The Weekend

Juliebean and I went to Atlanta this weekend...first we saw Sarah and Lindsey and dropped Sarah's painting off I did for her about this time last year but have never gotten up there to her.

Then we were going to IKEA, but we first decided to go to the Decatur Arts Festival and spend some money we didn't need to spend on some cool Art! Most of the time I'd rather buy other people's Art than make my own---I'm not really sure of the reason for that--except maybe for the ease of it and not being tormented about whether I'm happy with my finished product or not!

We also ate tasty grilled chicken Caesar salads from Moxie Java and then later got gelato...this time I got pink grapefruit and Julie got strawberry. Very tasty.

Here are some pics from the day...
I took this one of two real people hanging out with two stone people!

How nice of Julie to surprise me coming out of a porta-potty...this is what one's face would look like at the shock that someone is snapping your picture while walking out of the nastiest thing you can thing of! I will only go inside one if I'm seriously about to pee on myself.


We're SUPER stoked about the two prints we bought from Big World Photo photographer Lorri Honeycutt--Her stuff is awesome! She uses a macro lens to photograph tiny, plastic people in real life scenes. Her booth was booming and you could barely escape bumping into someone as you were trying to see all of the prints---you can see why, they are neat! It was hard to narrow our choices, but we didn't want to have to sell the house to afford the Art! Check out her website, you'll probably find some you love as well. We bought these two:
Spring Break was Julie's number one pick

and Forever Friends was my number one pick


Yesterday we cleaned house/cut grass/watched videos and enjoyed being at home. We watched these two movies...enjoyed them both.


We liked "P.S. I love you" better than "Into The Wild." "P.S. I love you" had a lot of humor and sap in it, but enough sap that we both felt like we needed to go in search of someone's happy pills after watching it---kinda like when we watched "The Notebook" and could have cried/been suicidal for days. Intense. The premise of the movie was really amazing though, to receive love notes from the person you loved more than anyone in the world after they had died...I won't say anymore, but I thought it was done perfectly. And no, I didn't read either book beforehand. :)

Doodle 4 Google

I never knew this but Google has a student Art contest to redesign the Google logo. This year's theme was 'what if...?' and the finalists had some AWESOME designs!

This is the winner and I think it absolutely ROCKS! It reminds me of Eric Carle's collages.

Check out what the 6th grader said about her design!
My doodle, "Up in the Clouds," expresses a world in the sky. This new world is clean and fresh, and people are social and enlightened. Every person here is treated as family no matter who they are. The bright sun heats this ideal place with warmth, love, and brightens everyone's day.

Grace Moon
Canyon Middle School
Castro Valley, California

How super is that?! 'Every person here is treated as family no matter who they are.' That's too radical.

Some of my favorite designs from the rest:

Hooray For Clay!

My students are painting their clay projects this week and for the most part it has gone fairly well. Kindergarten did simple pinch pots because most of the other projects I give them when they're older are based on pinch pots somehow or another. 1st grade made a turtle (using a pinch pot). 2nd grade made really cool fish (you guessed it, from two pinch pots). 3rd and 4th made vases (from, well you know what already!) and this year I let 5th make whatever they wanted...that was interesting.

Here are some pics so far...the rainbow fish was too cute to me because I was telling the kids that you wouldn't typically use EVERY SINGLE color that I put out for you just because it's there---because most fish don't have all of those colors---UNLESS it was going to be a rainbow fish...so ta-da here is a rainbow fish, literally! :)

And, here are a couple of cute vases and another fish. The eyes on these fish rock!

Robot Print

I drew a robot drawing in class one day when the kids were doing something low maintenance that didn't require me walking around every five minutes...we were looking at old Ed Emberley books and that's where I got this cute little robot from. (Believe it or not, but I never had any of his books until this year when the Media Specialist cleaned out some old books and now I have two--the Big Orange Drawing Book and the Big Purple Drawing Book. I am now addicted and want ALL of his books!!) I played around with my drawing in Photoshop and this is what I got:

This one has a film-grain texture on it and a darker contrast. You have to click on them to see the texture better.

This one has a brighter contrast with a texture applied.

I can't figure out which one is better.

30 Year Olds Forget Things...

One mustn't forget when she is baking records in the oven! Bomar has been cleaning out her room this week and had a bunch of old records that she hasn't used in 20-something years of teaching, so I took them off her hands. I had seen a project on t.v. a few years ago where they melted records and molded them into bowls and was waiting for some free records to fall into my lap.

This afternoon I was multitasking---letting the cleanser sit in the toilets before scrubbing and also melting my first record at the same time...well I came to the computer and started to smell a little something odd. Apparently it doesn't take any time at all for the records to melt and luckily I caught it while it was JUST smoking and not actually blazing in the oven!

Have the slightest twinge of a headache now from the burnt smell (I'm sure it's not the safest thing to be breathing in, but we'll survive)! Here are the three I've done so far...I am excited to paint the labels pretty colors. If anyone would like one or SOME to give away, tell me your color preference(s) and I'll hook you up with some for no charge at all!! :)

I think they will be nifty with fruit in them or for crafty supplies, etc... People actually sell these suckers on the web.

Holiday Candles

...that should most definitely be said in the voice of the Target Lady from SNL...if you've never seen those skits...you are missing out!! Try NOT to laugh! ANYWAY...here are some pics of some of the holiday Art projects I did with the kids. My second and third graders designed their own candy canes, 1st grade did the ornaments on a tree branch, and second and third did holiday candles! :) I think they turned out rather well!




SNL - Target

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Art Installation

Give a somewhat creative person, (whom for once has energy after work) a day where the weather is WONDERFUL, fifteen minutes, some paint, and an idea and this is what you get:





When I came up with the "Top Five" lists I knew I wanted some sort of nifty "5" for the first post---though there really won't be a nifty 5 for every post---I did want one for the first one. I had already done a number 5 on my blog post for the "dreaded 5th" when I got my wisdom teeth out where I took a picture of the awesome ORANGE number 5 pool ball...so I had to think of something else. I decided I would not go searching for a 5 and instead paint one on a piece of metal that's in our old shed. Yesterday while I was out there with a few containers of paint, I thought the wood pile (that's been outside since before we lived here and probably won't ever be used in the fireplace) would look EVER SO LOVELY painted with these pretty colors! I had so much fun painting them and then taking the pictures...my own little Art installation piece. I think it shall be called "Painted Logs" LOL! Or maybe "Colored Wood." Either way really...
There's certainly great fun and stress relief to be found in splattering things with paint. I HIGHLY recommend!

(My peeps who know the colors of the house will recognize the kitchen and craft room here!)

Poop Head

The weekend was great, but way too short. We stayed very busy getting lots of things done around the house. Pictures of some of the finished projects will be on here soon. We've still got more baseboards to paint and I guess I'll finally paint behind the refrigerator, though you can't really see back there. We've got a few custom orders to do for jewelry and other stuff. Lee bought so much that she funded Brinkley's neutering...so that was nice indeed! Orders were pretty much nonexistent before that and now we've got a couple of things to do for Kinsley that she is giving away as gifts and a bracelet for Harper. Glad we've got some friends to help bring in a little extra cash flow. :) The funniest thing (not 100% funny ha, ha...but somewhat funny weird) happened once I got home today. I noticed that Brinkley and Nikki were having a great time rolling around on their backs in the grass, but then I saw that Brinkley was dangerously close to a dried up poopie log. When he came inside, I found out that he had actually been WAY too close. Let's just say that when we jokingly call him a "shithead" now it will have a more literal meaning. His head stunk so badly and the sad part is that he can't have a full bath because of just having surgery. So, I grabbed some paper towels, doused them in soap and water and scrubbed the crap (once again, literally) out of his head. It's kind of funny because I'm hoping that this was an isolated incident and not something he did to get back at us for altering his twig and berries.

This is one of the finished Fall leaf paintings that 4th and 5th graders are doing.


This is a 2nd and 3rd grade project where they are painting various kinds of lines with rainbow colors, then cutting pieces out to make a collage.



2nd and 3rd graders are also designing and drawing their own tree houses. They're having a lot of fun with these.

Never Let Them See You Cry

Cried today on the eighth day of work...only cried for five minutes though---that's how much I had time for before my first class of the day. A certain person didn't see me cry and that's what counts. I would love to write more about the reason for it and do a little venting...and have seriously struggled with whether or not I would. I considered it. But we all know that people have gotten fired for their blogs many times. In fact, my biggest blog idol Dooce got fired for something she had written on her blog and she didn't even use people's real names. She is definitely better off for it now, but I don't know that it would happen like that for me. I have a house to pay for and a new car is in the near future....so for today I decided to take the "responsible" route (though I firmly believe in the fact that you should be able to express your thoughts and not be censored). The kids probably wouldn't like living in a cardboard box and we'd have to get a REALLY big one for Brinkley to fit into also. It's sad that a man can lead the nation after being a dope smoking adulterer, but I can't say anything about my boss or job and expect to not have my life made miserable or my job threatened. Anyway...sorry for the negativity. It's just been a real crap day for me trying to cope with the realization that I have to be responsible for things that should and COULD be put off onto someone else less busy. Now I know why their Art teacher has never lasted more than a couple of years. Thankfully my good friends were there for me and super nice because I was sad. :) Thanks for that. And just so you know and I can look back and remind myself of it also...if I do get fired or chastised over the very little bit I have written about---then so be it. I will ride out with my windows down, blowing my horn with a proud, ginormous middle finger stuck in the air. Then you can come visit me at the Walmart and get a yellow smiley face sticker. ;) My house will be the multiple refrigerator boxes put together out back.

Here are two 1st grade funny faces. I like the mouth-stache on the bottom one.




I got mail today! Woohoo! Granted I had to pay for it, but it's still good! This is an adorable print from Ubiki. It's called "Moments" and I wish I could have had one like this today. The little green ball reminds me of an English pea! I love the cutesy little characters and colors...not sure where it's going yet.

You Know You Were Meant To Be An Art Teacher When:

stuff like this makes you happy!
I LOVE me some new Art supplies!! They are so pretty and clean...and in
full working order. There's a part of me that always wants to protect these
babies from the reign of terror they will be put through during the year. I love seeing the kids get excited over new supplies too, especially the ones whom you can tell will more than likely become teachers, artists or professional organizers someday because of the way they take special care in organizing and loving the supplies. Here you are able to feast your eyes upon a fresh box of markers that has just been opened (the wild hyenas haven't seen them yet...hence how every marker still has a lid.)



Here's a picture of my door this year. Now, people seem to think that because I can do a little Art, that I probably always feel good about it and think it all looks good...that is not the case--compliments go a really long way with me, I never usually think something I've done is perfect...but I REALLY love that pair of kid scissors I did for the door. I was surprisingly happy with the results and that says a lot because I'm pretty harsh on myself.

Very, Very Yellow.

Ok, there aren't any pictures from today's artwork...apparently my Tuesday classes are the Abstractionists, because I couldn't figure out most of what was done today. That's ok though, Abstract and Minimalism are my favorites--it's just a little shocking when most of the day is spent watching glue being poured from a bottle instead of neat little dots being properly squirted out and construction paper blobs cut out instead of squares to make a mosaic...and scribbles instead of anything recognizable for the drawings. A whole day of the same kind of thing, whereas yesterday must have been the Semi-Realists! :) Interesting to see what tomorrow holds...will it be the Cubists, maybe some Andy Warhol Pop Artists. We shall see.
The funniest comment from today is once again from a kindergarten cutie by the name of Leia. Some of the boys were bragging that they knew their bus number (it was on the sticker on their shirts) and so she piped in with how she knew which bus she rides too. It went like this: "I know which bus I ride!" "Oh yeah, which one?" "The very, very yellow one." "Oooooh, ok...that one."
Too freakin' hilarious.

(Susan if you are reading this...I can't find my way back to your blog, it wouldn't go there when I clicked on your name in the comment section--said you had it blocked or something...HELP!)

It's a Potato!

We all survived the first day back to school...if my Monday classes stay as good as they were today, Mondays will be REALLY good. I went into today constantly reminding myself that it's the "process" not the finished product that matters when these kids create Art. It worked well, I didn't get stressed out when I saw some stuff happening that was less than desirable...just helped put it on the drying rack thinking, "YIKES!" The kids had fun today with getting to do Art at stations and after I got everyone situated, it was ODDLY way easier than having the entire class do the same thing like we've done for the past three years. I was pleasantly surprised and got exactly what I was hoping for. I think it's because I made sure to have "low-maintenance" projects going on at a few tables so that I could be around the more complicated stuff a little more. The little Kindergarten babies were precious and it's always fun asking them their last names because they will tell me a name that seems to be a middle name...so then I have to ask, "well the name that comes after that one" and then they get it right. The highlight was Sara...no "h" in hers Sarah, who had the biggest, prettiest blue eyes and long, wavy blonde hair whom when told to draw whatever she could draw best---came to me with a rainbow in PERFECT Roygbiv order. I was blown away! Her first day and she already knew this. You know I was all about that! She even writes her name very neatly. Here are the cutest drawings from today's little crew and some explanations.



AJ's carrot...I guessed the carrot right and asked him what the other thing was and he informed me that it is a potato. :)



Dawon's picture has a very elaborate story of which I don't remember all of the details...but you can tell that it's a boy kicking a ball to another boy and he has some goals drawn there too. Pretty nifty!


This is Chase's cool picture of people surfing in the ocean with a big wave coming in from the right.

Holy Awesome Lego Sculptures Batman!

This just might be some of the coolest shiznick I have ever seen! On Hue,
I saw her post about Nathan Sawaya, a lawyer turned artist who makes the most amazing sculptures using only Lego bricks. They are so radical. Learn more about him here and here.