Valentine's Day 2011

We're not the Hallmark variety of Valentine's Day celebrators -- but we do take every opportunity to make family memories and celebrate life and love and all that good stuff that makes the years slip by more sweetly. This year, I purchased a few "little somethings" for each child from the dollar store (no toys!) and wrapped them with brown paper and yarn. In our stamp stash we had a cute "I Love You" stamp, but I didn't have a heart stamp that I thought should accompany the words.

Soooo, I made one with a bit of cardboard and one of these foam shapes which have been kicking around for about a decade:

Now I want to make all kinds of them!!!! But that will have to wait.

For DH, I went a little cheesy and made a love message board . . .

As I've seen several places online, I painted a cookie sheet black, then distressed it a bit, added some ribbon, some scrapbook paper, a little decal -- and voila! The magnetic words were in the Valentine's section at the dollar store and inspired the little project:

The extra words are stored on the back:

There's one glaring one that will be discarded -- did you see it?????



Oh, and I also made him this little card -- cuz those card companies ain't gettin' my cash:

We have a tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day with home-made, heart-shaped pizzas. I have to say, this year they turned out beautifully!  ;-) Seriously -- the children especially loved them, and though they were the size of their heads, only the boys had a bit of a hard time finishing them!

Of course, part of the fun of preparing for the meal is setting the table. Because pizza is pretty casual, I didn't want to get too fancy -- but I did want it to be elegant. I decided I wanted white candlestick holders to match the dishes -- but I didn't have any and couldn't find any at Value Village. So -- I painted these:

DH thought it a little scandalous that I dared to paint glass Party Lite holders -- but come on -- they're probably 15 years old, and let's face it -- they're pretty ho-hum. Besides -- I'm sure the paint will scrape/wash off ;) The tall ones were wood and I did a lousy job of spray painting them -- but they served my purpose well enough. I was quite pleased with how they looked on the table, if not on close examination.

Now here was my stroke of genius . . . DH had picked up a white ceiling medalion from freecycle a few weeks ago, and it still sat in the living room where he'd put it upon his return home. Well, I glanced at it and decided it would make an awesome base for a centerpiece! Do you not agree????

AND, may I point out, DO notice how the beading around the medallion complements the beading around the painted glass candle holders!!!!

How serendipitous is that?????? (Remember -- don't look too closely at the paint job on the candle holder!)

And I added some red tassles to the vase -- just cuz I had them and wanted to use them and I didn't quite know how to do so ;)

Here are some other little details of the table setting . . . (I had to go with fake flowers because I couldn't bring myself to pay the jacked-up prices for fresh!):

So -- that's another memory made:) The surprise of the evening was that gameboy-DS12 gave his little brother FOUR of his Wii games as an expression of his love! Wow! We need to read 1 Corinthians 13 more often! (We read it this morning during devotions and were all convicted about the ways we fail to show love on a regular basis.) DS4 didn't clue in that they were DS12's actual games -- he kept saying, "Hey -- I have the same game as you!" 'Twas thrilling to see DS12 coaching him in the games after dinner . . .

Do you have any special Valentine's traditions? Even if you don't buy into the Hallmark money-grab, do you celebrate Love in any special way?

I shared this post here:

Monday Musings on the Creator in Me

Last week the theme at HSB Front Porch was Children’s Authors and Illustrators, and in our Monday Musings we explored ways in which we can appreciate these creative people. As I finished that article, it occurred to me that a good sequel would be an article that explored ways we can encourage ourselves and our children to be authors and illustrators. We really do have it in us – whether we ever “get published” or not! ;)

Ideas for adults:

• Write letters. I mean REAL, hold-in-your-hand, pen-to-paper letters – to family, friends, children, spouses. Then, do a few doodles or clip out a few pictures from a magazine to adorn the letters and envelopes. These letters might just become a keepsake for the recipients, cherished for years to come. My husband and I corresponded for years before we were married, and each kept all of the letters we received from the other. On one of our wedding anniversaries, we sat and organized them all chronologically – so now we have a documentation of our friendship and romance. While they still hold value for us now, I believe they will have even more value to our children in years to come.

• Keep journals. Here are a few ideas that nurture the author and illustrator in many of us:
• Gardening journals with little diagrams of where to plant next year’s flowers and food, as well as little sketches of how favourite plants are growing
• Pass-it-back journals to be shared with a spouse, a child, or the whole family. When she was about 10, my oldest daughter and I began writing notes to each other in a journal that we’d leave for each other to find, read, and respond. Sometimes we’d doodle little illustrations to correspond with the content and demonstrate our affection for each other. At another time in our family’s history, we would take a weekly opportunity to write kind words to each other in a Blessing Book, and these notes would be read aloud at our Blessing Meal. Words matter, and this is a little way to use them for the edification of others.
• 

  

  An excerpt from my nature journal

  Nature journals are a way to draw our attention to the wonders of creation and document the beauty in the world around us. If we don’t feel like we can draw well enough (though it’s a great opportunity to practise!), we can always take photos, print the best ones, and make simple notes about the time, place, sounds, smells, and sights we experienced.
• Personal journals are, of course, ways to document our thoughts, feelings, hopes, and ambitions – and a good way to sort through the ups and downs of life. Little doodles and illustrations here and there help to label our emotions and experiences.
• Prayer journals are another form of personal journals, with a little more focus. Entries help us to see where we’ve been, and how God has been working in our lives. Several times in the last 13 years I’ve returned to a particular journal entry in which I’d drawn a diagram of what I viewed all our parenting options to be next to a page of graffiti-like doodles exclaiming, “Kill my will!” It was that very evening that the door of my heart flew open when we were presented with the blessing of our first adoption. What an awesome way to be reminded of God’s answers to prayer!
• Poetry journals might not be everyone’s cup of tea – and yet I think we tend to underestimate our own abilities to write powerful poetry. If we try, we’ll find ourselves in good company. It was by the creative power of the Holy Spirit that David was able to pen the psalms. When the Spirit of the Creator is allowed to work in us, we might be amazed at the words that wend their way onto paper. Even if the poetry remains under lock and key in our journals, it is a powerful way of wrestling with words that give our thoughts and convictions shape and form.
• Record the stories of our children’s births or adoptions. I know my daughters especially have often pleaded, “Tell me the story of when I was born.” What a gift to offer them a written version for them to keep tucked away, perhaps to share with their own children one day. Photos or simple drawings would add to the memory bank, reminding the children of how they were and are cherished.
• Scrapbook. I know this might seem like a stretch – but when you think about it, the purpose of a scrapbook is to keep a visual documentation of a time period, and it usually involves words and pictures. A scrapbooker writes about and illustrates (with photos and decorative elements) significant life experiences. In my books, it counts towards being a writer and illustrator! 
• Write down some of those great stories you tell your children or grandchildren. And if you're interested in publication, I just found this interesting site.

 Ideas for children:

•   Have little people write and draw in shape books. Apples, pumpkins, emergency vehicles -- there are lots of patterns available for free online. This makes authoring and illustrating so much more fun!
   
 



Canada lapbook


• Create lapbooks. Not only is it a creative way to write and illustrate, it's a great way to document learning.

A Letter from a pen pal



• Find penpals for your children, and encourage them to write letters and send drawings to their penpals. It's especially great for homeschoolers to connect with each other.
• Sponsor a child and have your children write letters to him or her, and send drawings and little paper projects as well. 
• Write a family newsletter or newspaper and include drawings and photos. Truly publish this by sending it to friends and family.
• Journals -- of course, these are great for children as well. If your stuck for ideas to encourage journaling, have a look here.
• Create homemade books from scratch. You can start with plain paper, paper bags, a stack of note cards, cereal boxes, fabric -- you name it! Here are some more ideas to get you started in writing and illustrating homemade books.

 These are just a few ideas that we can use to jump-start the writer/illustrator in each of us. And when we consider that the Word was God, and the Word was with God (John 1:1) -- it should come as no surprise that, in the image of God, we are created to work with words and images.

What ideas do you have to nurture the author and illustrator in each of us?



More Name Art

We've been busy making gifts these days! Here are some wall name plaques that DH and DD8 made for some special girls:

They simply painted a piece of wood, glued on some letters (cut with the Cricut) and decorative pieces of paper, some bling, added some eyes for ribbon to hang, and voila!

 I can't show you what I've been making, but I'm having so much fun!

Have you made any simple, homemade gifts lately? Do share -- we're always looking for great ideas!

Monday Musings on the Creator in Me

Children's Authors and Illustrators

This week at HSB Front Porch, we're celebrating Children's Authors and Illustrators Week. Initially, I thought, "I really don't know much about children's authors and illustrators." And I don't, at least about many specific authors and illustrators and their lives. BUT, I do know that they intrigue me. I've even tried my hand at writing children's books and have the rejection slips to prove it! ;) I also have a huge library of children's books with which I can't bear to part either because the stories are so lovely OR the illustrations are so beautiful. And as I thought more about it, I realized that enjoying the stories AND the art work is a huge part of what DD8 and DS4 and I enjoy about sharing a book. DD8 often examines a picture in a book and says, "How do you think they did that, Mom?" Even DS11 will see an illustration in a book and say, "Hey, Mom -- I think this was drawn by [an illustrator he recognizes]."  So, perhaps I do have a bit to say about children's authors and illustrators . . .

How can we learn to appreciate authors and illustrators?

• First of all, we can draw our own and our children's attention to them. I think it's been since first reading John Bianchi's book, Young Author's Day at Pokeweed Public School that I began reading the title of a book accompanied by its author and illustrator before reading the story. Prior to that, it had never really occurred to me to draw this information to the attention of my children -- I just dove right into the story. Silly me! It's fun learning about authors and illustrators, recognizing names as we select books from the library or our home collection!
• We can discuss the features of the illustrations. Even if we don't know the answers, we can ask: Did the illustrator use watercolours? Acrylic or oil paint? Simple charcoal? Clay? Paper cutouts?Cartoons? Realistic figures or child-like representations? Did the illustrator use lots of colour, none, or only a little bit? Why did the illustrator make the choices he or she did in the way the story was represented by the pictures? How do the illustrations help us to understand and/or enjoy the story more?
• We can ask questions about why the author made the choices he or she did, and try to find out the answers. For example, why is the story set in the mountains of British Columbia? Is that where the author lives? Is this book based on a true story? If so, what are the facts in the real life version?
• We can find out about the authors' own lives. Chances are, the value we place on the stories we love will increase. Books like Meet the Authors and Illustrators (three of which I own and have never used -- shame on me!!!!!! Guess what I'll be doing this week!) will assist in this endeavour. For example, I've always loved Jan Brett's books because of their richly detailed illustrations. When I opened a Meet the Authors and Illustrators book, my eyes fell on this paragraph: "As a child, Jan often felt frustrated by book illustrations that didn't give enough information. That's why she likes to put in all the little details. Jan often uses borders to get all her ideas into the book. In The Mitten, the borders show Nicki trekking through the woods and scaring different animals out of their hiding places. When you turn a page in the book, you can see the animal that comes next" (pg. 15). To me, knowing how and why she does what she does helps me appreciate her work all the more. And I can make a personal connection to her when I read, "Jan was a shy child. Uncomfortable with large groups or children, she preferred the company of pencil and paper" (pg. 14). Personal connections to authors and illustrators enable us to appreciate them more, and often inspire us to learn even more.
• We can make use of the available resources online to extend our knowledge and appreciation of authors and illustrators. When I googled the title of Meet the Authors and Illustrators to find a link to it, I stumbled upon a website called Children's Literature: Indpendent Information and Reviews that offered a huge list of links to information about hundreds of children's authors and illustrators. Having just written about Jan Brett above, I clicked on her name and was taken to her website. Here's a glimpse of what she offers -- and remember, she's just one on the list:

• We can use curricula that assists us in encouraging the appreciation of authors and illustrators. One of my favourites is Five in Row. Over the years, DD8 and I have learned a lot about how artists create by studying and imitating illustrations in the books we've read as we've been prompted by the FIAR study guides:



Studying Storm in the Night, we learned about layering acrylics in a painting. Unlike watercolours, light colours are applied after dark colours.






While examining the illustrations in Katy and the Big Snow, we practised drawing bare trees.



• When we study art, we can include the work of illustrators in the list of artists to be studied. Last  year, we had a homeschooling Art Fair and DS11 (at the time) had a hard time selecting an artist knowing that he was going to have to try to imitate one of the artist's pieces to gain an appreciation of their work. He finally decided on studying Quentin Blake, the illlustrator of Roald Dahl's books, and succeeding in producing a fun imitation of this artist's child-like drawings while getting a good appreciation of just how difficult it is to create even the simplest of illustrations:

 

The boys are digging a hole to secretly get at the cookies they can see through the window ;)



• Once we've found an author we or our children enjoy, we can make an effort to find more of his or her work. Sometimes the fact that an author has become familiar by reading one book inspires our children to want more -- and who doesn't want their children to want to read more?

Do you have any other ideas for developing an appreciation of authors and illustrators? Have you done anything with your children in the past that has challenged them to learn more about the people who write and illustrate their favourite books?