I made this!

Anya is at the stage where she makes artwork for the sole purpose of displaying it. If she had her way, I would hang every paper she scribbles on -- on the cork board, on the wall, on the fridge, on the door...any flat surface will do, really. I have put quite a bit of it up, because I am a mom and because she is my first born. (When it comes to taking pride in things you've made, you certainly cannot overlook children. Children are the ultimate craft.)

We live in a rental house, so the walls are not in the greatest of shape. Still, I don't want to fill them full of (more) holes. So I won't let her hang things with push pins; indeed, I had to hide the pushpins, because she is less concerned about our security deposit than I am. But I have let her have tape. To deter her looking for the hiding spot of the push pins, I left the roll of tape in her office (a printer cart next to my desk where she can "work" alongside me while I'm freelancing).

She loves making confetti. (Groan.)

Earlier, I left the office door open while I went to the doctor, thinking access to a normally forbidden room might take the sting out of being left at home. (It did.) I came home to a mural of...well, look.

The box is from R's latest Loot Crate.

It's less the art and the medium, and more pride in the fact that she can operate a pair of scissors and tape things together (and to the wall). While these pieces are more likely to wind up in the recycling than the Anya Art Hall of Fame, they are exciting to me in that they are a sign that she is ready to move beyond scribbles to more complex projects. As a crafting junkie, I have been dreaming of this day since before I ever got pregnant with her.

Okay, maybe I will keep one of them, to commemorate the occasion.


*Yes, the post title is a reference to the X-Files production company, Ten Thirteen. Because I am old, and a geek. Also, I have been rewatching Season 1.