Written by Our prompt of “Gingerbread” today, made me think of making gingerbread houses when I was a kid. Yeah, I know, this entire month makes me feel like a kid again. I’ve sketched pretty much everything on the planet by now, so I’m adding in happy animals whenever possible as a proxy to illustrate my delight. Today, we have a little puppy who is apparently taking credit for having just built a gingerbread house despite his lack of opposable thumbs. When I was little, my houses were never this elaborate. I lacked the attention span to create anything that didn’t happen really quickly. Still do, actually. Thankfully, sketching is way faster than assembling a proper cookie abode, so I was able to add far more detail than would ever adorn the houses of my youth. In truth, my mom didn’t bake gingerbread, so my house was made out of graham crackers instead. A tub of store-bought icing held it together and gumdrops and starlight mints were jammed in with glee. It was a really wonky house in the end, made far too quickly and lacking all precision, but it was all mine! So I was proud of it!
Tonight my mother called me out of the blue. Since she never calls I first worried that something was amiss, but it was simply to tell me that my “movie version” of Paddington Bear wouldn’t be ready when I arrived on Thursday. I had to giggle that she thought she actually had to call and tell me that to keep me from showing up disappointed. Though I’d made a big production about challenging her to make the bear, I just love challenging people to create things! And we always had challenging projects going when I was a kid, and it was fun to have another one in play. So, of course, I said to her, “I’m not coming then” to which she replied with a hearty laugh. Something about the fur was all wrong and she said it was too shaggy. I asked her if she tried shaving it, and she said quite seriously that she considered it, but wasn’t sure about the results. The color was perfect, so she’s now on the hunt for a different fabric. This actually made me so happy. Looks like we’ve another creative problem-solving craft adventure together in the days ahead!
As I’ve mentioned before, this week will be incredibly busy and my mom’s place has no Internet connection. Though I’ll still have my phone, I have to stand outside the house on my tiptoes at just the right angle to get a proper connection. This has never stopped me from posting before, so I assume it will all work out as ever, and I always have my sister’s house as a backup plan. Posts will be a bit shorter, as those are rather solitary endeavors, but I’ll still be sketching as my mom likes to watch me. She still talks about how I managed to make popcorn look like popcorn a few Christmases ago when I first started drawing and painting. Not having Wifi or a proper cell connection seemed totally prehistoric to me when I was visiting before, but now I rather enjoy it. It’s a chance to disconnect a bit and focus on the most important things in life. It’s an interesting phenomenon really. Everyone in the family is suddenly forced to talk and watch movies together like we’re living in the 70’s and 80’s. Maybe that’s why I have such nostalgia for those eras. We’ll soon be enjoying all of our wonderful annual traditions with mom, like we are all actually living in a little gingerbread house.
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About the DoodlewashDa Vinci Paint Co.: Aureolin, Gold Ochre, Quinacridone Red, Cobalt Turquoise, Leaf Green, Terra Cotta and Ultramarine (Green Shade). Staedtler Pigment Liners in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note with a link to this post, and I’ll add it to my shop! |
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Love the post and the wonderful sketch, Charlie! Hope you have a ball at your Mom’s. I’m almost as excited as you are about going to your Mom’s!
Thanks so much, Zertab! 😃💕 hehe! Yay! Glad you can feel my excitement!
Well done Charlie!
Your gingerbread house reminds me of a time when I was assembling the gingerbread pieces with melted sugar and burnt my finger. That was when my son was young. Then, decades later, I made a gingerbread house with my granddaughter. I learned that icing is so much better…no burns, and the little one loved licking the icing off her fingers. Thanks for the memories Charlie!
Thanks, Louise! 😃💕Aww yes! I think my mother knew I couldn’t be trusted with melted sugar! lol Much safer and more fun to use icing!
Love the expression on the dog’s sweet face!
Aww thanks! Glad you liked my little pup! 🙂
I think the puppy is saying, “You made this, but I’ll be happy to eat it for you!” ‘Cause puppies are usually saying something like that. Your graham cracker houses sound like lots of fun, but when I was a kid, the crackers wouldn’t have lasted long enough for the house to get finished!
hehe! So true! Graham crackers are just awesome… I usually had a few while building my masterpiece! 😉
Fantastic gingerbread house, Charlie! I hope you have a great visit with your mom. Family is important.
Thanks so much, Karen! 😃💕 Family is the most important thing of all!
Way too cute! Enjoy the time in the little gingerbread house 😉🐶
Thanks so much!! 😃💕
Love the gingerbread house that Phineas built! Such a talented dog!
hehe! Thanks so much, Sharon! 😃💕
I’ve never made a gingerbread house. Sounds like fun. Great painting.
Thanks, Gary! 😃💕 It’s totally fun to build a gingerbread house… you should try it!
Thanks for the giggle reading your post tonight, Charlie! 🤣😄 Your happy dog did a super good job building the gingerbread house!! WOWZA!! haha
I think it is good to detach from social media now and then… I hope you enjoy time with your mom and perhaps paint some more popcorn! 👍🍿
Thanks so much, Jill! 😃💕Glad I made you giggle! Yeah, I’m excited to unplug for a bit. And popcorn isn’t on the prompt list this year, so I’ll have to come up with another excuse to get some! lol
I never made a gingerbread house. I taught myself how to decorate cakes, and even made both my brother and sister wedding cakes. In hindsight, both were pretty garish, but at the time I thought they were beautiful. We were all so young then, every thing was brighter. Lol!
hehe! Everything is still bright when our inner children take over! 😉 💕 And you can make a cake for me any day!!
As soon as I saw that happy pup and that groovy gingerbread house, the scent of gingerbread filled this room. DOodlewash is truly a magical place!
Charlie said, “Though I’ll still have my phone, I have to stand outside the house on my tiptoes at just the right angle to get a proper connection.”
You have painted an image in my mind that makes me smile.
Have a wonderful visit with your Mom. If Paddington Bear needs attention, and the movie runs long
and then you get caught in a traffic jam, and dinner is already late, so as soon as you eat
you fall asleep, DOodlewash will keep. Be safe and have fun.
Aww glad you liked that bit! Yeah… getting online when I visit Texas is like wishing on a star! 😃💕 Thanks! I’m so excited for the trip. And whatever happens, it will be fun!
Wonderful post! Love that happy little puppy; he looks so pleased with his Gingerbread house!
Thanks so much, Mary! 😃💕 Glad you liked my little pup… I just love the idea that a doggie made one!
Ahhhh, so cute. He looks like he’s ready to dive into it. Tee hee! I loved not being connected last weekend. I did a lot of sketching/painting! Have a fun safe trip!
Thanks, Lori! 😃💕Yeah, it’s a wonderful thing indeed to disconnect from time to time. And yay to lots of sketching and painting! Always time well spent!
Great Charlie, just by looking his face I can feel the JOY
Aww yay! That’s such a wonderful compliment! Thanks, Walt! 😃💕
LOL, Phinehas looks very pleased!!! 😁
*Phineas
hehe… thanks, Miste! 😃💕 Actually this isn’t Phineas, but a random puppy. And he actually jumped up to look at it while it was drying and sniffed his disapproval! lol
Oh my gosh, that’s so funny! 😁 Was he really wearing a Santa hat? Does he look something like Phineas, or am I imagining that? Maybe it’s the intelligent sparkle in his eye? 🔆
I think it’s the sparkle… I tend to add that to all my animals. hehe 😉 Phineas is a basenji, but quite intelligent – https://doodlewash.com/the-diary-of-phineas-oshields/
Yes, you kind of add a sparkle to all your paintings. Phineas is CUTE and intelligent! 💕