We Fell Into The Gap, Part 2.

This post is sponsored by GapKids. Check out all the fun Shine On activities at your nearest Gap store. For event dates and locations, visit Gap’s Facebook page and join the conversation on Twitter with hashtag #ShineOn.

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Last Saturday, Nora and I stopped by the Shine On Saturday event at GapKids- and it was awesome. (These are the projects created by artist Merrilee Liddiard of Mer Mag, inspired by Gap's Fall collection.) Since it was the only participating store in Chicago's city proper, I had worried that it would be a madhouse (i.e. a crush of Lincoln Park moms, a gaggle of twee-ly named kiddos, and nary an available easel in sight). But when we arrived at the Gap on Sheffield, we found plenty of wide tables and a cheerful staff ready to assist us.

Nora was seated at a table and handed her own canvas (onto which a smiley face had previously been taped) and given a crazy assortment of [washable] paints- all colors of the rainbow, and most of them with some sort of glitter or shimmer added. The staff asked if Nora needed any colors other than the ones they had placed on a plate for her- she said she was good.

Being as she's a bit fond of mashing all sorts of colors together, I found myself surprised when she chose pumpkin orange as the only color with which she'd work for the first hour. That's right, my kid found a way to stretch a simple art project into an hourlong extravaganza. (The staff couldn't have been nicer, even though I'm sure it wasn't ideal for them to have a kiddo camp out.) She meticulously painted the eyes orange. And the nose. A lock of hair was added- all orange. Once she was certain that orange was well-represented, she moved onto the shimmers, adding gloss over the face's features. Then the bolds came out- for borders and more eyes and what she informed me were hearts on the guy's shirt. It was super fun for me to watch how different her artistic "style" became when presented with a new medium. Canvas and tape, who woulda thunk?

Bizzy.

She worked for an hour and a half. Once she deemed it "done" (and after we'd been handed more than our fair share of complimentary wipes), the staff placed it on their table to dry and we decided to take advantage of the event's 30% off coupon. (Bow-tie riding boots for the girl! A completely unnecessary and impossibly gorgeous sundress for the littler girl!)

Right before we left, however, came the one black spot on the morning. When we went back to the table to retrieve Nora's artwork- it was gone. One of the staff members suggested that perhaps some other little kid took it. (Nora was more confused than sad- which kinda broke my heart for her a little bit. She kept asking where it was and pointed to the place where it had been, like that could shine a light on the mystery.) Eventually two things made her feel better: the super apologetic staff members set her up with a new canvas, and I convinced her that someone needed her original artwork for their gallery. (I love this age group.)

In the end, we came home with a thoroughly painted canvas (after another hour, obvie), and plenty of Gap-ly goodness. Nora gave the event a[n orange-thumbed] thumbs up, and so did I.

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Two more chances for Chicago-area folks to come play!

Saturday, August 18th

10am-1pm

GapKids @Westfield Old Orchard

4999 Old Orchard Center #A6

Skokie, IL 60077

Saturday, August 25th

10am-1pm

GapKids @Oakbrook Shopping Center

533 Oakbrook Center

Oak Brook, IL 60523

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.