Day Twenty-Seven

Yet more lines of letters.  They say that one can actually string them together in predetermined combinations to form words.  We shall see, we shall see...

Yesterday's fimo hearts are today's book cover. This is a card for recently married friends.

It looks ever so much smarter against a black background, doncha know.

Day Twenty-Four

True love managed to do something cool even at a very late and tired hour.

I nearly cheesed out to do two the next day but then was inspired to do some awesome crushagami in bed.

Day Sixteen

So I decided to do something I had thought about doing for a while. You take a page from a text and then, only using words from the text in the order they appear, you create a new text. You can do it with white out and end up with a strange counter narrative. I picked one of my all time favorite books, Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott, and decided to start at the back and use the first page I came to with the word "heart" appearing on it. I started at the end cause it is all goopy there. Love me some Lousia May!

Anyway, page 344 is the end of the part where Rose and (spoiler) cousin Mac are at last acknowledging their love and how they will work to improve themselves for and with each other. These are the morals I raised myself with. I ended up creating four narratives from this page: two that I felt went directly against the story context, and two that greatly departed from the previous two. I insert them here for your perusal, in order of the last created to the first. Then you can see the pictures. Remember, if the language seems stilted, it is because I was very constrained.

A Poetic Request

My lamp is faulty. Will you come and try to make the glowing, beautiful, golden heart light and bloom?

When Greeting Cards Collide

Lift up and look well

Fly high to follow wings

Live the poetry

Celebrate your fame and be content

Be proud that inspiration comes from life

Work to make music and love

Go fervently in the sunshine, glowing with happiness

Make a folded heart bloom

Cupid’s Words

Cupid laughed in spite at the sentimental character. He said with seriousness, “It is too late. Love will have no fear. You will fly too high and my gift will no fame and inspiration work. Try to make music and leave behind fervent, glowing happiness.  Hope, and make the heart bloom.”

Gwendolen and Grandcourt

Laughing in spite he said, “Look well for it is too late. Only a faulty love I have. Fear, because I have my will. You shall be only the wife and I’ll own the life of a nobleman. O! Try to leave!”

Looking at her, he stood there glowing with purpose. He felt that the last heart lay open.

He loomed…

Here is my copy of the book and my two white out versions.

The original text should you care to squint at it. If you ever want to read this book remember to start with Eight Cousins, which is the beginning of the story of the Campbell cousins as children. I am pretty sure my maternal family was historically similar to this one. They were in the China trade as well and they liked to marry their cousins.

I only did this for the pictures but it does clarify any mistakes in word order.

This one amused me. I tried to make it mundane but the language would not cooperate.

Check out his ampersands. This was an exciting night for the true love!

Day Thirteen

Well, though this blog is art from a day ahead, today is Valentine's Day and I wish heaps of love onto all of you. I believe this is the fourteenth Valentine's Day the true love and I have weathered. We think so but you never know.

Tonight we attempted a duet on film which the true love has vetoed posting due to vanity. It was awesomeness, and he also played guitar although he is still learning both parts (guitar and lyrics). As a protest I will post my own a capella singing tomorrow since that is my achievement of today, even though I had to start too low in order to go too high. Without guitar, of course, and only the first two parts of the song. Alas, I cannot do the duet alone, but if you want to come and do it with me please let me know. *I* am totally game. Happy V Day!

This was a group valentine for the teachers in my classroom. All three of them. It's true that I could have done better, but this art stuff takes work!

Day Nine

Twenty-eight heart-shaped bags for my classroom's Valentine's Day celebration.

Preschoolers in the process of decorating...

...yielding bags ready to receive messages of love!

(Jrl speaking here) Last night, oy! was I tired! So I did it by the numbers.

Day Seven

Well, we did a lot over the weekend and had visits with Dr. Jim at night so this is the best we could do:

I made the marbled paper (not yesterday) and cut out the heart. The true love wrote in French with assistance. Yay! Hunca Munca had to represent. She lives for the art room table these days.

Day Six

Day Six really began on Day Five because this was a little involved. I have decided that this is a-o-k with me, and we can make up our rules as we like.

I was inspired by someone's fascinating collection of books last month and had a hankering that seemed like a good fit for this month. Now to find a book. Who knew it would be this one which was in the clearance of Half Price Books. They had a lot of good books in that clearance rack, all for $2-$3. Don't hate me for what you are about to see. My 10+ years of bookbinding study make up for it. Really. Ask my teacher. I didn't *just* drink tea and talk.

I thought Hunca Munca needed a gift for Valentine's Day! She has been so much friendlier since we have spent more time in the art room.

Who doesn't love reptiles?! We have another copy of this in our bookshelves.

Be Mine Hunca Munca! I brought you your favorite!!! It's a great assortment and difficult to obtain.

Crocodiles, turtles, frilled lizards, snakes, chameleons, and more. Oh my! Those tails sure look a lot like strings....

Can you see her level of attention? She is happy with her gift. Every time I open the book she gets all interested and excited.

But which to choose first? I know what kitties like best...

Delicious jelly chameleons!!!! They swing and drop so nicely. Especially if you loosen them up by swinging them and dropping them a lot (and I mean a lot!).

Time to get it again.

Truth be told, I have a few additional plans for this but it seemed like a viable project and I feel it makes a good showing for Day Six. Later it may return with a few additions to make it more awesome.

Now for some crazy behind the scenes shots and general art room antics:

The true love helped make a mobile to hang hearts off of using branches discovered on Day Five. Of course he also did much of the heart cutting for which I am grateful. I did enough to know it would hurt my already hurt finger. Luckily Dr. Jim just fixed it up for me. We (me, actually) came up with the ingenious idea to hang things off of tension rods rather than putting screws into the walls. The art room lighting is much improved and there are sticks too! At the hardware store, while buying the tension rods, some pegboard, and other random goods, we may or may not have also obtained a dremel tool. We aren't exactly saying yet.

I need to take a better shot of the dupioni silk interior. Can you say Berkeley Morris vest fabric??? Ciao. And could someone just follow us in the margin just to make me feel good!? I will be doing some giveaways and you can only ask for the goods if I can see you somewhere like a comment or as a follower.

Day Two

Day One

at work

heart tools of the day

Part of the garland: twenty-eight 3-D hearts for the 28 days of February!

The garland in action, hanging in the art room as inspiration