Time with Friends.

I'm playing catch up. This is my longest post ever, I'm sure. A few weeks ago I spent the weekend in Niagara-on-the-Lake with 6 wonderful friends!
Sandy
Maija
Amy
Natalea
Vivian
and Jenny (no blog, but has a beautiful flickr site and a great etsy shop!
(and Jenny must have hid a lot -- I don't have pics of her! )

(photos by me and everyone above)

Our theme was "birds"
This is the house we rented:

Sandy made it so beautiful!

We shopped and were silly:

(Maija and me)

(me, Nat and Sandy)

(M is for mouse loving Maija)

(Vivian and Amy)

We made each other lots of mementos:

(i made the zipper pouch)

(Natalea made these necklaces for us -- mine is the "colours outside the lines")

(Nat made these peat pots too)

(Amy gave us little kits so we could make these nest pins!)

And we made awesome cool stuff (thank you Viv and Jenny for the tutorials):(Jenny taught us how to make these fabulous mobiles!)

(Vivian taught us how to needle felt)

(Amy made the bluebird)

(Amy made the big one and Jenny made the little one)

And we drew names for our trades (this is what I got from Nat -- it's already up in my kitchen!)

Thanks for beautiful memories girls! I miss you!

back to the land of the living... maybe not!

I have (FINALLY) finished my report cards.
Tonight I will be able to relax with Sookie and Bill. Because, YES! True Blood Season premier is tonight! WooHoo.My school year is winding down. I still have to prepare for a presentation on Tuesday and then our Welcome to Kindergarten Night on Wednesday. I'm tired.......

bikes

Did I tell you that our garage was broken into last week? And ALL of our bikes were stolen? Our insurance won't cover my bike or Ray's because we can't find the receipts and we don't have pictures of them. Or of his leather jacket. Or his tools......
SO -- if you have a picture of me in the last 10 years on or with my bike -- let me know! I can't believe that I don't have a picture of it. It's a blue and white gary fisher mountain bike. A "tarpon". I am SO annoyed.
It looked exactly like this. It wasn't expensive at all (kind of "bottom of the line") But it was mine and I managed to hold onto it for 8 years!!!

Hooking in progress....

I have had so little time for myself lately, but last weekend we went to visit my family-- so I had a bit of time in the car to play. I am really enjoying rug hooking. This is a small panel -- the hoop is a 10" hoop. The hooking class that I took was less than spectacular. I'd like to take another some day..... (This is the traditional east coast technique -- not latch hooking)

I have so many things due/happening in June, so you are not likely to hear from me much. I have some art to finish for next weekend that may not get finished...... I have to finish all of my report cards (37) and also have to finish a research paper by June 1. I am still taking evening classes -- and have the last of my weekend classes tomorrow.

Beautiful Blog Alert

I just can't keep up with all of the beautiful blogs around! And this one is Canadian!
It is called A Day in the Country and it belongs to Heather Cameron. She's a magazine stylist and story producer for home decor and gardening magazines. She owns a blueberry farm in British Columbia. Go and check her out!

Sweet Paul

New Online Magazine Alert!This issue of Sweet Paul has 74 pages of goodness.
In Paul's words it will have "Easy and elegant recipes, fun and stylish crafts, exciting crafters, entertaining ideas, and much more"

It definitely has yummy yummy recipes (Apple and Chevre Salad with Honey Vinaigrette ... mmmmm....)
Amaretto-baked French Toast with Pecans!
Tasty Treats for your puppies (Peanut Bone recipe!)
It's not all recipes either :)

It kind of reminds me of what Martha Stewart Living used to be.......

Don't forget to check out Sweet Paul's blog too!

Happy Mothers Day

Remember to celebrate all mothers -- not just your own :)

I love you mom!
(don't worry -- I'm keeping my phone -- just for you :)

(sterling heart -- work in progress)

This morning I was off to ikea for $1 breakfast! Really -- you get scrambled eggs, sausages and hash browns (really they are french fry squares) -- all for $1! And today it was done to perfection (sometimes you get runny eggs -- yuck). It tasted better than it looks......I was a shopaholic -- I bought a new outside lounger to replace the one that broke last year (ikea gave me my money back)(I think that I'm too fat for ikea -- if this one breaks they will really hear it from me). but I didn't buy cushions for my outdoor furniture -- the cushions were so expensive -- it was going to cost me $160 to buy cushions for my bench and 2 chairs. Now I'm going to try to make my own. I know that in a few weeks I'll be cursing my decision!And I bought some little things like tea towels and a new bath mat and new trays.....
And lots of things for my classroom (cups and plates and toys for the sand and play dough centre). I can't wait to make play dough cones and sundaes!

My life in lists -- Things I don't like

Lists really do drive my life.

Todays list:

Things that I don't like
1. Fluorescent lighting. Even the compact ones. Ray changed most of our lights to them when we moved in. I am working on changing them back. Yes, I realize that they are better for the environment. But my mental health suffers. And if Martha is crabby, everybody is crabby.

2. Green candy. Green is my favourite colour (light green). I love candy. But green candy is yucky. Closely followed by yucky yellow candy.

3. Yellow. Pale butter yellow is okay. maybe.

3. Mashed foods. No, I don 't like mashed potatoes. Mashed food is for babies. It's a texture thing.

4. Telephones. I'd rather walk a mile down the street with a stone in my shoe to tell someone something than to phone them. I'm seriously thinking of getting rid of my phone altogether. Email rocks! Bring on the iPad, people! See, I'm no luddite!

5. Cars. I hate getting into cars. I'm a public transit gal. And I like to walk, and to ride my bike. Actually, I'd be most happy if I never had to leave the house. and garden.

6. Public speaking to anyone over the age of about 13. Although once I get going, it's hard to get me to stop. Get out the hook!

7. Bathrooms that I've never been to. I hate going into new bathrooms. Even in private homes. I think that it's the finding them that stresses me out. I know that I can't get lost in someone's house, but the opening of wrong doors really bothers me. This one is the closest to a phobia that I have.

7. Showers. I'm a bath girl. I don't like the feeling of water falling on me. I stood under a waterfall once, and yes, it was pretty, but I still didn't like it.

8. Panty hose. They are SO UNCOMFORTABLE. I only wear skirts when it's warm out. With bare legs. Although this year I've been wearing skirts with leggings and my Blundstones.

9. Walking the dog after a long day at work. I love the dog. And he is SOOOO happy to see me when I get home. BUT. I hate that feeling on the way home that says"yes, you'll be home in 5 minutes, but you have another 45 minute walk ahead of you" It's enough to make me not want to come home.....

10. Worms on the street after it rains. I hate the smell, and they look yucky. I don't mind them in the garden though. I just hate walking through them......

Kale chips

Ray made kale chips. They feel like light crispy ruffled wings that melt in your mouth. They taste just like what I imagine salty dried pond scum tastes like. I've asked him not to make them again.(I didn't take this photo -- but they looked just like this)

Waking up in the Land of Glitter

Have you read this book??? -- it's a light, cute chick-lit novel. I quite enjoyed it.Here's the blurb from Amazon:
With glue guns, glitter, twigs, or yarn, the ordinary can become extraordinary . . . especially at La Pachanga. Owned by Estrella "Star" Esteban's family, the restaurant has a rep for two things: good food and great art. La Pachanga brings people together-even when it looks like they couldn't be further apart.

One ill-fated evening, Star jeopardizes her family's business, her relationship with her boyfriend, and her future career. To redeem herself, she agrees to participate in a national craft competition, teaming up with her best friend, Ofelia-a secretly troubled mother whose love for crafting borders on obsession-and local celebrity Chloe Chavez-a determined television personality with more than one skeleton in her professional closet. If these unlikely allies can set aside their differences, they'll find strength they never knew they had, and learn that friendship, like crafting, is truly an art form.

I'd like to hear what you think of it. And if you haven't read it, and you'd like to borrow it from me, you're welcome to!

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!