Save Those Tags

Have you ever noticed how well made and sturdy some price tags are? Actually, now that I think of it (and look through the pile of tags I’ve collected), all the tags I’m impressed with are from men’s clothing (which probably says something about the quality of clothing I buy[Read more]

Nesting

From the time I was big/strong enough to move my bedroom furniture, I’ve enjoyed rearranging things. My mother would always tell me I was nesting – a tweak here, a change there – nothing done because it had to be, it was just what I enjoyed doing. I enjoy nesting even[Read more]

Mrs. Bradley, You Inspire Me

I’m happy to report that the sketchbook project is going ridiculously well. The students continue to be enamored with the process of upcycling and have started bringing some of their own materials to share and use in class. How cool to know our conversations about creative reuse stay with them, beyond the end[Read more]

Crayon Clean Up

Thanks for all the feedback about the ways I’m repurposing discarded crayons – especially the conversations that led me to an article about a large scale crayon repurposing project called The Crayon Initiative. It looks awesome! Of course, if crayons are no longer on your radar (or under your sofa), what about markers?[Read more]

A Fresh Set of Crayons

When I’m teaching on a regular basis (this month that’s almost daily) I like to keep my evening lap work simple. Right now I’m working my way through about 30 pounds of crayons, donated by an after school program, sorting them by color and quality while my husband and I binge[Read more]

Sketchbook Project

My first Artist-in-Residence project for the new school year is teaching fourth and fifth graders at Camden Elementary to make their own sketchbooks. In previous years, students have used a composition notebook for this purpose, but the art teacher and I loved the idea of this lesson within a lesson (and it’s[Read more]