Vol. 2, No. 273, September 30, 2017

2273 - Chuck E. Cheese.

I went to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time today. The Miller's and I were celebrating Littlest Miller's Birthday. Littlest Miller got 2 pictures while we were there, so when we got home, we used the boxes from some snacks we bought to make a double picture frame. We decked it out with some scrapbooking paper. Littlest Miller colored the Little green "roses" that decorated the frame. The star was one of the prizes that she bought with her tickets.

Vol. 2, No. 272, September 29, 2017

2272 - Happily Adjourning Thy Debts.

Today is one of my favorite days of the year; it is National Coffee Day and the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel. I love coffee and one of my favorite prayers is the Prayer to St. Michael.

In honor of these days, I have created a painting of my favorite coffee mug with angel wings in the foam. The mountain is just a fun shape to fill the middle. I have decided that this painting is the completion of my gold phase, at least for now.

Vol. 2, No. 271, September 28, 2017

2271 - Bright Baker.

Today we celebrate the first ever National Bakery Day. I didn't have time to get to a local bakery because I was busy at school teaching lots of different lessons. One lesson was on Positive and Negative Space. I decided to use gold papers to make cake using the style of the lesson. Since it is a celebration and I needed more details to fill the space, I added candles.

Vol. 2, No. 270, September 27, 2017

2270 - Monogram.

I was going to use P as the letter of the day and make a person in profile out of a P. I got this idea because I've been drawing lots of people in profile as part of the 3rd grade art lesson on Greek Vases.  After I got it drawn out, I didn't like the way it looked. As I pondered what to do next, I sketched out a P and added some patterns in it. I loved it! Staring at it a little more, I noticed how easy it would be to attach a J to the P. Since to day is Ancestor Appreciation Day, I decided to make my dad's initals, PJH. It turned out to be a fun little project.

Vol. 2, No. 269, September 26, 2017

2269 - Starry Nails.

This weekend I got a pedicure, choosing a sparkly blue polish. I wanted to jazz it up a little, so today I added some green, purple and white to give my big toes a galaxy feel. It didn't quite turn out the way I envisioned in my head, but I still like it.

Vol. 2, No. 268, September 25, 2017

2268 -  Extra Work.

As an art teacher, I often get asked to do different 'artsy' jobs for classroom teachers. On Friday, I recieved and email asking if I could make a guitar pattern about 8.5 x 11". Okay that doesn't seem to difficult, so I agreed. Then as I sat down to work on it this morning, I realized that I didn't really know what they wanted. Did they want a coloring page or a stencil? So I sent an email asking for clarification. As I waited, I sketched out a guitar coloring page.

It turned out that they wanted a stencil, but they only needed the bottom of the guitar, not the handle. Well this just got a lot easier. I went and found 2 different styles of guitars online. I enlarged them so that the bottom filled a sheet of paper, and then I printed them. I used this print out to cut  2 stencils from cardboard. What I'm not sure is why the teachers couldn't do this themselves.

Oh well, its' done now. After all of that creative energy was expeled, I didn't want to do anything else, so I decided to use my guitar sketch as my project.

Vol. 2, No. 267, September 24, 2017

2267 - Punctuation Matters.

"A period, a comma, a semicolon, a question mark and an exclamation point are examples of some of the punctuation used in writing to separate sentences and their elements and to clarify meaning."

It drives me crazy when I am talking to someone via text and they don't use punctuation. Is that a question or a statement? Lack of punctuation can completely change the meaning of a sentence, which is why I chose to celebrate National Punctuation Day. To celebrate, I used a piece of gold foil tissue paper to make a paper cut exclamation point.

Vol. 2, No. 266, September 23, 2017

2266 - Golden Gifts.

Today was bridal shower #2 for my sister. One of the things I needed to do was wrap the gift. I stuffed the pail with gold tissue paper and then made some gold flowers for the top. It was a rush job, but still pretty cute. The sad part was that the flowers blew away before we got to the party. The picture shows a close-up of the flowers in the bottom corners.

Vol. 2, No. 265, September 22, 2017

2265 - Elephant.

There were many options of things to celebrate today. I settled on National Elephant Appreciation Day. I mostly chose this because there was some word art that I came across a while back that I've been wanting to make. It used the letters in Elephant to make an elephant. Still in my gold phase, I used gold paint to scrawl out the letters. It is so cute Imay use the design to make cards.

Vol. 2, No. 264, September 21, 2017

2264 - Jay Day.

Today's project is brought to you by the letter J. At school, the kindergarten classes are learning about one letter everyday and then they make a poster showing things that start with that letter. I don't know which letter they were actually on, but I believe they should be close to J. I was going to use a letter stencil to make my drawing today and I liked the curve of the K, so I went with it even if I am a few days off from the kindergartners.

I was so happy that 8 I'd fit perfectly, creating a nice circle. I then went in and started adding patterns to each J, followed by the between spaces. I could have continued adding patterns, but it was late so I called it finished. Maybe some time I will take a month where all of my daily projects are continuations of previous work.

To make this drawing, I used 2 gold colored pencils. They were both the same brand and both labeled as Gold and yet they were different. One darker and more gray, the other more brighter. Turns out it was nice that they were different because it added more depth and character to the drawing.

Vol. 2, No. 263, September 20, 2017

2263 - What Lifts You.

I was extreamly excited when I completed my first set of wings. All of my students in all three schools are creating a feather that will be combined to create a wing mural inspired by the work of Kelsey Montague. I finished the 3rd and 4th grade mural in Annandale. It was a time consuming process and I am not in love with how it turned out, but the kids and staff love it; I have been getting tons of complements. In the coming weeks, I will be creating at least 2 more, possibly up to 3 more, sets of wings. Now that I have one under my belt, I have a better idea of what to do, so the next ones should be easier.

If you were wondering about the assembly process, I taped black roll paper to the wall with LOTS of masking tape. Then I used hot glue to attach colored "base" paper and the feather. I used a low temp glue gun, so I never got burned, but I still got a blister from pulling the trigger.

The top picture just shows the wings on the wall. The bottom picture shows what it could look like with someone standing in front of it. Thanks to my Bitmoji for posing for the picture!

Vol. 2, No. 262, September 19, 2017

2262 - Growing Up.

This week, I get to celebrate birthdays with two of my littles. Today CAT turns 14 and on Friday, Little Miller turns 5. I made CAT a card using pictures of letters that I have made throughout the month. It's simple card, but it was made with lots of thought and love. I also made the envelope. I only took a picture of the front, because the back wasn't quite right. So, the fourth picture is one that I took of CAT playing volleyball this afternoon.

Happy Birthday CAT!

Vol. 2, No. 261, September 18, 2017

2261 -Monster Letters.

My big creative undertaking today was working on the Collaborative Feather Wings that we are doing at school, but it isn't finished yet, so I am going to wait until it is to post. In the mean time I need something else. With much of my creative energy drained, I grabbed my art to go bag and quickly sketched a monster using the dying, gold Sharpie. I made the parts of the monster from letters. The Hair is M on top and and W on bottom; Eyes are O; Nose is B; Mouth is D; and Teeth are V. I considered adding ears, but there wasn't really room on the page.

Vol. 2, No. 260, September 17, 2017

2260 - It's Golden.

I struggled with what to make today and finally settled on making an embossed name sign for my third classroom. I love how it turned out, but I am getting tired of sign making. I think that embossing might be my new favorite art form. When I get to school tomorrow, I have to find some background paper to complete the sign.

Vol. 2, No. 259, September 16, 2017

2259 - Tree Time-Lapse.

I kept putting this project off and then today I was trying to figure out what to make when I realized I finally had enough time and energy to tackle the collage. I think that it went better today than any other time thus far. Come December I will be able to make the collage in my sleep.

Vol. 2, No. 258, September 15, 2017

2258 - Melting Metallics.

Today while searching my art storage for a hot glue gun, I came across embossing supplies. I thought that it would be fun to add some shiny metallics to my second badge holder. So I brought  the supplies home and got to work. I started with the H, it turned out pretty good. I tested the pull to make sure it hadn't melted under the heat; it appeared to be fine. So I decided to add gold around the edges as well. Unfortunately, this time the casing started to bulge slightly on the back and when I tested the pull, it didn't move. The badge holder had melted on the inside.

I was disappointed, but I had bought a multi-pack of badge holder, so I have extras to replace the one I melted.

Vol. 2, No. 257, September 14, 2017

2257 - Dove Promises.

I ate a Dove chocolate today and on the wrapper it said "Build a bridge...with chocolate." So that's what I did. I used the rest of the Dove chocolates for the support columns and water under the bridge. Then I used Milka bars for the road. to make it more exciting, I put some Peeps on the bridge. FYI Dove chocolates have a warped top, so they do not make a very stable bridge.

Vol. 2, No. 256, September 13, 2017

2256 - Marshmallow Fields.

Every day, I spend approximately 1.5 hours on the road. This gives me lots of time to think and admire the scenery. One thing that is becoming more prominent now that the fall harvest is upon us, is "marshmallows" in the fields. You know, the large hay bales wrapped in white plastic, making them look like giant marshmallows.

After seeing multiple "marshmallow" fields, I was inspired to make something using marshmallows for my project. My first thought Rice Krispie Bars. Unfortunately I didn't have Rice Krispies or marshmallows, so I adapted and used Peeps and Granola. After the peeps were melted and mixed with the granola, I rolled it into a log and shaped it to form a "R" sculpture.

Like most of my edible creations, it made a great snack.

Vol. 2, No. 255, September 12, 2017

2255 - Volleyball Dive.

Today was my kickoff to high school (and middle school) sports. First I watched CAT's volleyball game and then I watched CC Dive. To celebrate both of these events, I drew a volleyball splashing into water. I have been on a gold kick, so I drew the picture with gold colored pencil.

Water is always difficult to draw as you can see through it. While I know my drawing is far from perfect, I am pleased with how it turned out.

Vol. 2, No. 254, September 11, 2017

2254 - Beautiful Sunset.

This morning on my way to work I experienced a georgous sunrise. The sun was huge and very red, unfortunately because I was driving, I didn't get a picture, but I was amazed. Fast forward 14 hours, and I was sitting down to do my project. The sunrise may have subconsciously influenced me because I was looking at quotes and I found this one, "Sunsets are proof that endings can be beautiful." I love watching both sunrises and sunsets and I ooh and ahh over all of the beautiful colors in the sky. So this quote seamed like a good one.

I dug out my calligraphy set and a gold Sharpie and got to work. The hardest part was waiting for the paint to dry so I could take the picture.

Vol. 2, No. 253, September 10, 2017

2253 - Are We Having Fun Yet?

Between my 2 new jobs, in 3 new schools, plus my work with the Litchfield High School Theater Department, I am pretty stressed out. I was working all day to get ready for the theater parent meeting tomorrow that I didn't even have time to think about making anything amazing. So, my project is a graphic design project. I had to design an order form for a Thirty-One fundraiser. I wanted to hand the info out at the meeting tomorrow, so I had to put lots of work in to getting it ready today.

Unfortunately technology and I weren't getting along too well today. I thought I had everything laid out the way I wanted it and I went to print and everything was so small. It turns out it was a printing setting, shrink to fit. So once I fixed that, I had to reformat everything. After many hours of work I finally have something I am satisfied with.

Vol. 2, No. 252, September 9, 2017

2252 - Teddy Bear.

Today is National Teddy Bear Day and I was in need of a project. So I searched my pockets, finding a candy wrapper in my pocket and folded it into an origami bear.

Vol. 2, No. 251, September 8, 2017

2251 - Paint the Rainbow.

Setting up one Art room for the start of school is hard. Setting up three room is enough to drive a person insane!

I am starting classes at my second school on Monday, which means I needed table color signs. I didn't have access to a color printer, so rather than use black and white pictures, I created my own table markers out of construction paper. Yes, they were tedious. Yes, there were probably a million other things I could have/should have been doing. But it didn't matter. I was feeling creative and artsy today and my hard work paid off because I love how they turned out.

Vol. 2, No. 250, September 7, 2017

2250 - Paper Please.

I ran out of paper towels at school a few days ago. I had hoped that the custodian would catch it, but after one night, they hadn't, so I jotted a note and taped it on the dispenser. The next day there were still no paper towels. So I decided to take a different approach. I made a reusable sign that is nice enough to hang outside my classroom. That way the custodian is sure to see it and I save paper in the long run. Unfortunately I forgot to hang it when I left, so I probably will be with out paper towels again tomorrow. Maybe I will have to track down a custodian.

Vol. 2, No. 249, September 6, 2017

2249 - All-Star Art.

As the school year progresses, I continue to get things settled in my classrooms. One thing that I wanted was a chart showing what great work looks like. The chart can be used to help students critique themselves and see how they can improve. Their goal should always be to make 4-star Art. This means rather than just coloring the shape neatly, they should go one step further and add dimension by using a second color. Now I just need to make 2 more charts so I can have one in each classroom.

Vol. 2, No. 248, September 5, 2017

2248 - Second First Day.

Today was my second first day of school, kind of. School started in my second school today, but I didn't actually have students, I was just working in my empty classroom. I decided that my new room needed  some decoration for my project, I made a name sign. I was feeling gold today. So I used a gold Sharpie to draw out a fun font on sparkly paper. Then I laid it out on an emerald paper. I may change the background later, but this was the best that I had on hand.

Vol. 2, No. 247, September 4, 2017

2247 - Red Rooster Pudding.

Today, my parents, brother, and I attended the Dassel Red Rooster Days World's Largest Chicken BBQ. While we were eating, my mom observed the line workers pacjing the heels of the bread into bags. We contemplated what they do with these "scraps". As we were leaving, we asked my aunt, who is in charge of serving, what they do with the bread. She said they just bag it and give it to whomever wants it. She asked if we wanted a bag so we took one.

When we got home, mom and I got to work making bread pudding. We started with a Betty Crocker recipe and adapted it using elements of other recipes including extra eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and of course some rum.

I decided I had to take the project one step further. So when it was done baking, I arranged it on a plate, complete with ice cream and maple syrup drizzle. All it was missing was some garnish, maybe a mint leaf or some berries.

Vol. 2, No. 246, September 3, 2017

2246 - A Worried Font Oinks.

I wracked my brain all morning trying to decide what make today. By 3:00 pm, I had concluded that I would just do some sidewalk chalk on the bike path at the Brat Feed before the Red Rooster Days Fireworks.

When I got out to the park and was helping to set up for the brat feed, I noticed that the tip jar, designated for firework donations need some artistic help. The front label that I had made a last year was fine, but the top was torn. So, I scrounged up a piece of paper (the middle lining from a 24 pack of pop), a tin snip (the closest thing I could find to a scissors), a Sharpie and some highlighters and got to work. About 10 minutes later I had a festive donation box.

Vol. 2, No. 245, September 2, 2017

2245 - Shades of Purple.

It was past time for me to repaint my nails. So today while sitting at the Dassel Red Rooster Days parade. I kept it simple and used 3 shades of purple in a dotted pattern.

The picture is a little weird because I added a close up of the design on my big toes.

Vol. 2, No. 244, September 1, 2017

2244 - Pig Party.

My family gathered at the lake today for one last bash of the summer. At about 9:00 pm, I remembered I still hadn't done my project yet, so I grabbed a leftover hot dog and a knife and got to work. I carved something that was intended to be a pig and placed it in a muddle puddle (cheese potatoes). Of course I couldn't let this little piggy go to waste, so I shared it with my brother's dog.