspaper and my paints, and started.

They all stared and wondered, and it was actually really cool to be able to explain to them some of the techniques that I was using that I hadn't even thought about in 10+ years.  I was also really proud to be creating something in front of them.  It's so good for them to see me doing something creative that isn't about them!  I forget that sometimes.

I've participated in at least a few of the IronCraft challenges every year, although I have yet to come close to completing all of them.  Will this be the year?