Since my children were little they have loved to paint. When Mylan was small, Evan worked at a place that used giant computer paper that ran out on a track. He would bring discarded paper home so she had plenty of blank canvases for her creations. Solvay liked to paint on old pieces of wood, so we have lots of those adorning the yard.
Now that the girls are older, we enjoy going to As You Wish to make creations we can use and enjoy for years to come.
On a recent afternoon, we entered the store as we usually do, combing the shelves of white ceramic objects for something to transform — via personal touches — into a unique creation. One thing I definitely wanted to paint: a four-inch tile for the Tiles for Smiles campaign. You paint a tile for $10 and $7 goes directly to Camp Soaring Eagle, a camp for seriously ill children. The goal is to send 15 kids to camp in celebration of  the 15th anniversary of As You Wish. The tiles will be donated to collaborative art projects at the camp.
Solvay decided to paint a food dish for Bonnie (our family’s chihuahua and resident Raising Arizona Kids mascot). Mylan decided on a bat. Being the huge fans of Halloween that we all are, we also all picked cute little pumpkins with different expressions face. And I spotted the cutest little monster candle-holder to paint, too!
We sat down with our goodies, picked various paints and began the creative process. I’ve found this kind of time serves a dual purpose; much like care rides and quiet walks, it lends itself to random communication that often gets neglected as kids move into the hectic tween/teen phase. We talked about school, friends and things that were bothering them this week. The conversation just flowed, like the paint from the tips of the brushes. Before we knew it, two and a half hours had passed!
The girls finished their masterpieces before I did ( why is it that I am always last?) and started cleaning up their brushes and bowls. I finished the last touches on my tile and we headed to the checkout. The best part comes in a couple of days when you pick up the pieces after they have been glazed and fired. It’s like getting a present when you don’t expect one!
I can’t wait until our next outing to As You Wish — it should be just in time to paint something for the holidays!
