Visual/Art Journal continued

I am having a blast with my Visual Journal. I like my colored pencils and water color paints the best, but I am trying to branch out and play with other mediums as well. I am not quite as carefree and unplanned as some might be, but I don't think that is really my nature most of the time. I am trying to push myself to be more spontaneous.

I did pull out my notebook the other day, while enjoying breakfast at a Panera before heading to the dentist. The restaurant I was at had a wonderful sitting area outside, with gas heaters (it was chilly) and a nice big gas fire ring. It was quite relaxing. I challenged myself to attempt the fireplace. Not bad for an amateur.

My cat is always good for a funny story, photo, or in this case a funny sketch. I have seen cats get caught up in something moving on a TV screen before, but Stitch actually sits and watches TV with us on occasion. Many times it is hard to figure out what caught his eye. This time it was the huge parrots and bats on a Nature Channel special about New Zealand. Not hard to see the appeal to a frisky cat this time around.

Besides a visit to the dentist (not a favorite place for me) I also got to have blood drawn for some tests. I am the biggest wimp when it comes to needles. I have always had trouble with them finding a viable vein for drawing even the smallest amount of blood. I usually end up with several punctures in both arms, which equals bruises...It was so bad one time, my family doctor took it from my neck. Yes, you read that right, my neck. Back to my story, I had to have blood drawn and no hubby around for moral support. I lucked out with the tech that did it though. She looked at my arms, decided not to torture me, and pulled from my hand. Yeah only one hole! Drawing hands is always a difficult task. I actually did this while my students were taking a test the next day.

Lastly, this past week and a half have been a major whirlwind for me.

Some on going issues, work changes (about 3 times in one week) and all my stress landed in its favorite place, right between my shoulder blades. That gave me 3 days off work, on my back, chiropractor visits, and not a lot of activity. Oh fun. How come I can't have a sick day where I actually have the energy to do something fun, like quilt or craft? I guess that is why they are called SICK days not CRAFT days, huh?

Well, I still have one day left before it is off to work again. I think I will work on some birthday cards for friends... and maybe another page in my journal.

Zentangles

I have been spending time sitting in offices, cars...waiting.... and have been playing with Zentangles to whittle away the time. In my last class we were working on Tangles based on a grid. I had to play with this concept a bit more... adding and changing as I went.

One of my new favorite sites involving Zentangles is I'm the Diva CZT blog. She shares some great Tangle Ideas and a weekly challenge. I have been playing with her last few challenges. It is a great way to stretch your creativity. I highly suggest finding a blog that offers up challenges in whatever area of crafting or life that you would like to grow. It gives you a structured vehicle to push past your own perceived limitations.

Last weeks challenge had us using purple. Unfortunately for me I did not get this finished in time to enter it. But I still had fun. I used Bic Flair felt pens and a purple colored pencil for the shading.

This weeks challenge is using a moebius strip. I loved drawing this. It made a fun piece to work within.

Keep on doodling, drawing, and crafting.

Christmas Quilts Revealed

Now that Christmas is behind us, I can post pictures of a few quilts I made for gifts this season. The two I share today were made for two special children in our lives. For purposes of this post I will just call them our niece's children, rather than going into the convoluted connections between our families. Our niece and here family just moved into their first "real" home. Now they have all the joys, and extra work of being "home owners." But I know they are loving it, compared to their small apartment.

The children were given the chance to pick the colors painted on their walls. C. is a girly girl, and chose a VERY vibrant shade of pink for all four walls. A. is into Star Wars and space. So his room was blues, greens and browns.

I did a Nine-Patch Pizazz quilt for A. using a fun space print and several solid bright colors.

For C.'s quilt I tried to tone down and enhance her PINK room, with a pale pink print. I found a 3D bow quilt pattern in an old magazine and knew that it was the one for her.

Of course every quilt needs matching pillow cases. You can see them on their beds as well. I still have a few more to share with you but they will have to wait for another post.

Hope you have a great day. Don't forget to do something crafty today.

A Tale of Three Sea Dragons

My New Year started with a thorough cleaning and organizing of my sewing room, fabric stash and many unfinished projects. It seems the projects I want to do keep getting moved to the side to work on gifts... Among the unfinished projects I found were three art quilts. The subject of all three quilts is the same but the mediums are slightly different. Sea Dragons! One of my all time favorite animals.


A Leafy Sea Dragon, at the Scripp's Aquarium in San Diego, CA.



Here are my three unfinished Sea Dragons, as of this morning, Jan. 15, 2012.

Sea Dragon #1 - Soft-edge applique, and some thread work. I still have a lot of stitching to do on this one to finish up.

Sea Dragon #2 - Hand Painted/Dyed fabrics. - Obviously I have even more work to do on this one...

Sea Dragon #3 - Painted with Tsukineko All-Purpose Inks and Fantasitcs. This one is a whole cloth project. I still I have to get brave and pain the water on this one. I am a bit nervous about this step as I only get one chance at it.

Well, my drop cloth is in place and table is set up, it is time to get to work. Updates on each version coming soon to a computer near you.

Zentangle Class Homework

A few years ago I was hunting around online for quilting designs and ran across several references to Zentangles. So naturally I HAD to go look into those. I read up on the concept of Zentangles and found several great sights with examples. (I will include a few links at the end of this post.) I ordered a basic Zentangle kit, found a book or two and began to play. It is a great way to take doodles to a whole new level.

This last December I noticed that one of my favorite stores was offering Zentangle classes, so I am treating myself to 4 sessions of me time! Last week was our first class. All the "students" seemed to have some similar interests, quilting, drawing... We spent 3 hours learning some basic "Tangles" and shading concepts. Of course we were sent home with homework - complete a few more Zentangle tiles. I love it when I am told I HAVE to draw and play with art. Oh darn!

I thought I would share my attempts so far.

My first class project:

Then of course I had to take the idea back to my students, this is the Zentangle I did with my students. The blue in this was blue colored pencil to help my students visualize the shading I was trying to show them. I use a document camera in my classroom to project on to a screen.

I was given 4 "tiles" to work on for class, so this is the next one I tried. Still need to work on less stop and starts on my lines... they sure are noticeable when I scanned them. Ugh.

Today, I had to send my mother some information before she will fly out next week to visit. So, naturally I had to play again. I took a 6 x 5.5" blank card and worked on this Zentangle when I had a few minutes of down time today. Just finished it at home a few minutes ago. I decided to add a bit of color to this one to finish it off. I used Stampin' Up Watercolor Crayons for the outside shading and a  Pitt pen for the background in the bubble section.



Funniest part of this new interest  ---- my hubby, always a doodler, has been working on some of his own interpretations of Zentangles. I cannot wait to share those with you in the near future.

Zentangle sites you might be interested in:

Zentangle

Zentangle Harmony

Tangle Patterns

Saying hello to the New Year.

My husband and I have developed a tradition for New Year's Day over the 20+ years of our marriage. We get up early enough to watch the Rose Parade. I make cinnamon rolls, and we spend the morning all snuggled up on the couch in our Christmas jammies, a crackling fire in the fireplace. Usually, since we were up late the night before with friends, we fall asleep sometime during the first showing of the parade and wake up to watch the replay. This year wasn't any different, with the exception of falling asleep half way through the parade. It was kind of weird going to bed at a decent time the night before... But made for a comfortable, restful day.

In my effort to continue working on a Visual or Art Journal as one of my creative goals, I did the following page about January 2nd.

My main medium for this page was Koi water color paints, I bought with Christmas money. I did use some gel and glaze pens to add detail and a Pitt pen to write my journaling. I splashed a bit of my soup on the page before I had painted the background, and it left spots on the page. The spots did not disappear when I painted the pink background. So I "fixed" it by doodling little swirls of them with a colored pencil that matched my background color. Then to make it look like I "meant to do that" I doodled swirls on the rest of the background. Ha! now no one will ever know - well besides you.

I have to work on my perspective when I sketch a bit, but I think I did ok. I think the hard part is just getting started, no matter how artistic we might not think we are. So jump in, try something new, revisit something you have not done in awhile...

Bucket List vs. Resolutions

I am trying to push myself to grow as an armature artist. I love to doodle and play with paints, but don't do enough of either to really hone my skills. I keep seeing many wonderful examples of Visual or Art Journals. They look so neat! The samples I have seen make me wish I had those skills. So, I am combining my desire to gain skills and play with a Visual Journal, to make a Visual Journal for this year.

My first entry is just a quick play with color, as I wrote a small note to myself about the year the just ended. I am using a "sketch" book with mixed media paper, pencil, Sakura Micron pens, and water color paints. I also played with my Copic pens trying to shade...

Earlier this month my hubby made the comment that we did not do a whole lot last year. That got me thinking of things I would like to do this year, 2012. Though it was nice to have a quiet year, I agree, we need to try to get out and do something every once in awhile. Most of my ideas are day trips, or shows that I would like to do/see.

After I started scribbling down ideas I thought it started looking like a resolution list or even a bucket list. And a second entry started to come together... This is done with Sakura Pigma pens, Sakura gel, and water color paints.

I am really having a lot of fun with this idea and have several ideas already rattling around in my head for my next pages. I am looking forward to seeing whether or not I notice any growth in my skills over the year. I am going to have to get comfortable with sketching in my idea at one sitting and then painting... later on, as I go back to work in two days. I can not see myself sitting for huge amounts of time like I did today.

New Year's Eve 2011...

Wow, it is January 31st. Where does the time go? I had more projects to share with you but the time has run away from me. So, I think I will just take a few minutes to reflect on what I did post this year. There were several themes.

Mini Albums:

Fun Gift Bags:



I could say that I have set goals and resolutions for next year. But I really have not had much thought about what I want to do with my crafting next year. I do know that I want to continue to find ways to incorporate my Cricut into other areas of my crafting.

Have a great year end, and keep thinking crafty thoughts.

QuiltFrog.

Time for Some Cozy Quilt Sewing

Seems most of my free time has been eaten up by Report Cards, prepping for the holiday, and to a lesser extent crafting. I have managed to carve out at bit of time the past 3 weeks to get several quilt tops finished.

First, I pulled out a partially finished set of blocks. Bought the fabric years ago, cut out the pieces, made two blocks and set it aside. I completed several more blocks so I had at least enough to make a wall hanging, but don't want to make anymore! So, this is what I ended up with:

I am happy with the results. I really like the purple and orange combo.
    - Pattern "Autumn Splendor," form Quilt Maker Magazine, Spring 2000
    - Block size 10"
    - Quilt size 50" x 60"

Have you ever bought a kit for something that looked great, but then you get it home and it seems scarier or more complicated than you thought it would be, so there it sits? I did that with this next one. It had been purchased to make as a wedding gift. But I got home and it sat for almost a year.  I opened it back up last week and discovered it wasn't as hard as I thought!

It is off to the Long Arm Quilter for the finishing touches. I can not wait to see it finished.
    - Pattern "Cambridge Square," by Ro Gregg, for Northcott
    - Block size 7.5"
    - Quilt size 81" x 81"

I have one more top to share later in the week. I am almost finished. Feels nice to have something completed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just popping in for a quick moment. Wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who stops by during this holiday. I hope you are enjoying the time spent with family and friends around the table. Seems that chances to sit and enjoy the company of others is getting harder and harder to come by. I am thankful for days like to day when we can take time to hang out.

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.

Turning 13!

I am sure we all have some kind of memory of turning 13, becoming a "teenager..." Well, last night was the family party for our friends' daughter, who just turned 13. She is an adorable, sweet, outgoing, fun loving girl. It has long been known that she is also the Princess with 3 very protective older brothers (18, 21, 27), a dad in denial, and many uncles who will definitely be around to remind the boys that she is off limits! The poor girl will never get the chance to date with that lot around!!!

Anyway, Being the typical tween/teenager she is in to music, guitars, dancing and the like. So I had to use that in the wrappings of the gift we gave her.

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.

Vinyl, Gotta Love it!

My project Sunday, was to do something I have had in the back of my mind for about 5 months. LABEL things with my Cricut, vinyl.....

I have several small plastic drawer sets, will hold 9 x 12 paper, that now house many of my embellishments. They were in desperate need of some type of labels so that I don't have to open 1/2 the drawers every time I need something. (I am sure you know the feeling). So I broke out Cricut Craftroom, some pieces of vinyl, and a list of the drawers contents.

I used Grape, Aqua and Bright Green vinyl, and Making the Grade Cartridge for the lettering. Here are some of the drawer sets... I think they came out fine, and love how quick it was.

Then I pulled out some black vinyl Mickey and Friend Font, Billionaire Font, and oops, can't remember the third. With these I labeled the Container Store Drawers, that I purchased for holding my Cricut cartridges (when I did not have so many).

Since I just purchased three of the ArtBin Electronic Cartridge cases I took many of the carts that had been in these drawers out. I like the ArtBin boxes, especially for organizing specific themes or sets of cartridges. I chose to do my Fonts - most of the carts are in one ArtBin box. Specialty Fonts like Mickey and Friends... are in a second box. All of my Holiday Specific carts are in the third one. So, naturally I had to label these too.

I used Don Juan for these labels.

Tips for cutting vinyl:
1. Make sure your blade is on 2 or 3 (depth on the housing)
2. Make sure cut pressure is at 2
3. Make sure speed is on 3 so that the blade doesn't get caught up in intricate cuts....

Have fun!

Sew What's for Sale?

I enjoy collecting fun fabrics for small projects. One of my favorite smaller sewing project is making lunch bags. These are insulated,  all cotton fabric bags that will easily carry your lunch to the office or school. The bags are large enough to carry a typical frozen lunch, a bottle of water, snacks and utensils. There are plenty of pockets running around the lining of the bag, and everything is kept together with stylish ties. Each bag also includes a cloth napkin to match. Bags measure 8.5" x 5.5" at the bottom, sides are 8" tall.

ONLY 1 of each bag is available.


Retro Kitchen



Night Owl



Dr. Seuss print

 I am offering these bags for sale, $40 each. No tax or shipping will be charged if ordered within the 48 contiguous states. Please contact me if you need a shipping quote to Hawaii, Alaska or outside the US of A.