“The sun did not shine, it was too wet to play, so we sat in the house all that cold, cold, wet day…” (Opening lines from Dr. Seuss’ book “The Cat in the Hat”)
Anytime I looked out the window this week, I could relate to these words. Not a single day without pouring rain. But, in the story, the kids are soon paid a magical visit by the Cat in the Hat, who plays all sorts of creative games with them. I could relate to that part, too.

I admit, there were no magic cats around here, but that doesn’t mean there was no creativity. When it was “too wet to play” (and after doing school work), this was on my to-do -list:

• Make a recycled cutting board: I melted pieces of old plastic lids, a shampoo bottle, and a worn-out cutting board, to create a mosaic fish-pattern. After some trimming, smoothing and carving (outline of fish, had to see on final image), I was pretty happy with what came of it.
• Make a custom collage gift envelope for the cutting board: I used newspaper, old wrapping paper, and brown paper. I thought a recycled gift needed a recycled gift wrapping.
• Progress on the illustrations: I finished the third spread (for now) and will be doing the remaining illustrations as concept sketches. They are supposed to be ready for the SCBWI Conference in May.
• Giv Art Lessons: I have an art student that comes over once a month for some basic art training. She was here yesterday and we talked about foundational shapes in drawing. We then took random objects and drew a still life.
• Brainstorming on New Stories: I have a few word combinations in mind that could possibly make good stories. Combinations like “Pineapple Juice”, “Fluffy Zorro”, or “It’s a long Way to Helsinki”. Do I know what these stories might be about? No. But I know a good sound when I hear it, and these word combos just sound good when you say them. The potential is there.

So, next time it’s cold and wet outside, fear not. I’m sure you can think of some projects of your own. You don’t need perfect working conditions to have a creative idea or do put it to practice. Reliable sources suggest to just do it! Especially when it’s raining. Stay creative, and have a great day!