Monday, July 16, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 196, July 15, 2018


3196 - Notice Me, Horton.

I didn't use my time super wisely today, which meant I was just starting my project at 11:20 tonight. I knew it would be time consuming, but at least I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to do. I made my fourth and final fish, the blue fish. I added a star to it's belly to make it more fun.

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 195, July 14, 2018


3195 - How To Raise A Child.

My mom had been asked to make the brochure prop for Seussical. The brochure is for a Military Academy. She kept asking for help, so this evening I just sat down and made it quick. It is a tri-fold brochure that is lacking color and pictures. It didn’t turn out as nicely as I had hoped, but it will work for the show.

Friday, July 13, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 194, July 13, 2018


3194 - Flat Stanley.

I had been putting my project on hold all day, not really sure what I wanted to do, and then Oldest Miller came up with a great idea. She sat down after supper and started tracing her hands and feet to make a flat version of herself. She was using small pieces of paper, so there was no way her head or body was going to fit. So with Momma Miller’s help, we found a roll of wrapping paper and used that to trace her body. We then glued the parts she had cut out on to the body. Of course when Middle Miller and Littlest Miller saw the project, they wanted to make their own. About an hour later, we were finished. The biggest challenge was figuring out how to pose the Flat Miller Littles so that we could see them in the picture.

Vol. 3, No. 193, July 12, 2018


3193 - Havin’ A Hunch.

Tonight was picture night at Seussical Rehearsal, this meant that my work time was cut short, but I also had a few volunteers to help me out. Two jellyfish were made, as was more coral. Unfortunately I didn’t actually do any of the work, just provided the instruction, so I didn’t feel that I could take credit for it. This meant that when I got home tonight I had to still do my project. I decided to get one of my last two fish finished. Today’s fish is based off of “One Fish”.

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 192, July 11, 2018


3192 - Monkey Around.

Tonight at rehearsal, I was hoping to get the seaweed finished, but I ended up spending the entire time taking head shots for each of the actors and talking with some of the parents. So for today's project I was going to compile the head shots into a Seuss stripped collage, but I ran out of time and patience for that. Instead, I chose my favorite picture, the Cat in the Hat with a big goofy grin. He thought it was too over the top and we retook the picture, but I kept this one because it was so fun and Cat in the Hat like.

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 191, July 10, 2018


3191 - In Palm Beach.

Today I got to have some more fun with pool noodles. I used scraps from other pool noodle projects to create seaweed and coral to use during the fish scene. I got a lot made, but didn't have time to assemble the bouquets. Also, the hot glue gun that I had was too hot and melted the foam more than held it together, so I will finish making pieces and start assembly later this week. I am excited for the finished project! With only 2 weeks until the show opens, I need to move quickly.

Vol. 3, No. 190, July 9, 2018


3190 - Here On Who.

Tonight while at Seussical Rehearsal, I made my last three instruments. I can’t wait until tomorrow when I get to see them with the Who Marching Band, all lined up in a row. My willing models today were Chloe, Molly, and Oldest Miller.

Sunday, July 8, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 189, July 8, 2018


3189 - One Fish, Two Fish.

I began my third task for Seussical today, that is making fish. The Lead Painter and I are both making fish which means we each only need to make four. I am making my fish out of card stock and using the book One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss as inspiration. The green fish is modeled after the Two Fish, and the red fish is modeled after the Red Fish. I was going to photograph the fish outside, but it was too windy so I did the next best thing, a bathtub. During Seussical, JoJo is taking a bath when the fish appear on the scene. I have to give my mom credit for designing the eyes on the red fish, by designing I mean pulling out the book and then cutting out the white part to match the Red Fish’s eyes.

Saturday, July 7, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 188, July 7, 2018


3188 - Alone In The Universe.

I honestly didn’t think I would attend a Setwork Saturday this summer, but the other night at rehearsal, I asked the Lead Painter how she was feeling about how much work was left to do. She was stressing a little because it was mostly detail work left to do, which meant it was hard to trust others to do it right. I knew exactly how she was feeling, as I had been in her shoes many times, so I volunteered to come in today and help out. I planned on going in this morning and helping for a couple hours; I ended up staying for 7 hours. It was only the two of us painting, but we got a lot done.  This picture shows the part of the set that I spent the most time on. The base colors were all done except for the tops of the trees. I added the circles on the door, painted the tree tops, added texture in the grass, and outlined everything in black giving it a storybook feel.

Friday, July 6, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 187, July 6, 2018


3178 - It’s Possible.

It’s possible to get three instruments finished in one rehearsal. Now that I think of it I still averaged one instrument per hour, I just had more time to work. It’s amazing what you can do with pool noodles, duct tape and a few other odds and ends. Today I added shower curtain rings, Dixie bowls, craft foam, and wire mesh ribbon to my supply list.

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 186, July 5, 2018


3186 - Egg, Nest and Tree.

Tonight at rehearsal for Seussical, I completed two more Whosaphones in under two hours. Let me tell you, people were impressed at the speed in which I was able to complete them. My models today were Oldest Miller and Young Kangaroo. I am excited for new duct tape colors arriving tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 185, July 4, 2018


3185 - Independent Banana.

Delicious caramel rolls at Grandm’s for breakfast. Kayaking with Cousin B and D after the storm passed. Dinner of steak, baked potatoes, and creamy cucumbers made by Dad. Followed by game night with half of the family. To end the night, we had dessert of banana bars that I made and decorated. I dyed sugar red and blue so that I could make an American flag to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Vol. 3, No. 184, July 3, 2018


3184 - Sparkle Tuesday.

Today’s project was a mega collaboration. It began during a pontoon ride with some of my aunts, uncles and cousins. As we were cruising Lake Stella, we noticed a large piece of driftwood and decided to pick it up to protect all everyone enjoying water sports on the lake. We continued with our ride and I mentioned that I needed to do my project, someone suggested using the driftwood and then started giving me suggestions as to what I should make. Once we had reached shore, I discussed it more with Cousin D. We concluded that sparklers would be the best option as we were out celebrating the Fourth of July.

After dinner, I brought the drift wood back to the water, I tested it to see which side would face up when floating and then started inserting sparklers in all of the crevices of the log. I had about 24 sparklers in the log when I decided to let it go in the water, it began to tip over. Luckily I was able to catch it before the sparklers got wet. Cousin N offered to light the sparklers for me and ended up trying to do so while holding the top-heavy log. The lighting process wasn’t going very well, so we retreated to figure out plan B. Cousin S jumped in to help; he is an engineer and was able to rig up a table for the log to sit on in the water, helping it to stay more stable.

Cousin N also decided we needed some sort of lighter fluid to help the sparklers get started; the sparklers were old so they weren’t lighting very well. He found Tiki Torch Oil and proceeded to dip the tips of all the sparklers. Then we were ready to try lighting them again. This time Aunt R offered to help light. We did get the majority of the sparklers lit at the same time, but the sparking was sporadic. The boat also decided to return to dock at the same time, thus it ended up in my shots. Of all of the pictures I took, this one is one of my favorites, largely in part to the heart in the middle formed by the flames.

Monday, July 2, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 183, July 2, 2018


3183 - One Man’s Trash.

Tonight at play practice, the costume designer told me she had something in her car for me. Her neighbor had been throwing something out and when she saw it, she knew it was too cool to go to waste. Then when she saw my Whosaphone post last week she immediately thought to give her new treasure to me. The treasure was foam disks that were used as packing material. I was pretty excited to put these disks to work and started creating my next instrument. A pool noodle base, foam disk keys, appliance tubing and plastic mouthpiece, PVC pipe end, and metal ribbon decor; all held together with duct tape. 2 done only 8 more to go. I got a Who to be my model tonight.

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 182, July 1, 2018


3182 - Bittersweet Memories.

It was a bittersweet day as I spent the majority of my day moving the last of my things out of my old house. When I got home, I wanted a quick and easy project, so I pulled out some fabric squares and fabric markers. I decided that a good comforter is a handmade quilt, so I decided to design a mini quilt. Momma Miller and Miller Friend were siting on the couch with me, so I invited them to complete some squares as well. When we were finished creating, I laid out the squares in the quilt design. If I had a sewing machine I would have actually sewn them together.

Vol. 3, No. 181, June 30, 2018


3181 - Forgotten Berries.

My raspberries have been productions like crazy, which means lots of yummy black raspberries to eat. Tonight, when I realized I hadn’t done my project yet, I reached for the dish of raspberries left from dessert and and asked my family for a suggestion as to what I should make. My mom suggested a turtle. Here is my turtle with a raspberry shell and strawberry legs, head and tail.

Friday, June 29, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 180, June 29, 2018


3180 - Towers Of Tomorrow.

Today the Miller Littles joined Kids of the Kingdom for a fun field trip the The Science Museum of Minnesota. There were lots of fun new exhibits to see, one of them was Towers of Tomorrow With LEGO Bricks. In this exhibit, we got to see replicas of towers from all around the world built out of LEGO bricks. There were also stations to build your own tower. Oldest Miller and I built a house instead of a tower. We made sure to include windows, a door and a roof. When we were finished, we moved our house to the city display for others to enjoy. I included two pictures of the house from the front because I couldn’t decide which I liked better. The flash showed more of the true colors, but I thin the other one looks better. The third picture shows Oldest Miller with her sculpture from a more above angle.

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 179, June 28, 2018


3179 - Oh, The Thinks You Can Think.

Tonight, I began my artsy project for the summer musical. This summer, Litchfield Community Theatre if performing Seussical the Musical. I was asked to design Seuss-like instruments for the marching band. I was given two large bags of pool noodles and the searched the prop room for other funnel-like pieces. I also located a small assortment of duct tape. I began by twist a pool noodle and securing the loop with duct tape. After a lot of exploration, I added another twist of noodle and lots more tape. I added a funnel, which was conveniently already painted bright colors, and some tulle flowers.  Miller Friend was my very willing model.

I now have one instrument completed, which means I only have nine more to go! I can’t work fast enough, because the Who Band is anxious to get the instruments in their hands.

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 178, June 27, 2018


3178 - Miller Time Garage Sale.

The Millers are having a garage sale soon with some friends and the kids wanted to do a lemonade sale. Being an art teacher, I was nominated to make the sign, of course I wasn’t going to do it alone. The kids, young and old, prepped the paper and decorated the letters that I drew the letters. Then I drew the lemons and added a little bit of extra color to the letters before securing the tiles.

If you want some yummy lemonade and other treats, plus some really good deals, stop by the Miller Time Garage Sale.

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 177, June 26, 2018


3177 - Gray Ducks Matter.

A Miller Friend wanted to help me with my project today. Without any prompting, she decided to use National Days as inspiration. Today is National Beautician’s Day, so Miller Friend let me style her hair. We looked up some braid tutorials on YouTube and used those styles as inspiration. This was my first attempt at a Dutch braid. It was challenging to wrap my head around braiding backwards. The resulting hairstyle is not the most elegant, but hopefully it will hold till tomorrow.

Monday, June 25, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 176, June 25, 2018


3176 - Log Cabin.

I had a busy day of kid wrangling and cleaning, thus forgetting to do my project. When I was heading towards bed, I saw Legos strewn about the playroom floor. I decided to use them and headed to Pinterest for inspiration as to what to build. One of the first pins I saw was tesselation tiles, it looked cool, so I set about finding square flats and a variety of 1x2 bricks. I didn’t have a very large selection of Legos to work from, so I could not make the pattern exactly as I would have liked, but it still turned out alright. When I was finished building, I laid out the tiles in a rotating pattern. The finished piece slightly resembles a log cabin quilt square.

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 175, June 24, 2018


3175 - Wiggle Your Waggles Out.

On December 27th, I got to photograph a newborn, earlier this week, that baby turned 6 months old. I decided to volunteer my time to take some new pictures. Let me say, photographing a 6 month-old who wants to roll and eat feet poses lots of challenges. I did manage to get some cute pictures, although no sleeping pics like I was hoping for, maybe I'll try again later in the week. Here is one of my favorite feet pics.

Saturday, June 23, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 174 , June 23 2018


3174 - Piggy Pink.

We are celebrating National Pink Day today, so I headed outside and picked some pretty pink flowers and arranged them in the shape of a pig. It looks better, more pig like from far away.

Friday, June 22, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 173, June 22, 2018


3173 - Sticks and Stones.

Today the Miller Littles and I picked up CAT and headed to see Mommy Miller at work for a pizza party. While there, we got to meet some of her co-workers. Then we went to play at a fun playground. Before we left the park, we collected sticks, stones and grass and worked together to make a tic-tac-toe board. We played a couple games before we went home. We left the game behind for someone else to find and enjoy.

Vol. 3, No. 172, June 21, 2018


3172 - Dirty Worms.

Today for snack, the Miller Littles and I made Jello worms. While they were cooling, Middle Miller and I made some Instant Vanilla Pudding. While the oldest two were playing in the pool, and Littlest Miller was napping, I put together dirt cups, or I guess it was more like sand cup because we used graham crackers. The dirt cups were topped off with Reid-Whip.  As it turns out the Miller Littles don’t like instant pudding or Redi-Whip. Oh well, now I know for next time.

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 171, June 20, 2018


3171 - Strawberry Rose.

This afternoon I headed to my parent's house to finish the last two batches of strawberry jam. When I was finished I grabbed a slice of bread, a rolling pin and the extra jam that didn't fit in the last jar. I flattened the bread, cut it into two strips, spread the jam and rolled the strips up to create a flower.

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 170, June 19, 2018


3170 - Icky Sticky.

I had planned on cleaning/moving more things from my house today, but about 1, I got a call from my mom, changing my plans. She had just gotten 15 pounds for fresh picked strawberries, and she wanted help to make strawberry jam. So when I was done with the Miller Littles, I headed to my Parent’s house and proceeded to help both of my parents prep all of the strawberries and process 3 batches of jam. With 25 jars of jam on the table, we mesasured out enough berries for 2 more batches, plus some for eating. When I was finished, I felt sticky from head-to-toe and couldn’t wait to get home and have a shower. Tomorrow I get to go back, with the Miller Littles, and finish the last 2 batches.

Monday, June 18, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 169, June 18, 2018


3169 - Tick Tock.

I was racing the clock again tonight. I got home about 10 pm, but it was almost 11 before I remembered I hadn’t done a project yet today. Middle Miller’s MagnaTiles were laying on the floor in the playroom, so I decided to build once again. I started playing around, and before long, I had a robot. I took some pictures and then was checking to make sure it was stable enough to survive the night, when the whole thing came tumbling down.

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 168, June 17, 2018


3168 - Dad’s Daisies.

I spent the day with my Dad celebrating Father’s Day. In between rounds of Hand and Foot Canasta, I went out to the flower garden and picked a pile of daisies. I used them to braid daisy chains. The first chain had long stems, naturally curling into a 9 shape. I left the stems long so that the chain could go into the vase. I also had some daisies with short stem. I used these to create another chain, which I wrapped into a crown. After the picture I took this chain apart, so that the flowers could go in the vase. I left all of the flowers on my Mom’s desk for my parents to enjoy.


Saturday, June 16, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 167, June 16, 2018


3167 - Marching Madness.

This evening, I attended the Lake Waconia Band Festival. While waiting for the parade to start, I used a flier from the program to create a butterfly card. I didn’t have a scissors, so I just ripped the paper to make the butterfly. Then I decorated it with pen designs and finished it off by adding a head and antenna made from a strip of green plastic from the edge of a Ziploc Bag. I gifted the card to a friend who was at the parade with me.

Friday, June 15, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 166, June 15, 2018


3166 - I Wish It Were Winter.

On our way home from lunch today, with the temperature hovering around 90, Littlest Miller exclaimed “I wish it were winter!” I didn’t agree with her, but I wasn’t appreciating the heat either. I didn’t have any brilliant ideas for my project, so I decided to embrace the heat and head outdoors to celebrate Nature Photography Day. Nature is one of my favorite subjects to photograph, so I was kind of excited for this project. I took Oldest Miller with me as I walked around the house photographing all of the blooming flowers. I used all of the pictures to create a quick collage.

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 165, June 14, 2018


3165 - Flags Afloat.

Today I got to help Middle Miller paint his Trimaran Boat for the Cub Scout Raingutter Regatta.  After using a steak knife to saw off the edges of the balsa pontoons, Middle Miller began sanding he pontoons. While he worked, I collected the scraps for my own project. Then we both started painting. We used glossy acrylic enamel, which meant we had to work extra hard to keep the dining room table clean. There wasn’t much in the way of scraps, but I managed to collect enough for a small pinwheel style flower. I glued all of the pieces on the end of popsicle stick, so that it can be stuck in a planter.

I didn’t get to see the race, but as soon as I got home, Middle Miller was happily announced that he came in 4th.

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 164, June 13, 2018


3164 - Flying Sharks.

Today's origami project with Middle Miller was a fancy airplane called a  Shark. It does some fancy spins as it flies through the air.

Vol. 3, No. 163, June 12, 2018


3163 - Building Bridges.

Today I officially became a live-in nanny. I was spending 90% of my time with the Millers anyways, so this just made sense. To celebrate the move, I went to bed early...with a migraine. This is not how I planned to spend my evening, I had been planning on doing an origami project with Middle Miller; today was library day and he checked out a new origami book. After lots of drugs, ice packs, and a 3 hour nap, it was 11:30 pm, I was wide awake and I didn’t have a project made yet. I took to the toy room and found a bin of Magna-tiles. I used the tiles to build a house. It was pretty cool, so I didn’t love taking it down when I was finished to put it away. However, I had built it on my headboard, and I didn’t want it to fall down on my head in the middle of the night.

Monday, June 11, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 162, June 11, 2018


3162 - It’s Raining, It’s Pouring.

Today was a stormy, rainy day, which made. It a great day for inside activities like origami. This morning, Middle Miller and I completed the last project in his origami book, a tulip. Unfortunately, the weight of the flower is too heavy for the stem and it won’t stand up, but it’s still cute.

Sunday, June 10, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 161, June 10, 2018


3161 - March of the Pen.

Today is National Ballpoint Pen Day. It was also the first parade of the season for the Litchfield Marching Dragons. Two of my not so little Littles are part of the band, so of course I went to watch the parade. I brought along a favorite ballpoint pen and paper. It was actually one of the cool 4-in-1 pens, so I had black, blue, red, and green ink to work with. I decided that I would use my drawing as the back cover for CC’s CD, so everything is based on her. I began with the marching band’s dragon logo. Then moved on to her instruments, the bari saxophone and piano; these didn’t turn out great. Next was the gymnast, followed by the diver; both are wearing the school’s color of green. I ended with a stack of books and a cross. Here I ran out of ideas and CC wasn’t responding to my Snapchat, so I filled in the rest with zentangle patterns.

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 160, June 9, 2018


3160 - Footprints.

Today I was invited for some Miller Time breakfast this morning. When we were done eating, I used Baby’s feet to make a footprint butterfly. One footprint was a lot wider than the other. So after it was dry I trimmed both feet to make them match. I add ed a few highlights and used Sharpie to draw in the body. Then I glued the butterfly on to a card and added a cute quote. I used the scraps from trimming to make a small butterfly for the envelope.

Friday, June 8, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 159, June 8, 2018


3159 - Slow and Steady.

I had a great plan for my project today, but I couldn’t do it, because it involved a specific person and plans changed. Instead, I took to Facebook at 10 pm, searching through my saved posts to find something to do. I came across a video showing different ways to fold napkins to look like animals. I didn’t have any napkins available, but I was able to locate some greenish wash clothes. I used three wash clothes to make a turtle. When I was finished I took it outside to photograph it on the lawn. The turtle isn’t quite right because of the thickness of the wash clothes compared to napkins, but it’s still kinda cute.

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 158, June 7, 2018


3158 - Summer Vacation.

To kick-off our summer, the Miller Littles and myself went to the public library to sign up for the summer reading program and check-out some books. One of the books that Middle Miller chose was an origami book. Of course whe had to make time to make something from it right waylay today. Middle Miller chose a mini scrapbook. So, while Littlest Miller took a nap I helped the other two to fold their own scrapbooks. The steps were a little confusing for a book titled easy origami, but I was eventually able to figure it out.

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 157, June 6, 2018


3157 - School’s Out.

Today I slept in, and then attended the End of the Year Awards Ceremony and Party for HLWW. It was nice to take some time and relax. From there, I went to play practice. When I finally got home a little after 9, the sun was starting to set and it was way to nice to head inside to clean, so I decided to take some time and do my art project. I collected the maple seeds that I had swept off the driveway the other day and arranged them around a rock to make a flower. I used a charred stick from my fire pit to draw details on the center of the flower and the leaves. As I was finishing I decided I should have built the flower on the front sidewalk so that more people (or at least the mailman) could have enjoyed it. Too late now, maybe someone will walk down the alley tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 156, June 5, 2018


3156 - Play It Again.

I enjoyed drawing with my students so much yesterday that I decided to to it again today. This time, I drew with Kindergarten. The first few suggestions were for hearts, then a student suggested the school. Being it was my last class on the last day at this school I decided to go with that suggestion. When I googled images of the school, I was reminded that the school doesn't really have a nice main entrance, so I drew the next best thing, the school logo which is on the sign in front.

The drawing was mixed media starting with oil pastel, and then adding the blue and yellow with watercolor and Do-A-Dot Art. As I was cleaning my room at the end of the day, removing the last of my things, I left my artwork on the board for someone else, probably just the custodian, to enjoy.

Monday, June 4, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 155, June 4, 2018


3155 - Mister Sun.

On this, my second to last day of school for the year, I decided to sit down at the free draw table with my last class of first graders. I asked the students at the table what I should draw; one girl suggested a flower. I chose a sunflower, which I colored with oil pastels. The students were particularly impressed with the leaves.

Sunday, June 3, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 154, June 3, 2018


3154 - Summertime Blues.

Although I still have 2 full teaching days of school left, my brain is in summer mode. This means that I’ve been enjoying the weather and time with friends, thus forgetting to do my project. When I got home at 10:30 tonight, I scrambled to figure out what to make. I saw my polymer clay still sitting out on the table from when I made the paint pallet and decided to continue my art supply wine charm series. Today, I made a bottle of glue, based off of Elmer’s glue.

Saturday, June 2, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 153, June 2, 2018


3153 - Stick Em Up.

I spent a large portion of my day with my project in the back of my mind, trying to find the perfect thing to do. Finally, it hit me, I was going to make handprint art. I was having some Miller Time, which mostly meant that I was hanging with the baby while everyone else cleaned. I couldn’t find any paint, so I went for paper instead. As I was tracing the baby’s hand, Littlest Miller and Middle Miller found me and wanted their hands traced as well. As I cut the hands out, Middle Miller colored in the grass for me, and then he glued on the handprints and drew the beaks. I started to draw the feather details, but had to take a break to feed the baby. During my break, Littlest Miller decided she should write my name on the artwork. She had the R on there, but didn’t know how to spell the rest, so she had to come and ask. Since I hadn’t taken the picture yet, I wasn’t too happy about the new addition. I was able to turn the R into a weird cloud. When I was completely finished, and had the picture taken, I gave the picture back to Littlest Miller to continue decorating however she chose.

Friday, June 1, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 152, June 1, 2018


3152 - Just A Sprinkle.

Today we celebrate National Donut Day. It was another free choice day in my art classes, so as the students were working I made a mixed media picture of my own. I started with a donut stencil and stamped it with Do-A-Dot Art. Then I colored the donut with chalk in shade of brown. Next I moved to oil pastels where I added white icing and rainbow sprinkles. I finished the artwork with a blue watercolor wash background. I inspired many other students to create donuts as well. Some of them were really cool, too bad I didn’t get pictures.

Vol. 3, No. 151, May 31, 2018


3151 - Good Measure.

REFLECTION

What is one thing you learned from this experience?

One thing I learned through this sprint is that collaboration and feedback if fun. The more people involved and the more likes I get on my posts, the more I want to create. So today, to celebrate National Smile Day, I took to Facebook and challenged friends and family to share their best smile. I took all of the pictures that were shared to create a collage. It was a time consuming project, but I love how it turned out! Through this project, I also discovered how much I dislike mouths; they are rather disgusting! The photographs covered a wide range of ages all the way from infants to grandparents.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 150, May 30, 2018


3150 - Hands In The Air.

Day 30

Give us a creative high-five to celebrate our accomplishments! 



I am in the middle of free choice art days. One of the stations I have set up is chalk stencils. This is new for the students so I have to demonstrate for every class. To celebrate the end of the Creative Sprint, I made myself a hand stencil using a entangled hand that a student had given me earlier in the year.  After I was done stenciling, I glued the hand on top of the chalk for the ultimate high-five. Well done Sprinters, it's been awesome seeing your creativity!

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 149, May 29, 2018


3149 - Do Over Day.

Day 29


This month is all about creating rough-drafts and idea-nuggets you can have in reserve to come back to later when you need them.

Is there a prompt from the past month you would like to try again with a different approach? Today is your opportunity to revisit and revise. 

I looked through my art work from the last month and decided to revisit Day 7 - Something that happened today in history. On May 29, 1942, Bing Crosby recorded his rendition of Irving Berlin’s song White Christmas. This song became the most successful of his career and the best-selling Christmas single in history. I looked up the cover art for White Christmas and was inspired to make an origami Santa hat. I didn’t have any origami paper or other double-sided paper available so I made my own by coloring one side with oil pastel. The proportions of the hat weren’t quite right and the red smeared on to the white, but I was just keeping it simple.

Monday, May 28, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 148, May 28, 2018


3148 - Open Hearts.

Day 28


Create a map of your heart.

We in Minnesota are experiencing our 4th consecutive day with temperatures in the 90’s, this is uncommon and unwelcome in May. My house doesn’t have air conditioning, so I was sweating, just siting. The heat also made me unmotivated to create art, but I couldn’t bring myself to skip a day. So after seeing a post on Instagram of some clay art charms, I pulled out my polymer clay to make charms of things close to my heart. I only go a paint pallet and brush completed, before I was to exhausted to contemplate making anything else.

Sunday, May 27, 2018

Vol. 3, No. 147, May 27, 2018


3147 - Take Me With You.

Day 27


Bring something you made during this sprint with you during the day and take photos of it in different locations.

Yesterday would have been a really fun day to do this project, because my family had gathered to relive some childhood memories with my grandparents. However today was plenty eventfull as well, really the tough part was finding a completed project to bring with me as so many of my projects this round were given away or left behind. I settle settled on my Dollar Dress, because I would be easy to transport and look good in pictures.

I began my morning by getting dressed up, doing my hair and make-up. Then I met my family for Mass. We went to my parent’s house for breakfast and some games. Then we hit the road, traveling to the Chanhassen Dinner Theater to see Newsies. My cousin just bought a house a couple miles from chanhassen, so after a wonderful show, we made a pitstop for a quick tour.