Sweet Bundle of Joy

If you know me at all, you know that spending time with my grandchildren is high on my list, so this summer having them all together for a week was incredible.  One of my granddaughters turns three today and I can't let the day pass without sharing a little about her.  She is so much fun! 

Here are just 10 things I love about her:
1)  She is girly--loves "pretties" and her "tinkerbell" (her ruffly skirt). 
2)  She's a tomboy--plays anything rough the boys want to do.
3)  She can be in charge--heard coming out of her mouth "knockee off boys!"  Her mama has nicknamed her the "Little Colonel".
4)  She can play bashful or shy--bats her pretty eyes at Papa. 
5)  She tries to keep up with her big brothers--has been known to follow them out in the snow with boots and a diaper and that's all!
6)  She likes to love on and play with her baby brother. 
7) Snow and dirt do not seem to phase her at all. 
8)  She can be very self-sufficient--if she's hungry, she can find something to eat herself, even if it means she has to climb to get it. 
9) She likes to talk--will say anything on the phone just to keep the conversation going!
10)  She can roll with the punches--when we went to Disneyland, she was cheerful from 10 in the morning until after 10 at night without a meltdown.

She melts my heart!

I wish I could hug and squeeze her today, but a phone call will have to do.  Love her so very much!!

A Heart for Kids

For the last several years I have been involved in "All the Arts for All the Kids"; a foundation set up to provide classes in the arts to the public school children in the city of Fullerton.  Last year, the Artbreakers (a mosaic group to which I belong) was challenged to mosaic a 5 foot tall heart to be auctioned for the cause.  It was a tremendous amount of work but well worth it---over 350 total hours but the heart sold for $5,000.  You can read about it in an earlier post called "10 of Hearts".

This year we were challenged again---6 of us worked on the heart in Nancy's garage.  The theme was to be as if we were making overlapping "prayer rugs", but some who view it think it looks more like quilts than rugs.  To make it easier to work on, each person drew off a section and applied their mosaic rug design to mesh.  Then, the mesh piece was applied with thinset, and finished off with grout.

Hopefully we will get a generous buyer who will see the value of the donation, the beauty of the work, and the hearts behind the heart.

I enjoy looking at each rug on the heart and thinking about each friend who lovingly made it.  Thanks Gail, Julie, Kirsten, Nancy and Shelley for letting me work on this with you.  I love you all.

Making Watercolor Journals

I took an online class from Julie Prichard a couple of years ago in making handmade journals.  It's definitely worth the time and money as Julie is an excellent teacher.  These are some of the journals I made (I can never make just one of something! ha!)  The paper used is Fabriano, but here's the very best trick of all.....she says to use the stationary because it's the perfect size to fold and perfectly pre-cut!  Brilliant!  So, I took it one step further and bought the Fabriano watercolor notecards that are pre-creased!

Then, I took her class on different art techniques to use in your journal.  Really fun!!

And last but not least, I took a one-day drawing class from Katherine England in drawing for journaling.  AWESOME DAY.  If you EVER have a chance to take a class from Katherine, it is SO worth it!  I had convinced myself that i couldn't draw but here is a page I completed the next day after taking the class---not too bad---at least the objects are recognizable!  ha!

Recycled Box

I am involved in an online art group that is currently going through a great book called Raw Art Journaling - Making Meaning, Making Art by Quinn McDonald.  One of the suggested assignments is to make a box for 'found words' that can be used as journaling prompts.  Several have suggested making an origami box, but I have made a simpler box with my students that is made out of recycled greeting cards.  Others who see the finished product often ask how the box is made, so I decided to post a mini-tutorial with pictures.  Can you tell that I'm a visual learner?   :-)

To make a box, you will need a ruler, pencil, scissors, tape, and nice rectangle greeting card with the focal point of the picture, somewhat centered.

Separate the card along the fold, and then trim the back of the card by 1/8th to 1/4 inch along one side and along the top or bottom.  Do not trim the front.

Then, line your ruler on the back side of each piece from point to point and draw a short line in the middle. Repeat from opposite points and then draw a dot where lines intersect.

Fold edges into the center dot to meet- open back up and repeat from opposite direction.

Turn card lengthwise and cut on the fold lines to the first fold line.  Repeat on other end.

Fold in side flaps and fold over end flap and tape.

If you trimmed the back of the card enough, the top of the card should fit nicely over the bottom to complete your box.

You will quickly learn what cards work and which ones do not.  The cards need to be rectangle, not square, no overlays, etc. but it is really fun to experiment.  Have fun and feel free to ask questions!