07 July 2013

Recent Paper Fun


I've been teaching a class on creatures at the libraries. We start by reading Where the Wild Things AreThere's a Nightmare in My Closet and some children's poetry. I love this literature and so do the kids! They are really classics.

Did you know that this year would have been Maurice Sendak's 85th birthday?

Then we all go to the tables where I have our art supplies. We make a few pieces of eco origami (hat's, boats and other fun stuff) and then create our own creatures with reclaimed materials.

The kids never fail to blow me away with their creativity and imaginative stories about their creatures. There's always someone in the middle of the class that asks, "do we get to take these home with us?". The answer is yes and it always cracks me up that they ask. I wouldn't dare keep anyone else's creature hostage!!

The images in the bottom two pictures were made by two 8 year old boys, who are cousins, and came to the library together. They had great fun and I heard many choruses of, "that's so cool" coming from their end of the table while they were making those creatures.

What are you reading and making this summer?


06 July 2013

You will be missed...

My friend Laura passed away last night. She fought a hard core battle against pancreatic cancer. She went through many rounds of chemo, lost her hair multiple times and still managed to keep her sense of humor.

When I didn't recognize her one afternoon when we met for lunch -- she blamed it on a "bad wig day".  :)

I originally met her through a local group of handmakers. She was a lovely person with an easy smile and a wicked sense of humor. She designed and sewed beautiful quilts that made people happy. She did lots of custom orders and always had a quilt going.

Her dogs (Daisy and Jess, pictured) were truly her furry babies and they were recently rehomed in South Dallas with the right humans. I know she was so incredibly relieved to find the right next home for them.

You will be missed, Laura. May you always have a full bobbin.

04 July 2013

Happy Fourth of July!

I'm taking a moment to share how grateful I am to have been born in such a great country. I'm truly grateful to all of those who have fought for, are fighting for and will in the future fight to maintain our country's freedom.

What are you grateful for today?

01 July 2013

Do You Know Fibbonacci?

I never heard of Fibbonacci (an Italian mathematician) until a college Botany class. He fascinated me because his sequence could determine where the next leaf would come out on a given plant. How cool is that?

Later in an art class I learned about the golden mean and that it is based on his sequence too. It's everywhere!

I recently came across this article and it's the best description of his sequence that I have found. I love the suggestion that understanding it could affect one's success.

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