Pigs and Teaching

Once upon a time I taught at a magical place and learned from so many creative people. Like many things I fell into the opportunity and it was exactly what I needed. One day I was encouraged to make clay piggy banks by putting two pinch pots together ...

The kids and I spent weeks making every possible animal and I even sold the banks at craft fairs for a few years. I had a website, a coloring book and they were fun.  Unfortunately some of the cool animals: moose, elephants, cats all had easily breakable features which resulted in a lot of unusable art (and ultimately sad customers) but the bright side is I created some wide-eyed monsters. The first variations were underglazed, then glazed, then acrylic painted, collaged, and most recently watercolors (the photos are all of the watercolor version).

Yesterday my daughter came home from school and told me I was going to teach art again to her and her friends. They all wanted to be artists and wanted to hire me. It was very sweet and passionate. So, I'm in the process of scheduling some workshops for any age kid to come (at a yet to be determined location) and create. Nothing like some motivation from your kids to reinvigorate my act.

Hair Sticks

On my honeymoon, the only trinket I bought was a carved hair stick. It has served me well for the past 7 years, until recently when it broke. After trying to clean up my work space I found a few old broken knitting needles and transformed them into hair sticks or hair pins. The larger wooden one I put in the pencil sharpener to bring back the point and then sanded it all over.

Deciding how to decorate it with out loosing the natural wood feel, was tricky. I dipped the end in  old enamel paint to add a bit of gloss and when dry added two highlights of gold. Subtle, but me.

 There are a few more in the works with beads, colorful paint and maybe even some wire. If my oldest hadn't used up my kitchen stash of chopsticks for a puppet making project, I would still be making hair sticks.

Skirts from a dust ruffle

It sounds a bit odd, but it was the perfect way to use a unused dust ruffle.  I was given a duvet cover and sheet set and with it came a dust ruffle. The girls sleep in bunk beds and I didn't know what to use it for. After channeling my inner Maria from the "Sound of Music" I decided to make some clothes.

Dust ruffle before I cut it!

The edge is already hemmed and the fabric gathered. I needed a side seam and a waist band! Some quick measuring and a fast satisfying project finished.

For my older daughter, who is taller I had to do a slightly different waist band to add more length.

I'm working on a skirt for myself with a zipper and possibly an apron as a gift. I'm going to keep my eye out for dust ruffles from now on.