Story and a photo.

Gum, black hole and dog tags......

One day a few months ago one of my students had on a necklace. It was one of those key chain dog tags and it had been personalized with his name and football number on it. It was very shiny and new. I told him it was very cool. After that, he just HAD to give it to me. I knew his mom would probably be wondering where it was eventually, so I put it somewhere safe so that when he came to me later I would be able to give it back to him. My safe spot just happened to be a special zipper pouch that I tuck into my purse where I carry my lipstick.

Today my student came to me during class wondering where ’my’ necklace was that he gave me...I told him that it was safe, in my purse. Of course, being an inquisitive 10 year-old, he wanted to see it...to make sure that it was safe. I went to my purse and unzipped the lipstick pouch...but the necklace was missing. I knew that I hadn’t taken it out of my purse so I began searching for it. I looked in the side zipper part. No, it wasn’t there either. So I started to remove a few of the bigger things, my wallet, my address book, a bottle of lotion, my checkbook, some ink pens, my gianormous set of keys, a granola bar.....

Finally, I spotted the shiny silver dog tag at the bottom of my purse....That’s right...it was buried beneath the bottomless pit of bobby pins, paper clips, buttons, earrings, pennys, rocks, scraps of paper, gum wrappers, tiny chunks of trident that have wriggled free from the wrapper, rubber bands, reciepts ...there it was....luckily I had found his necklace...but....when I rescued it from the rubble I realized that it had been slimed with some of that yucky spearmint gum...chunks of the gum had somehow goo-ed up the chain and his once-shiny namesake was now minty fresh with rubbed on gum residue. He saw the gum immediately.

He looked up at me. ’What did you do to my necklace?’ All I could do was laugh. ’I am sorry’ ’your necklace got gummed’ was all I could giggle. I went straight to the sink and got some soap as he watched me frantically trying to clean off his precious un-shiny dog tag key chain. Other students started to gather around at this point and I tried to explain that I didn’t realize it had slipped from the safe spot into the bog of junk in the bottom of my purse. I scrubbed and scrubbed, but the gum was stuck...Lime green gum.....I vowed to take it home and use some special gum remover to clean it off. "My mom’s purse wouldn’t have had yucky gum in the bottom of it" he said...."I know, but this kind of thing happens to me, I’m so sorry" I laughed, embarrassed.....

Um, yeah...my purse is not going to be a safe spot for children’s treasures ever again!!

five hot dogs heading back in space.

You might be wondering why I would post an image of some hot dogs after a silly story about dog tags and gum at the bottom of my purse.....well....recently, I participated in a photography scavenger hunt and one of the photos I had to take involved linear perspective. This photo is 'five hot dogs heading back in space'.....they aren't exactly lined up to be in 'linear perspective' and they also aren't in outer space...I wanted to create a little play on words with this title...to encourage the viewer to ask questions and think a little longer at they photo than they might normally do if they just saw a photo of hot dogs.

This is a lomography photo--taken with black and white film, fish eye lens on a Diana Camera.

Finding a Balance.

Your startup disk is almost full.

Your startup disk is dangerously low on space.

Your startup disk is so low your computer is barely able to function.

These are the worst possible messages for a blogger, photographer and movie maker to see on a computer, but these are the sorts of messages that have been plaguing me for the last two weeks. 

 I have known that I needed to off load a bunch of pictures and movies onto an external hard drive for a couple of weeks but I had a tiny little issue with my external hard drive--it got fried! And the new one isn't formatted to the operating system on my mac. So while I was able to save the info from the fried external hard drive,  I am not able to write anything new to the one terabyte hard drive to clean off my mac hard drive.

With my hard drive almost too full to function, I haven't been able to upload any new photos or do much of anything--especially with my computer running ridiculously slow!

Last night, I was trying to edit a photo in Photoshop and my computer actually informed me that it couldn't save the changes I had made. My startup disk was too full to make one simple change to one photo. Wow.

It was time to delete some stuff. I had to decide what to get rid of to make room for the new stuff. Documents? Photos? Videos? How would I know what was too precious to get rid of? What if I deleted something really important and realized it a little too late?

So I started deleting things....I started with .zip and .mbx files...and then I went into my video folder and realized that I had lots of video footage that needed to go---several gigs worth!

(I am really stressing about not being able to back up the photos and videos I want to keep on my computer so I am hoping to figure out a solution for my external hard drive problem soon)

As I was working to clean off my computer, I started thinking about how I have been too busy to sit down and write anything lately...or edit pictures....or even take pictures. I have started making room on my internal hard drive to fit new things in. I have had to give up some of my old 'things' to make room for new 'things.'

Since the year started, I have been really trying to find a balance between my bad habits and living a healthier life. I didn't really set an official 'resolution', but just 'be healthier' this year....so I have been exercising and eating healthier in order to lose a bit of weight and just feel better about myself.

Successfully, I have stuck with my 'diet'--10 pounds later -- I actually have to keep eating healthy in order to keep it off...

The hardest part of being healthier is finding time to exercise. I realized that I needed to burn about 500 calories a day to lose anything....and that is seven days a week...exercising for at least an hour...

Now, I have found some really fun activities including a spin class, zumba classes and hiking a local trail...but I must admit....I hate getting all sweaty...it ruins my hair...and it is such a pain to change clothes 4-5 times a day if I have to do something after going to the gym.

Working out for a minimum of an hour every day has sliced into my creative time. By the time I get home from the gym and cook a healthy dinner, and prepare a healthy lunch for the next day....there is barely time to relax--forget about doing something creative!

Its a little bit overwhelming. With all this working out, I feel ten times busier than normal.

I am looking ahead to things coming up--evening events at school, family visiting, and even my birthday weekend-- I just don't know how I will function if I can't squeeze a workout in every day...and SOME creative time to blog, take pictures or make something cute. 

I feel like I have committed to this working out thing....and if I don't do it every day then I will lose what I have built up, I will lose motivation, and I will get out of the habit and quit forever.

My startup disk is dangerously full.

My startup disk is barely able to function.

Find a balance. Get rid of some stuff. That is my only option. How do I decide what stays and what goes?

So, for now....I have traded in my craft (and computer time) for the gym...I just hope it pays off....and I find time to make some cute stuff soon. I am going to a crop this weekend....but I will have to skip Friday night in order to make time for my sister who is in town from Hawaii, and go late on Saturday in order to go the gym before, and leave early for a birthday party that night....

Finding a balance. Family. Friends. Work. Exercise. Art. Relaxing. Sleeping. Chores. How should I arrange things? What order should I put everything in?

(Oh, and did I mention, I am teaching an extra class on Wednesday nights 4--7:30 at the local art center....so I work 12 hours on Wednesdays!)

 How do you find a balance?
How do you do everything?
How do you make it all work? What do you give up in order to keep your 'hard drive' from crashing?

 A complete double rainbow last summer....taken with my hipstamatic.

Reason #546 I became an art teacher....

I need lots of hugs.

I just didn't realize how starved for hugs I was until I went 9 days without any.

To put into perspective how long 9 days is, generally our Christmas break is only about 7 1/2 days so on February 1st, when the big blizzard hit, no one realized we would be out of school for NINE days!!

The problem was the extremely cold temperatures and the repeated small snow storms that made back roads and side streets impassable with ice and snow.

I have to say, I enjoyed all of my days off. Every, single, one, of them.

I cooked, cleaned, baked, sewed, made Valentines, made movies, painted my nails, took naps, folded laundry, matched all of the un-matched socks, organized my crafting supplies, watched movies, spent time with friends, played games--both with friends and on my iphone, worked out (A LOT), shoveled snow, and got caught up on my favorite trash t.v. shows.

I did things that I normally just don't have time for--having nine days off was awesome! I didn't get bored...maybe a tiny bit lonely a couple of days, but I had friends over, chatted on FB and SKYPE and went to the gym to combat the loneliness.

I read blogs. I mailed packages.

I drank coffee and stared out the window.

It was so relaxing and wonderful.

Now I am back into the swing of things....and I find myself longing for those free days....

My real life is just so busy. Almost every evening is full the next few weeks--not including going to the gym--which will make for really long days if I go AFTER the late afternoon and evening things I have to do. Many things got messed up and postponed due to the snow days and now they are all getting crammed into the 5.5 weeks until Spring Break. Some nights are so full of things to do, I need TWO of me just to do everything.

I am dreading St. Patrick's day-- I was looking forward to the 3rd Thursday art walk, but now it looks like I will be doing an all-school art show that night--I just can't be two places at once-- and I would rather go to the artwalk!

So the moral of the story is, I will need a steady supply of hugs to get through the next few busy weeks. I didn't realize how much I appreciate hugs until I went 9 days with none. Today a girl hugged me and I almost started crying---it was exactly what I needed.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

 Had some fun with conversation hearts today!!

Valentine Cards

Friday night I got the urge to make a whole pile of Valentine cards. I used cardstock, Ek success dimensional stickers and some doilies. I love how they turned out! Here is a video with the cards and a time lapse segment showing me making the cards and my cat helping. Enjoy!

Snow day thoughts...and a stop-motion film.

Snow days are like a gift.

A gift of time.

The weather forces us to do things we wouldn't normally do without 16" of snow on the ground. 

We are forced to stop everything, cancel our busy week and just stay home.  We are forced to stare out the window. We are forced to find things to do inside.

A gift of energy.


We are forced to rest, sleep, relax.


To some people this type of isolation is hell. (I know because they've made numerous status updates saying so) But I am trying to embrace every second of this gift. A routine is a routine....it will be here next week....I love being forced to stop. I love it that I am motivated to create things I wouldn't normally have the time or energy to do.


I have had 4 days off this week and I have tried to keep busy every minute. I can't really leave--the snow is up to my knees....so I am hanging out around the house.


Cooking, cleaning, organizing, painting my nails.....

..making felt garland...

 

...updating my inspiration boards...

....doing my makeup, changing the sheets on my bed, skyping with friends, taking snow-walks at dawn to capture the early morning sunrise glittering on the snow at dawn.

 ....trying to stay off facebook.....

February 2, 2011 Urban Word of the Day

To constantly update your status or post on Facebook during a snowstorm. Normally, because your stuck inside and bored out of your mind.
Also can be used to describe Facebook users who constantly discuss, complain, or post pictures about a snow storm.

Sarah must be snowed in and bored, because she's been snowbooking since the storm started.
The roads haven't been plowed so everyone's snowbooking.

I haven't been able to sleep much, I have been waking up really early actually....

Here is a little stop motion film I made with some of my cute little ceramic figurines.




I have another idea for a short film (See Tuesday's Snow Day movie here)....I'm going to make it later today...as soon as the sun comes up...maybe I'll make a Vlog too?

Anyway, what have you been doing with all of your 'snow day time?'

Loving all the moms and dads out there.....

When it gets close to Valentine's Day, I am always in the mood to make some pretty Valentine cards for my friends and family. With the snow days this week, I have plenty of time for that.

To me, Valentine's Day is a good time for a service project too, both for myself and for my students....kids are usually in a pretty giving mood.

Last week at school, I told my students that I would love for them to contribute some artwork to a special organization in town. I explained that the Ronald McDonald House is a place for families to stay when they have a sick child in the hospital. It is a place for mommies and daddies to go so that they don't have to go all the way home if they have a baby in the hospital, they can stay close by. Some of my students had stayed there, some had heard of it, and some have had other family members who have stayed there.

I told them that I would like for them to make something that would make the parents happy. Something that would make them smile. I showed them a blank door hanger, showed them how it hangs on the doorknob and asked them to draw and write a message about love.

I was pleasantly surprised with the results. This is something any teacher in any classroom could do for any organization. Door hangers are very cheap to reproduce (I printed mine on cardstock) and this could be a writing prompt with a bit of drawing thrown in, it only took about 10 minutes for most to complete the task.

One boy asked me, "Do you think these might make the parents cry?" And I told him that they might....seeing a message about loving kids, from loving kids....while your own child is sick....might make a few parents cry....I explained that it was okay....we were doing something very special and nice, just for the sake of doing it...and that was the most important thing.

Here are a few of my favorites.

  (Ronald McDonald House is the hero of the world)

 (And yes that 4th one does say 'may the force be with you')

I can't wait to deliver the artwork (as soon as the roads are a little more clear). 

Here is a link to a Google doc with the basic door hanger image. You might enlarge it on the copier a bit so that you don't waste too much of a 8.5" X 11" sheet of cardstock.

Collaborative art....

A couple of weeks ago, I had a chance to help a group of artists create a sculpture. I wrote about it here.

The student visit to the local art center is well underway and they have started covering the first big sculpture with bits of fabric, paper, tissue paper, cardboard and other things. Students are weaving colorful bits of this and that through the chicken wire mesh.

Still much more to be done...this is an 'in-progress' stage...I can't wait to see it finished!!

I made a short film yesterday during the blizzard!

Snow days don't have to be boring. I made this little short film yesterday. ENJOY!!

Baby Shower Gift Ideas

One of my goals this year was to go back to some of the online classes I signed up for last year (style school, summer camp, home ec) and actually try a few more of the projects.

Two teachers at school are expecting and I really wanted to make them something special for their shower gift. So I decided to make a quilted baby bib for each of them. Luckily they are both having boys, so that made it simple to make 2 of everything.  The 'VWX' fabric is from a sesame street sheet I got at the Salvation Army. I went there recently and bought a bunch of sheets--they are a perfect supply of solid and printed fabrics at a reasonable price -- some were only $2 or $3 for queen-sized materials.

This baby bib was fun to make and it was really easy. I will definitely make it again!

These designer burp cloths are not from any of the online classes I have taken. I actually got the idea from a friend.

It is a cloth diaper, with some pretty fabric and a ribbon added to make it more 'designer'. Super easy to make!!

I put two burp cloths, a quilted baby bib and a book together for a nice little shower gift.

Oh, and I used some of the leftover fabric to make a drawstring gift bag. Super easy and cheap!! (I think I got the basic idea from one of the online classes, but I don't remember which one.

If you are looking for any hand made baby gift ideas, these were very easy and cheap, hope this post helped!