MK's yarning mojo :: patternless creations

I taught MK how to increase and decrease stitches the other day.

She instantly went to town on a body of a lion.

To finish it off, she simply needed an idea and instruction on how to attach the legs and make the mane. She also had me stitch the face because, "This is a toy for Nika, and I don't want the face to look funny."

Jimmer calls it the ballerina cactus lion.
We also call it the ballerina flower lion.

I kinda like how she ran out of yellow yarn and just carried on with a different green color.

You won't get that from a toy store...probably not from Etsy either.

MK says, "It's really a girl lion, but I thought I should put a mane on it so you could tell what kind of animal it is."

* * * * *
Today, after the kids finished listening to their history lesson, MK presented this creation. Another on-the-fly, patternless creation.

Broken finger still in splint

On this 58th day of triple-digit heat for the year, I'm right with you, MK. Bring on the fall weather!!!

Gramma & Mr. Merle

Today's creation
by Kathleen


Coming soon to a little mountain town in Cali.

Twist Tie People

I found these little people hanging from my computer screen the other day.

Their names are Katherine and Kathleen.

Kathleen made them for her friend, Katherine.

The real Katherine isn't into gymnastics or anything, but her doll version sure is.

Back bend

Push up

Hand stand

Mary Kate (left) added herself to the growing bunch of girls hanging around.

I think they're all playing leap frog at the moment.

Twistie idea from this library book.

Armed with a handful of twist ties and embroidery thread, the girls are now showing more of their friends how to make these funsies for themselves.

Some are made to look like themselves--others are more out-of-this-world with bright orange skin and neon-colored hair.

They giggle at their Travolta Stayin' Alive poses,
and marvel at other balanced contortions.

Good simple fun.

Snowflakes :: 3D

The three girls here are papercrafting again.

SNOWFLAKES

'Tis the season!

After this one was hung, the girls got busy again and made one for their neighbor friend.

They're easy to make. All it takes is:

-6 sheets of copy paper
-scissors
-tape
-stapler
-Christmas music (optional, but recommended)
-a fire in the fireplace (also optional)

Check out this tute to make some indoor snow for yourself!

NOTE: The only thing this tutorial leaves out is making the second half of the snowflake that needs to be stapled to the first half. Then, to keep the branches held together while it hangs, you'll need to staple or tape about half way down each branch where the outer ribbons cross.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Art!

Once again, the kids took a summer art class at our friend's art studio, Taku Art Studio. This year it was a sculpture class.

Friday after class is always the highlight since the kids collect all of their projects and have their own little art show of sorts.

I get to see their progress throughout the week, so they love it when Dad shows up for their presentations.


Jimmer was thrilled since this was his first year.

Kathleen claimed this was her favorite art class. She says this every year!


The new art display in our home.

The 4 gangly characters inspiration came from these Alberto Giocometti sculptures. Here's an online tutorial for this figure sculpture project.

from Alberto Giacometti's City Square, 1948
Inspiration for Kathleen's Easter Island-esque statue is from a moai figurine we have at home. (Thanks Steve and Connie!)

Or was it from this Calvin & Hobbes strip?


I think the "face vase" is slightly haunting.


After this project, never again will there be "a quick trip to the hardware store" with the kids for us.

I may as well get an iced tea and set up my folding chair in the wing nuts and bolts aisle.

MK's doggie

More eggs :: the Ukrainian kind

Another treasure from Grandma Hardie


Every time I see a Ukrainian egg like these I have this vision of sitting in my grandparents' Grandview home in Dubuque --at the kitchen table-- watching and "helping" her with this art of pysanky, a wax-resist and dye process on eggs.

Her pysanky tool required manual heating of the wax.

It was a laborious, time-consuming process...wax on, dye, more wax on, dye again, and so on until you finally melt all the wax off and reveal your finished creation.

So interesting to watch, admire...I was in awe.

Then Grandma gave me tools to make my own eggs. My wax pen was electric.

I made some feeble attempts at using my new tools, but it wasn't the same making Ukrainian eggs without her around as there were 5+ hours driving distance between us.

I never carried on her tradition.

But I continue to admire some of her eggs that I now have.

I think one of her dogs ended up "enjoying" many of her other ones she displayed--the ones that she didn't blow out that still had the rattling of the yolk inside.

These are a handful of the ones that are left.

A beautiful treasure that I still admire.


The girls are intrigued. Hmmm...pysanky could be in our future!

Thank you, Grandma!

Art :: some structure is good lest it go awry

I admit I haven't had the kids do many structured art lessons lately. So, when they asked to paint the other day, I said, "Sure! That's a great idea."

MK's butterfly
So, we first talked about what they'd like to paint. Some nice ideas.


Jimmer's creation. He's seems to like creating geometric forms.

Not much variation from Mike -- Hey-ho, a truck!

Jimmer's stab at Kandinsky Circles. I like.

MK ended up creating this clown. Well okay, at least it's not a mime.

This is about when I left the room allowing the kids to have some "creative space" to work (or so I could go fold laundry).

Kathleen's newspaper clownHmmm...they ran out of watercolor paper, so they started painting people in the newspaper that they were using to protect the table.

Fairly benign, even slightly amusing.

Now, something about this just doesn't seem right. For Heaven's sake, those poor Chilean folks have suffered enough lately.

And these. Where did these come from?

Oh, good Lord! They found the obits. These poor people left this earth hoping for maybe a nice tribute and some lasting dignity. I'm so sorry.

I can offer no excuse for this.

If any of you poor souls see this, please know that our children really do like to pray for people who have left this earth. Also, Jimmer has been praying for a couple of guys for 5+ years now who he only saw once in the newspaper. Every night we hear prayers for "the guy who lives under the bridge" and "the guy who has one leg." Just a couple of guys he saw in the paper that touched him deeply.

He didn't paint them into clowns though.
Sorry about that part!

Hearts

There's something coming up soon

quilled heart

that has inspired some of our little hands

crocheted hearts

to create


all things pink and red!

kusudama ball

So many new creations that we had to make a new place to display them all.


Taking pruning snips to our magnolia tree did the job. The pot we made years ago with the kids' hand and foot angels also found a new purpose.

Jimmer will now share with you a memory lesson from his grammar book:

Hearts, like doors, will open with ease,
To very, very little keys.
And don't forget that two of these
Are "Thank you, sir" and "If you please!"