Something Out of Nothing

My little girl is so creative.  She loves to pretend and she loves to make things out of household junk.  The other day I bought a cookbook, and inside of it was a folded piece of cardboard to help it keep its shape in the package.  I took it out of the book, and instead of throwing it in the recycling bin, I set it aside because I knew just who would like to make something out of it.  I was right.  She put it in her room for later use.

Last week, Emma made a bow and arrow out of thin tree branches and yarn.  She and her friends had been playing "The Hunger Games" so that made her want her own bow and arrows.  Hopefully, they change up the story a little and not pretend to kill each other.  But anyway, her bow and arrow really works.  She loves to go out in the backyard and practice shooting it into a chair.  It always amazes us how she figures out on her own how to make something out of nothing.

This morning when I came back into the house after running, I found her standing at the counter with the sewing machine all set up.  She was making something out of fabric scraps.  I chuckled to myself finding it kinda funny that my little girl gets out a sewing machine without even asking...as if it's a toy.  But you know what?  I don't really care that she just helps herself to it.  It might as well be hers because we all know that I don't use it.

When she was finished, I realized what it was that she had been making.  A quiver.  Yep.  My girl wanted a quiver to carry her arrows in.  She figured out how to make a strap and a long, skinny bag to form a functional piece.  She cracks us all up.  Then later this afternoon, out came the sewing machine again. She tried three times to make a glove for her hand so she won't get a sore on it.  She was frustrated with it and finally gave up, but she sure tried.

Just after I took that picture of her shooting her bow, it finally broke after a week of good use.  She burst into tears and cried and cried.  She had been working so hard on that thing.  She was so proud of it.  Matt and I had already been talking to each other about buying her a real archery set, so when she broke it, we consoled her by asking her if she'd like one.  She said yes.  So this week, we'll be searching on line for an appropriate set.  Our little girl just might turn into an Olympic archer or maybe a bow hunter.  Who knows where her creativity will take her?