Fall is in the air...

snippets of autumn...

my favorite scarecrow...

and oh what heavenly oranges and reds...

and my favorite duo oversees the comings and goings

of the room...

and of course there are berries if they get hungry...

and candles for "light"...

and pumpkins just because...

eye candy...

...or how to make yummy background papers

to be used in upcoming art projects.

1. Set out stencils, tissue, magazine photos, paint, brushes,

stickers, stamps, lids and ink.

2. Begin to play

3. Each student adds more layers

and all papers are embellished

by each artist.

4. Use a roller and mix your own paint colors.

Voila!

Pure eye candy to an artist!

Of course it does help to have 6 creative students

who want to experiment and try new ways to create!

So now I have the hard job to cut up

all of these yummy pieces

so we can use them in next week's project.

Stay tuned.

We will share the final results later.

as the crow flies...

OK let it be known that I love crows...

I am tired of apologizing for it.

Now that it is officially autumn these two can adorn my rooms again.

I bought them last fall at this wonderful site,

and found that I could not put them away after

autumn past,

so they stayed around and even had miniature santas riding their backs at Christmas time.

I just love them.

Some people don't like crows. I don't get it.

They are faithful, intelligent creatures that are most interesting.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology states:

• Crows sometimes make and use tools. Examples include a captive crow using a cup to carry water over to a bowl of dry mash; shaping a piece of wood and then sticking it into a hole in a fence post in search of food; and breaking off pieces of pine cone to drop on tree climbers by a nest.
• American Crows are highly social birds, more often seen in groups than alone. In addition to roosting and foraging in numbers, crows often stay together in year-round family groups that consist of the breeding pair and offspring from the past two years. The whole family cooperates to raise young. Families may include up to 15 individuals and contain young from five different years.

So how cool is that?

At the school where I work at we have

"popcorn Fridays" and

often much popcorn is spilled on the ground

- but not for long...

An entire playground can be wiped clean within an hour by these crafty birds.

How do they spread the word that

the popcorn has arrived?

Or are they sooo smart that they just know

when it is Friday

and patiently peer out from the fir branches until the first kernel hits the ground.

Oh that is spooky!

What's not to like about a fellow creature that even likes buttered popcorn?

a Sunday blessing

listened to this on the radio the other day

and thought it would be great done with photos...

so my mind started to wander to all the possibilities and then...

I looked up the lyrics and

discovered it has already been done beautifully on...

...

serendipity...

continuing the theme of looking around my world to see what I can see...

After I made these cool little art toys

for my students this week

(they are paint jars wrapped in rubber-bands

and wonder foam so they can be dipped in paint

and rolled on paper to make interesting patterns)

I thought the water was the most gorgeous

shade of blue...

and then I noticed the cardboard that I use to protect my desk while I paint...

I will need to gaze more often

at this serendipitous piece of art

as it takes on layers of unwanted paint...

and becomes a masterpiece!

take a walk outside

I decided to take a walk outside to see what I could see...

the wonders of nature abound everywhere...

a little spider crouches amidst the rhubarb colored stalks of

lady's mantle...

and the busy bees are having a nectar party...

the oak leaf hydrangea is splendid in antique rose...

the fairy roses are happily smiling at the sun...

the hydrangeas are blue with envy...

and more red glistens in the berries...

and then some mushrooms peek up from the moist, cool earth...

and a spider waits patiently in her glistening home...

and my 'not so patient dog' says

"mom please throw me the ball"...

a little touch of paradise...

and the birds' favorite spa all year long...

often a queue...

Zoe finally decides to go with the flow...

so now why don't you go outside

to see what you can see...

but before you do -

check out one of my favorite blogs

that inspired me to take a look around my yard.

a Sunday blessing

...for you alone,

O LORD,

make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:8

happy birthday little bro...

happy birthday to you little brother.

Don't know if you know that this wee bird you made me

way back when we were "wee ones"

is one of my most cherished possessions...

just love her - it is a girl by the way.

When I went off to college you got Benja to keep you company...

like she really could replace me!

We were daredevils...

Hey Riley, here is your dad at your age -

isn't he cool?

skiing at Mammoth...

Hope you have a wonderful day

and may all your wishes come true...

Luv ya lots!!!

bookmarks...

bookmarks... what fun!

I am making some for Etsy too...