Domesticated Artists

Over the last few summers, I’ve spent a lot of time in my classroom working on lessons, organizing the room, prepping instructional materials, etc (teachers, you know the drill). But this summer my school got a new roof (which is awesome) and it put the school on lockdown. We weren’t allowed in all summer so I’m seriously behind. It was nice in a way- it forced me to take a real break from work.

So I’ll be putting in some majorly long days in the next couple of weeks trying to get ready for a new year! Here are my new little classroom plants and the crayon wreath I made for my door this summer. I’m thinking of adopting a fish. Arty the Art Room Beta? We’ll see..

Yeah, I copied a wreath I saw on Pinterest. Are you using that site yet? An ever-changing virtual pinboard? It is amazing. SO many good ideas. Right now I’m inspired to make a bunch of crock pot meals in bags, freeze them, and pull them out over the first few weeks of school for dinners. Brilliant? Yes. My idea? Not exactly. I found a link to this blog on Pinterest. I’m not crazy about her recipes, so I’ll be trying other things, but the idea of cooking meals for a month at once is very smart. I’ll let you know how my attempt works out!

ALSO, have you been watching SHARK WEEK? I love it, but it makes me super paranoid. Rogue sharks=creepy.

As for the lack of posting here recently, our lives have gotten super crazy lately. Hopefully things will be settling down in the coming weeks!

<3, Liz

It’s the start of a new month, and that means First Thursday on Main is back! Instead of trying to tell you what is going to be there this month, I thought I’d show you what was going on last month in hopes of enticing you out to see for yourself this time around. The word on the street is that Cowboy Steakhouse will be open this week as well, so maybe you should come get some dinner, check out some local shops and artists, and enjoy some street performances as well. Here’s a taste of what July had to offer. I didn’t get any shots from Frame of Mind because it was jam packed in there, I’ll try harder this month though.

Liz hanging out inside the Rebus at Anastasia and Friends gallery. We never did find out what the Rebus was.

Some of Alex Smith’s work at Tapp’s. This space continues to grow into a better space every month.

This Sushi display by Thomas Jennings at Tapp’s was awesome. Nicely executed and very playful.

Our favorite work of the night was at S&S Art Supply, this was in the front display window. Who doesn’t like Robot Hats?

These are works by Christine Cannon, a graduate student at USC. Most of her work features robots and dinosaurs (two of my favorite subjects) but have clear messages about them as well. It’s really intriguing work and we are working on getting of her pieces for our house. Be sure to check out her site.

Flaming Hula Hoop. Need I say more?

Don’t worry, extinguishers and fire blankets were flanking the performance, as well as the Fire Chief.

Yes, yes that is a fire whip.

Just imagine if Indiana Jones had one of these! So is that enough to pique your curiousity and get you to Main Street on Thursday night? We’ll see you there.

F

Hehe. My dad and I saw ZZ Top perform last summer and they were great! That’s off-subject, though.

We have snails. Not on plants or anything, but right outside on the front step when it rains- I never see them any other time! I’ve been researching and learned that snails eat algae and tiny things like that, so I guess that’s what is going on. Do you have a different insight into the mysterious case of the snails?

Cute, isn’t he? I like snails, they’re like little living seashells. So if you come over on a rainy/wet day, watch your step and don’t hurt my snails!

On another note, I found this wreath on Pinterest the other day and I’ve been obsessed with trying to make one ever since. But I can’t get my felt flowers to look nearly that good! There must be a trick. I’ll keep playing with it and let you know if I can make anything worth hanging on the door.

And yeah, that is cat hair on that one flower. Apparently they make great cat toys, too. I found one under the couch this morning.

<3, Liz

I just wanted to put together a short post explaining my absence from the blog lately. This summer has been much busier than expected, but in the best way possible. I’ve been experimenting with lighting in photography as well as continuing my coverage for the 701 CCA. In addition to that I’ve picked up a few other unexpected gigs as well. I hope you’ll excuse my absence and I look forward to writing more soon.Experimenting with lighting with Nick Wilson of The Half and Half fame. Continue reading “My bad”

Hemingway (who will be 4 years old in September) was diagnosed with heart disease about a year and a half ago. We rushed her to a specialist who did several scans and tests only to tell us that feline heart disease is super unpredictable. Cats with H’s kind of heart problems could live for a month or for ten years, there just wasn’t a way to tell. It’s all genetic, which made me feel better about her being abandoned by her mama. Maybe Hemingway’s mama was sick and that’s why she left her tiny kittens in my in-law’s backyard. Sad, either way.

Anywho, Hemingway is now a super high-maintenance kitty who require two pills daily and a baby aspirin once a week. Just like a person. Thank God for those Greenie pill pockets- H thinks they are AWESOME, so she loves taking her pills.

The point of my story is that Hemingway visited her kitty cardiologist yesterday and she got two thumbs up! The vet tech said she was a perfect angel (shocking, I know) and the vet said that her heart disease has not changed since her last visit! That means that H’s heart disease has not progressed any in a year and a half!! So we’ll keep on with the pills and I’ll bribe her to get in the cat carrier to go back to the fancy vet every year. Here’s hoping that we can keep her feeling good for a long, long time!

Also, we had my brother Marty and his girlfriend Susan over for dinner last night. I love Marty and Susan because they are accepting of my crazies and unnecessary ranting. What else is family for, right?