So cool

How cool were the teachers at today's school? Here is the "Science Objective" in one room:

ornament swap

So right before Thanksgiving i decided that in my vast free time i would join an ornament swap : i make 3 holiday ornaments and send them to different people and 3 totally different people send hand-made ornaments to me. The catch here is that it was a quick turn around swap; we got our addresses on Nov 22nd and the boxes need to be mailed by Dec 1st. Yikes. I had a few ideas whirling around and hung out in the studio 2 nights ago. I worked with paper, with glass, with beads, with paper and glass together, with ink, with paint, with glitter, with wire and i had bupkis. I mean nothing was coming together right or it came together but i didn't like it. I must have tossed 4 different prototypes. Randomly, around 10pm, i started opening various containers to get some inspiration and i came across some broken vintage jewelry. A-ha, says I. I wanted to make some abstract angels. I tried to make them matching, but it just didn't click. Frustrated i cut them apart and made some separate ornaments. Ha-zah! The problem was that each angel had her own personality and needed to be made accordingly. Once that was decided they came together pretty quickly. The halos are from a link necklace, the heads are vintage buttons from my grandmother's button box, the wings are from tassel angels i was going to make sometime in the early 90's but never got around to and the bodies/dresses are fashioned from various vintage necklaces and gold wire. Here are Sweet, Sassy and Shy: I decided that individually the angles felt incomplete. I considered sending all 3 to one person and making 2 more sets of 3, but i came to my senses on that one. Instead I made another ornament that matched each angel in some way (if the swap says "sends one ornament" i am compelled to send two; mayhaps i need professional help). Sweet has a heart of course, while Sassy is complimented by a zany swirl-o-rama and Shy lets her companion ornament speak for her. Tonite they get boxed up and sent to NC, AZ and CA; I hope they are enjoyed in their new homes. I can't wait to see what goodies come my way next week. I'll post when i receive all three of them.

fun school sights

So one of my teams got rear-ended in traffic today (they're fine, BTW) while my team had a stupendously fun day - odd how it happens that way sometimes. Right inside the side door was this awesome mosaic-fountain-lady constructed from individual tiles made by kids: and greeting team members Amy and Lindsey was a shark on a pole wearing green striped glasses (how could i make that up?!?):

vista

So my holiday weekend went well. After 923 miles, 2 houses, 3 generations of relatives and quite a lot of green bean casserole i got home late Saturday night. I really love visiting, but driving to and/or from Ohio in the dark (in the rain) by yourself is a bit of a bummer. However, i was able to leave early enough on Wednesday to see one of my favorite driving sights: Western Maryland in the autumn at dusk with a wee bit of fog These pictures were taken at Sideling Hill (a giant notch cut in the top of a mountain for the highway to pass through; it has an awesome geologic feature called a syncline, but that's another story) and if you look really hard at the center of the second pic you'll see a teeny little church in the distance that makes the entire scene look like a postcard. sigh...

Blessings

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It has always been one of my favorite holidays. When i was younger it really was my favorite time of the year. We went to Ohio to be with my parents' families. It meant travel and food and fun and spending time with my BFF, Rickki. We used to count the days till Thanksgiving like most people count to Christmas. As an adult i find myself reflecting every year on what i am thankful for. Generally i am an appreciative person; I really know that i have a good life. I can see that the terrible, painful things in life are balanced by beauty and opportunities. Everybody has days when they hate getting out of bed, but mine are few and far between. After being unwell for so long I am thankful that I really am at peace at last. I am thankful that i get to go to a job every day that drives me NUTS, but i still love. I am thankful that despite my complete neglect, I am healthy. I am thankful that I have a genetic family that loves me. I am thankful that I have a family of friends that chose me and love me. I am thankful for the time i get to spend in my studio. I am thankful for the technology that allows me to remain in contact with everyone despite the distances between us. I am thankful that the school i am supposed to be at right now had their power go out this morning so i get to leave for Ohio this afternoon instead of staying up for 24 hours and driving through the night. I am thankful that God blesses me everyday that I wake up, especially since i know i have never done anything to deserve those blessings. Life is good. I love you all. Have a great holiday - enjoy your turkey and count your blessings.

S-H-A-R-E T-H-E W-E-A-L-T-H

Rachel left the oddest message last week, "I have a bunch of Scrabble tiles that i figured you'd want for crafting purposes, when can you come pick them up?" When we finally spoke she explained that her company had ordered the tiles for some training event, used all of the E's, I's, T's and S's and were getting rid of the rest of them. I found a night i could swing by to pick them up, thinking that there were probably 100 or so tiles that i could certainly find a fun use for, even though they are missing 4 key letters. Imagine my surprise when she pointed to a big box FULL of bags of letters. There are multiple sets of tiles in red, white, black, blue and green. There are oodles of tiles! Wow. So, to all of my crafty friends, let me know if you would like some free scrabble tiles and i'll send 'em to ya. Let me know if you have specific color or letter choices. Remember - no E's, I's, S's or T's. Don'tcha just love free stuff?

ahhhh... paper mache

You know I love school art. At today's school they had a big totem pole in the front lobby to celebrate National American Indians and Alaska Natives Heritage Month. (who knew?) From top to bottom it represented the spirit totems of Thunderbird, Bear, Whale, Frag and Beaver.

There is just something magical about paper mache - it's versatile, paintable and can turn any old box into a bear. I miss paper mache.

Little Spice

I'm always on the lookout for fun new restaurants. Last week the Palmateers took me to this hole-in-the-wall place called Little Spice Thai Cuisine. Located by Arundel Mills it was excellent. The food was great (i had a yellow curry with potato) and moderately priced, the atmosphere was casual and friendly, and the decor was modern, but cool. The whole place had a nice eccentric yet inviting feel to it. When you get tired of turkey next week, if you're in the Baltimore Washington Metroplex try this place : you'll love it.

AUTUMN!

First it was unseasonably warm. Then it was rainy. Where was my favorite season? Today it was ridiculously foggy. But at our school in Calvert county (south of Baltimore, for non-Marylanders) the sun broke through at lunchtime and it was gloriously autumn. It was bright and clear with breathtaking trees. It was crisp enough to need a sweater, but not cold. It even smelled like campfire in the air. (i assume it was house with a wood-burning stove or something charming like that cause we never heard any sirens) I LOVE AUTUMN!

Project Mari

You may recall that my friend Francie is in the process of adopting a little girl from Vietnam. Adoption is a pricey endeavor and she has done some cool things to help raise money. She wrote a children's book, illustrated by her mom, about adoption. She also put together a children's CD of songs, stories and poetry (with a track by yours truly reading The Paper Bag Princess).

Here is the link to her Cafe Press shop, featuring both of these along with an assortment of gift items. Marvel at her creativity and perhaps do a little early holiday shopping, won't you?