From Watermelons to the Universe 🍉

Sometimes, the best gifts aren’t the fancy ones. They’re not perfume, jewelry, or something that costs a fortune. No. The best gifts are the ones that make you laugh, the ones that make you feel like a kid again, the ones that invite you to grab a brush and get messy with paint. My sister bought me this tiny wooden hobby birdhouse from Pepco with all the paints and brushes, basically everything I needed to transform this plain piece of wood into… well, into whatever my imagination decided it should be.

When I first saw it, I couldn’t stop giggling. The birdhouse was so small that I joked: “Maybe this is only suitable for the smallest bird in the world. What’s it called again? Kivi? No, wait… kolibri -a hummingbird!” (For the record, we don’t have hummingbirds in Serbia, but hey, a girl can dream.) I even declared that one day, when I maybe decide to visit Cuba, I’ll just pack and bring it with me. Not the bird, the house, hihi. 😁 Imagine me on the beach in Havana, hanging this little wooden cottage for some confused tropical hummingbird. Perfect plan it is!

So there I was, staring at this miniature house and those cheerful paint pots, thinking: “Okay, let’s go wild.” And that’s exactly what happened. I didn’t plan. I didn’t sketch. I just dipped the brush and voila! One day, I painted a piece of sunset with bright orange and turquoise, blending them like some kind of tropical cocktail. The next day, I added trees. Then suddenly, a huge yellow sun appeared. Another day, I thought: “You know what this house needs? Fruit.” So I painted a lemon. Then an apple. And then—because the universe clearly wanted me to—while eating watermelon, I painted a watermelon slice. Honestly, that was my favorite moment: holding a juicy red watermelon in one hand and painting its tiny doppelgänger with the other.

Pretty soon, the birdhouse turned into a total gallery of random ideas. One side became a fruit market: pineapple, grapes, lemon, apple, watermelon; basically a vitamin explosion. Another side became philosophical, like “Why not paint planet Earth floating in space?” So yes, now the birdhouse also doubles as a miniature observatory. Then I painted a little countryside scene: a tree in full bloom, a red-roofed house, a meadow.

Finally, after a few days of layering colors, repainting mistakes, and laughing at my own silly ideas, it was time to assemble it. Putting the pieces together was weirdly satisfying, like building a Lego set for adults who still eat ice cream straight from the box. And once I tied a rustic rope on top, voilà—it was a house. Not just any house, but a house decorated with every random thought that crossed my mind that week.

Of course, the funny part is that no real bird will probably ever fit in it. Let’s be real: it’s way too tiny. Unless, of course, a hummingbird magically decides to move to Serbia. 😁 But that’s okay. Maybe it’s not a real house for birds. Maybe it’s a house for creativity. A house for daydreams. A house for playing like a kid again. 💚
And honestly, isn’t that better? We spend so much time chasing productivity, money, success… but when was the last time you just played with colors for no reason? When was the last time you allowed yourself to paint something silly, something imperfect, something just for fun?

This little house reminded me that it’s okay to be a beginner, to not be “talented enough,” to make pineapples that look suspiciously like pinecones. What matters is that I enjoyed it. And every time I see it on my desk now, it makes me smile.

So, if you ever find yourself in market staring at some DIY craft kit, don’t walk away. Grab it. Play. Paint. Laugh at yourself. Eat watermelon while painting watermelon. And if you accidentally paint the whole planet Earth on a birdhouse, well… you’ll be in good company.

Just as I sat down to finally write this blog, I realized: Wait… I never actually took a proper picture of the finished birdhouse from the front side! So there it is, a quick one.

Enjoy your day and make your best sketches today. -