Forgive me if this intro is a little wordy. I tend to get a little nostalgic. Long ago, I was a Crayola Child. I collected all the fingerpaints-and watercolor sets, those awesome kits that had the Ocean Life and Woodland Animals carbon-paper rub-ons, which I have not seen in years, the 64 set of crayons and the 8 pack of markers (both wide and fine point) many times over, and whatever else the drugstore downtown offered in the stationery aisle that I could get my meager kid savings on, including every Mead paper product they carried. Each year for Christmas and birthday, my Memere generously filled a Filenes shirtbox with a new set of crayons, markers, scribble pad, construction paper, tracing paper, grown up scissors (that did not have a blunt tip!), glue sticks, watercolors and brushes. To me, this was the Most Awesome, Incredible Gift, for she knew me well and what I loved, and also that I would use all of it. This was not something that would sit unloved, unappreciated and forgotten on a shelf.

One year, I received the Motherlode, from my brothers. It was a huge plastic case and it came absolutely packed with a panoply of art stuff. Oh I was drooling. Oil pastels, watercolors, brushes, colored pencils, markers, and crayons. It was such a wonderfully gorgeous rainbow of newness, all tucked neatly into their compartments. Even the pristine white eraser and shiny sharpener had their own little cubbies.

It also came with a booklet that was filled with, in my child's mind, amazing ideas to inspire and, in my adult mind, to encourage the young artist to think outside the box in regards to their creativity. This case was the ultimate symbol of creative possibilities.

One of these projects was watercolor paintings done with drinking straws. I had not done this in many years and thought it would be fun to get back to basics.