People Want to Give You Money

A couple of weeks ago I read a post by Mrs. Picasso in which she made a long list of children's art books that she loved.  I looked longingly over the list but felt that I invest quite enough already in extras for my classroom.  So, I put out a request for $100 worth of books on Donors Choose.  Two weeks later, one of our school volunteers handed me a check for $150 and told me it was for my books.  I was floored.  And very appreciative!

My take-away was that if you have an idea for something that your students would really love to have, you should go ahead and ask for it.  Probably the less money it involves, the better your chances of getting it.

I'd love to have an iPad lab for my art room the way some teachers do, but I haven't quite figured out who would be willing to fund that one.

Anyone?  Anyone?

Tea Between Bees

 Tea between bees.

It began as a note card with the fat fairy and a bee.  The paper was too thick for a snip with the kind of detail I wanted.  So, I started over again with thinner paper, and the design changed.

I still like the one with the fat fairy, so I will probably try it again.

I'm feeling the desire to start snipping more, but am finding that I am a little out of practice for the detail I want.



scherenschnitte 4" x 6"

Gift for Charlene

My colleague and friend, Charlene, is always kind enough to loan me a little bike when my Granddaughter comes to town. She's a wonderful cook, much better than I could ever hope to be, and so a thank you gift of yummies is out. She is an avid reader, so I snipped this bookmark as her gift.



Here's how it looked before I mounted it.

Char is of Japanese heritage, so I added the lotus as a design element.

It's in the mail, Miss Char!

Whale of a Time

I felt a weird pang of seasonal jealousy when I read my friend's blog. Sara, who lives in Australia, talked about her daughter's school celebrating the Winter Solstice. I love the long days of summer, and felt sad being reminded that at the coming solstice, our days will begin to shorten. The minutes of sunshine that I begin losing, she will be gaining. Ah well. Sunny days couldn't happen't happen to a better person.

Here's what she's been up to:
A printmaker, book artist and paper snipper, she created this card for a friend who is moving away. I am in love with it. This accordion folded card is bound like a book. The images are reminiscent of where they live in Aussieland.


Having artist friends is a good thing.

I Need a New Book

I am about to finish one book and am in need of another. My mind is an absolute blank slate as to where to head reading-wise.

Is there a classic, new or old, that you think is a "must read"?

Scherenschnitte in an Altered Book

I've been playing with different papers lately, trying to get away from a bit more traditional scherenschnitte. The paper I chose for this piece was a calendar page showing a quilt. I've also been cutting freehand lately, just to try and improve my visual thinking skills.

I've never done an altered book before. In this one I'm experimenting with a lot of different types of paper cut designs.