O: I'm going to paint you a story.

I went to Target to buy dog food, Elmer's glue, and some paper, and came out with a new pair of sweat pants, two tank tops, and a cart full of new art supplies, like you do. They were so shiny and looked so full of possibilities, I just couldn't turn them down.

We rummaged through the junk drawer for bottle caps, wine corks, and other bits and bobs to use as makeshift stamps for the large ink pads. We scribbled and scrawled with the diamond shaped crayons.

O marveled at how many shades of green her new paint set contained, enough to paint every leaf in the whole world a different color. It is so easy to forget the beauty of a heavy, textured, blank piece of paper, the possibilities that it can contain.

All of the supplies, including that exquisite blank piece of paper, are from a company called Kid Made Modern. They are high quality and reasonably priced. They withstood the afternoon and have been lovingly tucked away for our next creative binge. I especially appreciate how beautiful, streamlined, and functional the packaging and supplies are. The bold colors and simple forms lend themselves to freeform creativity. There is no need for instruction or guidance. The beauty of the tools is inspiration enough.

No one asked about Winnie the Pooh, the location of the iPad, or the possibility of an extra snack, all afternoon. That alone feels like a victory.