Santa Stars

This past week we made Christmas tree ornaments...Santa Stars YAY!

My daughter Che made one when she was 4 years old. It's still hanging on our tree at home and she's 22 now, so they are pretty durable.

You need: red poster board, oak tag, black construction paper and felt pens, green glitter, cotton balls, and white school glue.

Make an oak tag star template then have a teen volunteer trace them and cut them out. I luckily have a bevy of teen indentured servants, who if they want to graduate from high school, must be at my beck and call. HA ha! If you don't have a teen handy you'll have to do it yourself. Ouch. You must also cut out little construction paper belts long enough to go across the star's belly. Then decorate!

 This is mine... it looks like a deranged June Taylor dancer

We had a lot of fun making these little star people and I hope they will be hanging on these kids trees for 20 years or more.

I would like to say that my heart goes out to the parents of the 20 slain children in Newtown. Being a parent, I know how heartbroken and lost I would be. And the fact that this tragedy occurred at Christmas ... the ultimate children's holiday, is even sadder still.

I am so happy to work with children. I love their art and their happy faces when you tell them how much you like what they've made. I'm grateful to have the chance to do what I do.

10/31/2012 Booooo!!!!

My blog has taken a dark turn, boooooo..... a new look and a new outlook.

Our paper mache program, part 2, went very well.

The kids did a really good job with the molding of the masks and the painting part. I was really impressed because trying to get the flour paste newspaper to mold around the balloons wasn't all that easy. They did great!

10/8/12

Here's Mr. Oogly Moogly with his nose and lips on ...

...and here he is with color and yellow freckles!

He's not heavy but I'm thinking string to tie onto the kid's heads will not hold. I'm thinking maybe strips of cloth or something. Have to think on it.

10/5/2012

This is a paper mache mask that I started as an example for a paper mache class I'll be teaching on the 13th. I just blew up a balloon and started layering newspaper strips coated in flour water over the balloon. I used plastic water bottle caps to make the eye holes. Note: take the plastic caps out while the paper is still wet. It was hard to get them out when dry. So I'm now going to add a nose, some warts and little horns or little eyes on stalks (Halloween mask) once again using newspaper and flour water.  

I have not been weaving on the big loom and probably won't again. I've been diagnosed with arthritis and stenosis and warping the Big K has just become too much for me. However, don't cry for me Argentina... I am still planning a tapestry piece for my small Mirrix loom and I have gone full circle back to my love for collage and water color, so I'm happy.

9/24/2012

Jerry's painting is finished. I hope he likes it :) Gapstow Bridge, 9x12 watercolor and ink

Been really busy so only have had time for some gardening. The mini roses are going crazy!

The whole, "orchids growing on the trellis on their own" experiment didn't quite work, so I potted them up. Looks much neater and I think they'll be happier.

The mint plant is also going crazy. Think I'll make some ice tea tonight ;)

Just keep swimming...

... as Dory would say.

So I'm just swimming along doing things that I'm capable of doing without pain. Painting is good. It's very cathartic for me. Here's a watercolor of Gapstow Bridge in Central Park I'm doing for Jerry

The ink drawing

And color starting to brighten it up. Have much more work to do on it.

I got a Mirrix loom ... Big Sis, with a weaving width of 13" and max length 36" I think. I've warped it, which was easy peasy, and now am adding the string heddles. I'm sort of thinking about buying the Mirrix heddles as I think mine are too chunky.

I go to the doctor tomorrow to see what is my next step in getting better. I have the sinking feeling that surgery may be in my future.

Checking in ...

Just a quick check in...feeling much better. Just came back from my massage and I start PT on Tues. And I can turn my head! WooHoo!! Ah the little things we take for granted.

But in the meantime, I'm employing my husband to help me thread and sley for the new tapestry. Don't want to take any chances yet. Hey, he's pretty good. He's hired!

For being so nice and helping me, I'm painting for him. I started this little picture of Capstow bridge in Central Park. Inking done. I'll put in the colors this week. Haven't painted in a while and it feels good to be doing it again.

Have a nice week everyone!

Weddings, apartments and weaving...oh my

Here we are in David's Bridal. My oldest is getting married and now that the guest list and venue have been decided, it's time for the fun part....wedding gown shopping!

We looked through many dresses and this is the winner:

I just love the lacing up the back.

Her little maid of honor, my youngest was a very good sport through the whole thing considering she just broke up with her boyfriend of 5 years and is being asked to leave her cool apartment because of an indoor Persian cat who goes to the groomer more than I go to a hair dresser. No, the slumlord would not take a pet deposit. So all day last Saturday we were apartment hunting. How depressing that was. It's incredible the rent these people ask for really substandard places to live.

So my children have been consuming my life, not unlike when they were babies, devouring my every waking moment and denying me any semblance of a real life. Ok, not that bad.  And it really doesn't matter since my weaving is going sort of slow.

Slow as molasses. I am feeling much better but am afraid to do too much as far as tying up the floating warps. I'm being careful, probably overly careful, but better safe than sorry. This will definitely be the last shaft switching piece I do for a while.

Meanwhile, I'm still playing with color and mixing my different palette colors together.

These are different combinations in watercolor and dye.

Here's my South Beach Easter egg basket. Getting the yarn ready for when I start weaving the rug.

I'm also getting this little guy fixed up. A Schacht tapestry loom. It was buried away in the garage. I sent for a Mirrix warping spring because I've been looking at different tapestry looms lately and thought that the spring thing is pretty nifty. Don't know if you can see, but I added it to my Schacht with tape. I'm thinking about maybe getting a Mirrix. Of course DH is thinking of killing me. We're heading up to North Carolina at the end of the month so I'll just stop by Earth Guild and see what they've got....just looking of course ;)

Baby steps

I am taking the advice of my fellow bloggers and resting as much as possible. I think my neck is improving. Saw the doc and this morning went for massage theapy. Oh yeah... that felt good. And with nightly hot showers and neck massage provided by DH, I think I am slowly on the mend.  

Meanwhile, I am looking forlornly at my loom and the threaded and sleyed warp that is just hanging there all dejected. But it's ok because this covalescence is forcing me to sit still and think more about color.

I've decided to do a rug/tapestry series inspired by MiMo colors and shapes. I'm also trying to stick with four basic colors; using various mixes of the four, periwinkle, salmon, turquoise and golden ochre... all Jacquard acid dye colors. Above is Crayola experiments. Will mix up the dyes and try out different mixes soon.

ouch

I put my back out trying to pick up this...

...not really

I did pinch a nerve in my neck and am in a lot of pain, so not much getting done. So brief posts for a while.

Finally broke down and bought a swift. Duh. What was I waiting for? This thing is the bomb!

Jerry hung this peg board up in the loom room for me. It is very nifty and useful. Good for hanging frame looms and my Schacht tapestry loom.

That's all folks. Gonna go take some pills and put an icepack on :(

Tea time

I love love love when I have Saturdays off! My daughters and my BFF get together and go yard sale-ing on those Saturdays. Scored a candle stick that matches the lamp I got on the last yard sale expedition and a very cool little tree for $5. Then it's back to Che's nifty apartment for tea and pancakes :)

On the weaving front ...

I cut the sampler off the loom (accompanied by a glass of Chardonnay... I always toast the cutting off of anything) and started the finishing. I twined and then started to go with a longer twist tassle and changed my mind.

Instead I decided on a 3 in. plain finish. Here are photos:

This will come in handy as a reference on all the different techniques. And it's kind of pretty in a weird sorta way. So it's over my work table as my guide. I've started warping Big Kay for the actual rug. It will be periwinkle and salmon and I'm calling it "Stilt City"

Sunday stuff

 He's giving you that come hither look. Yeah, not so much. Our young man here is in the goofiest, galumphing kitten phase I've ever seen...and I've had lots of cats. Maybe it's because he is a coonie, but he is a klutz. Got the basket at a yard sale for the loom room. Was going to use it for yarn but as you can see, Sasquatch here has taken over.

 We started orchid walls on the back porch. Orchids do good in trees, but not sure how this will turn out. Just bought 3 of the cheapy $5-7 ones that come in the little net bags. Then wrapped their little root systems in peat moss and tied them on with their net bags and string. Hopefully, they will root onto the trellises.

I'm ready to be done with the sampler and move onto the actual rug. Just a few more experiments here and I'm going to cut 'er off. I've switched greens for yellows. The darker yellow is actually recycled yarn from an old sweater. I'm starting to like the idea of that more and more. Recycle and reuse.

The scarf is coming along. I'm using a very light beat. Want it to be lacey-like

Chocolate covered cherry yarn. Merino superwash