Testing and Tornadoes

     I . . . am . . .tired.  Okay after a normal day of school, I am tired but testing really wears you out.  Walking in circles and reading in a robot voice is not fun.  Apparently I am also brain dead.  Or so you would think.  I got home on Friday after three days of this and thought I would splash some cold water on my face so I could make it through dinner without falling asleep.  Good idea.  Except I really should have thought about taking off my glasses first!  Then I got ready to put some creamer into my hot chocolate.  I shook it up - like always - except I usually put the lid on it.  Oh my.  My brother may be ready to cart me off to the "funny farm".  I perhaps will recover! 
     Then there is the weather of the last few days.  Since staying with my grandmother a lot as a child, I have had to work hard to overcome some storm anxiety.  But let the weather be like it has been for the last few days - the mention of tornadoes and severe storms . . . my overcoming goes sort of out the window.  Hopefully that is now over for awhile.  They missed my area, but were very close. 
     Every Inchie Monday's word was implausible.  This was a very tough assignment.  But what is more unrealistic and unlikely than a flying pig?

     It seems implausible, but after over 100 Diva challenges, I actually did not get one up on time.  Yes, it did drive me nuts, but I had to spend the weekend and a few evenings working on the book submissions I told you about last post.  But even if it wasn't on time, I decided to post it anyway.  So here is Diva's challenge for Earth Day.  He turned out so cute I had to share.

     Now for this week's challenge.  We had to use the tangle "Camelia".  I think it is a very pretty tangle, but until now I hadn't used it very much.  It never seemed to fit where I needed it.  After playing with it a bit, I may have to work harder to find a place to use it. 

      Now if I could only find time and inspiration to finish the couple of journal pages I am behind in.  Maybe this week-end.  We will see.
      Thank you for dropping by and visiting.  Leave me some much needed sunshine! 

Shall I Read You the Directions?

     Reading the directions! That is my week - reading test directions.   I sort of feel a bit, a huge amount, totally brain dead!  This is our state testing time for our school.  I don't feel quite as stressed as I did in the classroom, but pretty close.  I have tested small groups of children who need modifications.  It is something I have never done, so in that way, it has been fun.  In addition to testing I have been able to help out in different areas since I am not having my regular classes.  It has been interesting, but I am very tired. 
    Drumroll . . . . an awesome bit of news on the way . . . . remember when I said a bit back I was working on a dream of mine?  It is actually happening.  A month ago I submitted some art work of mine to a publication of a tangle book.  Four pieces were selected!!  Did you hear me scream?!!  I was hoping for one, but FOUR - oh my.  So this weekend I plan on finishing up some things for the publisher.  The book is probably going to be out in December and will be sold on Amazon and perhaps other places - I will certainly keep you posted.

Every Inchie Monday

   This week's word was hot.  I had several ideas, but it seemed all week long I was too tired or too busy to do my inchie.  Finally - here it is.

     Also very late, is a tile I did over Easter.  I know we are past that, but I had to share.  I cut some craft paper and then tangled the eggs.

      Guess I had better go now.  I am in need of a nap and some serious tangle time!  Thanks for dropping by and leaving me some sunshine!  Have a great weekend!

Happy, happy spring!

     Every Inchie's word for this week was "head".  I love to try to see how far from the beaten path I can go.  A ship's bathroom is a head . . . .  the Monkees's movie was Head . . . you can get a-head in a race . . . it was just going to heads or tails which one I would go. . . no, wait!  That is it.  I grabbed a penny and started to glue it on my inch.  Rather dull.  So I decided to do a crayon type rubbing.  That would work!  Perfectly.

heads

    Diva's challenge was to use the new official tangle - Rixty.  I like this tangle.  I had planned on using it for some of my string, but it just started growing!  It is almost a monotangle.  I put a bit of tipple in between just to add some interest.

     Journal 52 has become a highlight of my week.  I love doing the pages, but I don't always have time to get them done.  I usually start one and add a bit on and off until I am finished.  Week 14 we were supposed to do something connected to the weather.  I love spring and I love the sunshine.  So I did a page celebrating both - and added one of my favorite Disney songs.  I find myself humming it throughout the day.  It just makes me smile.

Week 14

    For week 15, we had to do a party animal!  Bear was having a birthday party and decided to invite his closest friends - though he had better watch Elephant!  (can you tell I spend a lot of time with little folks?)

Week 15

     Well, there you have it!  I have been busy.   Thanks for dropping by and visiting.  Hope you leave me some sunshine.

Challenge #162

  It has taken me 6 hours today to get my lesson plans done for this week.  For the most part I love planning - yes, seriously - but not when it takes an enormous hunk out of my weekend.  I love it when I at least have some part of it completed before the weekend.  This past week has just been so hectic, there was no time.  So it all came down to one day.  Major yuck. 
    So all of that being said I need some time to draw.  I must find a moment this evening to create something.  Even if I only create a mess!  I finished Diva's challenge in spare moments throughout the week, but only got this written and it ready to scan now.  It may be too late - but here it goes anyway.  Diva asked us to use our initials this week for a string.  I decided I wanted mine to stand out a bit so I added some red.

CSC

    Thanks for dropping by.  I appreciate your comments!

Last day . . . . for a bit

     Ah, tis sad.  It is my last day of spring break.  Last day to sleep in.  Last day to draw and create all day long if I want.  But on the up side, I only have 7 more Mondays until summer.  Now that seems hard to believe.  This year has flown by.  I think it is because this year has been so exciting and enjoyable.  Every day has been so much fun.  Oh, of course there are moments.  After all I teach children so everything is not super and sunshiny.  My feelings about this year have been different.  I had a challenging year last year and it plodded along.  Every day was a struggle.  I made my mind up this year to face everything (yes, everything) with a positive frame of mind.  Sometimes, I will it admit, it wavered.  Sometimes I had to "fake" the attitude until it took hold of the day, but it has worked.  I can now only hope and pray that this job is what I am doing next year.  I loved being in the classroom, but I have found a spot that I can say beats that.  I love seeing different groups throughout the day and the change of momentum it brings.  Enough about that and on to some last minute "playtime".
      Every Inchie Monday's word was gold.  So I pulled out some new markers that had a really great gold shine - which doesn't show in the picture - and made my lucky pot of gold.

     With some extra time to play I decided to do another of Ben Kwok's templates.  I love eagles.  Last year my class and I got all caught up watching an "eagle-cam" and seeing the babies hatch and grow.  It was so fascinating that we collected money - nickels and dimes - to send away and "adopt" an eagle. 

     I have to admit, I am really happy with this page.  I tangled the template then cut it out and placed him on some scrapbook paper I had.  He looks so grand there.  I rarely frame anything, but he could be begging to be hung on my wall. 
     Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a great week.

Art Work Out

     By the time spring break is over, I probably will need to buy some new microns!  I am definitely giving the ones I have a work out.  I need to look into a pack of 01's only.  I get these packs with sizes I don't use.  So I have lots of 02 and 03 and constantly run out of 01s.  Oh well, it is so much fun running out of ink.
    Remember I said not being able to do week 12 of the Journal 52 prompts was going to drive my linear self nuts?  So naturally I went right to work so I could have them in order.  I know that is crazy, but hey, all artists are a bit "off" in some way or another - it's what feeds our creativity.  At least I will tell myself that.  Fortunately I got hit with a good idea.  My interpretation is perhaps not the best.  Journal 52's week 12 prompt was "A Day in Your Life".  My Monday through Friday life is pretty routine.  Good thing I like routines, right?

week 12

     I have a major stack of templates from Ben Kwok's facebook group.  They are in my "to do" box.  I print them each week so I won't lose track of which ones are there.   I decided to pull one out and get busy.  I think there may be even more time over my last few days of break to get another one or two done.  I hope so.

     Now another facebook challenge - Wacky Zentangles.  We had to make a "fantasy" fish tank.  I used one of my zentangle books for some inspiration, then pulled out a drawing book to get some ideas for the fish.  This was fun because I really did not have a plan or design - I just let the micron take over!

    I finished up my tile for Adele Bruno's string challenge.  It sort of looks like it could be a part of my fish tank.

string challenge # 34

     Now I could have cleaned closets.  Could have cut down some brush in the back yard.  There are lots of could haves.  It is spring break and I made the most of it.  Come Monday I will be back - full throttle ahead.  Do you realize when I go back, I only have 7  more Mondays before summer?!!  Oh my.  Better order new pens for sure!
     Thanks for dropping by and also thanks to those new names I see in my followers list.  That is exciting.  Please leave me some sunshine in the comment box!

Challenge # 161, journal pages and of course, my inchie!

   Oh what a wonderful leisurely day!  (It is my spring break)  So today I spent time tangling - of course - and then worked on 2 of the 3 journal pages I am behind in.  Challenge 161 was to use the tangle quandary.  I played around with it some in my sketch book when I first discovered it a while back, but it didn't catch with me.  Still doesn't really.  I found viewing Ellen Wolter's video on how to draw quandary very helpful.  All of her videos are.

      With school work and such, I had gotten very behind in my pages for Journal 52 - an on-line journal group.  I love this group as it frequently makes me reach outside my comfort zone.  I was three pages behind - now only 2.  Week 11's prompt was to do something with stars.  I had several ideas but when I saw some scrapbook paper with stars on it, my mind settled pretty quick.  I did add a few more stars to the paper with gold and silver paint pens.  Very simple but I really like it.

Week 11

     I am a very linear thinker - make that an extreme linear thinker.  Week 12's prompt was to do a page about a day in your life.  Then week 13 came out and that was to do the prompt "How does your garden grow?".  My mind was saying as I pulled out the supplies to do the pages, first we do 11, then we do 12 and then 13.  But I had an idea for 13.  I don't for 12.   You have no idea how hard it was for me to leap ahead and not do them in order.  Okay, I know that sounds ridiculous and I get some teasing about my organized thinking, but it was hard.  Maybe tomorrow I will work on week 12 so I can feel complete, lol.

week 13

         Every Inchie Monday's word was game.  I had some scrabble letters that were used on a scrapbook page.  Luckily they fit just perfectly!

 


Thanks for dropping by.  Please leave me some sunshine!  I am actually getting to go around and do some commenting this week.  Yahoo!  Have a great, sunshiny week!