A Must-Watch

Bear-napped

So, I keep Bear in my classroom and dress him up for the season. The classroom is the BEST place for this little fellow, as he is not at all little and takes up more space than my apartment allows. I dress him up according to the season or according to what we are studying. When we read Chaim Potok's My Name is Asher Lev, he wears a skull cap and prayer shawl. When we are in the midst of Julius Caesar, Bear wears the traditional toga. All in all, Bear brings me vast amounts of joy. Lately, Bear has been perched on his shelf with a hospital mask and baby blanket, in honor of Swine flu. Last week during my prep period, Bear disappeared. In his place was the note you see above.

As day two arrived and I had yet to pay a ransom, I entered my classroom to find this picture (and many more disturbingly similar shots) on my front white board, along with demands for more cookies. 

Never fear. After some careful terrorist negotiating, he is once again safe and sound. Look at those sad eyes! Notice how the duct tape was placed roughly over his flu mask! How could anyone NOT give cookies for the return of a friend such as this?! 

A gift. :)

So, I finished ShaNeil's and Russell's wedding gift and I am pretty happy with how it turned out. I sent the photos to Wal-Mart's online photo processing and added a studio finish to the edges to make it look happy. With this piece, I aged the back mat and the frame. The back mat has spray paint and varnish, intentionally uneven so it has a little depth. The frame was painted black and then given a little bit of white detail. I also scraped a bit of the paint off the frame so some of the original brown shows through. I chose to keep the pictures in color because I liked the combination, but for the next one I am going to try to create a collage that is less grunge, more class. I really like the aged look, but I am not sure what Carli wants. :) (So, Carli, we will be talking soon!)

Thank You!

Dear blog readers,

Thanks for your love and support as my journey of sorts has come to an end. Last friday I participated in a hooding ceremony that brought me joy beyond belief. In fact, I was accused of smiling too broadly. Tom Rathke was taking pictures of me. When someone asked who he was photographing, he replied, "The one with the teeth." And so I am. To those who were able to attend the ceremony: THANK YOU. To those who were unable to attend: I STILL LIKE YOU A WHOLE LOT! Thanks to all for being a part of my life :)  

Kisses.