Trying My Hand at Some New Projects

I wrote this a few of days ago but had to wait until today to upload the images so now I can publish it.

Okay so this is the second day that I’m home from the exhausting but wonderful Disney vacation. I wrote a lot yesterday to get those creative writing ya-ya’s out of my brain. My creative juices in other areas are flowing and tonight I gave myself time to do something creative other than writing.

I have a few things that I want to try to do. I’ll tell you what they are first then I’ll share what I did tonight.

I want to decorate some t-shirts and/or hoodie sweatshirts with custom words and images for my boys to wear.

The first and easiest thing is I wanted to try to use acrylic paint (which I already have on hand) and textile medium (which I bought last year but never used). Using the textile medium with the paint you can turn any acrylic paint into a fabric paint. I want to use stencils or large rubber stamps to write words on t-shirts.

I am thinking also of hand carving some rubber stamps with one alphabet of letters of my design that I could use for this purpose (and for other things). I am thinking about letters sized at about two inches high. I already have one big slab of rubber here waiting to be hand carved.

I want to combine a graphic with the words on the shirt. I have a few ideas. One is to custom design a stencil. My wood burning tool has a stencil burner on it that allows me to burn plastic stencils (outdoors so the fumes don’t kill me). I have never carved my own stencils before so that would be yet another new thing to teach myself. My understanding is that you can buy Mylar sheets at the craft store for a low price to use as the stencil blanks. I need to investigate this.

I was thinking of using a graphic based on a photograph that I took. I would digitally alter the photo first by removing the color, then by using the brightness and contrast and adjusting them until it was an image similar to that of a rubber stamp. I could then use that as the pattern for my stencil. I did that tonight with one image but it was too detailed to use.

I could also hand draw a stencil. That would have to be pretty basic and not detailed.

Inspired by the Hollister shirts that are in style right now, I was thinking of doing an appliqué for the image, and having the image be blocky and basic such as their current seagull design. Copying after Hollister I could also be rough with the stitching which meshes well with my sewing talent level! I could use felt. I could use cotton and leave threads hanging like Hollister does. I could also use denim which I have a surplus of here from a former project. I have boxes of old jeans sitting in my basement waiting to be used.

The biggest thing of all that I am pondering is that I was considering using screen printing for this project. I got a basic beginner screen printing kit for Christmas and I have yet to take the wrapper off of it. I am scared to be honest.

Tonight I began by watching some DIY videos on YouTube that show the screen printing process. I have a feeling the basic components in the kit I own are not all that the guy in the video is using. At that moment I felt intimidated. (There are a lot of those videos on YouTube just do a search on the keyword “screen printing” or “screenprinting”.)

Tonight I decided to try for something easier. Grabbing an old cotton knit nightgown from my rag bag, I decided to experiment with the textile medium, acrylic paints and foam stamps.



I had fun experimenting. This was very easy. I first did solid lettering then I experimented with more dabbing on of the paint so that the letter came out with a distressed or aged look to it. This was so simple. The hardest part is trying to figure out how to line up the letters in a way that makes them spaced evenly and going in a straight line. I tried working with tape but that was not working very well. Maybe I’ll just go for a rough look.



It was ridiculously simple to use the foam stamps and acrylic paint and textile medium in this way. Now it has to air dry for 24 hours then must be heat set then always washed inside out.

Tonight I also altered a photo digitally but came to realize that the photos that I have are too complex and detailed. My kids want a certain image on the shirt, a log cabin that the children and their instructors built at their wilderness school homeschoolers class. This will be quite complex. I also realized I don’t have a good enough photo of 100% of the cabin as they want. If I really want to try that I’ll have to drive to the school and take a mile hike to get to the cabin to take a photo and start from there.

Now I am contemplating a graphic that is not photo-based, something simpler. Perhaps the image could be the crow that watches over the children as they are in class (it follows them on their hikes if you can believe it). The image could also be of an evergreen tree or even a pine cone. Maybe I could find a copyright-free silhouette in one of my Dover books. (Although I need to say that after I bought a few of the Dover “copyright free” design books I read the copyright page which limits the buyer of the book to use only a limited number of the designs. Talk about false advertising.)



Up and coming is I need to work on ATCs for a swap I’m hosting on Swap-bot.com for another technique in the Bernie Berlin book “Artist Trading Card Workshop”. This time we’re doing water transfers which is another new-to-me technique.



I will have free time on Friday to make some art and I hope I’ll have time on Sunday after church as well. Update: the weather changed my plans and I had no free time on Friday. Now I also have plans with extended family to celebrate a birthday on Sunday. Other than what I did the other night I will have no free time until possibly Wednesday night, Feb 6th. It is crazy how the calendar fills up.

Books I'm Using To Make ATCs This Month

Thank You For Your Amazon Purchases

Thank you for making your Amazon purchases through my blog. I don’t know who you are but I appreciate it!

(By clicking through the Amazon links here on my blog and making your purchases I make a small commission on each sale. Once you click through you can buy anything you want from Amazon, I don't have to have a special link to it here on my blog. I am told what was purchased but not who purchased it so your sale is confidential.)

I just received the payment and after chipping in a few bucks I was able to use my Amazon gift certificate payment to buy myself these three books. I really felt that I needed some reading material for my own self that was about creativity. There is one book about writing poetry, one about making art with mixed-media and the last is about making books from scratch (making an actual book not writing the words).

Happy Learners (Photo of the Day)

Homeschoolers at a homeschool science class (my younger son is on the far right). This is a wonderful six hour science,nature, and wilderness skills class held in the outdoors. This is a class my children attend. It is an example of how homeschoolers use the world as their classroom and that learning can take place in the community and alongside other children; not all the learning is done at the kitchen table and taught by mom. (This teacher is a retired science school teacher whose grandson is homeschooled, he is a fantastic teacher and all the kids love him.)

Photo taken and altered digitally by ChristineMM. Photo taken in June 2008 in Connecticut.

I’m Back To Reality

Today I am back to reality. My family and I have spent the last eight days at Disney World. I let myself live both mentally and physically in the land of make believe for a full eight days. (Yes I said “let myself live” because this was an intentional act, to give myself permission to escape from reality.)

It was wonderful.

(Just opening the Disney travel home page and listening to their music is a little escape from reality in fact! If you go to the website you’ll see their promotion for the Year of a Million Dreams sweepstakes where they are giving away one million prizes in this calendar year. In case you doubt that they are really doing it I’ll share that our entire family won a prize one day while at a park, something they call a Dream Fastpass where we could go on all the Fastpass attractions in that park that day using the Fastpass, at the time of our convenience.)

This trip was a celebration. It was a trip we had postponed for nearly five years. (The kids have been very patiently waiting all this time.) This is our first vacation in five years to a ‘vacation place’ that we planned and paid for. So this was a special trip for us, it wasn’t a common thing, and we were grateful for this fun week. And it was very last minute also, booked just ten days prior to our departure date, which was atypical for us to do.

I shed all care for the outside world during that time and it was great. I barely thought of my personal life, of challenges, of problems, and of my relatives. I didn’t think of my volunteer jobs and responsibilities. I didn’t feel guilty for missing a Cub Scout Pack meeting. I forgot all about winter weather and Connecticut and of life in Fairfield County. I didn’t think about anything to do with homeschooling except to be grateful that we could travel without being tied to travel only on ‘school vacation weeks’.

I didn’t ponder anything intellectually challenging or expend mental energy on anything bothersome happening in our culture, in America (like the Presidential race and primaries) or the world. I didn’t ponder much about the marketing giant that Disney is and I didn’t let myself feel that I was a victim of it because last week I was a willing participant in the experience. I didn’t think about the complaints about Disney movies or any of that angry stuff. Rather than being annoyed that nearly every Disney animated movie starts with the mother dying or the child being an orphan I reminded myself that a good story has to start with a challenge and some conflict to resolve, and left it at that. (If you don’t believe me you may want to read about mythic structure in stories by reading either “A Hero With a Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell or the new third edition of “The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers 3rd edition” by Christopher Vogler.

I was so out of touch that while on the plane ride home while channel surfing during a commercial while I was watching a new-to-me show “Make Me a Supermodel”, I found out the State of the Union Address was happening. (I felt ashamed to have been so in the dark.) In my defense, when I found out it was on I did watch some of it. No one in my line of vision was watching the President speak either. The 30 something man next to me was watching “Family Guy” a cartoon rated PG-14, which I watched for a couple of minutes and was shocked at the content of. Others around me were watching the same model show as I was and also "America’s Next Top Model", ESPN (did you know Disney owns ESPN?), "Brett Michael’s Rock of Love II" (a reality show on VH1 in the style "The Bachelor" which has been pornified and pushes boundaries in my opinion). At one point while on the plane ride home, I stood up to stretch my legs and it was a sight to see a dark airplane with every person watching TV on all different channels, plugged in and focused on the little screens, with only one person watching the President. I wished I had my camera handy as I would have loved to take an existing light photo of that as there was something very creepy about the whole thing. But I digress…

Back to the trip itself, I didn’t wonder was emails were coming in (I still haven’t opened my email.) I didn’t feel the urge to peek at my blog or publish a prepared posting for five full days. (That is an amazing thing for me, trust me.) I didn’t write anything nor did I create anything at all (art wise). This trip was about consuming and living only in the moment.

Ignorance is bliss let me tell you. I feel like I willingly went to live in Plato’s cave by buying that Disney resort vacation, and living in that artificial world, but now I have to come back out to the real world. It’s almost too bad that I can’t go back to living my whole life like that, in that land of being just a passive recipient of fun and entertainment, where I’m living in a literal artificially constructed world where fun and entertainment are daily goals which always get fulfilled, then to go to sleep, wake up, and do it all over again. Other than parenting my kids, I had no true responsibilities. It was so easy to live where the only decisions I had to make were about which park to visit, which rides to go on, what to eat for meals and which souvenirs to buy.

“One of the great ironies upon visiting Disney World is the wave of relief that overwhelms you upon entering the place—relief to be free of the nerve-shattering traffic and the endless ugly sprawl. By contrast the Disney resort seems like a verdant sanctuary. That was the plan, of course—Team Rodent left the park buffered with thousands of unspoiled acres, to keep the charmless roadside schlock at bay.”
- Team Rodent by Carl Hiaasen, page 5

In fact as we drove around the resort I observed the careful planning that made it seem like the place was huge and undisturbed. They don’t do that everywhere, I noticed but they do it at intersections and places where you are likely to notice, it seemed to me. Careful observation revealed to me that planning by architects and landscape architects reveals that things are tucked away and hidden carefully to make the place look more pretty and larger than it is. I noticed careful landscaping hiding what would be considered normal wild roadside plants and swampy areas. Just as in Epcot where they make you walk a long time to reach your destinations, the roads and roadside landscaping do make you think you are in a fancy, sprawling resort, when in fact I was surprised to see that we were practically a stone’s throw to Epcot despite its gates being a five minute drive away.

Truth be told, our “moderate level” Disney resort was nothing more than a cheap motel on grounds seen more typically at high-end resorts. But I put these observations and opinions all to the side, as I did also the complaints I had about our room, and let myself believe the image that was being displayed as believing the myth made me happier and happy was what I wanted to be. And so I was happy. And life was good.

This feeling so far removed from the real world was accomplished in part by the fact that my husband accidentally forgot to bring the electrical power cord and battery recharger for his laptop. We didn’t want to pay $10 a day to the Disney resort to get high speed access, so I was online only for about 20 minutes, with a slow dial up connection in those eight days, limited by the low and eventually dead battery. My husband had to drive to a nearby Panera Bread a few times to check his business email on his handheld. He kept in touch with the world more than I did, relying on his cell phone to talk with relatives and business associates. I was intentionally withdrawing from the real world.

We were so busy and having so much fun that we both didn’t even have the time (or much desire) to watch TV news (we just wanted to crash at night as soon as we returned to the hotel room). We were so far removed from real life that my husband didn’t even know that the Fed lowered the interest rate by ¾ of a percent for a day and a half. (As my husband told his friend that is a true measure of what a good time we were having on our vacation, to be so out of touch with the real world as to not know that!) And yippee also, because that is now saving us hundreds a month!

We got home at about one this morning. After sleeping in, the kids and I are reacquainting ourselves with our home. I’m doing a laundry marathon. And still resisting opening my email…

Some other time I may write about our experiences and give tips about visiting Disney World and do a book review on the fantastic travel book that I used to help plot our trip. I have abandoned the Birnbaum Disney guides and converted to “The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World With Kids” by bob Sehlinger and Liliane J. Opsomer with Len Testa.

Books Referred to in This Post











Technorati Tags: Disney vacation, Walt Disney World.

My Word of the Year

On the Creative Mom Podcast #81 Amy Cowen discussed people picking a word of the year. This idea was first read by Amy on Ali Edward's blog at the beginning of 2007. Then on the CMP Circle Yahoo Group, some members have been discussing what their word should be and what they will do with the word.

After much thought and thanks to Nicole (who nailed the right word for my definition). I picked my word.

I claim the word "content" as my word of the year.

Content (adjective)
1. satisfied with what one has, not wanting anything else
2. satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
3. the state or feeling of being contented

A little background is this year I want to focus on what I have and the goodness in my life. I want to not want for more when I already have so much goodness around me. I want to use and appreciate and be grateful for what I have and to not long for yet more stuff or different things. I want to just be happy with what I already posess.

This discussion has been so interesting. I’m learning about others in the group by reading what they are sharing about their words and why they chose them.

I plan to go to a nearby pottery place that sells unfinished pottery and buy a coffee mu. I will paint that mug and they will fire it for me. I will also make an artsy sign to hang at my desk where I can see it every day.

My ATC: Gift

This ATC was made from the thematic prompt "Gift" for the December CMP ATC Exchange.

I think the message is clear but I'll state it just in case it is not. The word gift relates in this case to people giving themselves the gift of time to do something that you want to do in order to have some enjoyment in your life.

The background was made using the "paint on paper towel" technique which I learned from the book "Artist Trading Card Workshop" by Bernie Berlin.

I typed the word on my word processor and printed it on my computer printer. I used a tissue paper circle sold as party confetti over the top. The bird image is a die cut from a mail order catalog. (I made it long ago and it has been sitting in my pile of ephemera bits.) The long strip is my painting from an old project, a scrap. The fortune is from a fortune cookie that I got with some Chinese take out food months ago.

I chose the bird image specifically because birds have been discussed many times on the Creative Mom Podcast and on the CMP Circle Yahoo Group.



Technorati Tags: artist trading card, ATC.

My ATC: Beginnings

Made in reaction to the thematic prompt "beginnings" for the CMP ATC Exchange.

Background was made with the paint on paper towel technique. Image of the woman from a Dover children's book catalog. Compass face from a broken compass that belonged to my son. Fortune from a fortune cookie from take out Chinese food. The two other pieces are scraps of paper from past projects.

Background paper technique learned from the book “Artist Trading Card Workshop” by Bernie Berlin.

ATC was made by me on 1/16/08.



Technorati Tags: artist trading card, ATC.

Art From Migrant's Trash

I enjoyed this article from the first page of yesterday's Wall Street Journal.

Article title: Desert Castaways Get Second Life In Art Exhibition
Ms. James Finds Material In Items Left by Immigrants;
Cactus Needles in a Mitten
By MIRIAM JORDAN
Published in: The Wall Street Journal
Date: January 17, 2008; Page A1

Artist Valerie James collects interesting (to her) trash left behind by migrant workers. She has two exhibits. One is a display in a building she owns. The other one consists of assemblages in an art exhibit in Tucson Arizona isn’t doing so well:

“Many people react strongly -- and not all positively -- to the assemblage of "junk" art. Gallery owner Randy Ford says the exhibit hasn't been as well attended as he had expected. He believes area residents are tired of the immigration issue.”

My reaction to that is that I think the show would be of more interest in places not near the border. I think the show would be of interest in New York City, for example. I would attend this exhibit if it were near me.

I am interested in trying to construct the story behind some of the left behind items. That is just how my mind works.

And I really like the idea of making art from trash. In my own art explorations I have challenged myself to do things such as use only junk mail or recycled items in order to try to give new life and meaning to something that was destined for the trash or for the recycling bin.

Good News

I have mentioned on here on my blog previously that my husband was looking for new employment. The good news is he has accepted a job offer.

The good things about the job are that we don’t have to relocate. In fact he will have the shortest commute he’s ever had in his life, just twenty minutes on back roads.

Not having to not go into New York City (90-120 minutes each way depending on where the office is in the city) will be a blessing. Not taking the train will save us money. And he won’t be working in a city that has been and continues to be a target for terrorists. (He was in NYC on 9/11, a scary story I’ve shared here on my blog in the past.)

Being able to avoid the jammed highways of I-95 and the Merritt Parkway will be fan-tas-tic. Not only will that reduce stress but his chance of getting in an accident is less (even though the likelihood of a deer strike is higher on the back roads).

And his hours are not long either.

We are happy for all these good things.

Haiku Monday, About Today's Snowstorm

The much-hyped snowstorm began last night at 11pm. Depending on where one lives in Connecticut, 3-15 inches will fall. They called for a dangerous commute this morning, that must have caused the town to agree to plow before the last flake fell (my town's usual policy). So the plow woke me up at five in the morning and I've been up ever since.

I used the time to read more of the book "Staring at the Sun". I'm nearly finished with it.

I just decided to take a look outside now that it is getting light out, and so stood on my front steps in my pajamas and robe, snapping photos and taking mental notes to use for Haiku Monday. So here they are.

Snow falls silently
Slow dripping sound in gutter
No man-made sounds though

Every branch coated
The forest a wall of white
Tinted grayish blue

The trees silhouette
All so different, unique
The snow changes them

It is so quiet
Are the creatures all sleeping?
No, squirrels at play.

Nothing is moving
Except two squirrels chasing
Up the great oak tree

Silly Little Thing

You Are a Turkey Sandwich

Conservative and a bit shy, you tend to stick with what you know and trust. You are very introverted, and you prefer to blend in whenever possible. Though you may be hard to know well, anyone who does know you considers you a true friend. Your best friend: The Ham Sandwich Your mortal enemy: The Tuna Fish Sandwich

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?

Greetings From My Town To Yours (Photo of the Day)

As I snapped these photos cars blew by us too fast to even notice this beauty.

I feel sad for them.

I am happy I took the time to see this and to take these photos (it took less than one minute of my time).

Photo taken by ChristineMM on 1/6/08 in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Something Happened

Something happened...something good.

I can't tell you yet.

(sorry)

It prevented me from being able to create ATCs last night as I had to go do something in relation to the other great thing that is happening to celebrate the good thing that is happening.

The thing is so good, we're celebrating tonight with the special champagne we purchased in Napa Valley while on our honeymoon.

I am heading upstairs to color with my Berol Prismacolor colored pencils on book pages to then turn into altered text ATCs for an "Altered Text" themed ATC swap.

Now That's a Boot! (Photo of the Day)

Holy Moly that boot is huge!

And my boys are getting big too! My younger son is now 7.5 and my older son is 10.

Photo taken by ChristineMM on New Years Day, 2008 at L.L. Bean in Freeport Maine.

The Best Looking McDonald's (Photo of the Day)

Here is the best looking McDonald's I've ever seen, located in Freeport, Maine, on Main Street.

The town put strict zoning restrictions on McDonald's. Note the subtle signeage. Additionally they banned sound from the drive-through window. When you go through you have to act on faith that they heard what you said then proceed to the window. The last time I went through it, they didn't have the screen to use to communicate either.

If you double click on the photo to make it larger you might be able to see the McDonald's sign which hangs over the door.

Creative Block on an Idea

I am stuck on an idea for a themed ATC swap.

Oddly lately I have the worst creative block on a simple ATC swap that I do once a month that requires that only one ATC be created. I think after many months of being stuck I have figured out what my problem is.

When I have to create a volume of something, 6 or 9 or more ATCs, I just start making stuff and make a bunch and then pick the best to swap out. But when I have to create just one I get stuck and scared almost and want it to be right and perfect.

I'm trying to make an ATC for the theme of "gift".

My first idea was to draw a present. I am not a great drawer, so I scrapped this.

Since I was trying my hand at metal crafting I thought next I'd do a simple graphic of a present but made out of joined metal pieces. I'm having challenges using the eyelets as cold connections so I nixxed that idea.

My newest idea is to not make a present/gift image but to think more in general of a gift. Of something other than material things for gifts. The gift of time. The gift of life. Something like that.

I need to just get making and get this over with.

The weird thing is that for me I already know that the way to break the creative block is to get making art and just make stuff and then new ideas come and stuff gets made, often in abundance. However I have not let myself sit down to make art here at home since way before Christmas.

I am going to make an appointment with myself and make myself follow through. I hereby declare that Friday night after dinner I will have some 'me time' to make art at the kitchen table.

Maybe I can also get that one ATC for the January swap out of the way as well. The theme for January's swap is 'beginnings'.

Haiku Monday 1/07/08

Fifty degrees out
The smell of spring in the air
What wacky weather!

Eleven degrees
The other day and now it
is fifty degrees.

Homeschooling began
Christmas break is now over
Hitting the books hard.

Some Scans of My Recent Journalling

Here are a few scans of the journal I am working in right now.

I am guessing the size of the journal is 10x10 inches so the scans are not showing all of the page. This is a blank book that I bought maybe five or six years ago but was 'afraid' to write in. I'm working on filling up all the blank books I own right now, what else are they good for? I don't want them just hogging up shelf space!!

While out of town last week I colored 56 backgrounds with water soluble oil pastel crayon and then used water to blend them. I also did some journaling onto the pages.

(My boys then wanted in on the fun and they both did some of their own drawing with the crayons and using water. My younger son also asked to do some of the water application on the pages I was prepping.)

Here is a more light journal page I did.



Here are two facing pages waiting to be journaled upon.



This is pretty emotional writing in my journal. I had not intended to show this to anyone but here it is anyway. I wanted to show that not all of my journal pages are happy pastel colors and not all of my thoughts and writing are super-upbeat, happy and light.



More pages that I create and work on while at home will contain more collage on top of the colored backgrounds. I was working with very limited material while away (the magazines I’d brought along to read while on the trip).

The inspiration to try water soluble oil pastel crayons was from Teesha Moore.

Technorati Tags: journaling, artist journal, mixed-media collage.

I Was Wrong About the Pens

I finally found my issue of Art & Life #9 last night, tucked in someplace where it didn't belong. I re-read the part about where Teesha Moore shared a recommendation for a certain Sharpie pen that works well on top of oil pastel crayon.

I was wrong in my memory and thus ordered a different product than she recommended.

Teesha Moore recommended the Sharpie Poster Paint pen which comes in various tip sizes and colors, including white. She specifically said she does not recommend the oil paint pen. She said the poster paint Sharpie is hard to find but is sold by DickBlick.com.

Oh well, I had ordered and am using the Sharpie oil paint pen. At times it is leaking and leaving blobs on my paper. It also has a scent that bothers me a little. I don't know if it is just a scent I don't like or if this is a fume that is not so great to be inhaling (to be honest).

I plan to try the Sharpie Poster Paint pen some time in the future!

(I wish there was a local store in my area that sold them so I could just go buy one and not pay big shipping fees or feel pressured to make a big order to 'make the shipping cost worth it'.

Mixed-Media Collage: An Exploration of Contemporary Artists, Methods and Materials: Book Review by ChristineMM

Title: Mixed-Media Collage: An Exploration of Contemporary Artists, Methods and Materials
Author: Holly Harrison
Publication: Quarry Books, 2007
Format: softcover book
ISBN: 9781592533169

Book review by ChristineMM



My Rating: 5 stars

Has a Major Focus on the Creative Process and What Inspires the Artists

How I Discovered This Book: While shopping on Amazon.com this book popped up as a recommendation based on other books that I purchased. Later Amazon gave me a gold box discount offer on this book so I bought it for myself with money received for Christmas gift.

After a quick introduction to collage and collage tools, the book is divided into two sections.

Section one features in-depth profiles of five artists. Each artist is interviewed and interesting questions are asked about their creative process, their inspiration and why they choose to use the materials that they do. Multiple pieces of their artwork are shown. One project is featured with stepped-out directions and photos so you can learn their technique.

The five artists profiled and directions for their project are:
1. Laurinda Bedingfield: 3D collage book sculpture with photographs
2. Barbara DePirro: using acrylic gel medium to create the look of encaustic
3. Paula Grasdal: printmaking and collage
4. Sharon McCartney: mixed-media multi-paneled wall hanging
5. Teesha Moore: mixed-media journal page

Section two is a gallery of two pieces of artwork from 20 different contemporary mixed-media artists. The information includes brief technique explanation, inspiration, and a list of supplies used.

The strengths of this book are that there is a great variety of type of artwork represented. This is not a book of fads and trends. It was clear to me that each artist is following their own voice and making their own unique kind of art that they enjoy working with. For this reason I treasure the book, because there are other publications on the market which seem to display the ‘trend of the season’. This book is fresh and unique. Just seeing different types of artwork and seeing these artists using their own inner voices to guide their art (even if I personally didn’t love the look of all of it) made me want to go and make some art.

The book closes with some essays on the topic of the artist on the Internet. Directions on how to do photo transfers and how to do encaustic collage are provided.

The book has a products resource guide, a vendor listing and a directory of all the artists featured in the book.

The paper in the book is high quality glossy paper. The layout is very nice and the photographs are in full-color. This was very nicely put together.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in mixed-media collage. If you love to read about what inspires artists and about people’s creative process you will really enjoy this book.

Additional Thoughts on How This Book Affected Me
My personal take-away from this book is a feeling of freedom of expression and a desire to go make my own personal style of art. In the past I have felt uncomfortable when I was creating art that was not the current trend. Also while doing mail art swaps I have been criticized for making art that is not the hot fad of the day, for using different colors or materials than some people were. I have been a fan of Teesha Moore’s for a couple of years and emulate a bit of what she does but other than that I personally don’t plan to copy the work of these artists even though there are stepped out directions for five projects. What each of us takes away from a book is unique and that is alright.



Technorati Tags: mixed-media collage, Holly Harrison, collage books, creative process.

Finally Finished a Metal Crafting Project

Over a year ago I bought and read the book “Metal Craft Discovery Workshop” by Linda and Opie O’Brien.



After reading it the first time I tried making something but I lacked all the right tools and I could not finish the project. Specifically my files were not right or good and it was leaving sharp, dangerous edges. I also lacked anything to make the cold connections with. (The book covers the use of brads, rivets and wire.) Yes, I did not even own metal wire. So I stopped thinking about making something right then.

I slowly gathered tools as I came across them and put them in a box with all the other metal crafting tools. I saved some tins and other metal pieces to use in the future.

My last acquisition was about four weeks ago when I went into Home Depot myself in search of the right metal files. My husband claimed they really did not sell them there. Well I found them on a gigantic wall of files, down at the height of my ankle. I bought the cheaper brand set with a handle and it was just under $10.

And I have read the book a total of three times since I first bought it! That is how much I wanted to do metal crafting.

Last month I had an idea for a project. I figured I’d start small.

Last week I was going away on a trip to visit my grandmother. I knew we’d most likely be snowed in and having quiet time in the house. I gathered up everything I thought I may need and brought this book along and decided I’d do it.

I waited for a day when I had time and when other relatives were not coming over to visit. I laid out all the tools.

It was then that actual fear gripped me. I am not kidding. I was scared to actually cut the metal and try anything. I sat there for just a few minutes then I talked myself out of the fear. I forced myself to just jump in.

To make things easy I began by deconstructing an aluminum can (specifically a Starbucks iced coffee drink can which had cool stripes in the design). I realized the smallest shears were the right tool for the job. If I cut carefully, I didn’t even have to file the metal.

I had trouble with the brads. I am brad-challenged. I don’t know what is wrong but they don’t work for me.

I then switched to using wire for the cold connections.

I made my little project. Hooray!

My ten year old inserted himself into this in the middle of my exploration. He was begging to learn to do it. So I taught him. He had a concept and he cut out the metal and punched the holes using the two-hole punch (that is not a power tool).

My seven year old said he wanted a finished piece. I then did ¾ of the work on a new project to give to him.

This whole project took me over three hours and by that time I’d had enough and I put it away.

I will say this, learning a new skill such as this is not all fun and games. I have no experience with jewelry making so my skill working with wire is not good.

Before I can consider doing this kind of art something that helps get rid of stress I will have to perfect my skills with these new materials and with these new-to-me tools. I am sure once I am used to these it will be more fun and less work and therefore I’ll have less frustration with myself due to my lack of ability with the materials and tools.

I will share a scan of the finished piece as soon as I can scan and upload it. It is a little robot.

For now I am patting myself on the back that I had the courage to try something totally new. I am proud also that I taught myself to do this with using only the Metal Craft Discovery Workshop book as my guide and teacher.

If you have been curious about how to do metal crafting and you are interested in learning cold-process connections, this is the book to use. The book by the O’Brien’s is also full of inspiration and eye candy. They also teach the skills of how to color metal, etch metal, change the finish on the metal, transfer images onto metal, collage onto metal, and more.

If you are interested in learning to solder I would recommend Lisa Vollrath’s book “Metal Mania” which is sold on her site "Ten Two Studios".

You might also see if you can find any video demonstrations on YouTube about soldering. I bet there are some out there (I have not looked yet). Learning to solder is on my list of things I want to do. (My mother knows how and she could teach me; she used to make stained glass windows. It is nice to have an option of having a real live person teach you things.)



Technorati Tags: metal crafting, metal craft.

Thoughts and Ideas About Journalling

I have been thinking about journal keeping and artist journals.

There are so many opinions about what should and should not be in a journal. I'll talk first about what I've read and my own experience and at the end I'll share my new opinions.

I began keeping a diary of writing when I was nine years old. It was the type that held five years of information in it yet only gave you about four lines to write in. I still have this diary and re-read it recently. In it I documented the weather, what I ate for dinner and what special things happened that day, like a big snowstorm, or me being sick and staying home from school. That diary didn't last long. I remember feeling that I wanted to write more but was breaking the rules if I wrote more than the four lines.

When I was a teenager I began keeping another diary. I found this in my saved papers about a week ago and was horrified to see what I had written. I was surprised that I was so honest with some very private details. I was also using a lot of profanity and saying things I'd never want my parents to read. The date indicated that it was September of my ninth grade year which put me at age 14. The crazy thing is I hope that my own kids are not the way that I was back then. Is that a bad thing to think?

I had kept a few journals in my adulthood but tapered off. I was using those as a brain dump type of journal where I'd complain and write out the bad stuff going on in my life to 'get it out of my brain'. However I'd never want to re-read it as when I looked back on it I thought I was over-reacting. Other things I was embarrassed about and didn't want anyone to read.

I was inspired to keep a different kind of journal after reading two books by Danny Gregory: Everyday Matters and The Creative License. Danny Gregory feels that we should look to the bright side of things and to document what we see and feel, but the good stuff, not anything negative.





I read some journals by artist Dan Price and in those he documents things he sees and does. These are simple things. These are not complaints or journals filled with negativity. How to Make a Journal of Your Life is about journalling and shows some of his journals. The other two are copies of his journalled entries for your reading pleasure (Moonlight Chronicles and Radical Simplicity).







In reading the journal pages of artist Teesha Moore, I see she documents a combination of what is on her mind, what she is doing and seeing and other times focuses on making art on the page then putting down a quote she likes in fancy artful lettering. (See Moore's website for examples of her journals. She publishes and has published zines and magazines which you can buy through her site TeeshaMoore.com.)

In reading The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, I see that Edith Holden's nature journal was filled with exquisite watercolor drawings of things seen in nature. She also documented things she saw, the weather, and poetry related to the season or creatures she saw. This diary is very intimidating as many of us regular people cannot draw or paint in this manner. The last thing I'll say is that Holden went out in a way that is unbelievable: while on a nature walk she fell into a stream and drowned. At least she died doing something that she loved!



In the book Wild Days, homeschool mom of a bunch of kids Karen Skidmore Rackliffe writes of spending days in nature with her children to escape from the stresses of regular life. The whole family is encouraged to keep a nature journal but each child does the journalling to a different degree. The author keeps her own nature journal and has taught herself to become a good artist using the power of observation and practice.



In Sabrina Ward Harrison's books, (Spilling Open, Brave on the Rocks and The True and the Questions) the first two which are copies of her journal pages, we see honestly and raw thoughts. We see the good and the bad, the fears and the worries, the happiness and the joys.







When I read Wide Open by Randi Feuerhelm-Watts, I was seeing new ways to journal and to be honest. That would open up journalling to yes, include negative thoughts or to document stressful things. We were encouraged to be real in our journalling.



In True Colors we see copies of some pages from artist journals. These journals were part of a round robin journal project where each artist started a book and chose a color combination. The journal rotated through 14 artists and each had to make an entry using those colors. That book is a visual feast. It is more about making art filled pages in colors rather than writing and sharing thoughts in a written word format.



The last book I read about journal keeping was Journal Revolution by Linda Woods and Karen Dinino I read encouragement to journal our thoughts, whatever they may be. We are encouraged to write out and make art about the negative things in our lives, too.



There are so many other books about art techniques that can be used in artist journals. Those talk more about technique itself, giving ideas or teaching certain techniques. The ideas in those books can be used in many different applications. Some of my favorites are The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery by Karen Michel, Alphabetica by Lynne Perrella and Artist Journals and Sketchbooks also by Lynne Perrella.







My Concluding Thoughts
In the end I think we all should do what we want to do regarding what, how, and why we journal. Our journals can be mostly writing or mostly art or a balance of the two. We can choose what we want to put in them. Those who choose to document their lives including the not-so happy parts are free to do as they please. Those who want their journals to be all happy and light can do that too.

If we choose to journal we should use the journal for our own means. We should not feel pressured to copy what others are doing. We should not feel constricted by rules. We should do what we want and have fun with it.

If a certain artist likes to use paint we should not feel mandated to use paint. If a certain artist prefers watercolor but we don't use watercolor paint we should not feel then that we should not journal. If an artist likes vintage images in collage we should not feel we have to use vintage images.

We probably would all be more creative and free if we allow ourselves to make our own rules.

I encourage you to take in as much inspiration and information as you desire. Feel free to take away from these books what you like and want to emulate. Feel free to leave behind what does not appeal to you.

I encourage you also to find your own voice rather than just copying or imiting what some published artist is doing.

Do what feels right and good and have fun with your journalling. The minute it becomes stressful it is more like work and a hassle and keeping a journal should not be like that, I don't think!

Currently Reading: Art & Fear

I have heard this book recommended and quoted all over the place: Art & Fear by David Bales and Ted Orland.

I finally own a copy. I got it through PaperBackSwap.com.

I began reading it a few days ago. I absolutely LOVE IT. Since so much of the book concentrates on the process of making art and the challenges and emotions with the process itself, I am really connecting with what the authors have to say.

I am reading this with a pencil in hand. I'm highlighting different passages that speak to me and marking notes in the borders. I don't do that with all books but when I feel the need to do it, for me that means the book is very good.

The book is easy to read and enjoyable. I'm half way through the 120 pages or so and figure I'll finish it in the next 2-3 days.

I can't recommend this book highly enough!

Update: I should have also mentioned that this book is often required reading in art classes at college for art students. So this book is well known in the artists' world and it is a well respected book.

Doing Art Journaling

Today I spent a few hours working on my art journal.

In the magazine Art & Life issue #9 Teesha Moore recommended using a certain Sharpie paint marker to write on top of water soluble oil pastel crayons. She recommended using Sharpie Poster Paint markers. I had an error in my memory and ordered Shaprie oil paint markers, so I'm using the oil paint markers.

Inspired by Teesha Moore, and needing a portable art material, I decided to finally do more art journaling with the water soluble oil pastel crayons. Today I made about 12 backgrounds for pages.

Then later when they were very dry I wrote for the first time with the oil paint markers. Wow they were great. The white was opaque, going down darker but drying quite opaque. It was too hard to read on the color background that I tried.

The black Sharpie oil paint markers are fan-tas-tic!

I don't know the pound weight of the paper that this journal has. Whatever it is, these markers bleed through to the other side.

I also tried writing with a regular fine point black Sharpie marker. That worked for a while then it got clogged up. Darn.

My younger son was curious about the work I was doing with the water soluble oil pastel crayons. I let him do some of the work. He liked the part where I was smearing the crayons with a damp facial tissue (instead of using a paint brush).

I plan to also collage on top of these pages. Tomorrow I think I will have even more time to make some backgrounds.

I am really feeling the drive to do more art projects just for me rather than being tied to swapping with other mail artists. It feels great to just play and not have it connected to a deadline.

My ATCs: Phone Book Paper

I took part in an artist trading card swap that required the use of phone book paper in it, in some way, any way. The swap was related to use techniques in the book by Bernie Berlin called "Artist Trading Card Workshop".

I usually don't make numerous ATCs with the same general design but this time I made three, the fruit bowls.

Fruit Bowl 1


Background: glossy white cardstock which I colored with Ranger alcohol inks and the gold version of the alcohol inks. Colored phone book paper with ink pads and used scrap papers to collage with.

Fruit Bowl 2
Background: crackle paint technique made with crackle medium and acrylic paint. Colored phone book paper with ink pads and used scrap papers to collage with.


Ornaments

Background: glossy white cardstock which I colored with Ranger alcohol inks and the gold version of the alcohol inks. Colored phone book paper with ink pads and used scrap papers to collage with.

Umbrella

Background: Weather map from newspaper. Colored phone book paper with ink pads.

Still Life with Wine
Background: watercolor paper with acrylic paint applied with old credit card. Cancelled postage stamp supposed to look like a painting on a wall. Tabletop, wine bottle and wine glass from phoen book paper colored with rubber stamp inks.



Fruit Bowl 3: Used in Swap for theme "Gather" for CMP Circle ATC Swap

Another with crackle medium used with acrylic paint for the background. Paint sample chip and scraps used to make the ATC. Phone book paper colored with rubber stamp ink.


He's A Player
Background acrylic paint in several colors applied with stipple brush. Rubber stamped image. Names from phone book paper applied. Hand lettering. My least favorite.




Technorati Tags: artist trading card, ATC.

Brothers (Photo of the Day)

My boys at the FIRST LEGO League regaional competition.

I think their cozy body language tells a story.

Photo taken by ChristineMM, December 2007.

Haiku Monday 12/10/07

The North South Virus
This is what I was fighting!
The battle was lost.

Hard to mother them
When I need to be tended.
Glad husband was home.

Haiku by ChristineMM
12/10/07

(Once I was feeling better I wrote this for the 'Creative Mom Podcast Circle' Haiku Monday challenge to write haiku about something relevant to our lives on this day.)

Thoughts About My Visit To Barnes & Noble Today

For the first time in over a year I took a trip to a brand new Barnes & Noble store. And I was alone. I was free to browse!

I had a gift card that I was willing to use if I found something worthy. I am so unused to buying books at the local B&N that this thing has been sitting in my wallet for four months unused!

I have an educator discount card which they give to home educators and teachers. However my 'store cards' are over an inch thick and somehow in changing pocketbooks last summer I misplaced all of them. I was thinking I might have to re-apply for a new card. I hate renewing time as the staff always asks me for further proof of homeschooling above and beyond my homeschooling ID card. They usually want a 'letter from the state'. Well no such thing exists in Connecticut. They seem so worried of fraud with people pretending they homeschool that it is ridiculous. Actually to be more fair the local Borders (Fairfield CT) has really harrassed me about my purchases. Asking for every book, "Are you sure this is for homeschooling?". Duh, it is a children's history book, a science book, so on and so forth. Well guess what local bookstore cashiers, you've driven my sales to Amazon.com. With Amazon I get larger discounts than their educator discounts, I get free shipping and I don't pay the 6% sales tax, and I don't use gasoline or waste my driving time either.

Anyhow...
First I glanced at the magazines. I was really surprised at how so many people were sitting there reading the magazines. But worse was the guy reading a newspaper (that he didn't pay for) and he was making a mess of it. That takes gall.

I then selected three arts and crafts books to look at. I had not been able to tell when viewing the info on Amazon from the Internet if they were worth owning or not, if I could really use them or if they were not of interest to me.

One book I skimmed is about making books (binding one's own books). I have an issue with written directions. Sometimes they make no sense to me. Sometimes the accompanying illustations are helpful and sometimes they are confusing. I found a great book that I would love to own. I saw some that are in that category of books that I'd never be able to understand. So now I have a book on my wish list that I want "How To Make Books" by Esther K. Smith. I really, really want this book. It has such a range of projects and teaches the copic stitch among other things.



I have blogged in the past about the book "Stupid Sock Creatures" by John Murphy. I was surprised to see a tabletop display that had three different books that make odd looking creatures out of socks and/or gloves and/or fabrics. Since I love John Murphy's book so much I wished it was on the table with that display so maybe he'd make some sales. These are the books I saw there which I'd not known about before.





1. "Sock and Glove: Creating Charming Softy Friends from Cast-Off Socks and Gloves" by Miyako Kanamori. Most of the examples in the book were with white socks or cream colored socks with accent colors and resembled twists on the old sock monkeys. They were so white they all looked like they were made with brand new socks by the way. Very cute and muted. Not too 'weird'. Publshed November 2006.



2. "Plush-o-Rama: Curious Creatures for Immature Adults" by Linda Kopp. Cute and wacky and weird creatures, all colors. Published May 2007.



3. "Softies: Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals" by Therese Laskey, Leah Kramer, and Laurie Frankel. Silly and odd in the same way as John Murphy's "Stupid Sock Creatures" but using felt and fabrics. Published August 2007.



All of those books on making stuffed creatures are fun and worth buying if you are into that kind of crafting and have the money to spend! They were all different enough and had different visual insipiration value.

Last week I watched a re-run of an episode of "Craft Lab" on the DIY Network. A few months ago, after clicking through art and craft blogs I found Jennifer Perkins blog and read that she hosts this show that I hadn't known existed. The guest was Laura Mika. My boys wanted to watch the show with me as they love working with polymer clay. The big project they did in the book is outlined in her July 2007 book "Mixed Media Mosaics: Techniques & Projects Using Polymer Clay Tiles, Beads & Other Embellishments". I skimmed the book and it was full of inspirational photos and had directions for other projects as well. Once you have the basics down (which I learned from watching the show) you don't need to own the book. This is a book that I'd buy for the inspirational viewing and for easy reference if I wanted to make the various projects as she did. If money was not an object I'd definately buy it.



I also read another book which was very good. My pen was not working so I could not jot down the title and I just knew I'd forget it (darn). It was a nifty book that sought to explore the crafting revolution and to discuss the 'scene' as it has been evolving. The book also had directions to make all kinds of different crafts ranging from paper crafts to knitting to needleworking to sewing. I would not make most of what was in there but it was a very fun book and quite affordable for all that it offered for a full retail of JUST $17.95. Darn now I wish I remembered the title!

I glanced at the books for teachers and was sorely disappointed in their selections. I was hoping to find some of Carol Butzow's books there and was going to buy one or two. I know Amazon doesn't discount them so I wouldn't care about buying them at B&N using my educator discount.





I then visited the manga section for the first time and was blown away. I cannot believe how much manga is out there. My older son is asking to read Naruto (a manga series which is also an anime cartoon and also a trading card game) as he has seen a couple of episodes of the carton while visiting my brother (who was showing it to his then-four year old, who is now five and still watching it). I noted that Naruto series of manga was not rated (some of the manga books are rated T for Teen). However on page 14 of volume one there was a nude woman with the absolute essentials covered but nothing else. That was enough to me to underscore I won't be having them read those anytime soon. (This weekend I also have been emailing with a local homeschooling mother whose 13 year old son I saw reading it last week. That teen said the series is not right for kids and that in his opinion 'none of the manga is'.)


On the way out I saw a big display next to the door for "The Dangerous Book for Boys" and "The Daring Book for Girls" (both for 20% off). I had read some controversy or shall I say complaints on blogs about the book for girls. I'll say this: the glitter on the cover was unnecessary and was a mistake, I believe. That's all I'll say about that. Once I had watched a promo video for "Dangerous" on Amazon.com and it looked cool but to be honest we already own The American Boys Handy Book" which has all that stuff and more. I own other books of 'stuff to do' and even some antique Boy Scout Handbooks which have all that stuff in them. I don't need yet another book with the same old stuff reprinted into a new format.







Dragonology book


Wizardology book


I then noticed calendars modeled after the books "Dragonology" and "Wizardology". They were both gorgeous. My boys don't yet have a need for their own wall calendar or I may have bought "Dragonology". I hesitate to admit this as some of my blog readers will say "I told you so" but after my son read "Wizardology" my older son was acting like the magic was real. He was saying spells and asking questions about spells. I tell my son that they are not real as I don't believe in witchcraft. Interestingly enough some of the customer reviews on Amazon say the spells are not accurate for reference for those truly wishing to practice magic. I don't believe in witchcraft so to me it is not real. However some of my Catholic and Christian friends tell me magic is indeed real and for this reason they choose to not allow their children to read Harry Potter or "Wizardology" and some other books which have magic in them.

Wizardology 2008 Wall Calendar


Dragonology 2008 Wall Calendar


In the children's section, which was GIGANTIC and highly decorated and made into a little sub-room of the store, I noticed new ways of organizing the books. The books have labels such as "grades 3-6 ages 8-11" and then there are books in that category. The books were very nicely separated out. I don't recall that same system in the other nearby B&N stores. It was very helpful. In that category was Harry Potter and Gary Paulsen books among others.

I also noted right at the entrance a large display of the Pullman "His Dark Materials" trilogy, taking advantage of the movie release to bolster some book sales. The controversy over that continues on the blogosphere, on websites and in emails. In case you are wondering I bought the books used at library fundraiser books sales not even knowing the controversy. I plan to read them to myself after New Year's so I can have my own opinion. So far I don't like the idea of them at all.



So I left the store empty handed. That is another thing that kills me about the gift cards we get for B&N. Local relatives buy us B&N gift cards yet to use them in the local store for no discount plus 6% sales tax kills me. I see today that some books I wanted are far less discounted on B&N.com compared to Amazon.com. I would like the biggest bang for my buck and wished that B&N.com was comparable to Amazon.com.

Sigh, what to do?

I also had a thoght while walking around. I was feeling a bit burnt out by books. I just have too many around here. (Did I really say that?) There was a time when I'd yearn to own all the books in B&N and to have access to all of that information. But you know what? I already have books here yet unread and I'm feeling that they are overflowing and so I left empty-handed and content.

(Although I do still have this gift card to use...)

Wild Days: Creating Discovery Journals Book Review by ChristineMM

Title: Wild Days: Creating Discovery Journals
Author: Karen Skidmore Rackliff
Format: softcover book
ISBN-13: 978-1576360736
Publisher: self-published



This is a slim volume, a quick read, I finished it in under three hours. The author, Karen Skidmore Rackliff writes in a colloquial manner which is easy to understand. The author tells of how she and her seven homeschooled children spend one day out of every two weeks in nature. When the family (and especially mom) is feeling stressed out by errands and household tasks they pack meals and snacks and head off for a full day in nature. Rackliff calls these “wild days”.

When she decided to have her children keep nature journals, at first she forced each child to record words and images in what she calls a “discovery journal” (what others call a “nature journal”).

She is not ashamed to admit that her oldest son didn’t like this and said she feels that over time he continues to be disinterested. With subsequent children she stated she was less forceful, and simply modeled journaling by (continuing) to make her own journal in their presence. She said she felt that this was key in subsequent children being more creative artistically and with the written word in their own journals.

The author’s approach to their nature journals changed over time to what I feel is more like “unschooling” in which the child is placed in a stimulating environment with art supplies and a blank journal, and where the parent doesn’t really care if the journal is ever used or not. I wondered if the difference in her two sons’ reaction to their use of the discovery journal could possibly be due to the child’s interest or learning style; the son who was so creative with detailed writing entries may have a talent or special enjoyment of composing written journal entries rather than focusing on having more drawn images.

I appreciated the listing of published nature journals that are on the market today and plan to use these lists for future reading “wish lists”. However, being completely untalented in any area of artistic endeavor, I was wishing for some references for books for beginners, to learn basic drawing and watercolor skills. The author made it clear that she taught herself to draw and paint by just doing it, practicing and experimenting and feels we all should do it this way. While the notion of not needing to take classes or read books before starting a journal is appealing, it is actually scary to me. Here again, I think the author’s own learning style preference of just doing it and jumping in as a novice is due to her own learning style, whereas my comfort level-learning style is to learn a little about technique from reading about it to give me some concrete information and some confidence, before facing the blank page.

All in all when I finished the book I was excited at the idea of planned time in nature to observe, relax, and de-stress. I have always wanted to learn to draw and paint and this book has really inspired me. I also appreciated the content to support my continued attempt to have my own Charlotte Mason style homeschooled children keep a nature journal.

I would have preferred a bit more detail about which brands of art supplies are good, rather than her just saying “ask the storekeeper at the art supply store” for recommendations of good products.

I enjoyed the small black and white photographs of the discovery journal entries which ranged from her young children’s art to her own beautiful entries. They were nice to see and helped me get a gist for what is typical of young children’s drawings (when they are not taking formal art lessons).

Note: I bought this book in January 2003. I wrote this review in April 2003. I continue to recommend this book as it is the most ‘real’ book about nature journaling with children that I’ve ever seen. I also have since tried drawing in pencil and ink. I have read other books on art journals and drawing, check my profile to read those.

Technorati Tags: Wild Days, nature journaling, nature journal, Karen Skidmore Rackliffe, homeschooling, Charlotte Mason, nature study.

I Still Love the Book Wild Days

Last week on the CMP Circle discussion group someone asked about nature journaling and children. I quickly recommended my favorite nature journaling book "Wild Days" by Karen Skidmore Rackliffe.



I was sure I had written a review of it a long time ago, on Amazon. Yet it was not there. Hmmm. My Amazon account showed that I'd purchased the book in April 2003.

Sure enough there was the review sitting on my computer's hard drive. Yes, I have had this computer that long.

In these last four plus years I continue to find Wild Days the most read-able and the least-intimidating book about starting to draw from nature for the untrained person who feels or worries that they cannot draw but that they wish they could.

Today I submitted the review to Amazon.

I wanted to share that if you cannot get a copy of this through Amazon, try buying it from Penny Gardner's website. Penny Gardner is a homeschooling mother, author and speaker about homeschooling and the Charlotte Mason method. On Gardner's site you can read excerpts and even view some pages from nature journals which readers of the book created.

One thing I noted from my original review was I kept talking about learning styles. The reason is that within the two months prior, I had read a book about learning styles and that was fresh on my mind. I feel that learning styles are very important especially in the very early years of a child’s life. At the time I wrote the review my children were aged 2.5 and 5.5. I was homeschooling them and what their learning styles were was influencing how we homeschooled.

Look for my review on the book which I'll publish shortly.



Technorati Tags: Wild Days, nature journaling, nature journal, Karen Skidmore Rackliffe, homeschooling, Charlotte Mason, nature study.

The Tokyo Look Book: Book Review by ChristineMM

Title: The Tokyo Look Book
Author: Philomena Keet
Photographer: Yuri Manabe
ISBN 13: 978-4770030610
Publication Date: September 2007



5 stars

Why I Read This Book
I requested this book through the Amazon Vine program and finished reading it yesterday. Although I am not a fashion junkie, I am interested in ways that people express themselves and I’m interested in other cultures. I admire people who can work with fiber and sew their own fashions. I love seeing people take something old or out of fashion and recreating it into something new and fresh. I also was curious to learn of a fashion scene that is not just copying American fashion in another country.

I really loved it.

In The Tokyo Look Book, anthropologist Philomena Keet writes of the full spectrum of Tokyo's street fashion scene. This is the first book to cover all the types of fashion, to cover everything from Goth to high fashion. The text explains of each subculture and gives a bit of information on the people in the photographs, both about their clothing and a little about their lives. There are also spotlight features on specific designers that go into more detail about how they began in the fashion design business.

The photographs are great, showing the true personality of those pictured as well as capturing their clothing and accessories.

The book has a great aesthetic and is interesting to flip through. The paper is thick and glossy and it has a paperback cover.

I read the entire book cover to cover and found it very interesting. This is not just a book of fashion photos. I found Keet's explanation of the subcultures and of how and why they choose to wear these clothes so interesting. Keet received her doctorate degree in Tokyo's street fashion scene. My only complaint is that I would have liked just a little more information on each sub-culture and a chapter at the end to wrap everything up. It seems that Keet is so knowledgeable about 'the scene' that maybe she assumes the reader knows a bit more than they actually do. Keet states this is the only book to cover ALL the sub-cultures rather than focusing on single sub-culture's or a couple of certain ones (as Fruits magazine and the Fruits books do).

This is so different than the fashion scene with American teens and 20-something's. The idea that they dress to synchronize in small groups and cliques and try not to stand out as an individual too much was fascinating. And the idea that they dress up and hang out on a specific bridge so that spectators, photographers and tourists can see them is just something I didn't even know people did for fun! I found learning about and seeing these fashions fun. I enjoyed seeing the creativity of the people featured in the book.

I imagine that anyone working in fashion and curious about the fashion scene in Tokyo would of course be interested in this book. "Project Runway" junkies may like this book too. Those who love Japanese culture would enjoy it as well. Fiber artists and those who like to design their own clothing or those who re-use vintage garments and turn them into something new will also find the visual stimulation and creativity of the people inspiring. People watchers and those curious of other cultures also will enjoy this book as well.

This is a fun and interesting read! This may be interesting as a coffee table book as one reviewer stated but if all you do is flip through the photos you will miss out on the interesting parts that are in the text!