Words of Wisdom

It is true that all that you ever needed to know you learned in kindergarten, it is even more true that the rules of life are refined in first grade...

On my weekly visit to my local First Grade, I found evidence that there are some philosophically important Rules of Life prominently posted on the walls....

A good rule: Always be nice to your family.  Always.

 I find this one more difficult but probably good to remember: Always behave when you are bad.

 This one was at my local Hallmark Store.  Fortunately, I do not have an Ex Mother in Law, but apparently there is a need to reach out and touch those in our extended, extended families...Remember, Always be nice to your family. Even Dad's Wife......

 And this rather scary bluebird, (that perhaps looks more like a crow?) Reminds us that when  you talk to your mom and send her hugs and kisses on a scary, blood spattered (?) crow, always get her attention first.  Hey.

Do I have your attention?
Have a good weekend.

Craft Lady Strikes Again!

I'm at the grocery store last month when a little girl in a cart speaks to me as I pass by. 'I know you!  You're the Craft Lady in my class!'  I acknowledge her cheerfully and tell her that I am in the store, actually, to get supplies for the Thanksgiving Craft that we would be doing the next day.  She asks, so what will we be making?  I inform her that we will be making little Thanksgiving Baskets that will be filled with our thankfulnesses.  She seems pleased and I continue on to the discount meat section of the meat case.  The next morning, I enter the first grade class to a louder than normal voice than is allowed in first grade, 'There she is! The Craft Lady! And with a bit of an air of superiority, she says quite confidently, 'And I know what we will be making today!  Thanksgiving Baskets!  I know because I saw her at Jay C's last night!'  Thankfully, she did not mention that she saw me rummaging through the discounted meat section.

This month, the craft was Christmas Stockings that will be covertly filled with little treats from now till Christmas Break.  Lovely Wife and Pretend Granddaughter Sara helped Saturday with the cutting out of 40 little sockie shapes.  Hubby painstakingly cut three holes in each one.  And I volunteered more of my vintage sequins and goo gaws for the effort.

I am always well pleased with the artistic interpretation of each little creation.  This month was a hoot as this year's class warms up to this weekly visitor to the class.  Monthly, we do crafts, but once a week I go in to help their very apt teacher with the weighty paperwork of copy making.  Each weekly glimmer into the goings on in this very busy room adds to my admiration of the profession of teaching.  Magic is worked in the lives of these little people and if I can sneak in with my Craft Box chock full of sequins, buttons and yarn, then I am a happy crafter.  Nothing like installing the love of gluing and felt into impressionable pre artists and crafters.

I had stockings completely covered.  I picked the well glued sequins from many a little fingers.  I loved the courage of the minimalist.  I enjoyed the little girl in love with my vintage buttons.  One little toothless wonder asked me no fewer than ten times if we could use glitter.  She assured me that she NEVER made a mess with glitter.  I told her that glitter had a life of it's own and was known to remain in a room long after children had graduated.  She would pause a bit then approach with a new tactic.  Admittedly, I almost caved only to be relieved when the same little persistent girl's little red stocking was the only one dripping in glue and falling embellishments. One could only wonder what she could have done with three vials of glitter that she caressed in her hands.

I presewed most of the stocking but left about six inches on the perforated side open so that the kids could 'stitch' it closed with a bell laden piece of yarn.  I let them know that this was the first step in sewing; putting two pieces of felt together without benefit of staples, glue or tape.  They were impressed with themselves.....

And I was too.
Get messy with your favorite child today....

Back to School!

Time to take some more of my Irish Good Will and spread it around.
This stop, The Elementary School where I make my weekly visits and add to the glue usage quota of the county.
By now, the children are aware that Ms Deb packs enough construction paper, glittery embellishments, yarn and puffy fringey balls, to make any holiday more festive.
Today, I ransacked my Auction Pauline stash of vintage shinys to make my little friends happy with their handmade shamrocks.

How these little mock leprechauns manage to take the same equipment and in a very short span of time, make something so sweetly unique, always amazes me.
I love how they bring them back to me full of positive reinforcement of their craft capabilities.
I always giggle at their own touches on a basic design.
And their memory.
They remembered quite a bit of an Irish lore book that I read last week, including the colors of the flag of Ireland, a point that their beloved teacher had forgotten.

Ms. Deb had to bring in her shamrock bearing curtain to frame out our Wish Tree in the hall window.

I love how proud of their little room decor and how a relationship has started with the students and I over a very simple project that they now see as theirs.
Take some simple gifts and time to your local school and watch the magic....

The Valentine Tree

Off I go on another Crafting House Call!
This time I go to our local elementary school to help spread the cause of promoting the love on Valentine's Day!
Valentine's Day.
A favorite of mine. Had my first kiss on Valentine's Eve and first date with The Hubby at a Valentine's Day dance in high school. Baby Girl was born 57 minutes before the Big V Day.
Holds a dear spot in my heart so I promote it at every turn.
I asked Teacher Friend if I could enter her domain and present her class a Valentine Loving Tree. This one is an enlargement of one that I made for my kids decades ago. Back then, I painted the branches of a bush white, placed the embellished twigs in a small bucket of sand and had the kids make small heart valentines that would promise a gift of doing to someone in the house. Signs like: 'I will do the dishes for my sister.' 'I will not complain about schoolwork', ' I will be kind' sort of messages accumulated on the little tree.
Lovely.
So here I start on a bigger scale for four times as many children.
I raided my garden for a large pot and then sacrificed to the Valentine gods, several Rose of Sharon bushes from the sleeping garden area.
Rose of Sharon branches are pretty light colored so I could skip the painting part of the project.
Pea Gravel, (thanks to Youngest Son who carried the quite cumbersome bag from parking lot wayyyyyyyyy to Teacher Friend's room for me, a weak old lady....:D)
took the place of messier sand. Our local school is a beautiful, well kept school so I did not want to be a messy crafter.

Back in the Sewing Room, I fashioned 14 little stuffed felt hearts with a simple design and blanket stitched all around, with a piece of ribbon to hang from, for a gift for each of the children. One suggested that he could hang his on his Christmas Tree, to which I heartily agreed...

Some card stock, doilies and an abundance of shiny thingys to make their creations spec-TAC-u-lar, and off they go to create their 'gifts'..

I might like to mention that some of Pauline Hill's auction goodies got put to use again! A plethora of goo gahs in a myriad of colors for just that shiny fascinating effect that children (and many adults apparently) love so much.
Several of Pauline's goo-gahs had prices on them: 3 for .67...Maybe 1965?

Several the little girls had pink shirts on that day. I pointed out to Friend Audrey that her shirt matched her valentine!
One little boy avoided the pink paper like the plague! I reminded him that maybe the recipient of his valentine, might like pink. He stated emphatically, 'NO ONE in my family likes pink!' Got it.

I would like to point out that Hubby found the gilded gold doilies and thought that I needed them for the children. Big hit.

And here we are, be-ribboned,be-lighted, be-ginghamed, be-adorned and a big hit in Teacher Friend's classroom!!

Might we see a Lucky Shamrock Tree and a Spring Fling Tree.....
Maybe....!