Apartment Makeover 2009/2010!

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that Brian and I had spent our winter vacation sprucing up our first floor apartment.  I finally had time to take some pictures this morning.

Some of the updates included:

-painting the kitchen and bathroom light minty green (Brian's idea and a perfect splash of color!).

-painting the bedroom a warm cream (over the dingy gray)

-new floors in the kitchen and bathroom (what a difference!)

-we bought a new kitchen storage unit from IKEA

-we bought a wardrobe for the bedroom, since there is no closet (another IKEA purchase)

-we bought and installed some some space savers in the kitchen and bathroom; bars that you can hang hooks/baskets on, towel racks, hooks for the doors etc.

Result: a much brighter and more functional apartment.  Now we just need someone to come and enjoy it.

Nothing new in the living room... although I wish I had some ingenious idea for the covered up fireplace.

The Narcissus Are Blooming...

...how lovely!  Nothing cheerier than some fresh paperwhite blooms mid-winter.

They are filling Sea Kettle with the most fragrant spring smell.  And it's making me happy. And it makes me long for April and May.

Thanks, Mom James!

We'll make it through this long, cold winter, yet.

Song of Solomon 2:12

Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

Mini-Zines

I have been making some of these mini-zines for some friends who need some encouragement.  There has been a lot of heart ache, pain and discomfort among some that are close to me.  I love using this format because it is fun, creative, easily reproducible and easily sent in the mail inside a card or tucked inside a letter.

Click here for a great picture tutorial on how to make these cute 8 page, one cut zines made out of a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper.

You can make these on the computer, if you are so inclined or able, but I like to do them by hand.  Usually I take a piece of black construction paper and cut it to measure 8 1/2 by 11 inches.  After doing the folds (as seen in the photos), I rip or cut some small panels out of white paper for each page.  On these pages, I create my art and text.  You can either handwrite the text or print out text and cut it out.  After I have completed each panel, I glue them to their page and then complete cutting and folding the zine.  I make sure everything is lined up and numbered correctly, then I make photo copies.  Now I have tons of wonderful little books to give away.

I don't have photos of my new books (coming soon!) , but here is an example of one a did during a long winter in Detroit.  It is a zine based on a winter poem by Robert Frost.

A Peek inside my Art Room - Gesture Drawing

Today I experimented with gesture drawing with my art students at school.  One of my own high school art tutors introduced me to this technique from this invaluable book:

"The Natural Way to Draw" by Nicolaides

Gesture drawings are always quick - usually under 60 seconds.  They are made up of one continuous line; you never lift your pencil.   They are loose and fast,  passionate and unhinged.  I knew this was going to be difficult for my often rigid, inflexible, concrete, logical students.

Nervous about what I thought would be impending torture for the kids, I got together my materials.  I asked a co-worker to model for us, we gathered a timer, some paper and pencils and embarked on our great loosening adventure.  Every 30 seconds the model created a new action pose.   We scribbled and soared, up and down and all around, creating quick impressions of each action.

For some kids, this was a very freeing experience, for some this was the most difficult thing I've ever asked them to do.  By the end of class, we were all laughing and relishing in the uninhibited art that we were creating.  I heard "This is my favorite art project ever!" more than once today.

Free, limitless,  quick, no rules, abstract rather than the concrete, coloring outside the lines; these are skills and ideas that are infinitely difficult for most of my kids.  Check out their work.  I was so proud of what they came up with.  I realized today how much I underestimate them.  I stick with their label and think  "Oh, they just couldn't do this" and I "modify" their curriculum until they aren't challenged.  They proved me wrong today.  Ah, but they do most days, don't they?

Still Thankful ...

I'm a little late this week. I guess it will be a Thankful Tuesday rather than a Multitude Monday.

Giving thanks in this new year....

144. New Years, new days, fresh starts, a new page

145. Christmas vacation

146. popcorn, crackers, baked potato and root beer floats for dinner

147. fleece blankets

148. wearing my husband's socks

149. the opportunity to teach kids how to loosen up

150. Katie, wonderful friend and sister for 21 years and counting! Happy Birthday, dear!

151. Spending the last week painting and cleaning with my best friend

152. inspiration

153. beautiful hands

154. a beautiful post by my beloved.

155. warm cars in the morning

156. smiles

157. uncertainty and questions (trying to be thankful for this...here's to positive thinking)

158. Mother in laws who love and protect

159. my students, every little thing about them

160. a surprise mid-morning email from my husband, a love poem, to boot!

Soli Deo Gloria

A New Idea That's Been Cookin'

Over the past few days, I've been playing with a new idea that would make the perfect gift for a little one.  I have a friend who is due any moment and I think I might make my first one for her baby.

I've been going through a crazy crocheting phase.  At one point this week, I decided to try to make some mittens.  This is more complicated than the hats I've been making, so the one I made didn't come out exactly how I would have liked.  I made one and just gave up on the other one for the time being.  Since it was a little big, it reminded me of that wonderful children's book called  "The Mitten" by Jan Brett , based on a Ukrainian folktale.  For those of you who haven't read it, it's all about a bunch of animals who find a lost mitten in the snow and all decide to get in it.

I thought it would be a great idea to crochet a mitten and then make little clay animals to go inside (eventually I might make little stuffed animals with fabric or felt and a larger mitten).  Wouldn't that make the cutest homemade toy?  I'm going to buy some more clay this week and see what I can do.  I'll post pictures when I finish.  Brian and I were talking and thought that it would be so special someday to make a new toy based on a book for our kids each Christmas.  What a great tradition that would be!  We'll see how I do...

 For now, here's my funny mitten that I'm hoping to fill with little forest animals.

Sufjan and Baby Bunnies

Happy New Year!  A get together at our place with old friends, a family party, a CD release party...I'm all partied out and glad to spend the night at home in Sea Kettle for the first time in a while.

We took a break from renovation downstairs (it's so hard to stop!) and snuggled in our warm living room for some arts and crafts and music.  Brian just bought the new Sufjan Stevens album, "The BQE".  It's a 40 minute symphonic work on DVD with awesome video shots of Brooklyn to go along with it.  Definitely worth a listen.  Actually, I thought it was quite incredible.  It comes with an essay and a fun art that you are supposed to put in a viewfinder (remember that old toy?).

While we listened and watched, I made this little bunny.  I'm done with hats for the moment and have been wanting to try to crochet a little stuffed animal.  This one was cute, although a little misshapen.  I was supposed to embroider the eyes and nose on before I stuffed it, but forgot.  The ones on him now are temporary, I need to figure out what to do.   It was a fun first attempt, I think I'll definitely try some more patterns and give them to all my wee friends. Since Brian loves bunnies so much, this one is for him.