Ok, the paint smells are finally clearing, and I am delivering on the promise to show what I’ve been up to.
Ok, so this was the cute handprint design that the girls deemed “too babyish.” *sigh* I thought it was cute…
First day of painting: green and a red garden wall.
Add trees…
That weird stripe pattern is the beginning of the railing.
The first animals appear: peacock, elephants, Victoria crowned pigeon, insects.
The red panda at the zoo is the kids’ favorite, and it likes to sit just like this on the branches over the path.
They’re not the best zebras ever, but this should give you an idea of their size (and thus lack of detail).
Trees, bushes, and the base color of the giraffe. I was a bit worried I’d mess up the animals, so I avoided the ones I couldn’t use the art projector on.
Empress is a *little* exicted about this… she had to be asked to please not pet the animals until the paint had cured for a week or two!
The lotus pond, moon bears, two lions sleeping on the man-made mountain.
The little details help. These are peach-faced lovebirds, a dragonfly copied from one in the backyard, and, in the upper left, a tiger and her cubs (who are unsuccessfully trying to hunt a golden pheasant).
Pandas playing and African crowned cranes courting (thanks to photos we took at the zoo).
Ta da! The toddler bed was turned into a couch with a shelf, a dragonfly lantern, and a fake potted orchid. They love to read over there.
The view from the desk under the bed. The dragon-tiled ceiling and details are copied from photos I took in the Forbidden City.
I have a few details left to do on the bed, but it’s nearly done.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief foray into “what Kathy does when the obsessive instinct takes off”. 
