The Intersection of Design & Motherhood
Four-year-old Betty was grumpy over the weekend, so her siblings tried to tempt her out of her funk by painting fancy dresses that she would oooh and aaah over. I think the paintings turned out so pretty. (The sleek black number is va va va voom.)
The delicate little coordinating shoes are especially chic.
Betty was eventually so cheered that she designed her own couture creation:
I think it would be fun to frame the series and display them all together.
Previous post: Ferris Bueller Board Game
Next post: La Cressonnière: The Exterior
My name is Gabrielle Blair. I'm a designer and mother of six. We're currently living in a farmhouse in the French countryside. It is dreamy as can be. I post on where design and motherhood intersect.
Like what you see? Join me.
New to Design Mom? Here are 10 posts to get you started:
What to Wear To Middle School
Napoleon Dynamite
Our Birth Announcements
Potato Print Clothing
Having Another Child
Young Einstein Birthday Party
Little Red LightHouse Outing
Porch Makeover
Waving Goodbye To The Atlantic Ocean
Build Two Toddler Beds for $75
Pimp My Ride: Family Edition
We've used our base in France to do lots of traveling. It's addictive! Here are some of our adventures:
A trip to Amsterdam.
Canoeing on the Dordogne River.
A Belgian Waffle Tour.
A wintery visit to Cologne.
Three cheers for Barcelona!
The tulip fields in Holland.
We saw the final match of the French Open.
One of our favorite spots is Mont St. Michel.
I wonder where we'll wander next! To see more of our travels, click here.
Wow! Time Magazine named Design Mom a Top Website of the Year. I'm blushing! See the writeup about Design Mom here. And see the full list here. You can find more press links, interviews and articles here.
{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, talented kids!
Thanks, Jennelle. They love painting. Maude wants to take lessons this summer from her Uncle Paul. (http://paulferney.com)
absolutely lovely. i am cheered by siblings working together to bring about a happy heart. – my oldest today said, “do you need a kiss because you need to remember that i love you?” when my kid #2 was distraught about some toy malfunctioning. so sweet (and completely out of the ordinary for kid #1 to offer hug/kiss).
Oh. I love that little story, Kristin. Yay for unexpected kindness.
Just like that book, ’100 Dresses’ by E Estes (I think). Beautiful!
Yes! It totally reminds me of that book. I love the illustrations by Slobodkin. Here’s the link for anyone else who’s curious: The Hundred Dresses
I agree – frame and display. These are SO wonderful.
Thanks, Janelle!
my 4 year old does the same thing! she loves to paint watercolor princess dresses with matching shoes, bags, and tiaras (of course!) haha.
I’ll bet those tiaras are fabulous. : )
Ooh, I love these! I’d like to frame them to put on my wall, too! The colors are so nicely saturated…I’m used to watercolors being washed-out. Good job girls!
I noticed the nice colors too. I think in this case it’s all about the paper — a good heavy watercolor paper really makes a difference.
I’m impressed! Great job kids!
Thanks, Evie! The kids will be so pleased you said so.
Impressive! Who drew what. These look too good to be drawn by kids. Did you help them, Gab? Do tell!
Let’s see. Maude did the little black number and Olive did everything else (but Betty’s pictured last).
And I pinky swear, I didn’t help at all. In fact, I didn’t even know this was going on. I was out visiting antique shops. : )
These must be framed—I would buy them, they are that beautiful!
Thanks, Vanessa! I’ll hunt down the perfect little frames.
I’m so glad you saved the one at the top! I think it’s fabulous.
Saving is right — at some point, the top painting started to get stepped on and almost discarded. So glad it was rescued.
those are to die for!
definitely frame asap!
xo
Thanks, Alli.
The kids just saw the post and were so happy about everyone’s comments that they’ve started on a new round of paintings. You guys are so encouraging!
When I grow up, I want to be one of the Blair kids! :)
I would totally frame them, too. Maybe they could do some gentleman’s fancy garments for the male set? (Some of those gowns are so gorgeous and are crying out for a stylish masculine counterpart.)
Vive les Blairs!
I would totally wear these!! I hope my girls (one and 4) will play something like this one day. How sweet of them!!
wow, these are very lovely…especially the coordinating shoes- priceless. a must keep!
Wow! Fashion designers in da house! Oh I love the spring flowers in the dress that Betty created. How lucky is she with siblings who love her so?
These dresses are beyond fabulous! I’d love to know the name of the collection — tres chic!
I am a friend of your Aunt Robin’s, and I love your blog! I agree–definitely frame these, and put the story about how they came to be on the back of Betty’s.
This is awesome! I completely look forward to the days in which my children can rely on one another and support each other. I only have two but, would love to have a house-full. :)
Also, on your bio at the top left it says you’re still in CO. :) just FYI.
Are you kidding me?!? Stop with the endless talent! Absolutely frame them.
Those are so fun! But I think the best part is the coordinating shoes. Also, I’d say that Betty is in the mood for spring. :)
Or maybe scan them and turn them into a book “To Cheer Up Betty on a Grumpy Day”???
Total delight and such wonderful children to want to help their sister.
Read a precious article about a mother telling her kids on a rushed morning, that there wasn’t time for family prayer. Her little son asked if he could say one. He prayed for his mom “because she’s having such a hard day.”
What a stunning collection! Definitely keepers. My daughter is so into art and loves watercolors. She an her sister are working on things for the “museum” they’re going to have when they grow up. We have an empty lot next to our house and their “plan” (which is totally made up by my older daughter), is to build a museum on this empty lot to display their artwork, and they will have a little house in the back where they both live. I think the plan sounds GREAT! LOL ;)
P.S. Have you ever tried the Prang Glitter Watercolors? My girls LOVE them. I bought a set as a souvenir for my oldest when I was in NYC last summer at Blick Art Supply. She loved them so much that I picked up another couple of sets when I was in NYC in January. I wish I could find them somewhere locally here but so far no luck. Not sure if they’d be in France either, but they are super cool! Here is a link to them online — I think they’re less than $3! http://www.dickblick.com/products/prang-washable-watercolor-sets/
So great. What a perfect idea to frame them :-).
The first thing I thought of was Slobodkin and 100 Dresses. I get to see the Blair Collaborative Coutre Collection in person in just a day or two!
So sweet! I thought of that book 100 Dresses as well. I loved that book. When my kids get a bit older we’ll have to try painting our own dresses!
Kayla
Freckles in April | a modest fashion and lifestyle blog
super! they should be framed!!
I love these – so sweet. My daughter would go gaga over them. I adore the matching shoes!
I love that your children would take the time to cheer up their little sister. It’s wonderful how much they care about each other. They must have a pretty good Mom :)
These are so beautiful! I would frame everyone of them!
What a sweet way to cheer up little sister! Do you feel this move has brought your children closer together or did they do things like this before France as well? If they did, I wouldn’t be surprised…:)
Ooh they are so lovely! How are the children doing in school and with the language? What is your ward like over there?
I agree….frame them!! Darling!!
Betty’s dress is so Agata Ruiz de la Prada!!
These are absolutely stunning! They’d look beautiful hung in a bedroom.