Evidence of a Struggle (or a Photo Update to “Priceless”)

Back in December, I posted a little something about Claire and her disdain for finger-painting. You can check out the original post here.

I had wanted to leisurely make handprints with her to use in some holiday projects for our relatives. Well, as what sometimes happens with a toddler, things did not go as planned, and certainly didn’t look like the good ol’ time they were having on the outside of the finger-paint packaging.

False advertisers! Tricksters! Filthy no-good liars! If I still had the packaging, I’d show you their smug little smiling faces as they sit at the table not getting paint in anyone’s hair or on anyone’s faces or all over anyone’s clothes in an attempt to escape from the kitchen table. No one is screaming in their pretty little marketing pictures.

Maybe I’m being a bit too harsh. I’m sure there are parents out there who wish their child wasn’t into finger-painting. I’m sure there are toddlers who like to get their hands slimy while painting with their fingers. My princess daughter is just not one of them.

So, here is the result of our struggle:

Click on the photo to enlarge. Clicking a second time will show more detail.

I’ve added the above arrow and note you see on the photo using Gimp. (“Bring out the gimp…”) And, just between you and me? There is evidence of a struggle all over that paper. NONE of the marks on that page were made voluntarily and without a lot of screaming. Ugh.

After nearly crying over my failed project, I decided to suck it up and figure out a way to make it work. I did not get paint in my hair for nothing! That’s when I totally altered and rearranged the plan in my head (that’s the good thing about plans in your head…you can do that pretty easily…and it’s much easier than moving furniture), and figured out how to cut around her handprint so that the sixth finger was no longer visible.

I didn’t want her growing up thinking she was born with six fingers on one hand and that she’d had it removed in a surgical procedure before she was old enough to remember. (Not that there’s anything wrong with having six fingers on one hand, mind you. Well, unless you’re an acquaintance of Inigo Montoya…then I’d watch my back if I were you!)

Here is the finished project:

See? No evidence whatsoever of the six fingered toddler or the struggle required to get her handprint. And, I had her color a picture, especially for PaPa, to go along with her handprint.

Needless to say, my hopes of going into business by creating cute little handprinted projects for people (let alone making any more holiday projects) had been dashed. I wonder what Claire would have to say about helping me with some Papier-mâché?