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Gift Guide for the Artist 2020

Nov 21, 2020
3 min

Gift Guide for the Artist 2020

Here I've shared some of my favorite art supplies for the artist in your life. I include great supplies for the grown up maker, and kid friendly supplies too. For the Grown Up Artist Ticonderoga pencils, the best pencils, these are my favorite. Pencil sharpener, the perfect pencil sharper to keep in your bag; so, you are ready to sketch anywhere and don't have to worry about pencil shavings. Heavy duty, sharp scissors for cutting cardboard or thick materials, these are perfe

Gift Guide 2020

Nov 1, 2020
7 min

Gift Guide 2020

This gift guide covers gifts for men, women, and kids. I have been reviewing all the things I've bought on Amazon for as long as I have used Amazon, and have a comprehensive list I would recommend and buy again. So, if you are on the hunt for some gift ideas, I've got you covered. For the Men So, I find gift guides for men strange. They usually have joke or gag gifts, barbecue items, cuff links, and ties. None of these kinds of gifts work for my husband. I want to share

Road Trip to Yellowstone

Oct 27, 2020
4 min

Road Trip to Yellowstone

I wanted to share my favorite things from our trip, things that could have been better, and my best advice for planning our next getaway. These were my favorite places to visit in Yellowstone. First, the Grand Prismatic Spring at the Midway Geyser Basin. We arrived here shortly before sunset and the place just had a great atmosphere. It was cold outside, in the 40s, which helped create this steam everywhere that made the place beautiful. There was a wooden boardwalk that a

Fleabag

Oct 6, 2020
1 min

Fleabag

Phoebe Waller-Bridge wrote and starred as the lead character in this beautiful, hilarious, heartbroken story about a woman and her relationships with herself, family, friends, and the world around her. Waller-Bridge consciously breaks the fourth wall, and speaks directly to the viewer sharing her internal monologue, letting the audience hear how she thinks. This is also a remarkable feat of acting. The other characters remain completely unaware of the asides, and both actor

Steak: Favorite Marinade

Aug 24, 2020
1 min

Steak: Favorite Marinade

So, this is my favorite marinade. It comes from the Southern Living Cookbook, and is intended for lamb chops, also delicious, and works just as well on beef. Here I use it with New York Strips. I marinate them overnight, and then baste them with the marinade as they cook. These are delicious broiled or on the grill. Enjoy! Ingredients 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos 4 tablespoons ketchup 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon ground gi

Hannibal on Netflix

Jul 24, 2020
2 min

Hannibal on Netflix

I don't have cable, and watch the majority of things as they come on Netflix. So, I didn't see Hannibal when it originally came on network television in 2013 through 2015. The series now has a new home on Netflix, and is now being discovered by a whole new audience, which I'm hoping will lead to continuing the series in the future. But I digress. This series is full of many things: grotesque, brutal, beautiful murder scenes, enigmatic psychology, incredible food preparati

Bodyguard on Netflix

Jul 9, 2020
1 min

Bodyguard on Netflix

Bodyguard on Netflix stars Richard Madden as David Budd, a police sergeant and bodyguard for the politician, Julia Montague, played by actress Keeley Hawes. The story takes place in London and we get to see a glimpse of the internal mechanism of British politics. Richard Madden is a sight to behold in this series with his performance as a war veteran dealing with post traumatic stress while continuing to evaluate and react to the stress of his job. If you enjoy political t

Normal People on Hulu

Jul 7, 2020
1 min

Normal People on Hulu

Normal People on Hulu stars Paul Mescal as Connell Waldron and Daisy Edgar-Jones as Marianne Sheridan. This series is based on a novel by the same name by Sally Rooney. The story takes place in Ireland and follows Connell and Marianne's life through high school and college. This story is captivating and immersive. It captures the magic, realism, pain, and struggle of a normal life. The two characters are imperfect, with many strengths and many weaknesses. They are refre

Marble Run Building Blocks

Jul 1, 2020
1 min

Marble Run Building Blocks

The most used toys in our house are the duplo blocks aka the larger lego blocks. My five year old builds all kinds of machines, characters, and places with his blocks that he then pretends and creates his own imaginative world. He would often build ramps and slide many unsuspecting toys down. I wanted to add to his ability to create something that could create a track or a path that objects could move on. These marble run building blocks are perfect. This set gave my hus

Learning About Shapes and Creating a Geometric Animal

Jun 10, 2020
3 min

Learning About Shapes and Creating a Geometric Animal

This project is fun and playful while also introducing students to shapes and different ways to use them in art. Materials: construction paper, black paper, glue stick, scissors, and a pencil Time: this assignment took three, forty-five minute class periods to complete, including a day to lecture and present the assignment. Shapes are a flat enclosed area created when a line connects to enclose this area. A shape can be created by surrounding shapes. A shape can be an area

Positive and Negative Space Project

May 28, 2020
3 min

Positive and Negative Space Project

A positive shape, also known as, the figure, is the foreground shape or the main subject in a design, or the dominant shape in a figure-ground relationship. A negative shape, also known as, the ground, is a clearly defined area around a positive shape or form. This is a shape created around the dominant object. Even in writing, the positive shape would be considered the letters themselves, and the negative shape or ground would be the white paper the letters are written on.

Creating Photo Albums and Photo Books

May 23, 2020
4 min

Creating Photo Albums and Photo Books

Taking photos has become easier and more convenient than ever before with the high resolution cameras available on cell phones. With this convenience, we also have a lot more photos than ever, and it can become overwhelming to sort through them all. I'd like to share my process of how to organize and print the photos I love. First, I look through the photos on my phone, and any I want to print, I give a heart which sorts these photos into a "favorites" folder on my phone.

Animal Collage: Practicing Symmetry

May 18, 2020
3 min

Animal Collage: Practicing Symmetry

This is a multi-step project that was a challenge, while also a project most can do. The collage took a total of six, forty-five minute classes to complete, including the initial day of lecture and demonstration. This project was created for a 7th and 8th grade art class, but can be modified for all age levels. Elementary students could color shapes on a coloring page, cut them out, and glue them down on an animal shape, with an emphasis on arranging the shapes symmetrical

I Am Not Okay With This on Netflix

May 15, 2020
1 min

I Am Not Okay With This on Netflix

I Am Not Okay With This is an unexpected coming of age story of a girl named Sydney played by Sophia Lillis. She is dealing with typical high school nonsense, being an outsider; as well as, grief over her dad's death. But soon she learns she has a whole other set of problems that she is trying to keep a secret. Although there are fantasy elements, the character of Sydney feels honest and true. The way she reacts to her mom, best friend, neighbor, and brother all feel awkw

Cardboard Portrait Project Relief Sculpture

May 9, 2020
2 min

Cardboard Portrait Project Relief Sculpture

Materials: printed photo for reference, pencil, cardboard, craft scissors, pen or extra fine tip marker, Elmer’s glue A relief sculpture is a sculpture in which forms project out from a flat surface. High relief has forms that project greatly from a surface. Low relief has forms that project slightly from a surface. First take a photo of yourself or someone else and print it out for reference. Plan ahead, and think about what features you want to cutout and add layers to t

Room on the Broom

May 6, 2020
1 min

Room on the Broom

Room on the Broom is a keeper. This is one of our favorite books. It's got rhythm and rhyme, beautiful illustrations, and a great story. We love reading this to our boys at bedtime. This book has also been made into a short film on Netflix that is just as lovely, and captures the story beautifully while showing our kids one of their favorite books in motion. If you need a new bedtime story, we recommend this one. #roomonthebroom #room #on #the #broom #book #books #read #

Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu

May 1, 2020
1 min

Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu

Little Fires Everywhere stars Reese Witherspoon as Elena Richardson and Kerry Washington as Mia Warren. The story takes place in a small community in Ohio called Shaker Heights. Elena and Mia are mothers raising their children in different, conflicting ways, and their paths become intertwined. The story is captivating, and as a child born in the 80s, a look back at parenthood in the 90s is especially interesting. Well written, well acted, with dynamic characters, I'll be

Favorite Books for Kids

Apr 29, 2020
1 min

Favorite Books for Kids

Here's a list of our favorite books for kids. Some are great stories, some have great rhythm and rhyme, some have beautiful photographs for identification, and beautiful illustrations, and some are great conversation starters. We are always finding new books, these are the ones we love. All Through My Town Busy Builders, Busy Week! Who Is Driving? My First Animals Solar System My First Words Whose Tools? All the World Little Blue Truck Leads the Way Weather My First ABC My

AirPods: Favorite Headphones

Apr 24, 2020
2 min

AirPods: Favorite Headphones

I purchased these AirPods in August, 2019, and they are the best headphones I have owned. They are easy to use. To pair with a new device, you simply lift the lid of the case with the AirPods inside, and press and hold the button on the back of the case. Then, your device will ask, do you wish to pair the AirPods with your device, and you select yes. That's it. They charge quickly, so, if your battery runs low, you can pop them in their case for a few minutes and they sh

O for Onward

Apr 15, 2020
1 min

O for Onward

Onward is the latest new release from Disney. This movie has been on repeat in our household. The story is about two brothers on a quest to see their father. While there are elves, centaurs, fauns, unicorns, a manticore, and other mythical creatures, the characters feel very real. Their personalities and approach to the challenges they face, feel very human and well portrayed. So, if you are looking for a little magic and family entertainment with a great story, we recom