I had fun fiddling around with this self portrait. Haven't done one in awhile.
 I recently shipped off some journals to Australia. When I dragged my son to the post office he said " you sell all over the world now"? He's so cute. It's been a nice steady progression and I enjoy coming up with new prompts all the time. I currently have over 50 kids I send to every month, ages 3- 13. A big growth since starting it a year ago. Go on over to the Journal Club tab and check out the details, you just might find that the little artsit in your life is in need of 
This past weekend was my son's 8th birthday. Even through household sickness all week, it was a successful party.  A pre-party table. Just a few more food items and it was ready to go. My son's birthday usually coincides with the Superbowl so this year we decided to combine the two. Something for the dad's to do and all the kids were pretty happy for an extra long party. 
Angry Bird cake
 Cake pops were a bigger hit than the cake. Not to say that none ate the cake but if I would have just done the pops, it would have been fine. (note to self) It was the first time I had done the pops. Pretty easy overall but I'm sure glad I watched the You Tube video (Baking with Sugar) first. Saved me much frustration when the first one fell to pieces in the chocolate. *If yours fall apart, simply add a touch of vegetable shortening to the melted chocolate. This makes for a much smoother consistency.  All the kids together. I think the only reason I got all of them to sit was because this was a pre-sugar picture. Overall, a great party. It takes most of my time to prep for the kids party but well worth it. Although, I look forward to getting back to my art this week. It's the beginning of a new month again and that means one thing! Journaling letters for all the kids go out today! 
 In case you are unfamiliar, these little gems are sold as a package deal. You order the journal, completely customized, and then each month for a year a new prompt (idea) is mailed. Art for a whole year!! What kid wouldn't love that? And there is an adult version too. You can check out the details here. As Christmas approaches, I start searching for gift making ideas. Not the silly little hot chocolate in a bag (although those are good for neighbors). I'm talking about the grandma and grandpa would really love this gift. So, I've been looking over pages of Pinterest for things to create and I've found a few to share.  Source: marthastewart.com via Yolanda on Pinterest I found this necklace originally on MarthaStewart.com. It is totally my mom. Pretty inexpensive (around $8) and very easy to make.  Super cute for my nieces and I even put their names on there with iron on letters. Total price was about $12 but I overbought tulle and the package of canvas bags came in a 5 pack. So technically, I have enough for 3 more bags which will be great to wrap a gift in. Time needed to make: about 1/2 hour  Source: tumblr.com via Yolanda on Pinterest Beyond a great gift for any book lover! I scored on this one because my mother-in-law- is a book and coffee lover!  If you actually know how to sew this is a pretty easy gift. I'm am not a seamstress. At all. I have a machine and I can do a straight stitch, but that's about it. So, I was pretty happy with this and I even had a left over shrinky dink drawing the kids had done and so I wrapped that in felt and glued it to the cover. DONE!  Source: modernmourner.blogspot.com via Yolanda on Pinterest Last, but definitely not least. I think this is the coolest gift of all. I thought about printing up some photos on canvas for the grand folks but this is such a great idea. I am about to tackle this one this week as it looks like it might take some time. But I think it's worth it. From what I can see, I will need a leaf template, cotton canvas, iron on transfer paper, wire and fabric glue. I'll let you know how it goes. I want to do a family tree but if it gets a little crazy, it may just be grandkid pics. :)  Haiku, you say?? Yes, of, course! A Haiku is a very simple poem with 5 syllables in the first line, followed by 7, followed by 5. Traditional Japenese Haiku are written about nature and feelings that are brought about through your senses. But, it is also fun to write "pseudo-Haiku's", which you just plain make up random things to fit the 5-7-5 description. Take for instance this photo I took of The Mittens in Monument Valley. Large rocks standing alone Orange highlights and brown shadows View from my campsite  Or how about this one I took of my son at Bryce Canyon? Large hoodoos of rock Towering above my son Feeling very small I found this video on wikihow on How to Write a Haiku. Enjoy! | 
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