Seattle's Great Wheel adventure continues - the saga of the seagull mama

you may remember this post
about our adventures flying high in the sky
and my bonding with the mama seagull and her brood -
as seen at the end of the yellow arrow below.

i was thrilled to receive the closeup 

(taken by a fellow passenger in our gondola)

of her nest today and

wanted to share the view with you.

you can't really see the baby, 

but there is one right underneath her. 

and she is encouraging the second hatchling

to ignore the big dizzy wheel turning above their heads and 

just hatch!

Isn't life grand?

on my desk today

in progress,

a stencil that looks like a firework,

 a card for a very special wedding,

 and the steps,

 trays made for someone,

 very funky candlesticks made from balusters

(will share the process from start to finish later),

and 45 of these waiting to come alive with paint.

must take a deep breath and dive right in...

Happy Fourth of July!

a little monochromatic celebration...

foiled again

I still have art projects to share from last spring.

Here is a fun project that will bring a grin to any child's face.

 First make a design with very heavy bead of glue 

onto the back of a cereal box.  

Recoat if necessary so it is very thick

(as in the sample below on the left).

After it is dry,

glue stick a piece of aluminum foil 

onto the board and fold over the edges onto the back.

Now comes the fun -

First take the eraser end of a pencil

(see the first photo)

and rub over the entire piece.

Be sure to press hard against the glue lines.

Then repeat with the pencil tip to get really crisp edges.

Finally coat the whole piece with black shoe polish.  

Let dry and rub until it shines

and your dog emerges,

or your flowers bloom,

or your garden comes alive.
The above samples are from the after school artists

and the following pieces are from our 1-2 split.

We wanted a fun project for the students to learn about the continents in a creative way.

We followed the same process as above,

but added watered down acrylic paint as the final step.

I just love these as you can see waves,whales, fishing boats and more sea life.

I do believe I would have loved learning about the continents this way.
How about you?
What do you want to teach your kids this summer?
abcs...
addition...
Have some fun and let me know what you try.

the great adventure on Seattle's Great Wheel

i survived.

i did not throw up,

i did not pass out,

but i did take some deep breaths

and kept my eyes on the horizon.

and it was a thing of beauty and

i am glad i dared to take the adventure.

amidst all the ups and downs 

and the sheer beauty of the seattle waterfront,

i was more entranced with a small miracle beneath us.

a seagull family was trying to have some privacy 

during the birth of their young.

I think they were rather confused that this thing 

was finally moving with lots of spectators watching the event.

the following photo was taken by my husband 

who obviously does not fear heights.

see i really did dare to fly and i survived.

i highly recommend it with the caveat that you don't look down

if heights tend to make you weak in the knees.

did i mention we went out over the water,

and yes the glass walls go all the way to the floor,

and if you are lucky 

you can ride car #49

with a sea-through bottom?

step aboard...

again please

again please...

says my dog as she wants me to throw the ball over and over.

and i will say

again please

as i want one more day of sun so i can sit surrounded by foxgloves

and throw to my zoe.

i spy with my little eye

i spy with my little eye...

hmmm, could that be the sun making an appearance this morning?

and with that sentiment in mind -

It is never too late to be what you might have been.

George  Eliot

i will sharply reprimand the sun and give him that encouragement to show up here more often.
but the same could be said of me and showing up in the studio.
 so in that spirit,

you can now find me most of these summer days painting away at my art desk
as i have finally given up
(or stuffed)
my fear 
and i will be having my own booth 
at the Sammamish Art Fair in October.

 the tools are ready

the painting, including the joys and the frustrations have begun.
i have started 30,
yep you heard me right,
30 paintings.

yikes
i spy with my little eye -
30 boards and canvases perched around the room

and a happy little dog at my feet.
i promise to share the process here my friends.
happy painting to you this fine summer day
and please mr. sun,
i would like you to stay, just for a little while.