Remains of the Day

Kim - I'm posting this so you can see my "Remains of the Day" journal. This is a wonderful on-line class by Mary Ann Moss - she does beautiful mixed media work, and has these wonderful journals that she makes. She just did an on-line class, and thankfully it was a "take it when you can" kind of class - during the school year, I'm not very good with a "this week to this week" kind of class with a definite beginning and ending and work that you have to keep up with. Well, like take this week, for example. Right now I'm home for about an hour and a half, then I have to go to the elementary school to have our 5th grade band beginner parent night.

(Wait, you might ask, why are you doing beginning band starting in FEBRUARY - don't most people usually do that in September or October??? Yes, that's true, but that's another entire post, and and I suppose I shall just leave it all unsaid -- but yes, I'm just now - in February - going to start beginning band ..........)

Then, tomorrow night is the Pre-Evaluations Concert in the evening, but first it's jazz band morning - so that means getting to school an entire hour early for jazz band. Plus it's Tuesday, which means it's Study Hall day, which means I get 20 minutes to end one class, pack up, lock up the room, drive to another building, unpack, eat lunch, and then start another class.

Then, it's Wednesday, and the first day of beginning band, in a classroom, with what appears to be 57 kids. Yup. Fifty-seven. (almost 50% of the entire grade) No chairs, no stands, but desks, and another teacher (did I mention that the classroom is, er, occupied?????)

Then, it's Thursday, just go back to tuesday, lather rinse & repeat, but this time without jazz band.

Now, some place in there, this week, I get a haircut, teach two lessons, maybe 3, and just do all the normal things of life.

That is why a normal online class doesn't work for me.

But, this one did. So, below, feast your eyes on the pictures of my Remains of the Day Journal, so far.

And now I'm off to the rest of my week! Have a great one!

Summer Dreamin'

Enjoy!

Swap stuff done

I just finished my chunky book pages for the swap for Art Unraveled's Technique book this year. I'm excited about the fact that I made little bitty "trashy clutches" like we made in Alissa Burke's class this past August at AU. 29 little clutches, stuffed with a business card & a "how I did it" information sheet. I think they should bind into a book pretty well. And imagine, all that from a grocery bag! Pretty cool, eh?

Solo & Ensemble Day

Tomorrow is high school solo & ensemble day, and we're off to Cadillac High School. The students are ready, and now it's time to go and play for the judges. I'll try to get some pictures of some of my students playing tomorrow and post. Needless to say, there's been little in the arena of art making.

I have a swap due soon, and I knew I would need to have gotten the swap mainly done over the holidays, but that just didn't happen, so I guess Sunday will be a big art making day for me. I have lots of things to do for school, for band, and for ASBDA, but I'll get some art making in there, too. I think I need to splash a little paint around, it will be good for the soul.

See you again soon!

Michigan All-State

Congrats and kudos to all the kids in the Michigan All-State Bands and Orchestras - this past three days was wonderful & I was impressed by the performances on Saturday morning. What wonderful musicians we have here in Michigan, both band and orchestra! Thanks also to our outstanding directors - Dr. Andrea Strauss from Shorter University in Georgia, Dr. Robert Hasty from Northwestern University, Gerardo Edelstein from Penn State, and John Whitwell, Professor Emeritus from Michigan State University. I'm 'plum tuckered out' from the weekend, and also smiling from ear to ear. What a great time!

Did I Show You?

Did I show you all the cool stuff I made at Art Unraveled? Did I show you some of the other cool stuff I've been working on lately? Well, if I did, I'll chalk this up to forgetfulness. If I didn't - here's some new things to gaze upon!

This is the clutch purse & coin purse that I made in Alissa Burke's class at Art Unraveled - oh my she is a sweetie! If you like the idea of shabby chic (she calls it trashy chic, because yes, these items were made out of what others might call trash - brown paper bag and insert from junk mail) then hop on over to Alissa's website/blog & take one of her classes. I've taken a couple online classes with her so far, and have learned something new on each one. I understand she has a video out, as well, and I might have to put that on my wish list!

This is the book I made in Leighanna Light's class at Art Unraveled - I love it! The thing I like best about it is the cover, on which we used amber shellac. I'd never used amber shellac, and kept reading other artists (look at me, saying "other artists..." like I'm one, too.... *grin*) talk about using amber shellac on their projects and I finally got a chance to use it. And yes, when I got home, I went right to Wahr Hardware (the local hardware store) and bought a can. Sadly, it's sitting unopened, but I feel a snow day coming on some time soon (maybe even tomorrow, because it's absolutely frightful outside right now and not supposed to get any better) and will launch into some serious project work using amber shellac - I have several things just sitting there waiting.

Which leads me to my next story - the class I'm taking right now. My friend Kim emailed me last evening saying that I needed to take this online class with Mary Ann Moss - that I'd just love it. She was taking it and knew that I'd love it. (she was right!) Anyway, the funny thing is that I had been waiting until the drive home from Georgia to visit the in-laws to sign up for the class - I had signed up for the class on Thursday!!! LOL - Kim, great minds think alike!

So, I'm working on my "Remains of the Day Journal" today - this is the class that I'm taking online from Mary Ann Moss (no, Laura, it's not the pink and black journal I promised you - yours is sitting on my work bench, almost done.... I PROMISE....) when I run out of brown thread. So.... now I need brown thread AND a snow day....

Have a great day!

Happy 2010!

Happy 2010 everyone! I wish you blessings in this new year!