...in my hand-painted birthday tights from Australia. They were a *big* hit at school today, I could hardly walk past anyone without them making a comment about my flowery legs. (Thanks Kristi & Josh!)
Not too much to say today, but I thought I would post a couple pictures of the box/mini-book I started in a class with the talented Shelley on Tuesday night. Used a Maya Road box and book and delicious papers by Basic Grey. The box is to hold photos and other memorabilia from the wedding shower my mom and sister threw for me in 05'. Looking forward to a warm and sunny weekend with a little R&R.
The tulips have bloomed and they're beautiful and red. I'm really enjoying how our yard is changing every day - new blossoms and plants sprouting up. Spring is such a special time.
On Thursday, I turned 28. As the years go by, birthdays just seem like regular days. I was not planning to do anything special - school, then off to work at Reminisce like I do most every Thursday. But my husband and parents had other plans - mom and dad drove over from Des Moines to surprise me with a cheesecake at work! Then Cindy was kind enough to let me leave a little early and we all went out for a late dinner at Formosa. What a great surprise and nice birthday.
Friday afternoon I enjoyed a little time out on the porch enjoying the great spring weather and checking out the new growth in the yard - looks like the tulips will be blooming after all - I was afraid they would be done for after the freeze we had.
Saturday morning I taught a kid's class at Reminisce called "Crafty Kids". It was a nice little group of girls and we made a 6x6 book about friends. Looking forward to the kid's camp week at Reminisce in June, too.
And Saturday night I went for a girl's night out with a group of teachers from school. We went out for dinner first at Atlas and then over to Hancher Aud. to see the musical Hairspray. Good times.
Here's Helen working on paying her bill. ha ha
yeah... came home tonight with good intentions of cleaning house, but I managed to dismantle the vacuum and not be able to put it back together, so now I'm just procrastinating doing any of the several projects I have lined up. On the upside, I went out to coffee with Wendy this afternoon for a chat and she brought me an early birthday gift (much prettier in real life - and with a matching pendant)! And what about this gorgeous sunset?
So after several weeks of trying to get schedules to match up, today was the first of four visits from an artist-in-residency in my art room. She is teaching the students how to do gyotaku, a fish-printing technique. She brought 3 real fish and one rubber one, and the kids painted them and printed the fish images onto muslin fabric. I'm planning to stitch them together and make wall hangings to stay in our school. Below are bits of the finished prints.
I also stayed after school tonight to help supervise our K-12 art show. Each teacher brought around 25 pieces to add to the exhibit and the final product is really, really nice. It was fun to talk to the families who came through to ooh and ahh at their children's work. These are the days when I truly love my job as an art teacher. A little shake-up to the routine, new materials, student work all fancied up for display. Today was a good day.
I had a great time working on this crazy-looking felt birdie tonight to send over to Wendy and to go along with the Ugly Doll challenge on the Red Velvet Art blog. 
* crazy bird pre-head feathers
*close up on legs 
*birdie before back and front are sewn together.
Here is the red wall this morning - finally complete with assorted B&W family photos. I love how it turned out, and I think the photo grouping has potential to grow out to the left and right over time. And... I picture of my favorite flower, the tulip. If it has to be freezing outside, at least I can enjoy some spring inside!
Well, UNfortunately, winter has returned to Iowa, but FORtunately, we had a day off of school today. I spent the day off scrapbooking with my cropping buddies from school. After a busy and stressful week, it was a great way to relax and enjoy the day. Here are a few photos from another mini-album for my dear MIL. Lovin' the new K&Co travel stuff and it is always rewarding to finish a little album in one day. 
In just a few minutes, when I finish eating my dinner, I'm going to paint this wall red. That's right, red - actually "crushed seed". I am quite excited - hopefully it turns out the way I'm imagining.
