Art at the Library 2009

Jonas's dollhouse birthday cake (it's SO SMALL)

This month we will be kicking off the next segment of art fun at our own Rockport Public Library, a mini-course on artist journals. Many of the techniques we'll play with are also ATC-friendly, they are multi-layered, textured wonders, with as much or little text as the artist needs/wants. We will have four sessions, the third Saturday afternoon of the month, from March to June, from 2:30-4. Space is limited, so call the library to sign up (236-3642). Robinsunne and I are collaborating on the teaching part of it and she has already made a yummy sample book, with some pages of a few of the techniques we'll be trying. Here's one of her delightful pages:
That crazy texture you see is this neat spreadable modeling paste stuff, available locally at Rockport Blueprint, and it is a bit like spackle (for your walls) but it doesn't crack when dry, it sort of turns out feeling like thick, bendy wallpaper.
This is what we did for our Snowy Day themed preschool story-time at the library this morning, when I was standing in for Miss Jane. We read snow books, we talked about snow and what we do in it. The parents enjoyed it less that the kids, perhaps. But the snowman craft was a hit, proving that you can't go wrong with googly eyes with this crowd.
And I had to show you the tiny purse for our friend the birthday girl, filled with tiny packages of Sculpey dollhouse food (baguette, pretzels, cookies, cinnamon loaf, a fancy sandwich), for Sylvan's special friend Sophia. And he enclosed a photo of himself. (I think he is hoping for one from her in return.) That lovely cake you saw above was Jonas's gift to her, because even though he doesn't know her like Sylvan does, we all feel like we know her well because Sylvan speaks of her so often. Sylvan reported that the party was a hit and the birthday girl wore a very fancy dress!

Art at Your Library

Rockport Public Library is venturing into Year 2 with art! Today we had an ATC Make-and-Swap with needle-felted and embellished cards, with the wonderful Robinsunne and a few talented artists, young and younger.

Our combined efforts at the end of the afternoon, above.

In case you haven't experienced the wonders of needle-felting, it's a dry felting technique using these really vicious barbed needles that help to stick the fibers to each other, making felt with no water or mess (only the occasional poke and loud words). The results with 3D objects are amazing, but here we were today, having fun with it in 2D form also.

That's a sponge, which helps against poking yourself with the felting needles.
That red bird makes me glad.

Beads, shiny metallic papers from chocolate wrappers, paper bits, and even those weird plastic domes that protect pills in their foil wrappers... Don't you love this?

Do you see that guy in the lower left? With the yellow eyebrows?

Best of all, I got to meet a blogging neighbor from the midcoast, who blogs at Skip the Chips! It's always so crazy to me that the friends I find online could actually, physically be near to me. When you check out her blog, make sure you read the post about 10 indoor things to do with your kids (OK, you southern hemisphere folks, don't gloat because you have gorgeous summer right now, just bookmark this post for later!). I also loved the post I just read about great art supplies to have on hand with kids...And oh, yeah, she's also a hedgehog fan (another shared interest) who just visited Alewives Fabrics for the first time because she read about it here.

The Prince and the Pea? Stacking beanbags in the children's room to read on a perch, it's Sylvan!

Happy Valentine's Day

The boys came home with their beautiful Valentine's folders from school today. School has a policy about handmade Valentines only, which I love. Here are some of my Valentine ATCs---don't forget to snuggle your loved ones today!

And thanks to Carol for pointing out this amazing design-your-own fabric site, Spoonflower! Just when I think my brain is overfull of the best creative things I could possibly dream up to do in this lifetime...Another great one comes along and somehow my brain doesn't explode.
One thing more that I love: APA's latest bag! Find a gorgeous photo here. Her colors and fabric choices are always a knock-out! She is bold, that one, and I admire her for it. Alewives Girl, do you have this pattern at my favorite fabric shop?

The material on this ATC is from my new favorite, recently-weeded book from Rockport Public Library, entitled: The American Heritage Book of Fish Cookery. Really weird and old sorts of recipes and excellent quotes and black and white photos of fish and fisherpeople. Like a person holding a fish eating another fish. Or a person holding a fish that is 450 pounds. I promise to take some pictures to show you before I cut the whole thing up.

Pieces of Me: Librarian

Babar's little girl is having quite a time in the Children's Room, giddy-up Duckie!

Being a librarian is like being a matchmaker. I get excited each time I get a new question for what to read next or how to find something. The best part is when I make a good match, and hey, it's not like a marriage---if I make a bad match, you can choose to toss the book on the floor.
As your librarian, I check a lot of books in and out. I answer the phone and call you when you have a book that has arrived. I find the books you want and request them from other libraries. Then I unpack the bags when they come each morning, and it's kind of like the thrill of getting presents, except it's fun twice because first I get to open all the packages and then I get to tell you the happy news that the book you wanted is here in my hand!

the lovely rug that our Youth Advisory Board chose for their alcove

I will always tell you the phone number to the Camden Public Library (236-3440---see, I know it by heart by now) and will happily mark it down as a reference question, for our statistics. I work on weeding the collection, making room for the new, saving the noteworthy, making hard choices about what should stay and what should go; it feels really good when progress has been made, and the shelves look so much better. Sometimes I help you on the computer...setting up an email account for the first time, printing e-tickets, showing you how to request books from the comfort of your own home, looking up archives on NPR for the first time. I get my library exercise when I walk around and put books away. I get my brain exercise when you have a challenging question or when I am dreaming up new ways to display books.
We have a little stamp to denote Rockport Readers Recommend (the RR) and you can recommend online also! And another stamp for a BookLovers' Cafe recommendation, the little red tea cup. Thanks for the stamps, Jane!
I am always learning new things from my colleagues; one who patiently teaches me (and re-teaches me) the completely anti-intuitive Hold Pick-Up feature; another who taught me to not be fearful of contact paper when covering books. I have a very talented and creative and visionary Director, whom I love to collaborate with.

I like it that I know your names (mostly) when you come in. I like getting to know your reading tastes. I appreciate that we all read different things for different reasons at different times, because I certainly do.
Sometimes I get to be your Librarian-Baker when it's a BookLovers' Cafe day. I get up at 6 a.m. and make muffins and scones (lemon blueberry and dried cherry/ginger, recently) for us to share as we discuss the books that we have recently (or long ago or for always) loved. The threads of our conversations always inspire me, sometimes on parenting, or loss, or WWII, or ancestors.
Sometimes I get to be your Librarian-Artist when it is an Artist Trading Card Make-and-Swap day.

And just because you should see that we also have some very beautiful volumes (and not just ones about leeches, with horrifying pictures of rotten toenails on them), I give you a few shots of my vote for the Most Beautiful Book Cover of All Time, The Poetical Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and I apologize for not having the publication year (publisher is Hurst, New York):
At our small library, I am a generalist and get to do so many things that I am never bored. I learn every day and I like that.

Reusable Shopping Bag #2

Just my kind of Sunday: in my bathrobe until 3 p.m., lots of sewing time, some chores, watched a a fabulous art video by Traci Bautista, and was just mostly thrilled to be home all day long hearing the sounds of my family singing snippets, listening to the Beatles White Album Listening Party on the radio, weatherizing the windows, and constructing block/Playmobil castles.

So I finished Bag #2, and the learning curve is flattening a little! Things were easier! And check out my little innovation for finger-pressing the top seams (since pinning seemed wrong):
Handle seams came out straighter this time around. But the width between them is slightly more than 1) the pattern asked for, and 2) it was not on purpose. Oh Well.
Inspired by the amazing mixed media artist Bautista, mentioned above, I decided that my seams don't all need to be perfect-looking. Yup, here they are, NOT PARALLEL! Get this, Traci doesn't even pin stuff down when she is art-quilting!!!! I love it and can't wait to try.
I was watching the video because Robinsunne and I are currently dreaming up possibilities for more art in the Rockport Public Library in 2009, and we are considering Art Journals (remember Jonas's Travel Journal I made him?). Yes, amazing, creative, and sometimes messy...so alive with potential that it's a little overwhelming for us planners. More fun is obviously beckoning and we need to work out the details now.

I am most thankful for loving my life and work, being surrounded by people who make me laugh, always making time for my creative outlets, getting three eggs from our chickens yesterday (who mostly think it's too dark to lay more than the occasional egg lately), a husband who loves my quirkiness, an exercise class that rocks my world, one boy who twinkles, and one who doesn't want me to become "shrinkled." Have a happy happy Thanksgiving.

Two Books, Wildly Different

This past weekend at BookLovers' Cafe, I talked about two books. (You can read all of our collective recommendations from my notes, now posted at the Rockport Public Library's website.)You've probably already heard about the above title, as it is being splashed about all over the place. And you know what, in keeping with my WWII theme of late, I liked it. In fact, it was just what I was in the mood for after The Book Thief. Yes, kinder and gentler, but I don't want that to seem pat. I loved the quirky characters and happy ending, the epistolary format, the window into a new place in a certain time. Sometimes I am just in the mood for a good story that keeps me interested but doesn't give me a "reading hangover" (when you stay up to late because you can't stop reading, then feel not-your-best the next morning).

But here's another title I booktalked on Saturday:
Totally different, edgy, interesting, empowering, and really close to home. And you probably have not heard of it. It's a YA book (young adult) and it made me pretty excited that this type of book is being written for teens. It's about some young savvy hackers, smart and basically good kids. Their city experiences a terrorist attack and they are taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security and held and questioned for five days---only, the teens aren't told who has them imprisoned. Totally creepy. But it gets worse, once the DHS comes into their city with more surveillance measures and pretty much turns the city into a police state. So the question of personal privacy and liberty versus "measures that keep us safe from terrorists" is applied very neatly by Doctorow here. (Doctorow, by the way, is a super-techy Internet Freedom Fighter who has worked with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. I guess I am a little in awe of the cool stuff they do there.)

I was a little personally offended for all librarians when the main character's dad (a librarian) caves into the pressure to conform to the demands of the DHS. Librarians are way more into protecting personal privacy than this! But this was minor compared to my other complaint, which is that there is a gratuitous (but not graphic) sex scene. This bummed me out because I would have happily been recommending this to many more 'tweens and younger teens who may have missed the depth of some of the more technologically-oriented material (lots of computer history packed in here), but could have appreciated many other elements of the story. But the sex scene would be icky for them. Oh well. (I did recommend it to my father-in-law, who loved it, and sent me an email with "Department of Bushland Security" in the subject line and filled the email with plenty of hot words to catch the eye of those machines who are busy reading our emails.)

So I like to mix things up on my nightstand. Ready to read anything that's good, anytime, all the time.

Gorgeous is Everywhere

Marcia's Amazing Rhubarb Custard Pie, with gorgeous crust!

June Babies
We know a lot of June babies around here, some of our favorite folks in fact. Well, two June Babies sent out lovely requests for Birthday Mail. One of these friends was our own Robinsunne, who asked for emails and in exchange would mail out some ATCs that she featured in this post. Check out these gorgeous cards! She received wishes from all over the world...and I just received my special card:
More Inspiration...
I happened upon this book, new at our library:

Visual Chronicles: The No Fear Guide to Creating Art Journals, Creative Manifestos, and Altered Books by sisters Linda Woods and Karen Dinino, is a treat! Check out their website, also for their other publications and blog. So many wonderful ideas for how to make art daily, terrific art prompts (for when you think you have nothing to say), encouragement, and inspiration. Again, the authors remind us that you don't need lots of fancy stuff, mostly you probably have what you need to get started around your house already...I love that. They have some great ways to think about creating backgrounds in advance, creating little books of prompts for yourself (so you'll never have to spend too much time wondering what to make), and tips for how to get right to the heart of your Artful Self. This volume may be one that I "have" to own.

So I seized a moment this morning to make some ATCs, inspired by these crafty ladies. The kids were busily involved with PlayMobil, the laundry could wait, and so could the dishes and email.

This one, above, is untitled, as yet.
"Fly in the face of convention."

Some of Our Favorite Book Villains are Named Simon
Small drawing by Jonas (9.5 years old), entitled "Simon." I love Simon's villainous overbite! And how about that fancy sceptre?

PS Apologies for inconsistent font today, blogspot is vexing me.
PPS In case you missed it, here's a link for an article that features me and my terrific co-workers at the Rockport Public Library.

A Big Week for Performance!

This week there must be something in the stars about our family in the spotlight...Monday was Sylvan's Bridge Crossing (into Summerland), today was the Grade School Assembly in which my hubby the teacher got up there with his students, as well as Jonas performing with his 3rd grade class.
Over the Bridge!

And while they were busy with their Assembly today, I was in my professional role as library assistant, presenting at the 12th annual Public Library Directors Conference (for Maine library directors) about some of the creative programming we have been doing at the library in Rockport. (And while I was sad to miss my two bigs boys on stage, I was delighted to miss the 8 hours of socializing that usually follows this event!) I spoke about the very successful Out of Bounds Altered Books Exhibit that we sponsored last November, as well as the chronology of our ATC Make-and-Swap group which you have all been reading about here. I had a lovely PowerPoint show with some of the great images from both groups. The hardest part was only having 15 minutes to cover all of this great stuff! I was able to plug Robinsunne's upcoming book about ATC groups in your library---how to do it and what to do, as well as the consultation services she is offering to libraries! It was really a pleasure to be at the conference sharing these ideas with other librarians in Maine, and I am so honored to have been invited!

"The Pit" by Paul Campbell (a high school student), from the Out of Bounds Altered Books Exhibit

In other performance news...
This Saturday I will be singing with a chorus of 110 singers, The Midcoast Community Chorus, at a concert that will benefit a local nonprofit agency, the Midcoast HealthNet. These folks offer clinic hours to members of our community that have little or no healthcare. The music is inspiring and uplifting, spirited and spiritual, and under the direction of Mimi Bornstein we are singing from our hearts for our community. We'll be at the Strom Auditorium in Camden at 7 p.m. on June 14th. Read more about how to get tickets here...Buy them soon, we expect to sell out!

Peep Report: MORE News Coming Soon
Are you wondering how our Peeps are? It's been a little crazy, can you tell? But I promise to have some new photos of them very soon. They are happy and well, getting their bottoms and necks now, plus lots of feathers. Last night Jake couldn't find them when he went to shut them inside. Sharon had them in the little-used Upstairs Nesting Box (we have two apple crates mounted on the wall for our boxes, the chickens prefer Downstairs); this means all of the Peeps managed to fly up there!

Goodnight, Peeps.