The non artist in the making.

The brat had an art and craft competition at school yesterday. Given the fact that his only acquaintance with the category in question is in the realm of patiently shredding newspapers to help the pigeons line their nests in our balcony, Mamma decided that some prep was necessary. The topic given was Best of Waste. Mamma gathered together the emblems that proved her nationality, used gift wrapping paper, which she collects in the true tradition that in an emergency, she could use them to wrap up something in a pinch and be crowned Domestic Goddess, or whatever.
She sat with the brat and explained to him how he could work with the discarded paper and create a collage. She gave him scissors, glue and felt pens and packed him off with a peck on the cheek and wished him all the best.
Picked up the brat post school, and asked him, "Darling, what did you make for the competition?"
"I made a penstan." And that was it, no further explanations or description of how this useful piece of desk ornamentation was created.
Until Mamma reached home and began unpacking the school bag, to find all the connector pens missing, with only the empty case flapping useless in the bag. "Brat," she yelled, "Where are all your connector pens?"
"I tole yu na," said the brat irritably, "I made a penstan!"