Why homeschool? Here's why!

Magic Words

No, not Please and Thank you, although those count as well!

Magic Words is the name of the new book I'm working on...take a look.

It's about a little girl who can't fall asleep

(I always seem to get the little girls. But actually, 

I'm also working on another book that features...a little boy!)

and she goes to her cat and her bird and her fish, 

trying to get them to play with her...

until her Mommy takes her to bed and teaches her some

'magic words' that help her sleep.

I'm using more textures and patterns in this one for a softer look.

Please do tell me what you think - and thank you :)

Earthship, beam me up!

Earthships:

Beautiful, self-sustaining (off the grid), sustainable, earth-friendly, 

beautiful, HANDMADE, unconventional, beautiful...

Did I say beautiful?

Earthship in Taos, New Mexico) 

Made with discarded tires, drink cans, glass bottles, 

and honest-to-goodness earth,

these are dwellings of the future (I hope),

inspired by the past.

This is re-purposing at it's best and

I really, really want to live in one.

Full disclosure:  I would also like to build it.

(DaddyBoy, are you listening?)

Here's a little about earthships.  Even the name is heavenly :)

YouTube has lots more on them...

Paper Sculpture with the NanoBot

It's been rainy, so rainy.  I do love the rain,

even though it sometimes means being stuck indoors, but not much :)

So on one such lovely day,

NanoBot and I sat out in our little covered patio

outside our apartment

and made...

this!

I can see the idea translated into

wall sculptures with an industrial feel -

a set of three square bases

with metal strips instead of paper

and a lovely blue-green patina!

Anyway, here's the PAPER version for now,

with a step-by-step demo

courtesy the NanoBot herself.

Begin with some thick paper for a base.

We used the side of a spaghetti carton.

Glue plain paper on to it and cut to size, like so:

So now you have a cleverly recycled piece of packaging!

Set the base aside and start making line drawings on a sheet of paper.

I used one color, lots of globby shapes, and a whole bunch of

lines in a variety of ways.

This was the only step I showed the NanoBot an example of.

(the teal blue drawing is mine)

It was a good lesson for taking note of how many

ways you can draw a line.

Then she made her own...

She made the globby shapes in a pale orange, but quickly

switched to a dark blue for the inside lines.

She even put in some alphabets!

Next, flip the drawing over, make some guiding lines

(yes, MORE lines)

and cut!

Snip, snip into thin strips.

And you end up with these.

Remember that base we made before?
This is where it makes its grand entrance.

Using a glue stick, start sticking the ends of the strips to the base,
leaving the rest of the strips loose.

You can twist the strips before you glue the second end,

or loop them around other strips.

Keep going until the entire base is covered, and you get THIS.

A lovely, loopy paper sculpture!

And an incredible artist overcome with modesty!

Do give it a try!

My first U.K. book, and some fabric fun

Well, it's not a book YET...but it's been great to work with

a new editor/publisher from a different zone than North America.

Three of the pics...

I did have a lot of fun drawing the cute little redhead character,

and I had fun with the color pallette as well.

The little cat shows up in a lot of the pictures,

but not in all of them, as you can tell from the following two.

The bunny in the flashlight, competing with

the 'deer in the headlights' look :)

Dunno if bunnies chomp down carrots in the dark...

but what good is artistic license if you don't use it?  :)

And a bird's eyeview to dinner.

I still have one more picture to finish and then...

wait for publication!

Somewhere in between, I did some sewing,

but not enough picture-taking.

So here's the only two things my camera snapped up so far:

A coin purse!  My first!  YAY!

Lined inside with a yummy grren and pink printed material,

all from recycled fabric, of course.

Featuring a cute little blue flower and a juicy purple gem,

also and embroidered scrap with a scattering of

purple sequins all around it.

AND...my very first key fob!

Wool roving in delicious green and pink

on a denim base

plus a lot of found objects

equals a very tactile way to hunt for your keys!

I think I'm gonna keep both things for myself -

I need them!

More later!

The Little Things...

For Birgitta, in gratitude.

New publisher, new book

And a new look. 

Normally I work with a combination of hand-drawn and digital,

but this one is all on the computer, from scratch.

A couple of samples:

That yellow speech bubble will hold some text. This book is all about food!

Anyway, all that computer work only makes me want to hunt down

 my pencils and brushes...and paint!

These are for a different book, and I'm enjoying their making just as well.

Softly Spring

Illustration on watercolor paper;

gesso, watercolors, watercolor pencil, ink

Hey techies, grab my QR!

So, you can just google for QR code generator -  I used this one -

enter a couple of things, and the nifty program will make you

a brand new QR code!

What's a QR code?

Well, duh, something like a bar code but with more info.

And they're all over the place.

And you can make one and use it as a business card

(for instance). 

If you have the app for it, you just scan it with your phone,

and it takes you places.

Here's mine.  Don't it look purdy?

I should make some jewelry with this!!!

Guess where that takes you (hee hee)!  Go on, scan it!

And if my post was all gibberish to you,

get the lowdown on it right here.

Happy scanning :)

Earth Day

April 22, 2011.

Earth Day is everyday, really.  Only we forget. 

So maybe it's good to designate one day

when we can step back and

consider the treasure we live on.

A lovely girl named Beth

(a name like Beth can only belong to a sweet person)

sent me this email,

which I'm sure at least a few of you are familiar with,

but it's worth sharing.

All about one of Nature's gems - the cucumber!

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need

every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin

B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin

B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron,

Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

 

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon,

put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a

cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B

Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that

quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

 

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror

fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a

cucumber slice along the mirror, it will

eliminate the fog and provide a soothing,

spa-like fragrance.

 

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds?

Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will

be free of pests all season long. The chemicals

in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give

off a scent undetectable to humans but drive

garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5 Looking for a

fast and easy way to remove cellulite before

going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or

two of cucumbers along your problem area for a

few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber

cause the collagen in your skin to tighten,

firming up the outer layer and reducing the

visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6.. Want to avoid a hangover or

terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices

before going to bed and wake up refreshed and

headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B

vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential

nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in

equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and

headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that

afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers

have been used for centuries and often used by

European trappers, traders and explores for

quick meals to thwart off starvation.

 

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and

you realize that you don't have enough time to

polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber

over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a

quick and durable shine that not only looks

great but also repels WATER.

 

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a

cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic

hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage,

facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire

cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water,

the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber

with react with the boiling water and be

released in the steam, creating a soothing,

relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce

stress in new mothers and college students

during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and

 realize you don't have gum or mints?

Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth

with your tongue for 30 seconds to

eliminate bad breath; the

phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your

mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

 

12. Looking for a 'green' way to

clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel?

Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the

surface you want to clean, not only will it

remove years of tarnish and bring back the

shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm

you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake?

Take the outside of the

cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen

writing, also works great on crayons and markers

that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

That just makes me go "Wow!",  AND they're yummy!

Have a wonderful Earth Day!

Watercolor - two ways

There's something undeniably delicious about letting your brush slurp up jewel-toned watery color, and to lay it on paper in delicate swathes. 

Folks who work with watercolors know what I'm talking about!  

I've been without it for far too long,

so making this little birdie was so sweet. 

 And then I thought I might as well do it digitally too,

not the same picture, as you can see,

but the same(ish) technique.

Anyhow, here it is, and both were fun to do:

Watercolor two ways....

Traditional media (paint and paper)

Digital media (mouse and PhotoShop)

More ammo for my illustration techniques!

Simple pleasures

I find it amazing that the most ordinary things can inspire us

to pause and reflect, and marvel. 

I was trying to sort out some of my photographs into anything

that might resemble a sane grouping

of a crazy variety of images

(probably an impossible task not worth the attempt)

 and found these....

Taken at night in yellow light...

A mellow light...

Our old chandelier and a vase from WalMart

with a plastic orchid stuck in it...

(I told you about the ordinary things!)

But I remember it was wonderful to take these pictures.

Hope you find some extraordinary

in your ordinary today!

Caught in passing....

Happenning upon an article on Etsy,

I found this little gem and had to share:

What does handmade mean to you?

Handmade is the cliff swallow, bulding a mud nest on a wall where vertical meets upside down. It’s about finding the patience to slow down and accept the pace at which one person can progress through many detailed steps. It’s the power that we all have to bring something into existence that just moments before was a fleeting thought or curiosity.

What an amazing way  to put it!  Do read the rest of their story

- it's guaranteed to inspire.