In My Classroom: Tooth Fairy Part II

The Tooth Fairies are done! It ended up taking 3 lessons and I still have a handful undone because of absences but most are done and they're now hanging in the hallway. Here are the fruits of my Kindergartener's labor!

My students colored them in with oil pastels, I had to demonstrate how to use oil pastels properly otherwise it can turn into scribble scrabble coloring. After the oil pastels were laid down neatly we painted over with watercolors. I think one of the hardest parts was explaining to the children to color anything they wanted to leave white in with oil pastel. They didn't understand why they had to do this until they painted over with watercolor and then they experienced firsthand the resisting the oil does to the watercolor. 

So what do you think? Do you like the project? 

- Grace

For Your Honey

Gold Bumble Bee Bobby Pins

$18 from shopelizabethperry on Etsy

Looking for something sweet for your honey this Valentine's Day? Me too. 

Micky just walked in on me making what was supposed to be a surprise Valentine batch of lime buttermilk sorbet, his *favorite* dessert of all time. 

He's such a ruiner. 

Hopefully you guys will have better luck than I! 

Here are some ideas in that department just in case you need a plan bee.

(Sorry, I HAD to do it.)

Happy V-Day, everyone!

Utah Salt Honey Caramel

1/4 lb box, $8 from beesbrothers on Etsy

Bee by Suren Nersisyan

8 x 10" original watercolor, $25 from ORIGINALONLY on Etsy

Busy Bee Mug

from kinshipgoods on Etsy

- Cathleen

Artwork of the Week: Devon Rex Cats

Devon Rex Cats by Krissy McLean

ink  and acrylic on watercolor paper, 9 x 12"

There are four cats that like to hang out in our backyard. If we were still living in Brooklyn they'd probably be considered "feral" but here we assume they belong to someone and just choose to spend their days stretched out in the sunny patches behind our house. There's a fat tannish-cream colored one that I've named "Marshmallow." And an orange striped one I have dubbed "Marmalade." And a mostly white guy with big gray spots that we call "Killer" as I have twice seen him trotting up our driveway with a STILL ALIVE chipmunk dangling from his mouth. As of yesterday, there's a new all-black variety on the scene that I haven't quite gotten a read on yet. I'm not much of a cat lady—I'm pretty allergic to most so I tend to only regard them from afar. But I have to admit that I do appreciate seeing these contented creatures slinking their way through our grass. I may feel differently once I discover they've turned our back 40 into a giant litter box, but until then...cats! Am I right?

Artist Krissy McLean from Toronto, Canada sells her very affordable original artwork on Etsy. You can see more of her work in her shop: KrissyMcLean.

- Cathleen

Artwork of the Week: Bunny Rabbit

This week's artwork comes from the talented Ms. Tekla Frey, my mother the artist. I featured her work on the blog last year—making her the only artist to be featured TWICE on Swings & Arrows, which is no small feat, let me just tell you. My mom gave me this wonderful little watercolor painting as a gift long ago and once Graham gets his own room I plan to hang it over his bed as I often call him my little bunny rabbit. Redundant, yes, but fitting. Especially when his ears were all covered in the fine dark hair that early bird babies often sport just out of the womb. 

Today is also my mom's birthday! So happy day to the woman whose example inspired me to pursue my big art dreams. She goes after learning new skills with gusto, from ceramics to Chinese watercolor to marshmallow-toasting—and she never fails to master each with seeming ease. I have always admired your appetite for instruction and your can-do attitude, mom. Keep it up! 

- Cathleen 

Baby Book: Sara Midda

I'm a huuuuge pain in the butt when it comes to baby books. I have two children and I picked their baby books out with the same care someone might use to pick their life partner. I also have very large baby book shoes to fill. My own baby book is stuffed (!) and I mean STUFFED! It's probably 10" thick and the binding is long gone because my mother archived so much stuff in it, including my umbilical cord (I'm not joking), and lots of fallen out baby teeth. Anyone new I meet I make come over and look through my baby book (this is why I have like 2 friends). I should also note that I'm the youngest of four, my mom worked full time, and my older sisters' baby books are just as complete. I have no idea how my mom did it. 

Anyway, I just stumbled upon this gorgeous baby book by Sara Midda yesterday at a bookstore in the city. 

A popular baby book in the UK, it features delicate watercolored images as well as all of the important keepsake moments, first lock of hair etc...

If you have a reason to buy a baby book, I suggest this one. I might even throw out the ones I've done for my kids (ages 5 and 2) and start over ;)

- Grace

Artist of the Week: Tekla Frey

Born a Connecticut Yankee in Norwalk, but raised mostly in the South (which would supposedly account for her drawl), Tekla Frey identified herself as an artist from a very young age. She still talks about the joy she felt as a child watching her crayons melt into a waxy rainbow on the living room radiator. She grew up to study art education and art history at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. After college, Tekla pursued artistic passions in practically every creative field, from graphic design and hand-painted clothing to ceramics and embroidery. In the early 90's, after a number of years working in traditional western styles of oil and watercolor, Tekla met Gan Yifei, a master painter in the Chinese brushstroke style. She says that the beauty, power, and tranquility of this style, aspiring to capture the life force (or “qi”), is what most appealed to her about the watercolor practice. After a few years honing her craft, she traveled twice to China for advanced training, first studying with one of China's premier painters, Huang Jing, at the Southwest China Normal University in BeiBei, and then at The Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, China’s most prestigious visual arts institution. 

Her birds are my favorite of all of her subjects. Just look at the sass on this one! (Click on any of the images for a larger view.) I'm constantly amazed at how much personality she can convey with just one quick stroke of the brush. 

Tekla currently lives and works in Kingston, NY where she has enjoyed much success in the local art scene. Her new website www.teklafrey.com launched this week to rave reviews.  She also happens to be my mom, and I'm incredibly proud of her and every one of her artistic endeavors. She inspires me every day to follow my passion.  


- Cathleen