Spadazzle

Next II: On Main Street, Murphys

2011-06-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

My Spadazzle line of artwork can now be found at Next II: On Main Street. Original collages, cards and more.

Sakura Is Here

2010-08-08T20:46:00.001-07:00

Sakura Is Here, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

OK it is way past Sakura season here in Japan but this mini collage was inspired by it. During the season our street was lined with cascading Cherry Blossom Trees. With all the hassles of our Japanese house and traveling back and forth to the base, I do look forward to the short time the trees are in bloom. Amazing does not say enough for how beautiful the trees are. About a month before they bloom our plum tree is full of flowers too, it is so pretty. So anyways, this collage was inspired by all of that beauty. I think the bright colors of the acrylic painted papers and washi paper really give it a fun feel. This collage would be perfect as a gift for a friend or yourself, perfect size (4x4) to display at work, the kitchen, wherever, hey it doesn't even have to match your decor:) You can find it in my etsy shop here :http://www.spadazzle.etsy.com

Japanese Inspirational Series

2010-08-06T22:45:00.001-07:00

Here is a necklace from my new Japanese Inspirational Series line of jewelry, each necklace is made with an upcycled Scrabble tile adorned with Japanese Washi Paper from Kamakura, Japan. Each necklace takes 10 days to complete as it is sealed with 10 layers of sealer making it super shiny! Comes packaged in a silver color tin. To see the series please visit my website at http://www.artofspadazzle.com

Have a Happy Day:)

2010-08-02T16:05:00.001-07:00

Sand art from Okinawa.

Hope Necklace

2010-07-27T19:15:00.001-07:00

Hope Necklace, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

New in my "Japanese Inspirational Series" The Hope necklace takes 10 days to complete with 10 different layers of sealer making it Super shiny. Comes on a ball chain with a sparkly charm. Each necklace is packages in a silver color tin.

Summertime in Kamakura

2010-07-24T19:19:00.001-07:00

Kamakura, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago when we went to Kamakura with my cousin and family who were visiting/working in Tokyo for the week. I had never been to Kamakura in the summer, even though we had been here for 3 summers so far. It is just so hot and humid and pretty much unbearable to do anything outside that involves walking around especially when you live here and can go sightseeing anytime of the year. We lucked out that day that it wasn't too bad out and we left later in the day (a HUGE difference). I would have never thought there would be different things to see during the summer and would have really missed out on all the bright summertime colors and decorations that were all over the shrine:) and I love bright colors:)

Cheesy Garlic Bread

2010-07-14T06:14:00.000-07:00

Here it is! This is what we had tonight for dinner paired with a salad, thank goodness for the salad. WOW! The bread was amazing but very, very cheesy. Now that I think about it we probably should have had a meat and just a little of the bread, a little goes a long way. I am not good at making links so here is the full link to the recipe and there is a ton of other great looking food and recipes there too. Amazing and YUM! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/03/garlic-cheese-bread/

Card Samples & Give away!

2010-07-11T21:19:00.000-07:00

Card samples came in the mail today and I got a ton for free! So here you go, a fun give away! To enter please tell me your favorite design! It' that easy. Leave a comment on this post, for additional entries : 1) become a fan on my Spadazzle Facebook Page 2) Facebook about the giveaway 3) tweet about the giveaway. Please leave a comment for each that you do right here on this blog. Winner will be chosen sometime on Sunday (Japan Sunday!) The winner will receive 1 large card and 1 small card of their choice!

More Around Japan

2010-07-08T06:59:00.001-07:00

Kamakura, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

I never knew lily pads grew up and out of the water. Interesting. Photo was taken in Kamakura

Around Japan

2010-07-08T06:43:00.001-07:00

Freezing Bug Spray, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

yes, you read it correctly. -85 celsius, what the heck. What is that in F.????? Well, I did a quick google search an it appears that it is about -121 degrees F. WOW! That is crazy, stupid crazy, insane....... and maybe a little bit, just a tad DANGEROUS. Okay so I should probably keep it away from my son and I am a little afraid to use it myself but compare it with the scary giant bugs, like centipedes that we have and some other really freaky insects, bugs, whatever and maybe it is not so scary afterall. Anyways, we have some pretty freaky bugs here in Japan, a few that I have never seen anywhere else and HUGE, GIANT cockroaches, the kind that you would find in places like.......Guam, Hawaii and Okinawa. You know how they get in the house? they actually come thru the drains- now that I think about it maybe there is something I can put over the drain so they don't come in? well, they also come in thru the door...I think. They are just freaky. So this spray was recommended by a friend and it freezes the bugs, it is amazing because smashing them, well they just squiggle and move around and don't die forever but this spray is supposed to be INSTANT! I am actually looking forward to finding a bug as long as it isn't in my clothes, my shoes or in the middle of the night crawling on me!!!! YUCK! So come on bugs, looking forward to testing out my new spray tomorrow. The fight is on, but please don't bother me while I am sleeping!

Chicken Tacos

2010-07-06T17:29:00.001-07:00

Chicken Tacos, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

Super easy and yummy chicken tacos! YUM! The easiest part is that the chicken cooks in the crockpot:)

You need:

Chicken breasts- about 5 or so
I Jar Pace Salsa (we use mild because it is kid friendly)
Garlic (a dash)

Place the chicken in the crock pot and pour the salsa on top.

Cook on low for about 8 hours. Chicken will be very,very hot, allow to cool a bit before doing the next step. When done cooking place a small strainer on top of a bowl and use a spoon to push out some of the juices so the chicken wont be watery.

Salsa:

2 tomatoes
1 onion
1 bellpepper
dash of garlic and pepper
Salsa seasoning packet

Chop ingredients, add spices and your done:)

Around Japan

2010-06-30T18:41:00.001-07:00

Leafy House, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

I found this house while walking on a trail near the Tama River. I love that it is covered in green leaves. Hmmmm.........this takes the term "green roof" to a whole new level- this is actually a "green house" It fits in so nice with it's natural surroundings.

Around Japan

2010-06-30T18:37:00.001-07:00

Harjuku Girl Dress, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

Here is a picture of a Harajuku Girl dress that I found while shopping in Harajuku. The Harajuku style is like that of a doll, this one happens to be Goth Style. On Sundays Harajuku is filled with girls wearing these outfits in various colors and styles hanging out with their friends and sometimes holding signs offering free hugs:) These outfits are very, very expensive. They even have used clothing stores in Harajuku for these dresses.

Japanese House Adventures

2010-06-27T18:12:00.000-07:00

The Japanese house can prove to be a bit of a challenge, actually I would have to say more than a bit. In addition to having neighbors who really cannot converse with you (and it they can- a lot of the times they are nervous and stay away from you) The appliances can be a little different too. Although they kind of look the same and work the same (for the most part) they are very much smaller. Here is a picture of our little Japanese dishwasher that sit on the top of the one counter in the house, to make this more manageable I even went out and bought new dishes that would actually fit it in, thank goodness for 100 yen stores:) It may be small but it is definatluy worth the valuable counter space it takes up even if you have to run it 5 times to finish what would be done in 1 time in an American dishwasher:)

Around Japan

2010-06-27T18:05:00.001-07:00

Some random pictures from Japan:) Ueno, Kamakura Shrine, Fake Onigiri from the kitchen district in Tokyo

Super Easy & Yummy Crockpot Soup Recipe

2010-06-27T17:13:00.000-07:00

This soup is soooooo good a and easy to make. It makes a large batch in the crockpot and can be frozen in small amounts for an even easier dinner:)

Sorry- this is the wrong picture but it looks almost just like this:)

Pizza Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

I Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (I like Classico)
1 bag mixed frozen vegetables (medium size bag, carrots, green beans, corn)
1 can Kidney beans - rinsed
1 can olives - drained and rinsed
2 cans chopped tomatoes
sliced pepperoni
about 2 jars of water (you will need to see how much room you have after filling crock pot with ingredients)
a little garlic, italian seasoning and pepper

Cook on low for about 5-6 hours, I've even cooked it all day and it still turns out great. Soup will be very, very, very hot. Enjoy with Cheesy Garlic Bread

New Magnets

2010-05-18T00:40:00.000-07:00

Made with my brightly painted acrylic papers:)

In the Garden #1

2010-04-28T00:54:00.001-07:00

collage made with acrylic painted papers, art papers

54 Heart Tree Collages

2009-12-28T04:15:00.001-08:00

Almost ready to send. Estimated ship date: January 4th,2010. 4x 4 inch collages being sent to be part of the Enchanted Makeovers New York Project. I was first asked if I would make flowers but that did not feel right, trees did though and I began thinking how strong the tree is, how much it can withstand over time, it just gets stronger unlike a flower that wilts and dies. The hearts are made from a concrete mixture so just like the tree the heart also stands for strength. Enchanted Makeovers is an organization that transforms women's shelters. These collages will be part of the gift bags that 54 women will receive during the New York event.

Design Festa Volume 30

2009-10-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

Sunday October 25th at Tokyo Big Site. Pictures from the event!

Kamakura

2009-10-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

Went to Kamakura yesterday and was lucky to see a wedding couple as they were coming out to be announced and have their photographs taken. I wondered for about 4 hours all over Kamakura when I came home I could barely move my feet. I think it was good that I was by my self. I don't think anyone else would have enjoyed all of the wondering about I did!

Christmas Ornament

2009-10-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

Collage covered heart with sequins.

Student's Work

2009-10-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

My student's work from yesterday. We dry brushed ceramic pumpkins then afterwards I let her make something cute to take home :)

Student's Work

2009-09-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

Abstract Fall tree made from dots and a little owl. Mixed media work from my 6 year old Japanese student. I am amazed by her English, she listens and follows directions so carefully. After we work on the project of the day she is then free to make what she would like. Here are the pictures :) today she wanted to make a dots picture :)

Book In Shop

2009-09-26T00:35:00.000-07:00

Fall Owls

2009-09-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

Usually I just do collage but I decided to paint these. These were done with acrylic and ink. Interested in adopting a set just e-mail me!

Sometimes I wonder

2009-08-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

and don't know where I am going or where I even want to go, just that I want to go somewhere. So for this day, I just hopped on a train with the original intent to go look at Japanese Washi Paper (which I still haven't done...)but when I got to KamaKura I decided to try the train that goes to Enoshima, still unsure of where I would get off, would I go all the way to Fujisawa or get off the train before that???? Anyways, after riding for a while I decided to go to Enoshima Island! WOW! I loved it, it reminded me of Okinawa in so many ways, it was so pretty! They had everything there, beautiful ocean, bridges, Tori Gates, shrines, everything, even an aquarium - I will save that for another day:) What a nice place to spend the day!

Mommy and Me Art Class

2009-08-25T15:30:00.001-07:00

Pictures from their project they worked on last week. They turned out really nice.

New Book

2009-08-22T16:33:00.001-07:00

Starfish

2009-08-16T04:46:00.000-07:00

We found a bunch in Zushi today. Too, cool :) I have only seen them at aquariums, never in real life. A lady at the beach showed us how to tell if they were alive or dead, this one was alive, we brought home about 10, all the alive ones were sent back to sea :)

Christmas Factory

2009-08-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

If you don't start early you never get everything done :) Cold AC, Rain and Christmas movies help with the mood. Plus- who doesn't love glitter, sequins and sparkly stuff (well not with kids) but who?

Happy Birthday Cards In My Etsy Shop

2009-08-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday cards are finally in my shop. They measure about 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches wide. They are flat like a postcard, no envelopes (hey that's enviromentally friendly :) Just put them on the package or in the bag. They are nice, bright and very big! Lots of fun!

My Book

2009-08-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

Cute Video

2009-08-03T17:14:00.001-07:00

I just found this Crayola Doesn't Make the Color for Your Eyes.

Sometimes I like to cook...

2009-07-31T23:01:00.000-07:00

Today it was Banana Chocolate Chip Nut Muffins. I like to make muffins, unfortunatly my hand does not :(

Camp Adventure Collages

2009-07-31T22:53:00.001-07:00

from the class I did about a week ago. I think the collages turned out GREAT! A lot of creativity in this group )

Student's Projects

2009-07-31T22:44:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my students with her finished projects. All of my art classes did American Flags in the Jasper Johns style. This student also made a small bag that I got from the 100 yen shop. It came already printed with the birds and then she colored it with Sharpies and added extra stuff. I scanned all the flags so that later we can have everyone working on one project and individually the children will make an Andy Warhol style print using the computer.

Guest Speaker Camp Adventure 2009

2009-07-24T16:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I taught collage at Camp Adventure. For those unfamiliar with Camp Adventure it is a really cool program that brings a "real day camp style camp" to military bases around the world, they are also at U.S. Embassies too. They do all the fun stuff a day camp would do, rock climbing, hiking, arts and crafts, sports, games, camp songs, skits, swimming, kayaking, marine sports, the beach and every week they go on a super cool field trip to somewhere here in Japan. It is the best money we spend for our homeschooling all year. So many experiences to be gained!

Anyways- I usually come to teach a project so this year we did mini 4 inch canvas using collage. I also talk about and show my artwork, this year I brought my Big Happy the Giraffe. The kids get to use "professional" quality supplies and they make artwork that turns out great. I think it is a Great experience for them.

Here are 3 of the great counselors we got this year! The first picture is a counselor with a "real" name and I cannot remember,then there is Ms. Marathon and Mr. Flip! (sports themed names this year) While Ms. Marathon dove right into the project the other 2 very a little hesitant but with a push they started creating- the amazing part is they created some cool stuff :) so sometimes just a little push is all it takes- say hmmmm start with a flower, tree, flag and then the ideas cam start flowing! The class was a great one to teach this year, very well behaved, helpful and I don't think I hear once "I can't" or "I don't know what to do" Everyone just dove in and made some really creative stuff! Now to get back there Monday to get pictures of all the artwork once it has dried! Enjoy!

Design Festa

2009-07-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

Here I am at Design Festa. I just found it on Flickr and realized how TIRED I look. The place was super hot that day....... but all in all a good day :)

Sometimes I like to cook.......

2009-07-22T17:27:00.001-07:00

Today making muffins sounded good :) so I did.

U.S. Craft Decoration

2009-07-20T05:34:00.000-07:00

for my English Classes. Everyone will be making them this week to finish off the American Theme Month of July. Thanks to PamperingBeki for reminding me of this craft. I think they will all enjoy making them :) and lucky me- I had everything but the wreaths which I got at the 100 yen shop!!

Cake for Sale

2009-07-19T23:38:00.000-07:00

Yummy..... Yummy..... Yummy :) Interested? E-mail me. Would make a perfect Birthday Tradition Item. Boy and Girl friendly colors or I can custom make a cake in your choice of colors!

Cake is collaged with painted papers, printed papers and washi papers. Mixed Media to include acrylic pen, acrylics and collage :) 8 x 10 Canvas, painted and decorated sides. Sealed with Acrylic Sealer and ready to hang! or display on a stand! $120 each.

Tokyo International Toy Show

2009-07-19T23:25:00.000-07:00

2 words: Super Cool :) Check out the cool painting done completly from Nano Blocks- It is of the painting by Katsushika Hokusai also the giant An PanMan flying in the sky (he is famous in Japan- I stil know the song from the Japanese Kindergarden!) and the Giant Rody. I cropped my son out the the picture since he really did not want to be there and it showed, nobody wanted to be in that photo with me......

Students work Paper Mache Bowls

2009-07-07T16:51:00.000-07:00

Almost finished just need some collage and to be sealed with mod podge! Cool designs on the inside!

Finished! He decided to do a warm colors bowl with star cutouts. It is ready to go home. He has been ahead with his projects this month so he got to make a lot of ATC's and some other art projects.

I think everything turned out GREAT!!!! Now PLEASE NO FOOD, NO CEREAL, NO PET FISH!!! These bowls took 4 to 5 sessions to complete :)

Happy Birthday!

2009-07-05T23:50:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday! I really am starting to like how it is coming together. Now I will go shopping and for a walk while waiting for the white paint to dry then I can glue everything down and add the candle flames. I really like the colors :) I think I will have to make a seperate one with boy colors. I plan on printing these up to have on hand ready for a birthday!

I piled all the candles all over the cake, I remember how I always wanted to use the whole box or 2! I loved the way candles look, especially the striped ones......... so this is perfect for any age!

What's weird about this piece is that all the sudden out of nowhere I just saw this cake... I will probably be craving SUGAR soon :)

Students Work

2009-07-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

Here is my little Japanese Student's newest artwork! I think it turned out Super Cute :)

We used these:

To make this :

I think it turned out GREAT! Thanks to Jannie Ho over at ChickenGirlDesign who sent me these stickers from France months ago as part of an exchange. They were the perfect starter for this art piece. Now WAIT!! I don't make things that easy- YES, we used stickers but then she had to cut little pieces of paper to finish it off, lastly we covered it in sparkly gel and added sequins. I think it turned out GREAT :) and she was happy to take it home today!

Becoming a Famous Masterpiece

2009-06-30T06:19:00.000-07:00

In my Elementary Education courses we were taught about "becoming the character" you know so you can really think how someone feels, what it would be like to be that person, thing, whatever. I remember having to choose what "building I would be" and why- it was really strange and also a very creative process. Just think how people who create movies think or people who write books. Really, think about how people create movies like Monsters Inc., Cars, Over the Hedge, The Bee Movie. You really have to pretend to be that character to create it. So anyways ..........that was all really off subject.... the real thing I wanted to share was my cute little student who "Became the Masterpiece" today. She was really happy, she even got to put her handprints on my painting uniform (I'll never mix those jeans up again with my good ones :) not to sure how here mom felt though- she painted her own clothes too :( I really wonder why I forgot to pull out the painting smock????? a little confused to as to why I let her paint right next to my fancy Japanese walls (they are covered in paper and I don't think they would clean well) really, questioning my brain this afternoon. Oh well. It was a fun day. If I find something cute in her size when I go to the U.S. I'll snag it :) but for now on - this is her painting uniform!

How I am taking over the living room.. is this a house?

2009-06-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

O.K so I knew someone who once turned their whole living room and dining room into a preschool :) It was really neat, the rest of the house was for their family but this part was the school. They had a family room that was their living room, etc.

So, I asked my husband if he would go for that. He said if I had the right amount of students..... 20. O.K. well then he said no, there was no way we would live like that..... but it is difficult to teach in a small space....

So I have streched out a bit.... here is the special intrest area:

Notice the laundry.......

Here's the kitchen.....

and the reading/lounge area with art books...

oh and lets not forget the drying area/laminating station:

What do you think? hmmmmmm.......maybe I am taking over :)

Sometimes I like to Cook

2009-06-28T00:38:00.000-07:00

It just depends on my mood. Usually we have nice dinner night on Tuesday and Sunday because those days are the only days we are home early.. even the crockpot is not an option a lot of the other days because we get home after 7 PM and with a bunch of junk from the base to put away. So it is Sunday and I can smell good food cooking in my crockpot :) Picture of last weeks good dinner :)ooooooooh these pictures are teasing me........ we are having chicken stew but enchiladas look so good now.... maybe Tuesday!

Yes, I Live Here!

2009-06-25T19:26:00.001-07:00

Sometimes the worst and best parts of working from your home are just that, being home. It's a struggle sometimes to find that balance, I mean it is your home but it needs to look nice when people are coming over but again it is a home- sometimes there is folded laundry on the couch.... sometimes there are dishes in the sink or they are drying, sometimes there is paper on the floor from the work I did in the late hours of the night. That's just the way it is :)but it is difficult. I finally splurged and found someone to come and clean once a week and that has been a HUGE releif! HUGE! I cannot beleive how much brain space has been freed up by the one act! So here, picture of my kitchen, we have no cupboards except ones that are supper high and I cannot reach even with a step stool so everything we use is out to see......

Students Work

2009-06-25T19:19:00.001-07:00

My Japanese students artwork based on the book "Planting A Rainbow" as always I TRY to give students a choice (sometimes I don't)so there is also a Pokemon character! I think the Pokemon turned out pretty good, I had something that she was able to trace so that was very helpful :)The flowers look good too! The students took home their original artwork and 9 ATC's which were traded among each other! The students ages 4-6 worked alongside their mothers, it was a nice class followed by homemade Japanese and American desserts- my favorite kind of class :)

Art Work in the Library

2009-06-20T06:33:00.001-07:00

My artwork is now up in the Children's Section of the library at the Yokosuka Base. Stop by and take a look if you are near, I think it looks nice and bright- just what I pictured with my artwork, I have always wanted something to hang in the children's section! Also, don't forget about my print giveaway! I'll post a picture the next time I am over there.

U.S. Flag Art Giveaway

2009-06-17T19:33:00.001-07:00

I've decided to do a giveaway. To enter leave a comment in the comment section of this blogpost. In your comment please tell me how my artwork makes you feel. Go ahead and go thru my flickr and look at past artwork, etc. Usually I hear the same comments which are what I was looking for anyway but I am a little curoius what other things people will say :)

3 chances- 1. leave a comment on this blogpost 2. blog about my giveaway 3. tweet about the giveaway on twitter! Let me know you have done each of these things with an additional comment (3 comments only!)

I will be giving away an 8 x 10 print of my Collage "U.S. Flag". Please note that I am in Japan and it may take a while to receive your prize!

I will draw a name on July 26th and will try to mail out the prize the following week!

Enjoy!

Christmas in JUNE????

2009-06-17T18:58:00.001-07:00

Yes, I have already started....... It seems every year I run out of time so I have decided to start while I have time :) I remember my mom taking us to the pool and taking her Christmas ornament stuff with her! These ornaments are balls that have torn pieces of my painted papers, Japanese Washi paper or both combined. The white ball is covered with cool paper I found in KamaKura over the weekend.

Paper Mache Bowls, Letter and American Flags

2009-06-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

Projects my art class is working on. They asked for paper mache so we started with the basic bowl, I am hoping they will finish up the last coats of paper mache in the next class, then we can move onto painting. The bowl in the picture is finished- I think it turned out really good. We worked on tearing small pieces of paper (kids want to use HUGE pieces) and not soaking the pieces, the result is almost no bumps, very smooth looking. We are also working on American Flags for the 4th of July. All of the flags should be ready to go home by the end of the month. The letter is something I am working on- the only problem was I did not measure correctly so I have a little bit of a lopsided L, but I have never measured correctly so oh well........

Glad to see

2009-06-04T23:25:00.000-07:00

I made some people hungry with my soup :) finally my turn!!!!!!

Pampering Beki

2009-06-04T23:17:00.001-07:00

Check out her website! She is doing her 1000th Blog entry giveaway. It's an interesting blog with a little bit of everything- kids, bad babies, cute little babies, food, jewelery, ideas for your home, crafty things, just a mix of about everything. So go visit Pampering Beki. and enjoy! Oh and she has some cool music playing in the background and since we don't get good radio here in Japan I hook it up to the stereo and that's what we listen to :)

Chicken Taco Soup

2009-06-02T05:53:00.001-07:00

with cornbread, this was the first time I served it with avacados. It was sooooooo good :) I think it is my favorite. Great soup, cornbread, nice dessert- served in a fancy bowl with cheap paper plates....... and IKEA spoons for half of us since I ran out of spoons.........

Little Student

2009-06-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

She is so cute! She is 5 years old, this is her first project. She was so excited when she came on Sunday and saw that it had dried all sparkly! I don't think she could really focus on anything she just kept picking up her picture. She also made a bag to carry home her art projects. This class is very enjoyable! Oh and she speaks enough English to hold a little conversation :) Too cute!

FingerPrint Friday

2009-05-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

Look what's in our yard....... I think it lives in the little jungle area in the back, I think it is looking for food, it think it has chased our little bird friends away. It is cute but I am staying away from it. I hope it doesn't try to get into the house for food :)I really hope :)I think it likes the tree with fruit in the yard- no clue yet what it is but the housing office is supposed to find out for us. Enjoy- take a look at more FingerPrint Friday's over at www.pamperingbeki.blogspot.com

Wow! What A Week!

2009-05-23T00:14:00.000-07:00

Design Festa! Yokohama MM21 Tour! Nissan Car Factory Tour! Yokohama MM21 Dinner and Starbucks! I am exhausted. Cleaned up Liam's paper stash from his room (3 hours of purging!) Cleaning up my room so I can teach 3 classes this week!almost finished in there so I am taking a break and relaxing :) Here is my finishd Paper Mache Giraffe- see his band-aid? He got a little dinged up on the way to Design Festa but overall he has held up pretty good! Now all the kids want me to teach a paper mache class- maybe soon if the weather stays nice!

More Design Festa Pictures!

2009-05-17T00:33:00.000-07:00

Finally met Boojil in person. I have been following her blog for over 2 years, e-mailed a few times. She is the person who told me about the Design Festa Gallery in Tokyo :) Saw her painting on the wall and thought "I know that painting" I introduced myself and she came over to see my booth. Turns out she lives very close to me and wants to study English and go to the U.S. We are going to trade! She is going to help me with professional art stuff and I will help her with her English! how exciting, we were in the same row at Design Festa- Her artwork is very bright, colorful and Happy too :) Enjoy

Design Festa

2009-05-17T00:25:00.000-07:00

Pictures from the Design Festa Volume 29 Event yesterday. Exciting day, met lots of different people, saw tons of stuff- very tired :) Today we are just resting! If you are interested in anything you see on my table just let me know!

Happy, Students work, Cub Scouts

2009-05-06T07:11:00.001-07:00

Pictures of the following- Happy getting sanded so he an be painted!! Started tonight, sanded for about an hour, broke the little thing on his head- glued it back :( Hopefully it stays!

Students work- work of my Tuesday Art Class projet for Mother's Day! I love how their paintings/collages turned out! I set them up for everyone to view together- art show style! Nice to hear everyone say nice things about each others work :)

Cub Scout project- I helped them make collages for Mother's Day, my husband helped them make the stands today. I LOVE how they turned out- it was also nice that they were able to work on one of their Cub Scout pins/badges from the project!

That's all for now. Keep looking for updates on my giraffe- I can't wait for him to be in COLOR!!! So far I have had 2 small children try to sit on him and pose with their arms around him! CUTE :P

Funny

2009-05-03T07:36:00.000-07:00

Buying a table for $50 for the Design Festa in Tokyo in 2 weeks. Just found out that to ship the table round trip from my house to the site is about $60....... It is going to cost more to ship the thing than it cost to buy it...... Could have rented but had a hard time paying almost $60 to rent for the day..... I guess at least I will have the table to use whenever- I cannot believe how much it costs!!!!!!!!!! Now that I think about it I probably should have made Happy a little smaller- I wonder how much he will cost to ship? You can be sure I will be packing anything I can into those boxes, since they are so big- they charge by the size- even though the weight is light so I will be shoving everything I can fit into it! Oh- and to drive it would have been about $50 in tolls round trip, my husband and son would have to stay around all day, add in gas, parking- I guess the delivery charge isn't sooooooo BAD!!! It just seems very funny! Need to sell some more prints! Anyone want Texas Flag prints? I have a ton, I think I will discount them!

Happy in the Garden

2009-05-02T05:19:00.001-07:00

Sunning today! Trying to dry him out completly before I paint next week. Can't wait until he is in full color!

Sun Bathing Happy

2009-05-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

That's what he is doing today! I hope he dries soon! Now I am just trying to figure out how I will transport him on the train into Tokyo during rush hour....... my son suggested putting him in a stroller! I always forget about the size of things-

Almost Finished!!

2009-04-30T04:43:00.001-07:00

I think there is about 10 layers on him now. I am trying to stop- even though his neck is mis-shaped (but if it wern't for the support he probably would have broken by now) I'm going to give him about a week to dry add some stuff and then start painting. Less than 3 weeks till he needs to be ready-

Paper Mache

2009-04-26T00:55:00.000-07:00

Here is my giraffe with a couple of coats of paper mache. I am now on I think the 5th or 6th layer and letting in dry out more by the sun. I think I will put another 2-3 layers this week and let it totally dry before sanding and painting, collaging. More pictures to come later on! Oh- and a picture of the messy table, actually I cleaned it a little bit before posting the picture......

Giant Paper Mache Happy the Giraffe

2009-04-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

My Gigantic paper mache form. It took a few hours but we had it all formed from boxes, egg cartons, paper, bubble wrap and then tons of masking tape. The first two layers of paper mache have been added, those pictures will come later. I can only do 1 layer a day as it takes almost 2 hours and my legs and back hurt from having to move weird ways to reach all the spots, the 2nd layer was definitely easier than the first, I think I have figured out a couple of ways to make it easier. Check back for updates.

Students Artwork

2009-04-14T17:52:00.001-07:00

Here are some of my homeschool students artwork. They are working on a collage "sampler" We first started with covering the canvas with recycled calander pages and other paper scraps to creat a background, painted them and used stamps, bubblewrap, etc to add then used the Hungry Caterpilar Book pages with cut circles as the idea for the collage- the children then had to cut circles in either warm or cool colors based on the color of their canvas. Next week we will be sewing on them with embroider thread and adding sequins, then scanning and printing limmited edition ACEO's for them to matte and have on hand as gifts!

New Zealand

2009-04-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

Got an e-mail from the lady in New Zealand about the exchange. My collages are displayed in both galleries- as soon as I can find the pictures I will post them here. Not much going on- teaching classes, going places (see my other blog- www.myjapanesehome.blogspot.com and my flickr) been trying to conform to a "normal persons schedule" but all that has been doing is frustrating me and I am accomplishing less. I think I am better off staying up till 3 am and sleeping till 10 ish and actually accomplishing something- I think it is ridiculous............ How come people have to look at you like there is something wrong with you because you do stuff until 3 am and sleep late....... I have had someone actually ask me what was wrng with me!!!!! I have GOALS!!! and they seem to be able to get accomplished if I work late! It is funny................ I am trying to finish my degree which would allow me to teach- pre-k, HeadStart, Elem, Jr. High and High School, with a couple more art classes- art too and if I throw in another reading class and 2 more special ed, those too- which would make me very marketable. I would love to teach art (exhibiting makes me more marketable for this too) but it is weird that I would stay up late............. Now I thought about it....... If I told someone I was working on my onlike classes and homework till 3 am for medical school or on my law degree they would think OH.... or if I was a nurse and worked till 1 am and slept at 3 and woke at 10 they would think nothing of it, any night shift job for that matter but for some weird reason I am an outcast because of my schedule............ this was part of the thing that is good about homeschooling.... my son reads till around 11:30 and wakes around 9:30 then reads in his bed till 10 when I wake up and then we eat breakfast............ why is this considered weird????? It's not like I am doing it because I am lazy!!!!! Infact I heave less sleep problems when I am not trying to conform......... What do you think?

Sakura

2009-03-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

Cherry Blossom Artwork by my Japanese students. See the photos of the Cherry Blossoms in Ueno on my other blog.

Artwork Going To New Zealand

2009-02-20T04:49:00.000-08:00

Finishing up the last of everything to get shipped off to New Zealand next week. Giving everything a few more days to dry. All of the artwork is in my bright and fun, happy colors with titles to include- Gumballs Box, Pink Gumballs, Crayon Box, Sprkly Crayon Box, ABC's.... etc. I hope they will make people feel Happy :)

Mess

2009-02-14T18:42:00.001-08:00

Liam has been sick so we have been home all week. Lots of movies, lots of huge messes from myself in my room! I have about 10 projects going on all at once. Here are a few- the little circles : I cut those while watching movies.

Up at the Gallery

2009-02-01T04:30:00.000-08:00

Rode the train with my friends to the Deisgn Festa Gallery in Harajuko today to set up my artwork. On display are Happy the Giraffe and my "Hearts" collection. Very interesting artwork on display at the gallery. I have included pictures of my artwork and also of the gallery. Every surface was pretty much painted or drawn on. While we were there a girl was drawing all over the wall next to the stairs- avery detailed pen drawin. (forgot to take a picture) I will include some new pictures next week after I go back to take my stuff down.

In the Gallery!

2009-01-26T23:07:00.000-08:00

My artwork is going here for the week of February 1- 8th! Located in Harjuku- Tokyo. Stay posted for more info and pictures coming soon!

Cards

2009-01-22T05:02:00.000-08:00

Info on donating handmade Valentine Cards that will be delivered to City-Meals on Wheels in New York City. Not sure if my cards will make it in time, may have to send them somewhere else.

Valentine Swap

2009-01-21T18:50:00.000-08:00

I was invited to join the 1st Annual Valentine Swap at SwapBot. I made 2 small ornaments for each person. The small ones were made from recycled Starbucks coffee sleeves. Here they are and also pictures of them wrapped.

Where are you?

2009-01-20T04:42:00.000-08:00

Right here in Japan- glued to CNN. We are making it an all nighter- watching the LIVE innauguration at 2 am- maybe we will be asleep around 4???????

CPSIA

2009-01-16T18:28:00.000-08:00

I don't market things for children because there are a lot of laws and stuff I don't fully understand but I know alot of people who do have businesses selling childrens items- Please read!

Save Small Business From the CPSIA
A Proposal From the handmadetoyalliance.org:

In 2007, large toy manufacturers who outsource their production to China and other developing countries violated the public's trust. They were selling toys containing dangerously high lead content, unsafe small parts, and chemicals that made kids sick.

The United States Congress rightly recognized that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to prevent dangerous toys from being imported into the US. So, they passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in children's products, mandates third party testing and certification, and requires manufacturers of all goods for children under the age of 12, to permanently label each item with a date and batch number.

All of these changes will be fairly easy for large, multinational companies to comply with. Large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each item have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and updating their systems to include batch labels. Small businesses however, will likely be driven out of business by the costs of mandatory testing, to the tune of as much as $4,000 or more per item. And the few larger manufacturers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.

Anyone who produces or sells any of the following new or used items will be required to comply with the law: toys, books, clothing, art, educational supplies, materials for the learning disabled, bicycles, and more. Any uncertified item intended for children under the age of 12 will be considered contraband after February 10, 2009. It will be illegal to sell or give these items away to charities, and the government will require their destruction or permanent disposal, resulting in millions of tons of unnecessary waste, and placing an enormous strain on our landfills.

There is a clear disconnect between the sweeping nature of this law, and the narrow range of products that were problematic in 2007. The CPSIA applies standards that were put in place in reaction to the sale of toys contaminated with lead paint and toxic plastics. Rather than focus on these materials, this law places a guilty until proven innocent mentality on all children's product producers by imposing mandatory testing and certification, and in the process will kill an entire industry.

Thriving small businesses are crucial to the financial health of our nation. Let's amend the CPSIA so that all businesses large and small are able to comply and survive!

Hearts!

2009-01-16T06:02:00.000-08:00

A long time since I have posted. Christmas came- super busy then we took a week trip to Tokyo. You can see those pictures on my other blog. Well, here are some hearts I have made from recycled food boxes and then tore papers to collage. This is just the first step, I will show them when they are completed- I am making a ton!

Mr. Donut Box

2008-12-23T04:42:00.000-08:00

I thought it was cute! I bought 6 donus just so I could get the cute carry box :)

Ornament Exchange

2008-12-23T04:41:00.000-08:00

My ornaments from the ornament exchange- Sparkly Framed ATC's- they can use the ribbon to hang them or display them using the stand.

Ornament Exchange

2008-12-10T05:44:00.001-08:00

Pictures of my wrapped ornaments. Mailing out tomorrow- a day late- Japanese time, on time U.S. time!

2008-12-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

Weblos Art Class

2008-12-04T16:52:00.000-08:00

I did a class for the Weblos Den. They made collages and then I covered them in the sparkly gel and let them dry then framed them. I think they turned out very nice!! Perfect presents.

Ornament Exchange

2008-12-04T16:46:00.000-08:00

Wow!!! I got 2 ornaments in the mail this week from Beki over at www.PamperingBeki.com - they are soooooooo sparkly and pretty! My Japanese girls class loved them! Here are pitures of the Blue Sparkly one- a closeup and then one showing it on the tree with all the other ornaments. Now I just need to show the other sparkly one, maybe next week. Check out my other blog to see all the craziness of our week, including extra roles in a Japanese Movie!

Looking Like Christmas

2008-11-20T17:54:00.000-08:00

Look at the cool tree I found!!!! It is perfect for my room! Also, working on finishing ornaments for the ornament exchange over at Cake and Pie and lots of little Christmas tree originals in different sizes. They kinda make me think of Charlie Brown Christmas trees!

Design Festa Tokyo Goodies

2008-11-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the stuff I got at the Design Festa Tokyo. It is the biggest art event in all Asia. Forgot my camera so as soon as I get photos off of the phone I will post here. Pictures include an Elephant Bus, Softserve Girls and a bunch of others-

2008-10-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

Halloween Collages

2008-10-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treat and BOO! Acrylic painted papers on wood. I made these to use as Halloween Decorations for our house, next to come wil be a set of Thanksgiving and Christmas ones. Nice and simple designs!

Studio/Classroom Makeover

2008-10-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

With NEW furniture from IKEA!!!! A lot more room for doing projects and stuff! It worked sooooooo much better for my class this week, there was way more room! Everything is nice and organized except the desk area, I have not finished that. I hung up a lot of the cards I bhad been collecting, displayed a lot of stuff. Now it is almost perfect!

Halloween Pumpkins

2008-10-11T04:31:00.000-07:00

Pumpkins from my English Class. We are working on Halloween vocbulary using games, arts and crafts and baking. For this class we used the painted papers to make Pumpkin Pictures. There are all kinds including Pumpkin families- who would have thought we would even go into Family Members using this lesson.

Americana Apples

2008-09-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

Students work- ages 8-12. The theme for the class was apples and fall. They could make anything they wanted using apples, apple pies, etc, aslo available were American theme scrapbook paper. I then sealed them with gloss gel and framed them. Today they can choose to decorate the frames or leave them plain, then we will make fall cookies and work on words from last week. This was a fun class, I think the pictures turned out really nice. It makes such a difference when you seal them and frame them vs. just being an ATC.

Student's Artwork

2008-09-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

2 Collages made by my students. These were finished with a glass beads gel, very sparkly and fun!

Guest Speaker : Camp Adventure

2008-08-20T19:24:00.001-07:00

I was invited to teach collage again at Camp Adventure. This time I taught 2 groups of aprox 50 or so kids in each. The first group made these pictures, they were kids 5-7 and had the choice of making ATC (Artist Trading Cards) in either the collage style or drawing. Many asked "What do I make?" anything was allowed - so you can see how ATC's starting turning into full size collages, it is nice how they just go and there is no stopping the creativity. For the collages in addition to painted papers we used brightly colored oragami papers! Glue sticks were a MUST as this eliminated the mess that goes with regular glue! NOTE to anyone teaching kids- NEVER raise up a peice of gold or silver oragami paper and ask who would like some unless you are prepared to be almost tackled :) The second group were 3-4th graderes and they made "inchies" The rule with them was that had to make 1 for me and then 1 for them and that was all- besides being "camp friendl" (example- no violance) There picture will be shown later as I am arranging the inchies into a collaborative piece. These kids really enjoyed looking thru my portfolio that was on the side table, they made a lot of fun inchies and it was neat listening to the stories that came with the inchies as they were given to me. Fun classes- today my voice hurts!

More Studio/Classroom Pictures

2008-08-17T05:55:00.000-07:00

Finally almost finished decorating. Went into full gear with a couple of students starting this week. I think it looks fun! What do you think? My husband thinks it looks too "girly" well....... so far all my students ARE girls- I guess if some boyrs sign up I'll add a little more blue or green or something!

Spectacular LATE Sunday

2008-08-13T05:39:00.000-07:00

Was sick this past weekend so here is a late Spectacular Sunday. This weeks feature is Aunty Cookie. Fun bright fabrics and cute designs!! Also- a fun blog- worth reading! See her artwork here. I think you will enjoy! Have a GREAT day!

Art Class

2008-08-12T20:45:00.001-07:00