Rag Rug Update and Gingerbread Creations

Here is an update on my current rag rug. I felt it needed some blue, so I threw a medium shade of blue in. It seems to stand out quite a bit, but I think I'll work with it for a few rows to see how it blends in. It measures 15" right now.

Moving to a different topic altogether, I wanted to share a few gingerbread creations that the high school kids from my homeschool group made. We usually wrap up our last week before Christmas break with gingerbread houses. The high school kids get to go all out by splitting up into groups and spending most of the day working on their creations.

The Avengers

The Hobbit

Christmas in London
(you can't really see it, but the road is made from hershey bar pieces)

Pretty awesome, huh?

A Day On The Farm and A New Bag

Since school started, I have spent less time in the studio. My weekdays are now full of schoolwork, homeschooling groups and taking care of my family, and the weekends go by too fast.

On that note, every year around this time, our homeschooling group takes a field trip to a local farm where the kids get a tour of the farm and a few hours playing while the parents fellowship.

We couldn't have asked for a prettier day.

There are lots of fun activities for the kids, including a petting zoo, pedal cars, a corn maze (just to mention a few.)

Burying each other in the corn pit is always a must.

and picking a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch tops the day off.

Meanwhile.........as I adjust into the groove of juggling school, family, and me time,  I did manage to make the flat bottom girl bag out of my new bag book this week.

I used linen and some floral material out of my stash.

Chau!

Catch Up and A New Art Journal

I am so behind on everything.
I just got a new computer, and it has consumed most of my free time. Trying to transfer files, playing with all the cool features, etc. The new computer also motivated me to re-arrange my office/guest room (forgot to take pictures). I did it right this time. By right, I mean, I cleaned and organized every space in the room. The only thing I didn't do was repaint the walls. That would have held things up for months! I can't describe what an awesome feeling it is to accomplish such a huge task (patting myself on the back).

Ok, on with some fun stuff.....

Here I am with my daughter at our Homeschool Medievil Fair. It was put on by our 7th & 8th graders. They did a great job. Lots of food and homemade crafts focused around that period.

This is my newest art journal. It is my model for a journal making class I am teaching to a local youth art guild. It has been a challenge to condense this project into a 2 hour class, which means a lot of the steps have to be completed prior to the class. This cover was inspired by a technique in "Pages" magazine, where you stitch fabric onto a paper backing. I will not be teaching this cover technique. I just used it for my own personal journal. I think it turned out pretty cool, and if you look closely (up towards the top), you can see a bear cub peaking through the fabric. I plan on taking this technique a step further on my next cover.

Civil War Tea Party

Our 5th/6th grade homeschoolers celebrated the end of their Civil War unit with a tea party. Re-enactors were invited to join in on the celebration. The kids really enjoyed the visitors presentation, the snacks, and especially dressing up.

 The boys had a hard time being serious for their photo. Aren't they cute?

My daughter got to experience what it was like to spend the day in a hooped dress. We had some good laughs with her going through doorways and getting in the car.

 

Too Fun!