17
Oct, 2006

zines, zines, the magical fruit…

yesterday, the much fretted zine program happened. i had four kids show up and i explained to them (to the best of my knowledge) what a zine is.* my greatest fear is that i would get done telling them about zines and they would look at me blankly and say, “i dont get it.” or “i dont know what to write about” and get all whiny. amazingly to me, they all pretty much just dug in and started putting paper together and collaging from magazines and writing down “articles” by hand or playing with the typewriter i had provided.*** only one of the three (the youngest) struggled to find a topic (after brainstorming with him, we finally decided on a zine titled “i wish i had a fox… or a dog.” then he went on to try his hand at illustration and ended up drawing some japanese cartoons and an asteroid. classic zine train of thought?) he was also the only one to really fret about typos, whether he was spelling stuff right and whether or not what he was doing was “the right thing” and i kept assuring him that with zines, anything goes. it doesnt matter if you cant spell or if your typewriter gets all inky, that just makes it look more authentic.

the most gratifying moment for me came towards the end of the program when one of the kids was looking though some of the other books about making zines that i had gotten from the library and commented, “these books make zines look like something really complicated and theyre not really.” that was exactly what i was trying to accomplish–making this form of self-expression accessible to them. hurrah!

*short version? a zine is a homemade magazine.
slightly longer version? a zine is a magazine that you write when you have something to say (or draw or express) and you dont** want to go through traditional publishing venues. zines are generally sold over the internet or by mail or by word of mouth for just a few dollars. there are also commonly traded with other zinesters. there are a variety of formats and the only limit to a zine is your creativity, your time and (to a certain extent) your budget.

**my apostrophe key isnt working right now. there should also be an apostrophe in front of the word zine.

***how do you put the paper in? how do you backspace? how do you go down to the next line?

Posted in library stuff | 1 Comment
15
Oct, 2006

art!

so… have i ever mentioned on this blog that i would like to start a (very slowly acquired) collection of art by real artists? (i.e. not posters of famous paintings or stuff i make myself — which may or not be considered “art”) i came to this idea about two years ago on the way home from our church’s annual women’s retreat. we stopped in a small town on the way home and found ourselves in an intimate art gallery where i was admiring many of the pieces in the “oh, that’s cool, but i’ll never be able to afford it” kind of way when i found a piece that i really liked and whose price tag was less than $50. i remember staring at it for the longest time and thinking, “i just love that one and i can actually afford it! but where would it go in my house? it doesn’t really fit the “retro-modern” style i’m trying to acheive. oh well. but this proves that there is art out there that i can fit in my budget. maybe i should consider starting my own collection.” later that day, i got home and couldn’t get the artwork out of my head. i looked up the gallery online, found the artist and sent the website to my mom to show her his cool art. as time went on, i found myself still occasionally looking at the artist’s website or thinking about that shop, but assumed that the item had been priced to move and that there was no way it would still be there.

this weekend, the in-laws are visiting and i thought i’d take them out to this small town where they could enjoy the antiques and art galleries. the weather was beautiful as we walked down the sidewalks full of art galleries and antiques shops. i made sure to stop in at that same gallery and i was astounded to see that same small art piece on the wall. i asked the proprietor if the artist had made several copies of the work. he looked at me, a bit confused, so i explained that i had seen the piece a few years ago when i was in the store before and surely, this was one of many that he had made if it was still around and for sale. the proprietor said, no, this was probably still the same one. it had been in the shop for awhile and he couldn’t understand why it hadn’t sold yet because he too thought it was a great piece and an even better price. the artist isn’t even making this style of art anymore. i knew immediately that it had been there waiting for me to come back and buy it and i apologized for taking so long. so i have now officially started my collection. it will consist of pieces that speak particularly to me (and are hopefully acceptable to mr. happy stuff*) and i will assume that no matter what the “style” of art, they will fit in our home. my goal is to purchase art directly from the artist or from small dealers, with a preference for originals or at least small runs of prints.

here is a detail of my first art acquisition, by thomas cabezas (click to see the whole thing and with better lighting). it’s already been hung.

*in case you’re curious, i showed mr. h-s the art i’d bought today when we got home and i asked him if he liked it. he said, “it’s fine.” and i pressed, “you’re sure it’s not too goofy for you?” and he said, “no, you’re goofy, but the art is just fine.” (i think he actually likes it!)

Posted in stuff that sparks a glow in my soul | 2 Comments
14
Oct, 2006

other people’s creativity

i love to throw a good library party. i also love it when other people get into the spirit of the party as much as i do. yesterday, (as some of you may be aware) the final, 13th book in the series of unfortunate events by lemony snicket was released. to celebrate/mourn this publication, we had a wing-ding of a party. we fashioned disguises from paper bags to fool count olaf, we typed various fine dialogues discussing all phrases beginning with v.f.d., we searched for (and found!) the sugar bowl, but my favorite section of all was a visit from uncle monty and the incredibly deadly viper.

there’s this snake guy, see. apparently, about four years ago, he was just like any other ordinary guy who loved snakes when someone gave him the idea that he should travel around to different locations–schools, libraries, birthday parties–and show his snakes to kids and grown-ups and talk about the snakes. our library was the very first location he approached to see if we would be interested in such a program and apparently we said yes. he now does snake shows as a full-time job and he is still (perhaps even more) crazy about snakes. he had come to our library just this past summer to do a program on snakes, but i got this crazy idea at the last minute to invite him to bring a snake to the lemony snicket party. he even went so far as to have us mail him a copy of the reptile room so that he could learn more about the book and get into character! i wasn’t exactly sure how i was going to incorporate him into the show, but when he arrived, he had a great plan. he covered one of our tables with black fabric and arranged some herpetolgical tools on top, along with an old-fashioned looking suitcase propped open with a bright green stuffed toy snake perched inside, and other various props. then, at the beginning of the party, he hid under the table with the snake he brought (a boa constrictor with about a 6 inch girth). i began the party with mandatory friday afternoon “homework” (activity sheets printed off of the official website), then after everyone had gathered together, i began explaining the different activity tables around the room, pointing out the incredibly deadly viper. after i had finished talking about the other tables, i drew their attention back to the snake table with a gasp, “oh dear, there’s a real snake back there!” he had (according to our plan) guided the boa out from under the tablecloth and it was slithering (sort of) across the floor (really, it wanted to go back under the table, but he did a good job of keeping at least part of the snake visible). one person sitting on the floor near the table hopped up and ran across the room! after everyone was sufficiently alarmed, he emerged from beneath the tablecloth and apologized to everyone that he, uncle monty, had allowed the incredibly deadly viper to escape, and then all of the kids had to come over to pet the snake. the whole under-the-table idea had been cooked up entirely by the snake guy. i loved it! and it worked perfectly. the rest of the party went swimmingly, but the snake guy was definitely the crowning touch.

Posted in library stuff, stuff that makes me smile | 2 Comments
13
Oct, 2006

erm, excuse me but your boob is ringing…

yesterday, i went to a meeting for work where we were giving a presentation to some parents of young children. one of the (grand)parents in attendance was an interesting-looking older woman of asian descent who, despite the cold temperatures outdoors, was wearing flip-flops and short sleeves and not looking like she minded it. at one point in the meeting, she was talking on a cell phone (which looked somehow anachronistic in her hands) and when she was done, she folded it up and tucked it away–into her bra. i had a hard time not giggling.

Posted in laugh | 1 Comment
10
Oct, 2006

little hugs

today, after storytime, a boy who is always very quiet and reserved but who has been coming to my storytime since january approached me afterwards with a book and wanted me to read to him. afterwards, his mother told me that he never does anything like that and that it was a huge step for him to approach me on his own and ask for a book to be read. then, he gave me a little hug and a kiss (with no prompting!).

last night, i got a hug (with no prompting and for no particular reason) from my favorite 2 year old friend.

Posted in stuff that sparks a glow in my soul | 1 Comment
09
Oct, 2006

needlepoint

i recently decided that i don’t have enough craft projects to keep me busy (enormous dose of sarcasm, there) and decided to follow a lead from a friend of mine who has been undertaking cross stitch projects as of late. i tried cross-stitch when i was younger and had, for the past 15 years or so, filed it under ‘never again’ because of the length of time it takes to finish a project (in my case years and years and years), the frustration of realizing that the last 20 rows you did were one pixel off and you had to rip the whole thing off or the mouse or ziggy or garfield would have a really weird looking nose, and the fact that i was never quite sure what to do with the finished product (there’s only so much cross-stitch cuteness i can bear to hang in my house). so it was with a little hesitation that i thought i’d explore the field again and see if anyone had developed any hip cross stitch patterns in the interim. the short answer is, “nope, not really.” there are a few exceptions to this rule, but there was still nothing out there that i loved so much that i was willing to put in the major time commitment required. then, i found this knitting book that has great modern patterns. but who has the patience to knit intricate patterns (hint: not me)? but stitching them? hmmm…. maybe.

then, i remembered something i had seen last spring when we were travelling from london to paris. someone on the train was doing a craft that wasn’t cross-stitch, but looked similar, but it was only one slash (not the whole ‘x’) and it covered the whole surface of the fabric, leaving a uniform-height surface of small, pleasant bumps. the pattern was something with cherries and i remember thinking i really liked it, but when i got back to the states, i could find nothing similar. at all. so, i decided to ask the ladies at the cross-stitch (and framing) shop. she asked if i was referring to needlepoint and after she had shown me an example, i agreed that yes, that was exactly what i meant. i purchased materials (after some brain bending calculations to figure out how much canvas i’d need) and started my project. i’ve been working on it for a few weeks now and i’ll post a picture here as soon as i get one. it (to me) looks so cool!

i can’t believe more people on the “revive old handicrafts” train haven’t picked this one up yet! hmmm…. have i found my niche market? just have to come up with finished products more inventive than the standards: pillow, tote bag, eyeglasses case. anyone have any good suggestions? if i use your idea, i’ll give you a cut of the profits when my needlepoint projects book hits the big time.

Posted in crafty stuff | 2 Comments
06
Oct, 2006

pool flip

so, when i was a kid and i said, “i’m going swimming” what i really meant was, “i’m going to put my swimsuit on, and get into a pool that is never deeper than i am tall and i’m going to splash around and play in the water.” playing in the water included doing handstands, flips, diving for pennies, doing the “whirlpool thing” where everyone walks around in one direction, then tries to go against the current. i had this hilarious garfield swim mask with ears and everything.

in recent years, i’ve been trying to teach myself to actually swim, so when i say, “i’m going swimming” what i really mean is, “i’m going to get into my swimsuit and swim laps in a pool that may be any variety of depths.” but i’ve sort of gotten away from the having fun aspect of swimming.

today, at the pool, i tried out a few handstands. they were pretty fun! but, i had done a few of those in the past couple of months. what i hadn’t been brave enough to do yet was a full flip. instead of coming back up from a handstand face first, i would always just go back up the same way i went down. i seemed to have some old memories of getting water up my nose or making myself dizzy or something. today, after about four attempts, i got up the nerve to come up from a hand stand face first–in essence, a full flip. i did get a tiny bit dizzy, but no water in my nose and wow–it took me right back to my garfield mask days. plus, it really was fun.

Posted in sporty stuff | Comments Off on pool flip
06
Oct, 2006

buzzing with creativity

it’s that time of year again. i’m not sure what it is about fall, but my brain is just buzzing with ideas. i’ve got ideas for pidoodle (new products, new website…), i’ve got ideas for work (the deadline for scheduling all of my programs through the end of may is in two weeks!), i’ve got ideas for next summer for work (i’m presenting part of a workshop in november about how to decorate for next summer’s library program theme), i’ve got plans for exercising (my body is starting to do the same thing it did last year–shed pounds in the fall after i’ve excercised all summer. my goal for this year is to attempt to keep up the same summer exercise schedule and see if i can continue to lose weight instead of piling it on over the holidays. for those of you who will see me over the holiday season–please stop putting out bowls of candy near me!), ideas for home improvements throughout winter, ideas for class projects, plans for parties to host at my house…. ok, so not all of those are really “creative,” but the creative ones are the ones that make me happy.

anyone who has read this blog for awhile (or anyone who knows me at all) knows that i’m a list person. this year i’m having an interesting realization. while i have virtually no problems prioritizing within each of the “could do” lists associated with the plans and ideas above, i’m really struggling with prioritizing the lists themselves. which is more important–the home improvements or new pidoodle projects? class projects or work projects? and while some might be a little easier to distinguish a priority (class projects over parties at my house) that doesn’t mean that it’s easier for me to make myself concentrate on the “right” choice.

have i told you about my “could do” lists? i used to call them “to-do” lists, but i decided a few years ago to start referring to them as “could do” lists and to maybe add a few fun things to the list as well to make it seem less demanding. it doesn’t always work, but it’s something fun to strive for.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on buzzing with creativity
03
Oct, 2006

baby photographer

so my very good friends who just had a baby agreed to allow me to come in and try taking some “arty” pictures of him now while he’s still brand new. here he is at five days old. these two shots were my favorite. one is his mom’s hands and the other is his dad’s. they make me smile whenever i see them.

Posted in stuff that sparks a glow in my soul | 4 Comments
02
Oct, 2006

free patterns

as you may know, i love free stuff. and i love really cool free stuff even more. this pattern is my most recent favorite free find. if you know me and very recently had a kid or are immenently going to have one, you may receive a pair of these from me (if you’re lucky and if i have time to sew enough). they are so freakin’ cute! (or should i say, “free-kin’ cute”?) sorry. that was a terrible pun.

cutie booties!

you might also enjoy the free patterns on this website. does anyone else have a favorite hipster crafty website with free patterns? (oh, and if you don’t know about this website, then just know that it is the mother of all hipster crafty sites.)

Posted in fun stuff | 1 Comment