Making jewelry is so fun!

I had lots of fun with the rubber cuffs, and making jewelry with fine metals is almost as fun!
I can't find the pendant that I made the first night (it's unfinished -- I put it in a special safe place -- you know, those places that you stumble upon months later?)
This is the ring that I made during week 2. It fits me perfectly -- however, Lauren loves it too -- so it *might* go to her.
I learned how to measure a strip of metal so the ring will fit you perfectly. After I cut a strip of silver, I sent it through a rolling mill with a skeleton leaf, then re-cut the metal to size, annealed it, formed it into a near circle, then soldered it, then formed it and antiqued it and polished it. I can do this!
Next up is lost wax carving and casting. WooHoo!

Eco Power!

The students made their cuffs -- all of these ones are by students grade 2-6! Aren't they a talented bunch? I am so proud........
(aren't the heart and bird ones awesome? The heart was hand cut -- and the bird is a Martha Stewart Punch)(and the large and small polka dot one at the bottom right is my favourite)

Earth Day

What are you doing for Earth Day?We wanted to have a special activity for the kids who are part of the Eco Club at school. I organized a session of accessory making from re-used items. We will be using old inner tubes, leftover yarn, and some small found objects( bottle caps?). We'll be making cuffs,The group is aged 8 to 14 -- a wide range. The photos here show what I made as samples. Tune in tomorrow to see what the kids have made!this one is very versatile -- you can fold it and twist it to make it look really cool!(special thanks to my wonderful jewelry class teacher Tosca Teran for her inspiration -- and to the book(I didn't buy this book when it came out because I wasn't really a fan of the cover. But this book is fabulous!)
And also a very special thank you to Mountain Equipment Coop for the donation of lots of used bicycle inner tubes -- we really appreciate it!

Remains of the Day

I made a mini Remains of the Day journal. I've sent this one off to someone, but I have a similar one that I keep beside my computer that I write my favourite quotations in. I love making these journals -- and it does use up a lot of scraps!

imagination

This is Tif's (Dottie Angel) philosophy:

'if i go to sleep at night knowing i have visited my imagination, however fleeting it may have been, then i know i have used my day wisely'

I think that it is mine, too!Tif is my inspiration for so many things......

Print & Stamp Lab

My new favourite book! I wish that I had time right now, today, right this minute to make something from it. Maybe this afternoon I'll make time for a project.... in between academic research, that is.......
back to the books.......

Frogs and Toads

I have always had a fascination with frogs and toads. .... just indulge me for a minute....Here I am playing with a toad.... I used to dress them up in Barbie clothes..... Now that I am older, and know better (the declining frog and toad populations are worrisome) , I just look at them. Last year we raised tadpoles into toads in my classroom. (this year will be butterflies -- I don't do the same thing two years in a row because I generally carry the Junior Kindergarten students through Senior Kindergarten i.e. I have them with me for 2 years.

If you look closely -- or click on the picture to enlarge it -- you will see the string of eggs around this frog. I'm not sure if the eggs belong to this frog or not..... You don't often see toads in the water (they live on land after they mature from tadpole to toad). These toads have returned to the water to mate and lay eggs. See the puffed up neck? This male toad was making a trilling/peeping sound -- it's what they do to attract females. It's usually done at night, but they were out in full force during the day. (I took these photos a few weeks ago at a pond in London, Ontario)I can't wait to see the tadpoles!

Busy -- and loving it!

A new edition of lonny is out!
AND the new uppercase is out.
Between all of my blog reading and all of my online and paper magazine reading -- I'm burning the candle at both ends!
But I'm loving the Kindergarten AQ that I'm taking!
And the Jewelry course it going really well too!
pics to follow this weekend......

tired....

I'm going to be a bit overextended between now and the middle of June.

1. I am taking an AQ course -- that's an "Additional Qualification" in teacher lingo. It's a full University course (with a price tag to match!). It involves 65 hours of classtime and a 60 hour Inquiry paper. It's every Tuesday night -- and an additional 4 Saturdays. Plus that extra 60 hours for the paper (and you have to log every minute that you spend on it!) So why am I putting myself through this?? -- the subject is Kindergarten Curriculum -- my joy, my life. However, I might be kicking myself in a weeks time when my principal hands out our teaching assignments for next year! (I am qualified to teach up to the sixth grade)

2. I am taking an 8 week jewelry course at nanoPod Studio here in Toronto. I signed up for it before I signed up for the AQ. The class that I'm taking is Metal+Glass. It is Tosca Teran's studio -- she is a fantastic artist and teacher! I started it last night. We did some sawing of copper -- which I had done before, so it was a relaxing beginning to the course. If you're interested in a basic introduction to goldsmithing (with some glasswork thrown in) then take one of Tosca's classes -- I've only been there one night, but I know that you won't be disappointed. (She will be having some advanced classes later this summer)

3. We have an Arts Night coming up at school -- May 6th -- and I have to come up with something fabulous for the kids to make! (They always make fabulous things -- I just have to guide them with some kind of theme and medium....)

4. Report Cards. There will be 37 of them. Enough said.

5. In June I will be attending a certain Art Sisters Weekend in Niagara-on-the-Lake! Our theme is birds.... I'd better get thinking about little giftie things, or all of a sudden it will be upon me, and I'll have made nothing.....

6. I'm throwing a bit of a Mad Hatter Tea Party at Bizzy Bs tomorrow night starting at 6:30 p.m. Come on by!
Off now to bake some tarts! bye bye!