Lapidaries, Leatherworks, and Pottery Wheels. Oh My!

Last week was so filled up it took me until today to catch up (like I ever really catch up...). Last Wednesday we went to a Lapidary (a gem/rock/mineral expert) in Gentry. Huge collection of rocks and grinding/cutting/polishing equipment. The boys were fascinated. Mr. Dean turned us on to a local "Rock Hounds" club that takes trips to dig for fossils and gems. We ate lunch at a fabulous Mennonite restaurant called the Wooden Spoon (do not miss this if you happen to be in Gentry sometime - order pie. You're welcome). Then we explored at a flea market and went home exhausted..

Friday was our first visit to the Crafty Cottage in Bentonville. The boys got to try their hand at ceramic painting, pottery, and leatherworking. Really cool place, really cool people. The boys like the pottery wheel the best. If anyone has a used one lying around, we'll take it off your hands. They only cost about $10,000!

Pottery Wheel








Leather Works




Today, they've been up to their elbows in molding clay (we discovered that snakes are a good starting place) and getting ready to paint a cardboard playhouse. Seems like a lot of arts stuff this week, but I'm convinced that time correctly invested in art, pays off tenfold in other disciplines, and the stats back me up. More on that later!