Plenty to Appreciate

1st grade

Somehow it’s already November, which means that my art students have been creating cornucopia drawings for Thanksgiving. I explained to them about the symbolism of this curved horn: that it represents bounty in America. All of my students did this project, from Kindergarten through eighth grade, and that’s more than three hundred students. I had the youngest two grades color in shapes I drew, and they cut and glued the fruits and vegetables into their scene. 

1st grade

I won’t include three hundred drawings in this post but I thought it would be fun to show the variety in these drawings. I’m always amazed at how many interpretations of an idea the students have. They all used a photo as reference, but they were not required to copy the photo. I told them just to use it as a reference for layout or shading or ideas. Allow me to brag for a minute—aren’t these kids talented?! 

2nd grade--I like the playful feel this piece has

Younger kids don’t have the fine motor skills that older students do, and you can’t expect a first grader to draw like an eighth grader. But the younger kids have a charming style of their own. They aren’t inhibited and they sometimes feel more comfortable experimenting with color and scale than the older kids do. I think there’s something to appreciate in each piece of artwork.

3rd grade

3rd grade

4th grade

4th grade--I love this student's free use of color

4th grade

5th grade--the continuous "spill" of color delights me

6th grade

6th grade

7th grade

 

7th grade--such a beautifully-drawn scene

7th--I like how this student filled so much of the page

8th grade--wonderful use of shading

Our country isn’t perfect—no place, no person and nothing is—but I’m so grateful to live here. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone…

8th grade

Halloween in a Can

Happy Halloween, y’all!

Oops—I mean, “Hah! There’s nothing happy about it. It’s a waste of energy.”

That’s right: I’m grouchy today. Specifically, Oscar the Grouch, from Sesame Street.

For a while now I’ve toyed with being Oscar for Halloween. He’s an unforgettable character—negative and surly—but funny, too! I remember watching him on tv when I was a kid. Like most kids, I loved Sesame Street. I didn’t even know I was learning because the show was so delightful and fun. I loved the voices of the characters, and how unique each of them were. It’s such a feel-good memory.

Anyway, it’s been a few years since I made a Halloween costume for myself and I thought I’d give it a whirl again. I always challenge myself to see how much creative magic I can make for as little cash as possible and I’m happy to say that this costume cost only $20 to create. Some of the materials I already had, and some were repurposed (Oscar’s eyeballs are made from a cereal box, which I cut and painted). At Yardage Town I bought some green faux fur. Since the store is closing, the fur was 50% off and they actually gave me extra fabric because it was the end of the bolt and they are trying to reduce inventory. I’m using cardboard for Oscar’s can, plus some paint and felt. I’m making my own trash, which will be falling out of the can. Life gives you garbage? Make compost! (Or however the famous phrase goes…)

Making this banana peel was perhaps my favorite part of this project.

You may remember some of Oscar’s favorite phrases: Scram! Go away!

In an interview Oscar was asked why he lives in a trash can. He had two reasons:

1) I love trash! And 2) the rent is cheap. 

I had forgotten that Oscar has a pet, Slimey the Worm. But once I Googled photos of Oscar and saw Slimey, it all came back to me. (In related news: although my short term memory is shot, my long-term memory still works!)

When researching this project I discovered that one of the creative contributors to Sesame Street, Jim Henson, modeled Oscar after a real man named Oscar, who owned a restaurant where Henson often dined. The actual Oscar was gruff and unfriendly. And so, art modeled life. I love the irony that a crabby, unsmiling man named Oscar inspired a character who has brought so many laughs to kids and adults alike.

According to Wikipedia, Oscar's can is somehow large enough to house a bowling alley, swimming pool, farm, spiral staircase and a piano.

Creativity is not always glamorous.
There is green fur EVERYWHERE. It's in my contact lenses and in my mouth. 

In closing I'd like to thank a few people. Thank you to the creators of Sesame Street for dreaming up the wonderful characters that put so much joy into my childhood.

And thank you to our neighbors. Our kids are excited to come relieve you of your candy tonight!

Baby Boy’s Blanket

This is the story of old meets new: a new baby boy, a wonderful old fabric store, a new blanket (well, quilt) and my vintage sewing machine.

   The newest addition to our family was born earlier this month. My younger sister gave birth to her third son, my darling new nephew. Babies are born every minute, of course, but I always see it as a bit of a miracle. I’m so happy for my sister and her family.

Last weekend I got to meet my new nephew. He’s such a gift. I love babies. I love their feel, their soft hair, their tiny toes, the miniature hands, and that newborn baby smell. I marveled at the doll-sized socks and diapers the size of a postage stamp. How can such a tiny person be simultaneously so fragile and so strong? Our middle kiddo and I kept arguing about whose turn it was to hold him. Welcome to our family, little guy. We love you so much!

The baby’s arrival meant it was time to break out my vintage sewing machine again. It had been a while since I’d sewn but my nephew’s birth was just the occasion to get out my fabric and thread. I decided to sew him a twin-sized quilt rather than a crib-sized one so that he can use it for years, if he wants to. I love practical gifts, and this one is pretty to look at and will keep his body cozy. It’s like a fabric hug. There will be lots of real hugs, too, of course. They will have to pry him out of my arms.

The story of how I found my sewing machine is serendipitous. I found it in an alley, seventeen years ago, while I was riding my bike and exploring the neighborhood. Alleys fascinate me more than regular streets. They are the residential equivalent to the backstage—more interesting to me than the stage itself. Anyway, in the alley I spotted something that looked like a sewing machine cover. It was a beige plastic rectangle that looked a lot like my mom’s sewing machine case from long ago. I stopped the bike, opened the cover and saw a sewing machine! We were on a very tight budget at the time, and while I was interested in sewing, I couldn’t justify the expense of a machine. I had no idea why the machine was there, but I was thrilled. The neighborhood I was cycling through was one with a lot of older residents and I wondered if the machine had belonged to someone’s mom who had passed away. It was a Kenmore in immaculate shape. I raced home on my bike and drove back to the alley within thirty minutes. It was still there, so I brought it home and promptly put it in the closet. For years. I was excited to learn to sew but I was intimidated. I wish I’d pushed myself to experiment with it but I waited years before dipping my toe into the world of sewing. I’m happy to say that in the last ten years or so I’ve sewed many things, so I’ve made up for lost time. Eventually I Googled the model number and learned that it was made in the late 70s. Built to last!

The quilt I sewed for my nephew is the fifth quilt I’ve made. I’m far from an expert but I am proud of how it turned out. I chose to freestyle my own pattern, but there can be drawbacks to this approach. It has some mistakes, but unlike the old me, the new Sarah is okay with that. I’m okay with confessing that I accidentally sewed something upside down and this led to my changing the design. The result is that the zigzags make diamonds instead of being a quilt of chevrons. And I like the effect even better than the original design.

Most of the fabric in this quilt is from the Yardage Town fabric store near our house. I’m sad to say that it’s closing in a few weeks after being in its location for decades. But it makes me happy to know that my nephew’s quilt has pieces of fabric from that wonderful store, a place that reminds me of the fabric stores I visited with my mom when I was a kid.  

It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to Yardage Town, but I accept that change happens. Besides, I’ve got a sweet new nephew to love. I’ll focus on that, and on all the magic that is to come. Times change, and that can be hard to digest. But the flip side is that change can bring a lot of joy, too, like the arrival of a baby. My other nephews adore their new brother, so it’s a happy new chapter in their family’s life. Welcome, little guy. May you and all the babies experience the wonder of this world…. 

Wacky Wednesday #96: Sunflowers

Oh, it’s been ages since my last WW (nine months). But during the school year I teach art on Wednesdays so the chances to dress up in my handmade creations are few and far between. (I’m still determined to complete 100, but it’s taking a while!) This summer I had big plans to do at least several WWs. But the weeks have raced by. I’ve had a good summer, hanging out with the kiddos and the hubby, plus dirt-shoveling, weed-pulling, painting, gardening and reading. I also taught two weeks of art camp, so some of my Wednesdays were accounted for already. Still, I’m beyond overdue for another wacky creation!

Why sunflowers? A few months ago I noticed a lot of very tall, beautiful sunflowers in San Diego. Immediately I knew that this would be a super fun Wacky Wednesday theme. Sunflowers are cheerful, colorful summer flowers, and I love the variety in their heights and bright blooms.

I call this a hat but it’s not like it provides protection from the sun or rain, so maybe it’s a head ornament. Either way, it was my favorite part of this costume. I made it with pipe cleaners, felt, hot glue and a plastic knife. Yes, you read that right. I needed something lightweight but rigid to keep the flower from flopping over. 

Did you know that sunflowers symbolize adoration, loyalty and longevity? 

And who knew that the yellow petals and brown centers are actually individual flowers? There are as many as 2,000 flowers in a single sunflower bloom (and up to 2,000 seeds).

The tallest sunflower on record was over 30 feet tall, grown in Germany.

Let’s talk numbers. I always challenge myself to create a costume for as little money as possible.

Tank top and skirt (already had):               $    0

Artificial flowers (99 Cent Store):               $ .99

Felt for flowers and leaves:                       $4.00    

Pipe cleaners for hat:                                $1.00

Total cost:                                                  $5.99

It was such fun to wear my cheery costume all over San Diego today. People kept telling me how much it made them smile, and hey—that’s really a big part of what Wacky Wednesday is about for me.

I hope you enjoyed this costume and that you are having a peaceful summer.

Til next time, this is Wacky Sarah, signing off. If you need me I’ll be outside playing in the dirt…

Peacock Garden Mosaic

There’s a peacock in our yard! Okay, I’ll be honest. It’s not alive. It’s mosaic. There are parts of San Diego county where you can have live peafowl on your property but our neighborhood isn’t zoned for that. This may be a blessing—have you heard their shrieks? 

This mosaic piece is actually part of a bigger project: our backyard refresh. The rest of the yard isn’t complete (this may take months) but I couldn’t wait to share some photos of the peacock. So I’m posting today as Part One of a multi-part yard makeover. More on that below, but for now, about the bird:

He is three feet tall and five feet wide. I designed him in four sections because I thought installing him would be really hard (heavy) if he were in one single piece. A smaller mosaic I did two summers ago was very heavy, and I wanted to avoid Installation Irritation (it’s a thing. Look it up.). It turns out that he wasn’t as heavy as I predicted because part way into the project I opted not to cover him completely with mosaic pieces. Half of him is painted. 

The idea came to me earlier this summer. I did a sketch of a mosaic peacock in front of a mosaic/cement block planter. I do plan to build the planter soon but for now let’s focus on the bird.

Initial sketch.

I’ve had a mishmash of mosaic pieces I’ve kept for more than a decade. There’s always leftovers after projects, and keeping them for other designs makes sense (and also makes clutter—but hey, you can’t have it both ways!). So some of my mosaic pieces I already had. Others were given to me in June. My friend Tom offered a big collection of mosaic tiles his uncle Bill no longer needed. Bill has created many beautiful mosaic pieces over the years but he recently created his final piece and had loads of leftover pieces. Did I want them? Of course. (Thanks, Bill and Tom!)

The photos below will show how I started this piece. I used poster board to sketch out the layout. Then I cut the cement board into a semi-circle and then into four pieces. (This was not easy but it is doable.)

A simple set up works (a folding table outdoors or in a corner of your living room).

To help attach the mosaic to the fence I repurposed boards I wasn't using anymore.

My design is not completely symmetrical. I semi-measured (yes, it’s a term—well, maybe) to make sure the feathers were mostly symmetrical but there are places where they are not. The old me would have Freaked Out about this and berated myself. The new me says, “Hey, it doesn’t have to be perfectly symmetrical. I’m not building a piano. It’s okay to be human!” Once I’d drawn my design onto the cement board, I began to place marbles and tiles. I cut myself often with sharp tile and I even pinched my palm with tile nippers (I don’t recommend that—very painful). Eventually I decided I wanted to paint part of the design and I like how it turned out. I don’t own a tile cutting saw so everything I cut was with tile nippers. You end up with some jagged, irregular pieces, which I find rustic and charming. 

My sweet friend Roxie gave me the idea to paint our fence (thanks, Rox!). She painted hers a few years ago and I love how her flowers pop against the dark paint. I am so glad I am painting the fence because a shiny mosaic art piece would highlight how weathered the fence looked. It’s a sturdy fence but it needed paint.

I like to share how inexpensive it can be to create beautiful art—in part to encourage anyone out there to try their hand at mosaic. You don’t need fancy tools to make mosaic pieces. You can get tile nippers for $10-$15 (or simply break tile or plates using gravity). Your design does not have to be the most complex design ever. Give it a try!

Supplies for this project:

Cement board (base for peacock):                         $13

Mortar (I already had a partial bucket):                   $ 0

Glass marbles, ceramic plates (Dollar Tree):          $24

Tile pieces from Bill, plus ones I had already:         $ 0

Paint (you can use inexpensive acrylic)                  $10

Total:                                                                        $47

There are so many directions you could take if you want to give your yard (or a room) a makeover. My overall plan is to keep adding plants, finish painting the fence, and paint an existing low brick wall we have. You’ll see this when I post Part 2 of our yard makeover.

Not shown in this post are the weeds in the rest of the yard. Hey, let’s keep it real. There’s still more yard work to be done. But I hope my message has been clear: you can redo something without spending a million dollars. If you’re willing to put the work in and you don’t mind being covered in dirt at times (!), you can do it yourself. It’s satisfying and you’ll get a boost every time you see it.