Take Time to Read

I recently found a site that lets you list and review the books that you have read and then compare notes with others. The site is called Goodreads and it is free to sign up. I have several friends who have joined me on that site and now we are able to get ideas about good books to read. I am hoping that a few more friends will join me, too.

Currently, I am reading a book called The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. The review that I read compared this novel to The Da Vinci Code. In this novel, rare book expert Hanna Heath is looking for clues in a document that dates back to 15 century Spain. I am enjoying this book so far. I really like reading March by the same author. She won the Pulitzer Prize for than novel.

So, why not join us on Goodreads? There is a link on the bottom right hand side of this blog page that will take you to this site.

Exceptional Artists

I spotted this snowman display while in the hallway at school the other day. Here is one example of "Snowman Art". The children who created these whimsical pieces of art work always bring light and laughter whenever they visit my Library. They brighten my day if I have been having a stressful one. All the other children and adults in the school know this class and everyone stops to say "hello" to them.

Gail, our Art Teacher, does an exceptionally fine job with this class. She brings out their natural abilities. She has done several art projects involving all the students in the class. In fact, one of the local colleges even purchased one of the class paintings. (The painting was featured in a local student art show.)

You see, there are only 12 children in this class and they all have special learning needs. Some have found different ways to communicate, such as through sign language. Others depend upon walkers and wheelchairs to remain mobile. Others are struggling with vision problems as well as a whole host of medical conditions.

Each one of these children is a gift to us and has something unique and special to offer us. They are exceptional artists, indeed.

Paper Crafting

I thought that I would post a few examples of the projects that I have created with my new paper cutting machine. My first simple project was to create these paper hearts. ( I used my compact digital camera, so the photo quality isn't that good.) I am going to use the hearts as decorations in my school library.

I took the paper cutting machine to work today and had my Library Assistant try it out. We had a great time making paper snowflakes. Perhaps I can convince our boss to buy a paper cutting machine for the teachers and staff to use at school.

My friend Mary came over tonight and I demonstrated this fantastic machine. Mary enjoys making cards, so she was able to make a greeting card very quickly using the paper cutting machine.

I hope that everyone is having a good week. We had a great day here in Central New York as the temperature was above 60 degrees F! It was a record temperature for this day. And the snow has melted. (I really do understand. All good things must come to an end. But a local restaurant sign says that spring is only 71 days away.)

January Blues

Wintertime here in Central New York State is usually very cold, snowy, and extremely long. We had a bit of a "heat wave" today as the temperature climbed above 40 degrees F. It is supposed to be even warmer tomorrow. So, we are having a little January thaw.

I noticed just how dirty and gray the remaining snow on the ground is right now. There seemed to be absolutely no hint of color anywhere. And the Christmas decorations have all been taken down now. I asked myself if anything in nature seems colorful during this time of the year. And the I happened to look at the western sky just before sunset. I was reminded of the beautiful shades of blues and purples which only nature can paint across a dreary sky. My photo above is entitled "January Blues" and I think that it perfectly captures this time of the year.

My New Toy

Yesterday, I bought myself a new toy at the craft store. I used the gift cards that I had been saving up to purchase a machine called "a personal electronic cutting machine." Wow! This little machine does so much with paper! I just have to load the paper into the machine, select the clip art or font that I want, choose the size and push "cut". It is all done for me! This is wonderful for my scrapbooking and cardmaking projects. I already made some Valentines for a bulletin board in my school library.

I even purchased the machine on sale! (I have never seen this machine on sale at the craft store before now.) The company that makes the machine is called "Cricut" and their website is www.cricut.com

This machine is so much fun! It is portable, so I am going to take it to school with me. I am going to bring it to my Mom's house so that we can work on scrapbooking projects.

Hopefully, I will be able to post a few of my creations here soon. Have a good week everyone!

Take Time to Enjoy Yourself

I seem to be getting myself back into my ordinary routine. Certainly, I enjoy the excitement of the holiday season spent with family and friends. But I have to say that I don't miss the hustle and bustle of that busy season.

So, this weekend, I am just going to take some time to do activities which bring me pleasure: read, cook, go to the bookstore with a friend, and perhaps get my camera out once again. I am not going to set some demanding schedule for myself, but just enjoy those activities which I am able to do. As John Lennon once said, "Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted." How true! I am hoping that some downtime will provide me with some creative energy.

I hope that you have a great weekend!

Creativity Through The Eyes of A Child

As you may already know, I really enjoy discovering different ways of getting inspirational ideas for my own artistic endeavors. In my last post, I wrote about using children's literature as a springboard for my creative projects. Today I rediscovered another one of my inspirational sources: children's artwork.

At work today, I stopped to admire my students' colorful artwork just outside of my school library. (Please see the photo I took of one of these masterpieces posted above.) I was struck by the fact that even the very youngest children showed so much passion for their work. And then I remembered that many of the children don't have a lot of preconceived ideas about how art should look. This sense of freedom enables them to combine colors in exciting ways as well as to use lines and shapes to enhance their work. Many of these very young artists are so self-absorbed in their own work that they do not worry about comparing themselves to others.

I thought of all of these ideas in terms of my own artistic projects. Why can't I feel some of this same sense of creative freedom? I believe that I should enjoy the creative process in and of itself, but why do I tend to judge myself against the work of others?

And then I remember one of my favorite Pablo Picasso quotations: "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." Ah, words of wisdom! Now I am not advocating that we just ignore such time honored artistic rules such as the rule of thirds, but I am thinking about how to keep the creative passion flowing. And I believe that viewing my students' artwork provided me with some answers.