Vol. 3, No. 334, November 30, 2018

3334 - Student Taught.

It was a rough week for me. I started feeling chest congestion on Sunday night, and by Tuesday I had started to lose my voice. On Wednesday, I couldn’t talk enough to project over my students, so I handed my lesson plan over to the students in my 7th grade class. It was challenging, but the students enjoyed it. The lesson was day 2 of the blind contour self-portraits. They were drawing their final portrait. Not everyone was understanding the instructions, so I made a drawing as well. Mine is a little smaller than I would have liked, but I did it in Sharpie, so there was no making changes.

Vol. 3, No. 333, November 29, 2018

3333 - Lost But Not Forgotten.

It was a sad day at the Miller house today. The Miller Littles woke up and searched for Elfie before school. Oldest Miller was the only one awake before I left for work, and after a quick sweep of the house, she asked me if I had seen Elfie. Wanting her to work a little harder, I lied to her and said no. The Miller Littles continued their search until it was time to leave for school. Oldest Miller was so distraught about having not found Elfie that she asked Mommy Miller to call school if she found him during the day. Of course Mommy Miller did not such thing, but she did give them a little bit of guidance when they got home from school.

So where was Elfie? On a window sill, slightly hidden behind the high chair in the dining room. Last night, Elfie was going to sit on the window sill that was more in view, but opted for the other because it ad a better view of the neighbor’s Christmas lights.

Last night Elfie AKA me, made the Miller Littles a wishlist notebook to write their Christmas lists in. I had some small notebooks with blank pages, but the covers had advertisements on them, so I needed to make a cover. I decided candy canes would be a great Elfish cover, but I couldn’t find any red paper. The best. I wold find was the gray and white stripes. I grand a red sharpers and began marking all of the white stripes. Although I was slightly skeptical at first, I love how it turned out.

Vol. 3, No. 332, November 28, 2018

3332 - Bombarded.

I wanted to make sure I had a project for today, so I made one at school. Then I got home and Oldest Miller made me go downstairs with her and then she lead me with my eyes closed to the fireplace. She was so excited to show me the snowflakes. She asked me if I knew how to make snowflakes with names in it, because mom, dad and I each need one. She suggested that I make them for my project for today.

Then as the Miller Littles were getting ready for bed, they took turns talking to Elfie and telling him what they wanted for Christmas. One of the things that Littlest Miller said she wanted was paper to write her list on. This was the perfect oppertunity for the next Elf On THe Shelf craft.

I decided to post the snowflakes today and save the others for future posts.

Today's snowflakes were made on white paper, which is what I had wanted yesterday, but couldn't find. I love they way they look so much that I am tempted to remake the other 4. Today I also wrote the names from the outside in, which I also like better. I guess you c ou ulled say that revisiting and revising my work was beneficial.

Vol. 3, No. 331, November 27, 2018

3331 - It’s All In The Name.

Elfie was busy tonight. He cut out a snowflake for each of the Miller Littles. The design pattern spells out their names. I, I mean Elfie, started the names in the center of the snowflake, which makes it a little harder to identify. It will be interesting to see if they can figure out which snowflake it theirs. To help them out, I left a hint in the scraps, by putting their initials on the scrap from the center of their snowflake.

Vol. 3, No. 330, November 26, 2018

3330 - Follow The Leader.

This past cycle, my 1st graders made follow along drawings. Everyone heard the same instructions, yet each picture is unique. Here are my last 3 examples. They are similar because they used the same instructions and I made all 3, yet they are all different.

Vol. 3, No. 329, November 25, 2018

3329 - So Excited.

The Miller Littles were so excited to get to play with my drawing tablets and do crafts with me this morning. I got up about 9:30, expecting the Miller Littles to have made their initial signs, but the flowers were still on a trail on the floor.

Oldest Miller was so excited to show me what “Elfie” had set up. She wanted me to the letter, but I decided she needed the practice. So she said “You’d better sit down, it’s a long letter.”  When she finished reading, I asked her why they hadn’t followed the instructions that Elfie had left. She said that she had wanted to show it to mom and me.  I convinced her to start cleaning up the flowers and make the signs while I got dresssed.

By time I had finished getting ready, all three Miller Littles had their signs completed and were ready to tackle the crafts. We (mostly I, with a little bit of help from Oldest and Middle Miller) assembled the Bumble Bee and then Oldest Miller and Middle Miller followed me as they assembled their own fliers. I told them that we would go outside later to fly them, but I it is cold, so we might not make it. Littlest Miller was pretty content just drawing on the tablet while we crafted.

Vol. 3, No. 328, November 24, 2018

3328 - Elfie.

Elf-On-The-Shelf, a toy designed to tempt kids to behave and to torture parents. The Millers decided to get an Elf-On-The-Shelf. The Elf “arrived” a couple weeks ago, when they set up the Christmas Tree. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite, if not my most favorited holiday, so I am anti-Christmas until Black Friday. Therefore, I would not participate in the relocation of the Elf. Tonight, the Millers returned from their Thanksgiving Vacation, and I hadn’t done a project yet, so I offered to take care of the Elf.

I am going to be home all day tomorrow, and I had some little crafts in my art stash, so I decided that I would do one with the Miller Littles. I didn’t want to be woken up at the crack of dawn, so I decided to make waiting a little game. When the day is done, they will all have 2 crafts made.

After prepping everything, I posed Elfie (the Miller Littles originally named him Freddy, but Elfie seems to be the name used most often), with the scraps from cutting out the flowers. This creative process was pretty time consuming, but hopefully worth it in the end. I’ll let you know tomorrow.

Vol. 3, No. 327, November 23, 2018

3327 - Christmas Cookies.

It has sort of become a tradition for my family to gather Thanksgiving weeken to bake Christmas cookies. This year was jo different. With the 10 of us working together, we baked Monster Cookies, Snickerdoodles, Peanut Buttter Blossoms and Pecan Tarts. Then we made chocolate dipped pretzels and Oreo Bonbons.

Vol. 3, No. 326, November 22, 2018

3326 - Reminisce.

Today, I gathered with my family and a few friends to celebrate my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. After a delicious meal, we spent the afternoon playing games. One family favorite is Mexican Train Dominos. As we played, a friend reminisced about how we use the dominos to build a turkey for my project last year. She suggested that this year, I use pie to make something Thanksgivingy, such as a pilgrim or a turkey. Shortly after, she grabbed a piece of pie; it happened to be slightly mooshed when she got it. With just a couple scrapes of her fork, she was able to mold it into this turkey. I very briefly considered just using that as my project, but it didn’t feel right. So I grabbed my own piece and some whipped cream and with my sister’s help, sculpted a pilgrim. It’s not perfection by any means, but it tasted delicious!

Vol. 3, No. 325, November 21, 2018

3325 - Getting Cozy.

As my 6th graders finish their crazy coffee mug paintings, I finish my example. We began this project by walking-through how to draw a mug on a table. Then each section of the picture was painted with a different color. Next different patterns were added to each section. Finally, everything

Vol. 3, No. 324, November 20, 2018

3324 - Play Time.

I have been gone so much lately that whenever I am home the Miller Littles are begging for attention. When I got home today, Oldest and Littlest Miller were playing with Play-Doh. After Littlest Miller “fed” me a cupcake she made,  I decided to join them. Her cupcake was just a flat piece cut with a cookie cutter. I decided to step up the game and made a 3-D cupcake. Oldest Miller cut that one with scissors. Next I made a chicken leg, a biscuit, and a baked potato. As soon as I took the picture, Oldest Miller was more than happy to destroy those as well.

Vol. 3, No. 323, November 19, 2018

3323 - Abstract Design.

While waiting for their clay turtles to dry, my first graders are learning about abstract design. Today, I gave them instructions, one at a time. They were to follow my instructions without looking at anyone else’s paper. This is the example that I made with my second class of the day.

Vol. 3, No. 322, November 18, 2018

3322 - Fruity.

Wanting to teach my transitional Kindergarten class about mixing colors without using the same project they will do next year in Kindergarten, I created something new. Students used finger paint to paint printed fruit shapes. Then they cut the fruit out, gluing it on a basket in color wheel order. Then they used construction paper crayons to decorate their picture.

Vol. 3, No. 321, November 17, 2018

3321 - Ho Ho Gnome.

Today I attend my second needle felting class, and this time I brought Becca with. We made Santa gnomes. I felt rushed, so I my finished project isn’t as good as it could be, but it was still a good experience. I am even considering buying more supplies on my own. My gnome is the one with the green trim on his hat.

Vol. 3, No. 320, November 16, 2018

3320 - Mouse Paint.

After about 3 weeks of work, teaching and demonstrating, I finally finished my Mouse Paint Color Wheel. My Kindergarten classes learned about the color wheel by reading the book “Mouse Paint” by Ellen Stoll Walsh. Then they used finger paint to mix their own paints creating a color wheel. The shapes that the painted were turned in to mice by adding ears, eyes, and tails. This color wheel took a long time as I only did one mouse per class as my demonstration. The students aren’t quite finished with theirs yet, but they are turning out very cute, and the piece of cheese in the center is like the cherry on top.

Vol. 3, No. 319, November 15, 2018

3319 - Mamma Mia!

Today after a full day at school, I rushed home and jumped in the car with my parents for a 2-ish hour  car ride through rush hour traffic to see a friend perform in White Bear Lake Area High School’s “Mamma Mia”. The show was fun and the sets were beautiful, but what made the trip worth it was seeing B’s face when she spotted us in the crowd after the show. As per my show tradition, I brought with a handmade flower for B. This flower is an origami rose folded from metallic paper. It is actually a 1.5” flower inside of a 4” flower. The stem is a giant q-tip, wrapped with metallic paper. To make it look like a fancy rose from a store, I rolled the flower in plastic and tied it with a ribbon.

I asked B if set work was adults or students. She said it was mostly adults, but she was one of the few students who helped, and was the only one who knew how to paint, thanks to my guidance in previous shows.

Don’t forget to vote for my student’s, Eleanor756,  art work. You can vote once per day per web browser per device. https://www.artsonia.com/museum/aotw/vote.asp?group=1 Thanks for supporting the arts!

Vol. 3, No. 318, November 14, 2018

3318 - Textured Turtles.

My first graders are doing their clay unit this week. They are making small turtles and adding texture to the shell. The entire project only takes one class period which is great for me as I am not a fan of teaching clay. This is my turtle example from today.

On another note, this morning I got an email saying that one of my 6th grade student is one of 12 finalists for Artsonia’s Student of the Week. If Eleanor756 wins, we will both receive gift cards to buy art supplies. Help us win by voting for Eleanor756.  You can vote once per day per web browser per device. https://www.artsonia.com/museum/aotw/vote.asp?group=1 Thanks for supporting the arts!

Vol. 3, No. 317, November 13, 2018

3317 - Order’s Up.

Today I demonstrated techniques for hollowing clay for my 8th graders as they start their food sculpture project. I used pinch pots to make the potato-ish piece. The apple was a solid piece, that I cut, carved, and pieced back together. And the burger was hollowed from the bottom. Obviously these aren’t finish pieces, but they were great for the demo.

Vol. 3, No. 316, November 12, 2018

3316 - Meditate.

Tonight, while sitting in a meeting, I took some time to meditate, aka doodle on my paper, creating a Zentangle flower. The process is so simple, but looks so complicated and elegant every time.

Vol. 3, No. 315, November 11, 2018

3315 - Saucy.

Today,  my parents and I collaborated to prepare 4 batches of homemade applesauce, with came out to be 2 dozen jars of applesauce. Dad ran the Peeler/Slicer on the Mixer. I cut the apples and placed them in the pan and then filled the jars after the sauce was cooked. Mom cooked the applesauce and filled the canner.
This picture is of the last batch of applesauce, right before I filled the jars.

Vol. 3, No. 314, November 10, 2018

3314 - Wrap It Up.

Today is National Vanilla Cupcake Day. To celebrate I ate a vanilla cupcake and then used the wrapper to fold an origami cupcake. The origami cupcakes look better when you use paper with 2 different colored sides.

Vol. 3, No. 313, November 9, 2018

3313 - Smart Art.

As part of my first graders Shoe Texture Fish project, we brainstormed underwater things that they could include in their scene. After writing the list, I took their ideas and created a quick drawing on the SMARTboard. For the other classes, I made quick one color sketches, but today I went all out and if I had had more time I would have put in even more details. I can't take credit for the Shoe Shark, that was part of the slide.

Vol. 3, No. 312, November 8, 2018

3312 - Shark Attack.

My 6th graders are starting their clay unit. They will be making a pinch pot, attaching pieces to make it into an animal. For my demo today, I made an open-mouthed shark. It’s not fired, it’s not even made well enough to be fired, but it was great for my demonstration and to inspire my students. After class, my shark was smashed back into the clay bag.

Vol. 3, No. 311, November 7, 2018

3311 - For Display Only.

This week I got to play Working Single Mom of 5; let me tell you, it’s not a job I would willing take on long term. Kudos to all Moms of large families, your job is not easy! With this undertaking at home, I wasn’t motivated to make art at home, and today I didn’t complete any projects at school. However I did create an art display for first grade. Sometimes the display takes just as much creativity as the project itself. For example, I had to figure out how to get the turtle to fit in a frame with another artwork and not impede on the other work. Then there is the act of arranging the art on the wall. I am please with how this display turned out, now I just have to get the display labels made and on the wall.

Vol. 3, No. 310, November 6, 2018

3310 - The Eyes Have It.

Today I finished another eye color wheel example for 7th grade. On this project, I tried to make it look more realistic by adding shading. I’m onto sure that I was successful, but I was fun to try.

Vol. 3, No. 309, November 5, 2018

3309 - Still Fishy.

As I continue teaching my first graders about texture, I continue to end up with more shoe fish examples. Here are two more fish. The top one was today’s example and the bottom fish was from Friday. They really are cute, even if my shoe is too big to fit nicely on the paper.

Vol. 3, No. 308, November 4, 2018

3308 - Art Teacher.

Today at the final performance of “Me and My Girl”, I was sitting backstage working on seating charts for school. Many students inquired about what I was doing, and one student asked what I taught. When I told him “Art”, he asked me to draw something. I asked for suggestions and after turning down a portrait, I drew my boot. Then I drew a few other little sketches as well, a pitcher of water and a champagne glass, a peppermint candy, a sucker, and a girl holding a balloon.

Vol. 3, No. 307, November 3, 2018

3307 - Wishes.

The last time I painted at The Paint Factory in Hutchinson, I won a free class. I cashed it in today to join Miss B as we painted bubbles and a dandelion. While I’m not super crazy about the browns in the background, I love the bubbles. I can’t wait to make more paintings using the bubble technique.

Vol. 3, No. 306, November 2, 2018

3306 - Blue's The Best.

I made quite a bit of art at school today, but I neglected to take any pictures of it. So, I decided to share and un-posted project from Halloween. When I got home from school on Wednesday, ready for some Miller Time Trick Or Treating, I was asked to help come up with a quick and easy costume for Baby as the monkey costume he was going to wear was now wear to be seen. After a few Google searches, I headed to his dresser to see what he had for me to work with. That's when I came across blue footie pj's. I could work with that. My first thought was a Baby Smurf, but I didn't have a white hat. Then I decided on a blue M&M. I used yellow masking tape for the M as that was the only tape I had available. Baby had a great time Trick Or Treating; he couldn't stop laughing!

Vol. 3, No. 305, November 1, 2018

3305 - Smells Fishy.

For their next project, my 1st graders are learning about texture. Today, they got to take off one of their shoes and make a texture rubbing. We then turned their shoe prints into fish. The next step, which they will be doing next week is cutting out their fish and using construction paper crayons to draw a water scene.