Purple Bear Creations

Wholesome and Economical Groceries

2011-11-21T14:47:00.001-08:00

This is what our shopping cart looks like these days. The cashier thought it must be some sort of project or experiment; she said people don't usually buy that much produce. Laughing, I told her this is just what we are eatting. The boys picked out lots of fruit, but buried in the back are potatoes, lettuce, spinach, radishes, onion, etc.

Does it cost more? We're still trying to decide. Organic does raise the price, but all in all for the same amount of money we would have paid for a case of Mountain Dew we can now buy a fresh pineapple. This particular trip was under $100 at Price Chopper and my shopping cart was overflowing with a variety of tasty foods.

Want to include more produce for your family? Lay it out with a variety of colors like the fruit bowl below and you'll entice people to munch healthy things before they even know it.

Black, Black, Black

2011-10-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

Black is not my favorite color of glass, but once I started working with it I became intrigued with subtle differences in the glass. Here's five kinds of black glass made into crosses. My intent was to make one or two black glass crosses (bottom left is already sold), yet it was interesting to see the difference the glass can make in how the cross turns out: elegant, modern, funky, or classic.

I don't wear too much black, but the black crosses go really nice with my fall sweaters and jackets.

Creative Play

2011-09-08T15:28:00.001-07:00

My youngest son loves his stuffed animal birds that make the same bird call as their live counterparts. (Now if only we could remember the names of the birds we could then identify birds when they come chirping in our yard...)

One day, he asked to borrow a camera so he could take photos of his beloved birds in a tree out back. He and his brother spent quite a bit of time positioning them in a tree and photographing them from different angles. I love it!

During the dog days of summer the boys took a bunch of thick black paper clips and made their own creations. They would clip them together in different ways to make monsters, men, vehicles, armies...you get the idea. They keep surprising me with all the new things they come with to use the clips.

Finally, the best form of play of all, running around in the rain. Priceless.

Zeal Mandala

2011-08-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

Zeal Mandala

Several years ago I created a series of circular designs, or mandalas, as a part of a healing-creative-prayerful time. During the week I was working on each mandala the books I would read, the people I talked to, and the shows I watched all reinforced the theme of that particular mandala. It was really uncanny. That's why each mandala is like a powerful nonverbal prayer to me. In my heart, I know creating each of the designs was part of my healing, and I still treasure them.

One of the odder mandala names was "Zeal" not a word we normally use. The dictionary defines it as: great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.

Last month, as we were scheduling my husband for chemo, this particular mandala popped up on my computer screen. Now, to be fair, I have thousands of photos that occasionally pop up because I can't figure out how to make them go away. Regardless, when I saw that bright little mandala icon it warmed me heart. So much so, that I printed off a copy to put on the fridge. I thought "Zeal" was kinda a funny prayer for chemotherapy, but since I wasn't really looking forward to the love-of-my-life going through it, I guessed I could use some enthusiasm.

Wow, what changes a month can bring! Within days of putting up that mandala my husband, Shawn, decided he was NOT going to go the chemo or radiation route, instead he was going on a 100% Plant Based Diet. Suddenly "Zeal" was an excellent affirmative prayer to have on my fridge. Every time I have to plan a meal, make a lunch, or find something to feed the kids from our new diet, there it is to cheer me on.

Release Mandala

Several weeks later, my youngest son brought me another mandala print-out. He doesn't know how he did it - he was really doing his Spanish, but somehow it printed. This had never happened before, and I looked on it almost as a gift from above. The name of the freeform mandala is "Release". Which I, unknowingly at the time when I created it, gave to a woman whose husband had cancer. This comes full circle to me. Zeal and enthusiasm for what we can do, and then release the rest. We can do this.

I'll be happy to share my process for making mandalas in a future post if there's any interest so let me know if you want a tutorial...or if you just want to color one in, you can print them for free for personal use off my website www.lisabaus.com. I have 30 different prayer mandalas I created in the series available there.

Building Raised Beds

2011-08-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

The best time to build a raised bed is Autumn if you want to layer materials that will need to decompose over the winter. I know August is a little early...but we had the time and nice weather so the boys went to work on our raised beds. Now I'll have time to work on them this fall!

7 yo loved watching how Papa was cutting

The raised beds are 4'x10' (the recommended width so it can be weeded easily). We decided for beds to be 10 feet long with a walkway in-between. This allows for a sitting spot during weeding, and the crosswalk provides a way to get to the other side without walking all the way around.

Each boy took turns holding boards and drilling some, too.

It's made of untreated wood because you don't want to use treated wood for food you are eating. It's 12" lumber because you want your raised bed to be deep enough to really work. This will also make it easier to weed. My least favorite gardening job.

First box almost done; it just needs corner reinforcements

Here they are in place

Now that the frames are built I can lay down a layer of cardboard, and then start the "Lasagna Gardening": layers of compost, manure, soil, and shredded newspaper. Ideally, we want those things heaped up out of the frame 18-24" in a few months so that when it settles we'll have a nice 12" of growing medium for next year. We'll see.

Of course they have to use them as a balance beam...for now

Welcome to my Studio

2011-08-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

Soldering Station

Welcome to my art/glass studio...feel free to take a look around. On the left, I have lots of art books on the shelves, with baskets to hold supplies. The bulletin board holds inspirations and ideas. The file cabinets hold more books and supplies, while the wood creates on top hold some glass and finished pieces. (Notice the lovely yellowed foam picked up at a garage sale for the cushioning...)

I'm left handed, so I really wanted the soldering iron to be on my left and away from any potential visits from the boys.

My long table with light box on the end

This rocking chair has since moved upstairs, but I really miss it for my muses. On the left is my wonderful, best garage-sale-find-ever, old wooden table. It's something like 10 feet long...I love it. On the right, is my cutting station, in the middle is a bare work area, and on the left (closest to the door) is the light box I built into it. Well, I really had my husband cut it out for me, but you get the idea.

The grinder (the red machine by the window) has a splash guard around it I created to keep down on the glass dust it sprays in a radius around it.

All in all, I love going into my own creative space - whether I'm puttering around, developing new ideas, or working frantically to get something done by a deadline. This sunny yellow room always brings me joy. In fact, I think I'll head there now...

Blackberry Smoothie Recipes

2011-08-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

Did you know blackberries cover up the green of kale or spinach in a smoothie? It tinges the whole smoothie a dark purple. Pretty handy as we try to increase veggies in the boys' diet.

Blackberry Yogurt Smoothie (lighter color)

1 c. blackberries

1-2 bananas

1 c. any yogurt

1/2 c. rice milk

2 small pieces of kale with stems removed

Dairy Free Blackberry Smoothie (darker color)

1 c. blackberries

1 banana

1 c. rice milk

1 small piece of kale with stem removed

Put in a high powered blender and blend. If you don't have a high powered blender you can use a regular one, it just may not be as smooth.

Blackberry Picking

2011-08-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

The boys are awesome berry pickers!

Luckily, there is a blackberry farm down the street, and every year we go pick our own blackberries. While the kids eat some berries raw, the berries also make great smoothies and jam. Blackberries grow wild around here, but those have thorns on them.

Homemade contraption the farmer made to hold the bucket using hose and hanger wire

We've gotten a break from the temps in the 100s and it was beautiful weather for picking blackberries. Although my youngest was not fond of the bugs, he was able to entertain himself by taking some pictures. (The good news is that the blackberry farm doesn't spray their blackberries...the bad news is the bugs know this.) There were kids whining a few aisles over, and it made me even prouder of my boys and the great picking they did.

Day 1: We ate up the berries in the box on the left

100% Plant Based Diet

2011-08-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

summer bonanza of local fruit and veggies

No doubt spurred on because he has breast cancer and knows he is fighting for his life, my husband has made the monumental decision to entirely change the way he eats. Starting immediately. Frankly, I had never thought it possible that Mr. Frozen Pizza and Ice Cream would become...Mr. 100% Plant Based Diet.

Some people may call this way of eating vegetarian or vegan, but my husband prefers to proudly state he is on a "100% plant based diet". Last week we watched a video called "Eating" that does an excellent job outlining the ill effects of an animal based diet, and the power of a plant based diet to rebuild the immune system. Since then we've also watched a surprisingly uplifting film on Netflix called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead", too.

Our dinner that first night was oatmeal. Not very well rounded, but hey, at least he wasn't putting toxins in his body. I quickly scrounged up a lunch for him for the next day...I believe it was a lettuce and tomato salad with Italian dressing along with Wasa crackers and PB for a snack.

Our new breakfast of choice

For five years, I've been on a low-fat diet because of my MS like symptoms, and so we do regularly eat vegetarian meals each week. Also, for one year we've been doing dairy free for my middle son who has asthma. His Naturopathic Physician gave us many great dairy free alternatives and that helped with that transition a lot. So we've had some experience changing the way we eat, but this definitely notches it up a level, or two, or three...

Bye bye junk food cereal...

Our whole family is going 100% plant based for our health. My husband, Shawn, needs to heal from cancer, I need to heal from MS-like stuff, ds1 has bad eczema and dyslexia, ds2 asthma, and ds3 is developing allergies. ALL of these things can be affected by diet. Wow. And wouldn't it be nice to lose some weight and not get sick all the time.

The Hidden Blessing

2011-08-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

Playing "Conquest of the Empire"

I'm a firm believer every situation brings an opportunity for good. It doesn't make the situation good by any means, but life "is what it is" and if you make the most of it...well, at a minimum it's more endurable.

Each person has their own "Caesar" and empire to build

While Shawn recovered from surgery he played several board games with the boys to regain his stamina. This was a blessing for the boys, as well as Shawn, who all enjoy playing strategy games.

These games also expose the boys to geography and history. My 7yo ds can't wait to begin our studies of Ancient History this fall. He already loves Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome because of the games he's played, books he's read, and documentaries he's watched.

Tolstroy and the Purple Chair

2011-07-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

I never read Tolstroy, but I have read "Tolstroy and the Purple Chair" by Nina Sankovitch. This counts as high culture, right? By chance, I even read the book while sitting on my own purple fold-up chair at a swim meet. It didn't occur to me until I returned to my chair from watching ds race and saw my copy of "Tolstroy and the Purple Chair" sitting on MY purple chair.

Purple Chair #1

Already a blogger on her website, readallday.org, Nina made a commitment to read an entire book everyday for a year. She also blogged about each book daily. Gotta love that tenacity. As the mother of three boys myself, I also really appreciated the time dedication this required.

As I read this book, I was trying to take my mind off my husband's possible breast cancer. I didn't know it when I first picked up the book, but the author was grieving the loss of her sister to cancer throughout the book. While this didn't help me take my mind off dh, it did assure me the comfort of "escaping" into a good book. He does have breast cancer, but we're both reading a lot of books this summer while he's recovering from surgery. Right now, I'm waiting for a book on health and healing to come in from Amazon.

Purple Chair #2

On a lighter note - can you believe I have TWO purple chairs? My childhood rocking chair is also painted purple. Honestly, I think the purple chair is what attracted me to the book in the first place.

Framed Crystals?

2011-07-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

Mom and I teamed up to create these...suncatchers? light catchers? Framed amulets or hanging crystals? Please comment and let me know what you think they should be called. We're starting to add them to my etsy shop...but we still don't know what to call them.

Several years ago my mom started embellishing crystal prisms with well selected additional crystal, stone, and glass beads. For example, the one on the bottom is the "Purple Bears" one she gifted me with featuring little purple bear beads. It's lovely, but it would seem to get overlooked in of my house. That's when I decided to frame it, and the combo really is breathtaking if I do say so myself. I took it in to show Mom at work, and her co-workers all stopped to stare as well.

First one posted on etsy...called a framed amulet?

"It" is the perfect combo of her amulets and my stained glass. Of course, it could be called a suncatcher, but it's not the traditional type at all. So how to convey the difference the open space and hanging crystals in the middle makes?

Morning Surprise

2011-07-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

It's not often I go out and sit down in my front garden, but it's a good place to take pictures of my crosses for Etsy. So while I was out there this morning taking pictures, I looked up and really "saw" my catmint, echinacea, and daisies towering over me. Wow! From down there they are looking good.

From the street, the daisies are too tall since I split them last year and apparently did not put them in the ground as low as they were before. Now I'll need to split the echinacea, and raise them up, or lower the daisies. Luckily, neither can be done in this heat. So I can sit back and enjoy.

Ozark Vacation

2011-06-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

Inside our Rustic Log Cabin

For vacation I wanted the kids to experience the Ozarks like I did when I was kid. While some things always change, the essentials can remain the same. I remember camping, staying in a cabin, and staying at a lodge. After much research I picked this air conditioned "rustic" log cabin for our abode. The a/c was for my husband, but the pioneer type cabin was for me and the boys. We've been reading the Little House on the Prairie series and I thought they'd get a real kick out of an authentic cabin.

I loved sitting out on the porch in the morning and at the end of the day.

We were "down in a holler". In fact, we could hear Silver Dollar City's evening show across the way. The trip up the hill to the bathroom was strenuous and inconvenient, but lovely. Luckily, there was enough honest to goodness woods around us you could just go around behind the cabin if you were so inclined. The boys loved it.

Our cabin didn't come with a kitchenette, but we ate a continental breakfast at the picnic table, and we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows in the fire pit. (By the third night my husband was done with hot dogs). We did have sandwich makings and plenty of snacks for alternatives.

The pool had way to much chlorine - it actually bleached the boys swim trunks out. Have you ever heard of such a thing? When I talked to them about it at the front desk she said they check it everyday, but I think they maintained it at too high a level. The boys got a few chlorine skin burns too.

After a full day of Silver Dollar City and swimming the boys would spend a long time around the campfire. The first day our ds gathered sticks for us.

This raccoon scared the heck out of me one day when I came back to the cabin by myself, I walked in and took a swig of my soda pop - and there was an animal in the rafters right above me...My heart skipped a beat until I realized it was fake.
The wasp I killed the day before in our cabin was all too real.

My morning view

Stained Glass Horse

2011-05-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

The pieces are in place!

Working on a "cartoon", fitting the pieces together one at a time

The pieces moved onto my light table after the initial cutting. Normally kept together in order, this time I just moved them onto the light table in a hurry.

Sometimes working in stained glass is like doing a jigsaw puzzle. Except I get to put numbers on the pieces, and I can cut the pieces to fit. Here's a horse named Star taking shape in stained glass.

My Christmas In May

2011-05-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I woke up as euphoric as a young child on Christmas morning. I couldn't sleep in anticipation of my planned trip that day to pick up my best Craigslist find ever. We took my mom's truck and drove two hours away to pick up glass and glass supplies that filled up the back of her full size truck.

It was so worth the drive! I spent the weekend oogling all my new glass. There were gorgeous blues, purples, reds, oranges, and pinks...I still haven't cataloged everything. Here's the pictures he posted, but it didn't even include everything. Missing from the pictures was 14 large size pieces of glass (24 in or larger). I am so grateful for this great find! Thank you God, and thank you Mom for sending me the craigslist post.

Science Club: Negative Space

2011-05-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

Walls made with negative space

Science Club is something I started locally because my boys love science so much. I'm going to share what we did in April in case anyone else wants to incorporate it into their homeschool or start their own science club:

Each month 1-3 students will share an experiment or collection to start our meeting. This month ds presented his cat stuffed animal collection. We divided it into groups: lions, tigers, domestic cat, and one bobcat discussing how they are related in the feline family. This was a good chance for a six year old to present to a group.

April's theme was Negative Space

We looked at Vase/Faces picture and several other optical illusions involving negative space. I found them in books, but they are available online, too.

A Notan Design

Activity 1: Notan Design

We created an image called a notan design. Traditionally, this is done with b/w, but it's spring so we used spring colors. We used a large piece of construction paper for the background, and then a rectangle 1/4 the size to cut out the negative spaces. The key is to glue down the negative spaces in a mirror image. This is a pretty simple illustration; you can get really sophisticated with it.

Activity 2: Negative Walls

Small marshmallows and toothpicks form "walls" and enclose negative space in a fun way. They could make any structure. We discussed geometry and the negative space within. Tip: start with soft marshmallows, stale ones are more difficult to use.

Take home activity: Sudoku

There is a great website with free Sudoku puzzles for kids! They have easy, medium, and hard - easy enough for elementary and logic phobic moms. This develops critical thinking, and it involves lots of negative spaces in the puzzle which they have to use logic to fill in correctly.

www.dailysudoku.com/sudoku

Jewels of the Bible Enhanced Cross

2011-04-22T14:54:00.000-07:00

My mom took one of the crosses I've made and added her swarovski crystals to match the Jewels mentioned in the Book of Revelation (Rev 21:19-20).

This week I read a book she recommended called "Heaven is for Real". It is a quick read sharing the words of a young boy who says he went to heaven during surgery years ago. He's only a year older than one of my sons, and I remember what I was doing with my young sons while their young son was dangerously ill.

Mom said she actually started the crystals on the cross before she read the book, but what a coincidence to another reference to the jewels. I took the photos on Holy Thursday, and finally got it listed on Etsy on Good Friday.

Daffodils

2011-04-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

You get a lot of bang for your buck with daffodils. They start in March here and are still going strong in April. I planted the original ones from Brecks six years ago, since then I've divided them and they are still doing great.

Growing up I was pretty oblivious about flowers. I knew tulips and roses but that was about it. Driving back and forth to to my college is when I first noticed yellow flowers on the farms I would pass, and I thought, rather vaguely, they must be daffodils. They were! Their bright spots of color still warm up my spring days and bring a smile to my face. Here's some of my daffodils with a few tulips and a ring of small grape hyacinth around the tree. I love being able to look out on them from my front window.

Civil War Days at Mahaffie Stage Coach Stop

2011-04-14T16:05:00.000-07:00

Today the boys got to see Civil War uniforms, bedrolls, and various tools. Below two girls are folding up the "dog tent" which was carried by two soldiers, put together and shared, but it wasn't big enough to keep a dog dry.

The kids listened to a letter from a "primary source" - a Civil War soldier's letter home. Then they got to write their own letter home with old fashioned pens.

Eight soldiers were involved in loading a cannon. Here DS is in charge of the box with the artillery in it. His sole job was to open and close the box at the opportune time. Below is the blank the kids prepared. The ground shook when he demonstrated the "real thing". Wow. Loud and smoky.

Stage coach ride had nothing to do with the Civil War, but it is a great thing to do at a historic stage coach stop nonetheless.

The kids did a good job learning to line up and march in formation. The shorter ones in front because of the logistics of having someone with a gun right behind you. If they had to shoot you would want to be as low as possible.

A demonstration of loading the gun.

All in all, a great experience. I want to dress up in period costumes, too!

Our Chocolate House

2010-12-09T08:11:00.000-08:00

Our super after-Thanksgiving bargain we found to decorate a "Haunted House". Gee, I can't imagine why they were practically giving the kit away.

In early December while most people were putting up Christmas decorations we decorated a scary house. The boys enjoyed the process, but we had some a good discussion on why it looked nothing like the examples on the box.

Finished Transom Window

2010-11-29T04:44:00.000-08:00

After - New Window Installed

It's beautiful! It lets in the light but blocks the glare from the setting sun, just like we wanted for this west facing window. Sometime I need to get over there to get some more shots - from outside and in different lighting.

Before

Hauling and Chopping Wood

2010-10-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what kids will take a shine to. A few days ago we spent an afternoon at my mom's place hauling wood into a pile - and the kids begged to cut it with an axe. We reviewed some basic safety rules and then let them go to town. Is it possibly dangerous? Yes. But kids love learning real skills. Somehow a plastic axe on a fake log just wouldn't be the same.

So instead of watching Oprah and using my exercise machine, I was out in the fresh air moving fallen tree limbs. I even got mom to saddle up and ride her horse. Not bad for an afternoon.

To me, this is homeschooling at it's best. Technically it was "after school" but probably the best part of our day.

Transom window

2010-10-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

The full transom window laid out

This is what I call the "jigsaw puzzle" stage

I'm on the finishing stages of a transom window and I can't wait to see it installed! The window will be in their kitchen, but it's open to the dining and living room, too. It's my own design created specifically for this couple so I've only seen in in my head and in my preliminary drawings.

The colors were picked to go with her favorite color of blue, and his favorite of red. The gray and white are to keep in simple, not overpowering to enhance their living space without overpowering. And besides, they love the neutrals, too.

Favorite Tools

2010-08-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

Working in glass, there are lots of tools in my studio. Two of my favorites, however, are above. The grid cutting board is excellent for catching little flakes of glass so they don't spread all over the studio, and the running pliers make such wonderful "breaks". For those who don't know, you don't actually cut glass, you score it, and it breaks along the line (where you want it to "run"). Thus, running pliers.

I won TWO prizes!

2010-08-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

Gift Basket

I won not one, but TWO, summer reading prizes! A gift basket with a local pancake mix and kitchen utensils plus a wonderful stuffed white tiger with tickets to a local cat conservation center.

Our new plush pet "Roar"

Our library really has an awesome summer reading program for all ages and when I saw all the great gift baskets they were giving away I enthusiastically began logging the books I was reading (one drawing entry per book). Nineteen books later I won, and I spent a relaxing summer doing one of my favorite activities to boot.

Summer Bouquet

2010-07-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

The summer sun is blistering hot, but I enjoy taking a few minutes to run outside and clip some summer flowers for the table.

Let's see today I gathered: Shasta Daisy, Purple Coneflower, Dwarf Zinnias, Catmint, and Honeysuckle.

While I was out there I noticed the sunflowers and weeds are completely out of control in the backyard. Somehow weeding is not as much fun.

Summer Garage Sale Projects

2010-07-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

My kids are getting stir crazy and starting to drive me crazy so it was time to dig in a craft bucket and find some projects we've been waiting to do. Odds and ends we have picked up at garage sales. They each found something to do with very little coaching by mom. Yahoo!

One chose an MC Escher inspired fish puzzle (I'll teach him about Escher later)...

a parrot by the boy always looking for "birdies"...and a rainbow suncatcher by my rainbow boy. Remember those suncatchers from when you were a kid and you melt the little crystals together?

My project: reading as many novels as I possibly can for one summer week. One Julie Garwood and two Lori Copeland.

Family Reunion

2010-07-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

On the 100th anniversary of my mom's farm, we celebrated in the afternoon with clay pigeon shooting, archery, and a nice family visit. Followed in the evening with a campfire, and an obscene amount of fireworks. Sparklers and family photos rounded things off around midnight. Luckily, we were on our way home when the torrents of rain started which is a very good thing because the picture above would just not have been the same in the pouring rain.

St Francis Gets a Facelift

2010-07-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

Cement statues can look a bit boring and grey so for a long time I've thought my St. Francis statue needed some enhancement. Then I saw a show on PBS's "For Your Home" and knew exactly what I wanted to do! A guest on the show demonstrated how to age your statue and harmonize it with your garden. I went right to work...

I started with a very light brush of white acrylic paint on the highlights. Then comes the part I would never think of: dirt. You add dirt to the creases and crevices with a touch of the white paint, which is no longer white when you poke the dirt into the recess of the statue.

At first my kids were content to watch me, but before I knew it they had taken over the dirt part. Gotta love a project that involves art, gardening, and kids!

Has anyone tried brushing on buttermilk to encourage moss? I wasn't sure about that one.

Echinacea Flower Essence

2010-06-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

Today I tried making my own flower essence! It was easy and fun. My purple coneflower has just come into bloom so it would make a good flower essence - at least according to "The New Encyclopedia of Flower Remedies". I've used Bach Flower Remedies for many years since a co-worker introduced me to the gentle power of Bach, but this was the first time I made my own.

It was the right time of day so I grabbed a glass bowl, filled it with filtered water and cut the blooms to rest in the sun bathed water for 3-4 hours. I even set my timer so I wouldn't forget about it. Inside I strained it and put the infused water in a glass container with a lid, filled it with equal parts apple cider vinegar since I have it on hand. Next time I may go get the traditional brandy, but I don't know the last time I had alcohol in my house.

Now I'm going to try using it in my morning juice to help rebalance my body.

Gargoyle in the Storm Drain

2010-06-16T06:35:00.000-07:00

As you stroll along the river walk in Wichita, Kansas if you happen to look down as you walk over a huge storm grate you may have a surprise in store. My sister-in-law showed us a gargoyle down in the drain while we were visiting, but she said it scared her to death the first time she saw it. I can't imagine why.

Reportedly, there are 5 or 6 of the gargoyles in various storm drains around the city - putting statues in your storm grates is clever and different, IMO. Now if only they had put angels down there instead...

39 Forever

2010-05-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

Mom says I get to be this age for the rest of my life, and everyone knows the mother is always right. Don't you think?

Money Does Grow On Trees

2010-05-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

On my tree, money does grow. Gold coins to be precise. Alas, I can't grow it in the garden, but I still enjoyed making a money tree. It's now above my desk in my studio, and it has my first $1 I earned with my business...really it's a $20 bill but I figured that was even better.

Tutorial Design Lesson: Rule of 3

2010-02-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

If you mean to do something in your creative project, do it 3 times so people know you did it on purpose. It brings harmony and unity to your effort. This is true in art, in gardening, or in designing anything.

Here's what reminded me of this "rule" from my college typography class: As I design with stained glass I find myself always looking for a pattern to subtly bring forward. Not too much or it would be just plain boring.

In the planning the panel "Celebration", I introduced the yellow triangles to break up the monotony of all the squares and rectangles, I purposely included smaller green triangles and orange diagonal lines, too. I didn't just throw any ole triangle, but echoed colors used previously.

The small squares in "Celebration" were added to bring variety to the size - which creates tension and balance but notice all the colors are not the same. Nor are they all on the same row, but they are all organized toward the middle and the small squares are the same size. The type of glass is even similar.

Repeat the shape 3 times, the color 3 times, or the line 3 times. Whatever you want to emphasize. It doesn't have to be exactly the same for repetition, in fact it would start to look canned and contrived.

Snow, snow, snow!

2010-02-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

We've gotten more snow this year than I've seen since moving home from Montana seven years ago. Now, lest you think that's a good thing...I've missed the snow almost as much as the mountains. Not quite, but close.

Last year the boys got sledding saucers for Christmas and never got to use them. Jan, Feb, Mar...no snow! Spring, Summer and Fall my middle son kept saying he wished there was snow. Always it was because he wanted to go sledding.

It took awhile for it to snow, but when it did, wow! Not only did they get to sled, but make snow forts and a snowman. Winter fun.

Broken Camera with Santa

2010-01-25T14:54:00.000-08:00

Back in December we stood outside at a park, in the cold, for over an hour to get a picture of the boys with Santa. As the boys gather around Santa I pull out my camera - and the LCD display has a huge crack in it. I took this photo "blind". I'm sorry to say I did not notice that my camera had an old-fashioned view finder while they were with Santa. How do we not notice things that are right before our eyes? Humm.

Thank You For Sharing

2010-01-11T11:31:00.000-08:00

Recently, I received a delightful email showing me a stained glass panel I made last summer in the client's window at home. I love it! It is so fun to see where it ends up.

From Etsy, one customer said the stained glass panel she was giving as a Christmas present was the nicest gift she's every gotten anyone. Wow, how cool is that!?

Along the same lines a woman at a craft fair in December a woman bought a red, white, and blue bi-plane panel for her husband. The men in my life who like planes was always at the back of my mind as I was designing that piece.

As everyone in our house is finally healing from colds, stomach flus, and infections, and the house is after-Christmas cleaned, it is now time to get the juices going and start creating again. Hurray! Thank you everyone for sharing pictures and comments of how you plan to use the stained glass in your homes, work places, or in giving. It's an inspiration for me.

Sharing Our Bananas

2009-12-29T06:08:00.000-08:00

Mother Teresa once said that in India starving people would generally share their last banana, but in America we have a big bunch and we won't share even one. The image this bring to mind still haunts me.

Luckily, in the age of the internet we can make a difference around the world with a click of a button. We can share our bananas, so to speak. Have you ever been to globalgiving.org? If not, I recommend browsing their site. You can pick causes to support based on region of the globe or target group you want to help.

My favorite Christmas shopping this year was done on globalgiving. Do yourself a favor and experience the joy of giving $10 to a cause you didn't even know about this morning. It feels good.

Chives on a Sandwich

2009-12-16T15:14:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had cream cheese and chives on your sandwich? It's surprisingly good. I mean almost divine. Last week we accidentally bought cream cheese with chives in it, and I discovered:

Cream cheese and chives on a sandwich - makes it taste like a sandwich you would pay good $ for in an upscale sandwich shoppe. Full disclosure: I did add some light mayo, too. I made this sandwich everyday until we ran out of turkey.

Cream cheese with chives tastes real good in a baked potato - makes it taste like a twice baked potato, especially with cheese sprinkled on top.

Now I can't wait for my chives to pop up in the garden...I'm going to be adding fresh chives to all kinds of new things. In fact, I'm making tuna noodle casserole for dinner and my husband likes chives in it, maybe I'll need to go out in the backyard and see if we have any chives.

Stained Glass Displays

2009-11-17T19:05:00.000-08:00

Recently, my creativity has centered on devising a display for my stained glass at an upcoming Holiday Craft Fair. After much research, I decided PVC pipes give me the clean lines, open look, and versatility I want. I'm a little nervous, because I haven't seen this used the way I imagine it, but sometimes that's what it takes for innovation.

Next discovery: 1/2 PVC pipes make excellent forts, spears, and many other delightful ideas. The boys keep taking the pipes and fittings. And that's not all - these white plastic pipes also make a great photography box for taking photos of my stained glass. The secret to this versatility is making consistent sizes so I/we can interchange them into different configurations.

Last thought, my art has always made big messes. Homeschooling makes big messes. Put the two together and...run for the hills. My husband I like a clean home, a never ending matter. Anyway, I'll show the finished display stands in a few weeks.

Vinegar Cleaning

2009-11-11T06:02:00.000-08:00

For the thrifty or natural types out there: there is nothing cheaper or better at cleaning than vinegar! My son loved cleaning this copper plate with vinegar and oil. He was fascinated as layer after layer of dark wiped away, and the copper color came out.

Our family cleans everything in sight with vinegar and warm water (windows - wipe down with newspaper), or vinegar, dish soap, and water (tables, counters walls, doors, etc). Because vinegar is cheap, non harmful if swallowed, etc. we've been using it since the boys were babies. I'd give the little one a rag to clean the back door window while the rest of us cleaned our assigned areas. Just buy a big bottle of brand name vinegar which smells better than off brand, and a big bundle of cheap wash clothes and you are good to go. If you really want to get into natural cleaning: baking soda, lemon juice, salt etc really does clean just about everything.

Last week I cleaned my mom's pellet stove out with vinegar, dish soap, and water. It looked great! A few years ago , there was a "clean this mess" type show set in England, one of the women cleaning was a scientist and she would show what germs people left around the house - and she said vinegar was anti- bacterial. Which confirmed what I knew all along - it cleans everything and harms nothing EXCEPT an occasional open wound on the hand. Hold the rag with the other hand if the cut starts burning and bothers you. This does happen to me occasionally since I'm a stained glass artist.

If the smell of vinegar bothers you - well you get used to it. Besides, it's a heck of a lot better than some of the toxic cleaning products you may be using. There are ways to infuse essential oils into the vinegar, but I like to keep things simple.

Homemade Castles

2009-11-06T14:09:00.001-08:00

We saw a picture of a cardboard castle in a library book, and my youngest son immediately wanted to make a castle just like it. I've been collecting juice, oatmeal boxes, and toilet paper rolls for years so here was the chance to finally use them! We had been to Aldi the day before providing a stack of boxes to build on.

Day 1: We cut, taped, and glued it together.

Day 2: We were going to paint it. Before I was even out of bed the castle was up out of the school room and stuffed animals were all over the castle "playing". It still hasn't been painted, they are enjoying it so much just the way it is.

So here's to make believe, playing, and creativity at it's best.

Halloween

2009-11-04T06:15:00.000-08:00

Here are the boys on Halloween night. We just trick or treated on our street. I was going to take them up to the city to see their grandparents, but I was too pooped. I worked too hard in the art studio that day and ran myself ragged. Oops.

The pumpkins they each carved the night before at their Grammy B's, my youngest sometimes calls her Mama B. It was a cold windy night and they would go outside and tell ghost stories, coming in giggling. They bobbed for apples, and they went in a dark room to put their hand in a bowl with cow brains, which was really spaghetti noodles. Gross, I know.

Fall in Kansas

2009-10-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

Capturing the brilliant foliage between all our rain has been tricky...

Learning from Van Gogh

2009-10-21T15:21:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do when I need some creative inspiration is to look through a book about one of my favorite artists. "Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings" is treasured on my bookshelf. Two things have stuck with me from this book.

1. Vincent Van Gogh created a complete painting every single day towards the end of his life. Great big, bold, Van Gogh brushstroke, too.

2. While that proliferation is commendable, he did not hesitate to repeat a subject. In fact he did it over and over again: people, landscapes, and still-life paintings. One of them, Sunflowers, broke sale records back in the 1980s.

Try this - Look through the 4 paintings from the above mentioned book. Red and green predominate in all of them (Van Gogh loved to use contrasting colors), but see how many things you can count that are different. Let me know what number you come up with. I see roughly 6 differences in each picture.

A Kanza Lodge

2009-10-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

Today I'm feeling thankful for the wonderful Kanza Lodge we have just 20 minutes away. I've enjoyed going on virtual field trips with other bloggers, so today I'll share one of ours.

This Kanza lodge is located at Deanna Rose farmstead, which is a free educational gold mine sponsored by the city of Overland Park and donations. They have a nature walk, a fishing pond, petting zoo animals, Master Gardens, and old-fashioned buildings. My favorite section is the Native American niche with the Kanza lodge and tepees. The tepees have www.tepee.com stiched inside the tepee flap which I find hilarious!

Seriously though, there is something about stepping into a earth lodge that just takes my breath away. The replica lodge used to be fenced off and you were only able to look in, but now you can actually go in - sit, walk around, and touch certain items.

I included some of the written markers because I love to read those, especially the one about the bison. The lodge is a poetic reminder of the value in using what you have on hand. Practical and useful. BTW, the inside of the lodge was quite comfortable on this hot Kansas day.

An Electronic Daily Devotional

2009-10-06T15:38:00.000-07:00

Starting each day with a daily devotional helps me center myself. In the past, I've had subscriptions to little magazines, and I've also owned many books of daily devotions.

(Haven't we all had some of those on our shelves?)

Since I begin my day at the computer, checking email, I thought an online devotional would be a great way to take advantage of our new cyber world. After much searching I've reset my internet home to "The Word Among Us" - a Catholic devotional. This works for me, cause I'm Catholic ;-) There are other ones out there though, you just have to google and explore. I really enjoy having one come up automatically for my home page - I highly recommend it.

The Breath of Life

2009-10-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we forget to give thanks for the simplest things - like breathing. The foundation of our own creation. My middle son has asthma, and a recent cold has aggravated it this week. I thought we were on top of things, we went in to the doctor on Tuesday and he was doing better, but last night his nebulizer treatment wasn't working. I always wondered if I would know when to call 911 - and in the end I can't say I "knew" to call 911, but I did know that he needed help in our home right away. Thankfully he was stabilized on the ambulance drive to the hospital. We were in the ER for several hours while they monitored him, but luckily there was no pneumonia. He's doing better today as we continue to follow the discharge instructions.

Everyday creativity and inspiration is based on our everyday blessings. Right now I just humbly give thinks for life, for me and my loved ones. In the photo above, ds is holding daisy-like flowers he found in the field behind our house. We identified this weed/flower as white heather aster. Huh, I never knew till this week.

A Real Treasure: Fly Lady

2009-09-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

This is what I cleared OUT of one cabinet today.

Have you ever been to flylady.net? I have no idea where she got the name, but I love the woman all the same. Over the years she has taught me how to clean and organize my house with a simple no-nonsense system. I can't say her system makes it all fun, but it does make my house clean, organized, and a pleasure to live in. In theory, anyway.

Today is Tuesday, and in my adaption of her system - I clean the kitchen on Tuesday. If all goes as planned, which it hardly ever does, I do basic maintenance and one special project in the kitchen each Tuesday. This afternoon my two youngest children matched lids to cups and plastic containers for me. All else goes!

At our house: Monday is bathrooms (most important to have clean, and gets the yuckiest done first), Tuesday is kitchen/dining, Wednesday is bedrooms, Thursday is basement, and Friday is the living room.

Here's what the one cabinet now looks like without all the extras we don't ever use.

Free Museum Day 2009

2009-09-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday, September 26 is FREE Museum Day for a number of great museums across the country. There are sure to be some great ones in your area; it's worth checking out if you don't have other plans on Saturday.

Here's a tip: pick a museum that usually charges admission! Some of the museums listed are free all the time. Which is great to know for other day excursions, but you may want to save "Museum Day" for a museum you couldn't or wouldn't go to otherwise. Make sure you print the pass so you can get the free admission.

Do you know of other venues you'd like to go to but can't afford? See if they have special discounts for certain days or times of year. Example: Fantastic Caverns in Springfield, MO just sent me an email notice that they are having "Homeschool Days" at the beginning of October. It will have reduced admissions for homeschoolers.

DS Chinese Calligraphy

2009-09-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

Look at my 5 year old son's Chinese Calligraphy -the ones on the left! We were doing a Chinese Calligraphy activity in our homeschool coop, where the kids were practicing the basic brush strokes used in chinese calligraphy using the "Everlasting" tile as an example. They were supposed to be practicing that particular symbol because it gives the best chance to practice the various strokes.

Youngest DS is a practical boy however, and he just switched and did the "Good Luck" symbol (directly below) instead. He said it was easier. Which indeed, it is - but I didn't have an example of "Good Luck" out so he was doing it from memory. lol

As I remember it, the boys were gathered around as I created the "Good Luck" tile (above) a few months ago. They like to watch me paint, and they are the first to say when things don't look right. Below is the tile for "Everlasting". It was created in my studio with no one around, come to think of it. Food for thought. (The strokes are better, less stiff).

A Hulu Education

2009-09-15T01:56:00.000-07:00

I want to share ideas for free resources. Freebie Fridays has such a nice ring to it - but the beginning of the week needs perking up IMO. We live a frugal lifestyle and I'm always on the lookout for money savers, or even better - Free! So I'll share what treasures I've found on Tuesday Treasures.

I'm a huge fan of The Tightwad Gazette (I own all 3). There are so many golden nuggets tips hidden in the Tightwad Gazette. Happily, it's often suited to our homeschooling lifestyle, and what's cheaper is quite often better for our environment. I've been "green" since long before it was fashionable.

Have you been to Hulu.com? It has a huge variety of free TV shows to watch online. We don't have cable anymore, and it helps fill the gap sometimes. Checking out movies, TV shows, and documentaries from the library is also great.

Kansas City Zoo

2009-09-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a lion looking straight at my son eye to eye.

We went to the KC Zoo on Tuesday (their discount day!), and I have to say it was the best visit to the KC Zoo I've ever had. Of course, that's not saying much. Still, I can see the improvements they have made in the last 4 years and I liked it.

For example, on the Africa trek there are now two native houses to stop and explore. I thought that was fun! Of course, I like that kind of thing.

Australia now has an Outback...place to explore. Nice "homeschooling" break with coral, shells, bugs, sheep wool, and other things nicely displayed. See below.

KC Zoo is good to the animals by allowing lots of space, but it can be disappointing to the visitors who walk, and walk, and walk, in the hot sun just to get to another exhibit where the animal is intelligent enough to be in a "cave" way at the back of the exhibit. On Tuesday we had overcast skies and I actually got to see the cheetahs! The zoo was empty and the animals were out, yahoo! My youngest loved the meerkats. Meerkats? You can never tell what will strike a child's fancy.

Our eldest took this family picture near the entrance.

As we just getting on the highway the first raindrops started to fall. Luckily we were there for 5 hours and no rain on us.

Learning to Read Website

2009-09-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of Starfall? It is a free website with lots of great interactive content for learning to read. My sons used it for memorizing their letters when they were 3 and 4. The earliest section covers the alphabet, and each letter can be clicked on for fun letter and sound associations followed by a game. So if you know any preschoolers - pass on the word.

Early elementary age children can read the stories they have online, and do the activities listed. The seasonal items (snowman, etc) are always hits in our house. We even print those out. My children aren't on the computer much - but Starfall always makes for worthwhile computer time.

Garage Sale Treasure

2009-09-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

It always amazes me when the simplest things continue to bring me pleasure. A few weeks ago I bought this mortar and pestle at a garage sale for a dollar. From time to time I've wanted to crush something over the years - but mostly I just thought it was cool.

It's been on my kitchen window sill and each time I see them there it reminds me of simple times, doing things for yourself, and the beauty of practical objects made of wood. It just wouldn't be the same in plastic, huh?

Classic Books Free Online

2009-08-31T12:57:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite treasures I've found via AmblesideOnline.org is the great books available online FREE from the Baldwin Project.

The Gutenburg Project, www.gutenburg.org, is a project that scans copyright free books, which means older books, and making them available online. This is great, but the plain text and no illustrations leaves me a bit cold. Admirable project though.

The Baldwin Project, www.mainlesson.com, took it a step forward and the books pop up on a yellow background which I find pleasant, large font size my son can read, and great illustrations incorporated. I'm in love with the books there! Some of the books are available to purchase, but never fear the full text is still available online.

Serendipity

2009-08-29T19:36:00.001-07:00

For weeks I labored over a landscape I was doing in stained glass. It is based on a panoramic view on my daily drive through the Northern Big Horn Basin in Wyoming when I lived there years ago. Trying to do a landscape in glass was a challenged. For one thing I was somewhat limited in my color choices for the glass - which I'm not used to in pastels or acrylics! It's really a challenge when you can't just mix or blend the colors you want.

I intended to sell the stained glass panel on Etsy, but as I was just finishing up I somehow flung a piece of solder on the zinc frame. I don't believe this will come off without leaving a mark. I could just redo the frame, but I took it as a serendipitous event - my family didn't like the panel anyway , and now it has a spot on the frame - I'll keep it for myself. As luck would have it - the frame fits perfectly between my front door and the front window. So there it sits.

Serendipity: an occurrence of good luck when you were actually looking for something else.

BTW: Did you know where the word serendipity came from? ORIGIN 1754: coined by Horace Walpole, suggested by The Three Princes of Serendip, the title of a fairy tale in which the heroes “were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.”

Free Homeschooling Resources

2009-08-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

My oldest ds has suddenly taken off with his reading, so last week I found my creativity being channeled into finding new ideas in how to work with him. Where do we go from here?

Amblesideonline.org has an entire curriculum and reading list based on Charlotte Mason provided for free by other homeschooling moms. What a blessing! Specifically this week I've gained many new ideas on how to use narration in our homeschool.

While reading their Music recommendations they had links to free classical music - so we found ourselves listening to Beethoven over lunch. Each boy got to pick a "song" and they really enjoyed it. They also have links for Art, Foreign Language and many others things. I'll list more free online resources next Monday.

Color Makes a Difference

2009-08-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

The color I wear often reflects my mood. When the children were little there would be days where we all wore the same color. I picked out their clothes after all, and if blue looked appealing for me - it looked "right" for all of us. Research on the psychology of color has always fascinated me...humm so what does it mean when some days we all chose lime green or red to wear. Is it a lime green day?

A few weeks ago I picked out the shirts for the boys - all tie dye. One reason I like tie dye is that it stands out on field trips. Indeed, a man in the elevator commented on the fact they were all wearing tie dye.

Stained glass brings color into your home. I am always mindful of how those colors will affect the people who see it everyday. Recently I completed 2 stained glass panels using completely different colors. It's amazing how unique the feeling of the finished pieces. My mom bought the first one the minute she walked in my house and saw it hanging in my dining room. She said they were her colors - and she's right, they are.

The design/pattern/cartoon was one I had just created so I decided to use it again with completely different colors. Now, they remind me more of fall colors, although at the time I was trying to work with the primary colors of red, yellow, and blue.

Making a Natural Wreath

2009-08-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

Catmint grows quickly and gets very leggy, so you have to cut it back for it to look good. The thing is, I can't stand to throw away flowers - even to the compost heap.

In the past, I've brought in bouquets of catmint for a while. It is stinky, but long lasting and almost as pretty as lavender. Unfortunately, one time I brought in some ants with me. The ants were visiting a peony that neighbors the catmint, but they were more than happy to hitch a ride inside with me. Ick.

So the last time I cut back the catmint I gathered it into bunches. Then one bunch at a time, I took a l8 in length of wire and twisted it around the bunch, herb style. Then I used the long pieces of wire to attach the bunch to the front of a grapevine wreath. Eventually I covered the entire wreath and put it by my front door. It took maybe 15 minutes and about 6 bunches. I sat out in my garden while I did this, and it was kinda nice to relax in my garden and make a wreath.

Tell me of any flowers you've used to make into a wreath, I'd love to hear about it.

Chiluly Glass Right In Front Of Me

2009-08-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago when we were at the KU's Spencer Museum of Art where I was resting on a bench and admiring what I thought were colorful umbrellas. My friend walks in and immediately says - "Oh look, a Dale Chiluly!" It was those same "umbrellas".

Ironic for 2 reasons:

1. I've just been poring over Chiluly's website, drooling at his fabulous glass creations, wishing I could see them in person.

2. She is an artist, too - but I'm the one working in glass and I missed what was right before my eyes. I'm sitting there looking at colorful glass and didn't even know it.

I didn't get the best picture of the "umbrellas", but I will share it anyway so you can see what I am talking about.

BTW, the boys favorite thing at the museum was a computer simulation thing - not the art.

First Mural in Son's Room

2009-08-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

What joy it brought me to see a photo I'd taken of the mural in my son's room when he was a toddler. When my ds saw it he was just excited as I was; he remembered even though he was only two at the time. My husband - he didn't recognize the mural at all. He even went so far as to ask "Did you really do it?".

Yes, I did. It's based on one of ds's favorite books at the time "I Love Trains". My dh took care of ds for many hours over several weekends while I worked on it. They would come in together to check the progress.

It's long been apparent my ds has an exceptional memory, and my husband - not so much. Either way, what joy to capture things you create with a few snapshots.

Vinegar Rocket Fun

2009-08-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the simplest things in life bring joy. Simple things like vinegar and baking soda. In the past we've done many volcanoes, a bomb, and a few experiments.

This afternoon, my oldest son was reading Chemistry to his little brothers (Yay he reads it now!). It must have the directions for a rocket in there, because they came running to me wanting to do a rocket. This nifty book even provided the ballon. I highly recommend the Science Wiz series, Penny Norman is the author of the Chemistry book/kit. Appropriate for ages 5-10. They've enjoyed learning the facts and doing the activities.

Sometimes I forget to take the simple things around me and put them together to make new magical creations. My boys ran around straightening up and did their chores quickly in order to do a good-ole vinegar and baking soda rocket.

"The Bedazzler" Sculpture

2009-08-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

This spectacular sculpture, created by Patrick Dougherty, is now on display at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. It is made of a woven wall of saplings swirling together weaving in and out of the branches of a big tree, up and up they go in a big circle. People are free to walk in and thru this sculpture. There is something primitive about it that speaks to my soul, I wanted to just go in and sit down and stay there.

With 3 rambunctious boys the best I could do was come back and see it again after we went to the Natural History Musuem across the street. My cousin, an art student there, told me to be sure to see this sculpture. I'm glad she did, it's lots of fun.

To see other works he has done and photos of it being constructed check out:

www.spencerart.ku.edu/exhibitions/artist-in-residence/dougherty.shtml

Etsy Project Embrace

2009-07-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

Today I learned from another blogger, Cat Ludwig, about a fellow Etsian named Laura Slocum, who is dealing with Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer. Etsy is an awesome community and here is an example of the creative innovative ways we can make a difference: Etsy Project Embrace is set up in honor of Laura, raise awareness of cancer, and fund cancer research.

It seems fitting for me participate by donating the proceeds from my Courage Tile (the one I blogged about a few days ago) to Etsy Project Embrace in honor of my dear Aunt Bev who passed away last January from Ovarian Cancer. If you purchase this tile from my etsy shop the proceeds will go to ACS via Etsy's Project Embrace.

You may also want to visit Laura's etsy shop or her blog.

Surprise Pictures

2009-07-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

Are you ever surprised by what turns up in your picture once you view it on the computer? After cleaning the entire backyard, how did a beat up box end up in one of my photos? (Hint: look in the midst of the plant containers)

This week I was exasperated to see my son in several shots where I had not intended to find him. Getting good photos for etsy listings is always a challenge: I was so busy getting a close up of the stained glass panel, making sure flash is off, and the macro on...I didn't even notice a little boy going down the slide.

You gotta laugh. He will only be going down the slide for a few years, and this time is precious. That said, I asked him to go hide in the clubhouse for the retakes.

Courage As a Memorial

2009-07-20T10:08:00.001-07:00

A customer emailed me to let me know the "Courage" Chinese Calligraphy tile he purchased on etsy was going to be a gift for his wife who recently lost a friend. While her friend was fighting cancer she would sign her letters "Courage, (her name)".

I pick the Chinese symbols I do based on their meaning and their beauty, but how rewarding it is to get such feedback! They are going to keep it in the garden as a memorial to their friend.

Echinacea Expanding but Daisies Gone

2009-07-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

Several years ago I planted Echinacea (Purple Coneflower), and as much as I wanted it to expand in the flower bed it never did. This year -boom! - it's all over the place. I see at least six new plants starting up, and a couple more already in bloom. Very cool since I've been diligent about scattering seed each year.

So apparently the clematis and echinacea did very well with the extra rain we've had this year. The lavender and shasta daisies, not so much. When I split my lavender 1/2 died. When I split my daisies 1/3 died. Humm. What am I doing wrong? I've divided lot's of plants but come to think of it I lost an ornamental grass trying to divide it into too many clumps. The daisies however were huge, each 1/3 division was a gallon size at least. At least 2 survived, but the one right in front of my house is gone. The mysteries of gardening.

Madonna of the Prairie

2009-07-14T14:53:00.001-07:00

Last night, as were weaving our way across Kansas we drove by the statue "Madonna of the Prairie" in Council Grove, KS. I hopped out and took a picture because last week my mom had sent me an email regarding Madonna of the Prairie. What a coincidence! We hadn't planned to drive this route; it just happened.

There are seven copies of this statue in the world - it is a tribute to pioneer women and their trip out West. Council Grove is along the Sante Fe Trail, I believe, and it has several fun landmarks like this. I'll stop at another one next time, and maybe I'll take a picture of the covered wagon mural on the side of the grocery store.

I also enjoyed these architectural embellishments on the top of a former high school in Salina, Ks. I love the Art Deco flavor to the 1915 school building

Smoothies

2009-07-09T07:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, I admit it. I want my smoothies sweeter than my kids. My son even likes to make KoolAid with less sugar than they recommend (1 1/2 cups sugar for 2 packets), and he taught his little brother to do it the same way. Which I think is great, don't get me wrong...but I was raised on junk food and it seems to be harder for me than it is for the kids. Here's today's smoothie:

1 c strawberry yogurt

1 tray ice cubes

1 c milk

1/2 c mixed frozen berries

The kids love it, but I'm thinking it's kinda bland and could use some honey. I could add it anyway, but I don't want to train them to want it sweeter. If they saw me putting sugar or honey in mine, they would definitely want it in their smoothies, too.

Yesterday the writer of an article said one thing she loves about kids is having Hoo Hoos in the house - well for me it's the opposite. Now I don't have Apple Jacks and other junk food in the house. The sacrifices we make for our children. LOL

4th of July Celebration

2009-07-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

My mom's family makes a really big deal about the 4th of July. For starters, on July 3, everyone comes down to her farm for our own fireworks. We get there early for smoke bombs and kid stuff. My uncle swoops in right before dusk with a staggering amount of fireworks. We all ooh and ahh.

The next day, the actual 4th, we head out to the lake. The boys jump in swimming, riding the waves, laughing and giggling, and making up games. They spent 2 hours in the water. As soon as they were out of the water we went on a boat ride, had a picnic, and the boys made castles in the sand.

It was a picture perfect day. Of course, I have 50 photos of the boys, and this is the best picture I have of Shawn. None of me. Sigh. Will I never learn to get photos of the whole family?

Quilt Pattern in Stained Glass

2009-07-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

As I prepare for some craft fairs and farmer's markets my mom recommended a lower price point for some stained glass items. I'm not into cheesy suncatchers so trying to come up with something small, unique, fun, and reasonable to do was a huge challenge. So I walked around the house brainstorming.

Since I don't sew it's odd that I happen to have 4 books on quilts/quilting on my bookshelves. They have folded corners, post it notes, and notes tucked throughout. I had big dreams of lap quilting. Only problem: I didn't like doing it.

Solution to current dilemma: small quilt squares in stained glass conveniently using up my glass scraps. Hurray! It worked. I created my first two yesterday, and after this I'm headed down to my studio to finish "Garden Glen". Don't you love the quilt square name? I'm keeping the name for my stained glass.

1200 digital photos and no shots of me and my husband

2009-06-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

I'm appalled. Today is our 17th anniversary, and I thought it would be nice to post a picture of my husband, Shawn and I. There's just one problem: we have no digital photos of just the two of us. There are no photos of the 5 of us for that matter. My mom and dad have taken photos of us, but always with their camera. We need to do something about that, starting today.

My oldest son isn't the least artistic, but when he take photos, here's the kind he takes. So now I think he's going to start learning how to take some photos of his family (and his parents in particular). I'm sure he'll be thrilled if I let him loose with the camera.

He's at his first swim meet today with Shawn, while the other two water our garden out back. Really they water each other and the plants are lucky if they get some water splashed on them.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

2009-06-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Google I now know it was Plato who said this first. In the shower this morning it kept echoing through my head. I couldn't get it out of my head actually, but it made me happy so I let it stay.

"The Economy" is something the media speak about as if it is capitalized. It's right up there with "Global Warming" to bring you warm fuzzies. Not. But I think both issues will be addressed the same way homeschoolers have been doing for quite some time. When you find something you really want, or need, to do you find a way to do it. Or you adapt. Sometimes God calls you in a different direction than you intended.

"Necessity is the Mother of Invention" is going to be my philosophy. Funny it was a famous philosopher who first said it. I can't buy any more glass until some stained glass panels sells. I can't buy grout until any mosaics sell. Luckily I have 3 panels and 2 mosaics in process right now.

In one way money restrictions are depressing, but it is also freeing. I don't want my creative endeavors to be a drain on our family resouces right now. And creatively, I'm going to take the time to use the scraps I do have to make some great smaller stained glass pieces. I have boxes and boxes of scraps. Of course I also have a notebook stuffed with stained glass patterns I'm working on. I guess I get more time to get my designs refined. This is a source of creativity if I let it be.

Last thought, my prayers are really active for those who don't have a job. By the grace of God, my husband not only has kept his job, but got a raise. In banking right now, that's a miracle pure and simple.

Homemade Castles

2009-06-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

Last week for history we read about Louis XIV and his reign. I just happen to have a large book on Baroque Art with lots of pictures of Versailles. So at Co-op this week we worked together to make our own castle out of some of my left over mat board. The other family we did it with did a number of panels with beautiful windows and doors drawn on the "walls", and made us some sculptures out of aluminum foil to decorate our courthard. My sons worked on constructing the form of the castle.

Since then my oldest set up a castle siege with his little army men. My other boys created there own fort type castle out of blankets and chairs. To me, the best learning is the kind you incorporate into play - for fun. It was a reminder to relax and play with my children. Enjoy summer.

Murals on the Walls

2009-06-17T14:46:00.000-07:00

"Murals" sounds so fancy. Personally, I just paint on my walls because it makes me happy. A dab here, a dab there...I draw a picture I want to look at for a while.

I thought I'd share a bit of my process.

1. Find inspiration and keep it simple. Probably my best mural was at our old house, and it was based on a children's book with simple colors.

2. Gather some acrylic house paint, preferably flat or clearance, you want to use. In a pinch I've used craft paint or artist paint to adjust a color or make just a small amount.

Using leftover plastic food tubs, I mix the colors I plan to use. This is the same process I use with a landscape painting. Keep it to 4 or 5 colors, and make sure they look good together keeping in mind hue, shade, values, etc. If you don't know what those words mean - just stick to your inspiration piece colors.

3. Prime the surface if necessary. Then take vine charcoal and lay out a rough outline. Lay in your big blocks of color - doing all the browns, then blues, etc. I always love to start with the sky. I love skies. You can see this process clearly in the middle mural, which is only half done. It's been that way for awhile, but I enjoy it just as it is. Come back in, usually on another day, with a different color or another layer. Don't overdo the project, just enjoy.

One son wanted a rainbow by his bed - so he has one. His bed was too messy to take a picture of the rainbow. We have a few palm trees in our upstairs bathroom - just cause it reminded me of Curious George Gets a Job.

4. When you are relatively happy sign your name and date it in a corner - I'm so glad I did this so now I know when I did each mural. It's ok to make changes, etc.

I know some people worry about ruining the walls, but really, you can paint over it if you don't like it. Especially if you use a "dry brush" technique. That means your brush is not loaded with paint that dries with little ridges - a dry brush shows the brush marks (see Under the Sea).

Mostly have fun...they are just walls. The only murals I don't like are the ones where the painter is stiff and timid. Where it looks like it was painful. If your mural "primitive" or "organic" that's ok, no one said you have to create a Michaelangelo.

Last secret - go BIG - cover all four walls with something simple. It makes a big impression.

Let me know if I've inspired you, I'd be glad to share my experiences with anyone wanting to try a mural themselves.

Starfire Stained Glass

2009-06-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

I just posted one of my quilt-like stained glass piece, my husband named it. I liked the name because the red does seem fiery from across the room.

Now, how to take pictures of stained glass?!? I think that's going to take some time and maneuvering.

First, I really need to go to my mom's farm where there are trees...and no toys or swing sets. Her house could be good for nice window shots, but storm clouds are rolling in so I didn't haul glass over there today.

I'd also like some clean shots like in a photo box - but stained glass needs to be backlit to really see the colors. I'm on a mission now. I need something big and sturdy to hold stained glass, with lot's of light, and an option for backlighting. Either a box, or a draped set up out back. I have nice north side lighting in my backyard.

I did a light box...now can I come up with a stained glass photography set up?

Free Homemade Lightbox

2009-06-10T13:08:00.001-07:00

I love free. I love homemade. Put them together and I'm a happy camper.

For a while now I've been trying to figure out how I can get a lightbox. After much deliberation I decided to have Shawn take a 18"x24" hole out of my beloved art table. This meant I had to give up the deep top drawer to make the lightbox.

It turns out, the drawer on my grinder station is exactly the right size for the two organizers that got displaced. And what do ya know, it was just filled with sponges, rags, and junk. Cleaned out there's room for everything.

For the light box: we used some white trim pieces stashed in the garage to form a ledge for the glass. A piece of glass from an art piece I made years ago was sprayed with some leftover window spray. I did not want to paint my drawer white (I like my beat up table as it is) so I used a piece of illustration board instead. I used a fluorescent light I got at a garage sale years ago which now fits perfectly in the drawer.

Hurray! You can see the 14x17 panel I'm working on top of the lightbox. I'm at the grinding stage - getting all the pieces to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Tonight I should get it wrapped with copper foil.

Childhood Memories

2009-06-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we did some clearing out in our storage room, and I found some old papers from when I was a child that made me smile. My mom has most of the pictures I did as a kid, but I have a folder filled with Lisa creative stuff. All things I made as a kid: house plans, mazes, maps, a and a start to a novel. It brings back memories of losing myself in creativity.

My favorite was a "country" I made up, wrote a report on like it was real, and made a dozen or so maps of - political boundaries, urban centers, etc. You can tell I read the World Book quite a bit, because my country has the information you would find in an encyclopedia entry. I found out my Grandpa read an entire set of encyclopedias when he was a kid, and I think I was trying to do the same.

I put it all back in a storage tub, but the memories continue to make me smile.

Roses and clematis

2009-06-03T13:54:00.000-07:00

Hurray! Patience does pay off. It takes time to build a really nice garden. My clematis gave me a good reminder when it bloomed for the first time. It took 4 years, but it looks exactly like I planned intwined with the roses!

The roses are a dark pink so I chose purple for the clematis. Both would look great against my yellow house - really pop. Except the clematis didn't take off as fast as the roses. I've accidently pulled them, and the boys have tromped on them more than once. But it never died so I left it where it was and tried new things to protect it (rocks around the base so I know where it is).

What a good lesson for me. I forget that as I get my etsy shop up and running that it takes time to build up a following for any business. If I do what I need to nurture it along and I stick with it...all will work out as it should. Do your best, leave the rest to God.

Last night I sketched out a stained glass panel of the clematis and roses...can't wait to start cutting the glass, although I might change the colors of the flowers. I just did a purple crocus panel and I'd like to use a different color. Right now I'm off to wrap copper foil around a purple and blue panel I'm working on. What fun!

Seasonal Gardening Rhythm

2009-06-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

One thing I like about gardening is watching nature's seasons unfold. I hardly have time to mourn the dying back of the daffodils and grape hyacinths and suddenly the iris and peonies are blooming. Here's a picture (clockwise) of the cat mint, virginia sweet spire, false indigo, and cottage pinks/dianthis all blooming at the same time.

On the other side of the path is my peony plant. I fell in love with peonies when we lived in Montana. We bought our house from an old bachelor who had let it go for 30 years after his mother passed away. While cleaning up the flower beds I pulled dozens of reddish shoots before realizing those "weeds" must be flowers. They turned out to be peonies! I treasured the remaining bush during the years we lived there. Anything that can survive complete neglect for 30 years is my kind of flower.

As soon as we bought our house in Louisburg I planted a peony. The key to peonies is plant shallow and then leave them alone! That's what I was told by a woman who had them lining her driveway.

The peonies are done now, and the seasonal rhythm has moved on to roses and lavender. I can already see my daisies and echinacea getting ready for their chance to shine with their summer blooms.

Last night I split my daisies, after the bumblebees had gone to bed.

Yellow Art Studio

2009-05-26T15:17:00.001-07:00

I thought it would take 1-2 days, and it ended up taking 4 full days to paint my art studio. I needed to spackle holes in the concrete and fill in a few cracks which meant 3 layers of paint in some places. It was so worth it! "Frosted Lemon" paint brightens things up and at least looks warmer even though it's still a basement.

Another homeschooling family just took 4 full boxes of materials I cleared out in order to make room for my glass supplies. It felt good to pass on the blessing of free curriculum materials - and it feels even better to have more space to work.

My first mosaic

2009-05-22T02:39:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how things can evolve and come full circle. As I move things around and clear out clutter, I am also finding all kinds of things that I am repurposing for my life now. And yet they are absolutely perfect.

The rocking chair in my art studio is the same one in my nursery as a child, the same one I sat in and rocked out in as a teen, nursed my own babies in, and now pause and reflect in my art studio.

I also found the junior high paper mosaic I did using hole punch dots of construction paper - it's a copy of Renoir's Little Girl with a Watering Can. I'm not sure if that's it's official name, but that's what I call the painting in my mind. Renoir was my favorite artist as a child, and still one that speaks to my heart. Still my all time favorite. Pierre August Renoir was a French Impressionist. I took 5 years of french because of him! Come to think of it my middle son's name is Augustus. Humm.

My grandparents framed that picture and put it up in their guest bedroom for many years, and as they passed on I now have the picture, framed in their yellow metal (or is it plastic?) frame. It doesn't matter. I'm keeping it - it reminds me of them, and I have it up in my art studio across from my soldering station. I would never have imagined it would be up in my art studio when I was an adult.

Mosaics, Stained Glass, and Life

2009-05-19T03:43:00.000-07:00

I just read an excellent quote in "Mosaic Techniques and Traditions" by Sonia King. She says that the most valuable lesson she can teach her students is how to solve the problem of a difficult piece. Isn't that like life? We get to a difficult piece and get stuck.

In mosaics she says the problem is usually a choice/anomaly a few pieces back that was off, and it builds from there. It's a ripple effect. Go back and fix it at the source and the problem solves itself. Valuable information for doing a mosaic, thoughtful information next time I hit something "off" in my life.

One thing I love about stained glass is the ability to piece it together like a jigsaw puzzle, only I'm the one creating it which gives me control. Yes, I like to be the one in control of my life. That fits.

Crayon Play

2009-05-15T06:33:00.000-07:00

We finally did it. My middle son has been asking me for years to make our own crayons. Then in our circle time we read about cooperation - and they had a project to make your own "stained glass" with wax paper. The boys really wanted to do it, and we had old broken crayons on hand so we plunged right in. Do you have any idea how big of a mess three boys (and a mom) can make peeling crayon wrappers and shaving crayons?? Doing THREE projects at once...

Project 1 - Making crayons

We made gingerbread crayons out of a mold I picked up at a garage sale. The mold is really thin, so I feared they may be too thin, but the gingerbread people looked so cute we all wanted to try. D and G's came out okay, B's broke as I got it out so we had to melt it again. Came out worse. So he then made "muffin crayons" in the muffin tin.

Project 2 - Crayon candle

G had to make the whole thing into a science experiment, of course, and his crayon had a string out of the head so he could melt it like a candle. We did that outside on foil and it worked pretty good.

Project 3 - Wax paper stained glass

We grated crayon shavings onto wax paper, and then I went down to iron them between 2 rags. It took forever, and I found as I stood there I was exhausted. The day before I had a sore throat, and suddenly my sore throat was back. After my third trip down to iron in the basement it was time to organize the clean up - it was past lunch time.

It was fun, it was too much at once - although the mess was consolidated to one day, and it did foster cooperation between us as we worked together. However it was too much for my health. It did remind me of the joy of teaching GymArt at Gymboree a few years ago.

Yesterday, I also baked tiles, G helped me divide them, and I took pictures for etsy. We finally had nice sunny weather. Moderation is my word for today. I listed my first stained glass on etsy! Yeah.

Creative Composting

2009-05-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

Just looks like a trash can, right? Nope, it's my compost bin.

I'm a creative composter. This means I don't obsess with doing it right...I just do it. And I don't use a fancy expensive composter either, just a homemade version that works.

Just in case you are not an organic gardener, or a gardener at all, composting is the key to a successful organic garden. So I take great pride in saving anything that can go into my compost pile. Right now, I even have a book dedicated to composting checked out from the library.

I've been composting for years, and my favorite advice is still the simplest - from Paul James the Gardening Guy on HGTV. Throw plants, non-diseased plant debris, fruit and veggie leavings, egg shells in - occasionally layer it with dirt, leaves, manure, or newspaper clippings. That's it, really. Nature has been "composting" for years. Go into any forest and look down, and you will see great compost.

When adding kitchen scraps bury them under clippings.

Paul did give more elaborate directions if you want faster or neater compost, but you can't beat the basics. Today I dumped a full garbage can full of compost into holes I dug in my garden. It's amazing to watch the process - our pumpkins are still recognizable but now just orangish mush. All the rain made for a very wet compost pile which means it was very "hot". This is good because it kills bad things, but it smelled because it was too wet. Good and bad, mixed together. Often what we get when we are creative.

Compost bin blends right in with this ugly area.

My garbage can was made following Paul's directions: take a trash can (black draws heat if you can find a black trash can), and drill holes in the top and down the sides every few inches for circulation. I keep my compost can in the corner by my a/c unit where it's out of my way but accessible. It's that easy! Buy a trash can, grab a drill, and give it a try. I drilled the holes down 4 sides of the bin, but when I do my next one, I'll do it down 6 or 8 sides instead for more aeration. Let me know how it works for you.

Drill holes down the side and on the bottom

Holes, and natural cracking, allows water in

Hurray for digital photography

2009-05-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

Photography is not normally my form of creativity, but my new Canon Powershot makes taking pictures a real pleasure. It's pixels were so many Etsy couldn't take the initial batch of photos, but I've learned how to adjust the camera.

There's a shot of one of the necklaces it would take. I'm pretty pleased with the detail.

It's the one on textured paper. The one on the wood table is from an earlier session - with better natural light available and more pixels. Can't really tell a difference from here.

I'm going to go put up my feet now and watch Rick Steve's Europe with my husband and son. The Swiss mountains are just breathtaking - talk about encouraging creativity! Wow.

Etsy shop up

2009-05-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

This entry reminds me alot of yesterday. I got my first item up on etsy, sort of. Really it is up: there's a picture, description and price. However, all the great pictures I took yesterday with my brand new camera are "too big" and wouldn't upload. I tried several things on iphoto to make it smaller, and it didn't work. I thought I followed the directions, but obviously I'm missing something.

Sigh. Yesterday I got stuck uploading them to the computer because I didn't have the camera in playback mode. Yeah, problem solved. On to the next one - how to make them a size etsy will accept. Bummer.

On the other hand, we had a great day at Homeschool Day at the library. We created a zen garden with our coop (sand, plastic fork, gravel, and paper plate). I love learning and creating combined!

When we got home I got some time in the art studio, and I soldered the red tulip panel. I love the simplicity and elegance of the design. I also worked on the purple crocus panel I am fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle. That's what it reminds me of - solving a jigsaw puzzle. Only if a puzzle piece doesn't fit you can't just grind off the piece to make it fit. LOL

Waiting for Shawn to come home for date night, the boys are watching a video while they wait to go to grandma and grandpa's. Hurray for living close to grandparents.

Lisa

Off to a start

2009-04-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

Creativity can be a good thing, but getting bogged down in details is counterproductive. Often creating something is better than not creating anything at all. Van Gogh created several hundred paintings in one year! Every one of them may not be gems, but some are truly outstanding. He learned more everytime he took paint brush to canvas. Trial and error just like everyone else. I have a box set on Van Gogh, the first book is the early years with many awkward imitative works, and the finally book is filled with breathtaking colorful art.

My Junior High art teacher taught me one thing that was very important - don't get upset when you "mess up", just see how you can work with it. If we don't allow for mistakes, we don't allow for any happy surprises. So this is how I'm going to approach blogging.