Oh Great...Another Interest!

Yep, you read that right. I have another new creative interest. That AADD (Art Attention Deficit Disorder) is sure giving me a hard time lately. Thankfully, this one is easily combined with several of my current pursuits. What is this new venue? Etegami. Etegami (think Spanish for the vowel sounds and you will be able to pronounce this) is a Japanese Folk Art form. Simply stated it is E - picture + tegami - letter. So, put them together, a picture-letter. There is more to it such as how they are traditionally made, materials used, etc. But for my purposes here I will just say they are hand painted postcards that are not truly Etegami until it is sent to someone. I will refer you to Debbie Davidson's blog for a much better introduction to Etegami than I can give you at the present. Etegami by dosankodebbie  and her intro to Etigami post.

So naturally with the words painting + Japan + letter writing in combination I had to learn more. I spent one evening this week reading and viewing every single post on Debbie's site. I started with her first post and worked through to the most current. Though I lived in Japan for two years, I really don't remember running across Etegami. I wasn't really into sketching or painting at the time. So, it is no surprise that it didn't go past my radar. The style is simple and yet there is an element of elegance in the simplicity.

I grabbed my sheet of Moulin du Gue, (rough, heavy, art paper) torn a section off and then split it into smaller "postcard" sized pieces. I figured it felt similar to the descriptions of the Etegami paper and would work for practice and play while I find the right combination of tools...

Here is my first attempt.

The writing says, "the apple is delicious." or at least something close to that. Also tried to use my hanko (personal signature stamp) but my ink is all messed up. It is about 30 years old. Time for new ink.

Today, being a rainy day at school, I decided to share Etegami with my students. Because it focuses on drawing AN object rather than all sorts of details it seemed easier for young kids.

We used white construction paper and Prang watercolor paints. I wasn't sure how these tools would work. I had them only do the black outline. We went to lunch and then painted the color. I did the two Etegami above as my examples for technique... Here are some of the pictures my students created. You will notice some chose to just copy me. While others sought out their own images.

(OK, FINE....I cannot get the picture to load properly. Sorry they are upside down and sideways. - I will edit this post when I find a way to get them to cooperate.)

Even upside down, you can see that some of my students understood the idea of one object, minimal details and no background... But some just could not resist the urge to add more.

 I played some more while they painted and cleaned. My chosen subject, Leafy Sea Dragons.

Then I just had to try the technique again. I headed to my favorite hangout for coffee and some me time. I tried painting Sleeping Beauty in the style of Etegami. I was working in my journal so I had a 7 x 10 page to work on.

I like it. but it is too big, about 1/2 page. I want to try doing a postcard sized piece so that I am forced to focus on part. It was too easy to get carried away with adding to the picture. I think I am going to like this addition to my repertoire. Maybe some of you will even receive an Etegami from me in the near future. Off to order real paper... for just such purposes.

Halloween Treats

Just a quick post. I have a few projects to share, and will get them up soon. For now I will focus on Halloween Treats.

This year's theme for Halloween treats for my colleagues and adult friends was Candy Corn. It all started with finding the illusive Candy Corn flavored M&M's at Walmart in early October. Then walking around Target I found boxes of 1/2 size Candy Corn flavored microwave popcorn. So of course then I had to buy some Candy Corn to finish off the goodies inside the bags.

I kept the top of the bag simple:

4 x 5 1/2" purple rectangle folded in half
5 1/2" Elegant Edges, Oblong shift cut on Flourish 2 page 53
     K & Company pad of Halloween paper
Candy Corn cut, Smiley Cards, 4 1/2"

I did the same top for the goodie bags for my students, but they got candy, pencils and fruit snacks in their bags.

Love the Smiley Cards cuts. They are cute like DoodleCharms, and varied so you can usually find something. to use on just about any project.

For the Family/Friends/Block Party on the 30th I took the Candy Corn bags, and a few other goodies to share. I used a book I found earlier in October for my inspiration. "Disgustingly Delicious - Hilarious treats to freak out your friends" by CQ Products, had an array of "gross" foods to make and serve. Anything from Water Bugs  made from olives and rosemary leaves, to a cake concoction that is entitled Cat Litter... yep, they are gross looking, but the ingredients sound delicious.

I tried my had at "Fido's Feast" a chocolate covered cereal mix that looks like dried kibble. I also tried "Brain Food," a watermelon peeled and cut to look like a brain on a plate.

Too fun! Everyone thought this was just hilarious. And surprisingly enough it actually tasted good. (Never too sure this time of year buying a watermelon.)

Better Late than Never...Banners part 2

I should know better. Every year, I feel pretty put together before the first day with my students. Then I spend the next month and a half feeling like I am falling farther and farther behind. Seems like we hit the ground running, faster and faster, each year. Most of the craziness comes from the setting up special rotations, reorganizing classes, and looking at data... but the straw that broke my camel's back this year was the loss of a file off my flash drive that had about a dozen documents my grade level had just created. I am happy to say I finally finished recreating them all.  Now I can share some creative stuff.

In my last post I shared the beginnings of a first week project with my students. It took a bit longer than I had anticipated, but the results are cute. Students traced the templates onto construction paper, white centers, and favorite color, backing.

Using 7" Paper Doll cuts without the facial cuts. They created hair and clothing using templates I cut in tag board. I used Peachy Keen stamps for the faces.

Then they divided their banners into four spaces. Each space was illustrated with something about themselves: family, favorite book, TV show and food. Next, my students fold a 4 x 12 inch strip in half along the length. Then they cut a design along the open edge. This was glued to the top of the banner to give it a finished edge and also to give it more stability when hanging from the ceiling.

 

Here are a few of the finished products:

 

It is October and time to create a new banner. We will start on Monday. I cannot wait for you to see what we have planned! I think it is going to be a kick.

First Days of School

Well, I have to say this happens every year! I get already for the first day of school, and the night before I don't sleep well at all. I even have some funny dreams about forgetting things, being late....(remember the horrible dreams during finals week? - yep ) I guess I am not alone. The discussions in the teachers lounge the first day seem to focus on these funny, reoccurring "nightmares" we all seem to have.

Like I said, I planned. I have been teaching over 20 years and I still cannot get the hang of planning for the first few days. I definitely OVER plan big time. How much you ask? Well, we are still working on an intro "about me" project started on the first day!

Unfortunately this means that I have very few photos to share with you right now. But I can give you the gist of the project.

Using Everyday Paper Dolls, I cut out the "blackout" version of the doll at 7" in several shades of tan and brown (didn't know the skin tone of my students) Then I added faces from Peachy Keen's Everyday Character Faces stamps.

Back to School Organization - 2

As I get ready for a new school year, I tend to collect ideas to be used at various times during the year. Many times I file them in my computer and then forget about them. This year I decided to take it one step further. I printed the best of the ideas and started a binder with my long term plans. I always create the plans, but don't collect the idea pages, student worksheets... ahead of time. This year, they will all be in the same place!

I pulled out a binder, adding ideas in sections. The pages to be copied for students I have stuck in page protectors so I wouldn't have to worry about holes being punched through text. Apparently office supply stores don't carry as many office supplies as they used to. I went to 3 different stores/brands and could not find the binder tabs made for use with the page protectors. They are slightly wider so that the tab is visable past the protectors.

What to do? Make my own of course. I found fun cardstock and cut to 11.25" x 8.75". Then I cut tabs, using From My Kitchen cart, at 3". I adhered the tabs to the side of my cardstock using an ATG.

Then to make them even sturdier, I pulled out my YourStory and laminated the binder tabs using Legal sized laminating pouches. I trimmed the excess length to use for small classroom items later. I used a few of the trimmed pieces to layer inside the larger pouch around the tabs.

Back to School Organization

I am slowly working my way through a huge stack of things to organize, create, or toss. I bring home part of my files each summer hoping to whitle down the paper in my classroom. For years I have been creating my lesson plan book on the computer and then putting the pages in a binder. This is great most of the time. Now that I have more technology on my teaching station (Document Camera, Laptop, and Projector) I have less room for a whole binder sitting around.

My solution? I altered a legal sized clipboard. I started by tracing the top piece of the clip that connects to the board. This was a bit awkward since I could not really get paper up there. But I finally got it to work by cutting a piece down the middle so that I could get it up around the top. Then using that template I trimmed a  piece of fun school themed cardstock I found at my LSS.

Caution: Scrapbooking Can Be Hazardous to Your Health!

Yes, I said it - scrapbooking can be hazardous to your health, or at least mine anyway. My story starts about 2 weeks ago. I went to hang out at my friend's LLS and crop for the day with a few other friends. No biggie. We have all done all day crops right?

So I set to work, getting up occasionally to wander through the store. Mostly I just sat in my comfy office chair working on getting classroom photos finally on to pages. I was enjoying myself. I got 26 pages done. Not a lot of fancy stuff on the pages, very old school - mats and boarders, and maybe a journal box or two. My goal was to get rid of these pictures so that I can move on.

Nothing hazardous so far you say? How about just sitting for 10 hours? Yep, that did it! muscles between my shoulder blades began to spasm and the rest is history. I spent most of the next week, flat on my back. Oh well, at least it was during summer vacation when I can "afford" to lay around.

Here are some of the layouts I accomplished that day:



Gyotaku - Fish Prints





Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner in our classroom.





Dinosaur dig.





Create a machine to pop a balloon - science fair projects.

I have to say, ignoring the pain, I really had fun going through these pictures. They are from 1996-97. There are several projects I forgot about until I unearthed these pictures. I am feeling a bit rejuvenated on the teaching side of things. Now to keep working on my back, a bit of exercise and taking breaks in the middle of a project is definitely what I need to do!

Summer SMASH Books at School

Every year I try to find a way to encourage my students to be active in their learning during the summer - reading, writing, math facts...you know, all those things that seem to leak out of their brains before the end of summer. Usually this includes some flash cards or other activities. I send post cards to each of my students to encourage letter writing and reading. But I am getting tired of the same ol' thing.

Then we started chatting about SMASH Books on the Cricut Circle MBs. I really want to put one together myself, but as I watched the K & Company video, hopped around the blogs talking about them... I realized these might be just the vehicle I need to make my students have a fun summer but stay engaged in learning.

For the past week we have been preparing our books for summer. Each students started with 30 9"x6" pieces of white construction paper. Using some of the ideas from Strathmore's Visual Journal Workshops, we used our water color paints to paint designs, patterns, or splashes of color on 10 pages.

The next day we used all of my old scrapbook papers, scraps... to decorate 10 more pages.

Third step was to mix these pages with the remaining 10 blank pages, to make the whole book. We used the school's comb binding machine to complete the process.

Next the class spent time digging through magazines to find pictures that told something about themselves, creating a collage on the cover of their books.

Today, I spent some time explaining what a Smash Book is, showing pictures, the K & Company video...I then gave a description of a Smash Book, and a second with the "summer assignment." These we added to the front of our books.

We added envelope pockets to hold little papers for journaling or sketching and a photo of ourselves. Some students actually took it upon themselves to add other writings already. I love the little gal who wrote a description of herself at the school wide Spelling Bee.

and the other that wrote about one of her friends:

I have a few more presummer activities to do in their books to get them started,

but I am really looking forward to what they do with them over the summer.

In the meantime, I need to work on my own Summer Smash Book, since I told my students I would keep one too.

Classroom Projects

Even though my last few posts have stated I have not done anything crafty lately, I guess it really isn't true. I just finished some classroom signs I have been wanting to do.

First, I keep finding myself writing the same thing over and over on my whiteboard to help keep my students and myself organized. So that was my first job to tackle. Here is my board as it was on Friday afternoon.

Working from left to right:
Days of the Week: Designer's Calendar (2.8") - used for specific notes we need to remember
Helpers: Nate's ABC's for letters (3.7"), Designer's Calendar circles (2.5") - I have two kids each day that do all the "helper" jobs like taking things to the office, passing papers....
Reach: - Mickey and Friends Font (4" with shadow) - My ELD rotation notes - they don't always need the same materials
Voyager: (? at 3") - Reading rotation notes - for daily materials
Math: Hello Kitty Font (4.5") - I teach a combo - this is the part of the day that gets the most confusing
2nd/3rd grade Icons: Locker Talk (4" and 2.8")
Classwork/Homework: Locker Talk (2")

I cut, glued and laminated all of the pieces. Then I attached magnetic strips to the back. (Thank you to the parent that donated a ton of scraps of magnetic sign material to the school a year ago)

Then I cut signs for my file boxes. These boxes hold daily hanging folders that hold worksheets, lesson plans, and materials needed, as well as the Teacher's Editions used.



Each is cut at 3.8" to glue to 4" x 7" rectangles:
Rotation: Don Juan
ELA: Varsity Letter (I have to do this one again - laminating peeled off...)
Math: Nate's ABC's
(not in this picture) Other: Ashlyn's Alphabet

I used binder rings to hang these signs to the boxes. They don't close but work well as a hanger. I know this isn't a spectacular project, but believe me they are necessary!

Valentine Treats

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and I have been having fun working on gifts for my students. I hope my students will enjoy them.

Recipe:
5" x 5" Kraft Paper square
Frog (Create a Critter Cartridge) 2.5"
Lily Pad (Create a Critter Cartridge) 2.5"
Hello Kitty Face (Hello Kitty Greetings Cartridge) 2"
XO - pre-printed and purchased from a bargain bin at Local Scrapbook Store
Small Cello bags
Stapler
Treats

For my coworkers I made a simple Pecan Carmel Turtle goodie bag. The candy was super easy to do, and I just used a 4x4 piece of printed card stock for the top of each bag.

The recipe for the Turtles is sooo easy.
Preheat oven to 300 F
Cover a cookie sheet with foil or parchment
Place small twisted pretzels on the cookie sheet
Place an unwrapped Rollo (or other small chocolate covered caramel) on each pretzel
Bake for 8 min, or until candy is softened
While the candy is still soft press a Pecan half into the top of each Rollo/pretzel combo
Let Candies firm up, remove from the pan
Story in an airtight container (if they last long enough to be put away that is...ha ha )

***I bought roasted, salted Pecans from Trader Joe's and it added just a bit of yum to the snack. ***

The last Valentine Treat I want to share is the one I get from my husband each year. There is a small neighborhood deli in the middle of his UPS route that makes the most incredible chocolate dipped strawberries. They aren't the fanciest, but the have the greatest flavor. Each berry is covered in creamy peanut butter before they are dipped in chocolate. It is kind of like eating a chocolate dipped PBJ sandwich.

Thank you for taking a peek at my latest projects.