Allow me to share part of the earworm I’ve enjoyed all month long!
Tra la! It’s May! The lusty month of May!
That darling month when ev’ryone
throws self-control away.
It’s time to do a wretched thing or two,
and try to make each precious day
one you’ll always rue!
It’s May! It’s May!
The month of “yes you may” . . .
Alas, for me, the “wretched thing or two” isn’t nearly as gossip-worthy as anything Guinevere* was considering. My lack of self-control merely resulted in my saying “yes” to every donation I’ve been offered, starting with all that was left from this year’s ZeroLandfill event in Louisville. Three van-fulls later, my barn is stuffed and my rooms at the Arts Center are littered with enough obtainium to see me through another school year. The challenge is (as always) organizing and squirreling it away so I have room to teach in the meantime. My first upcycling camp starts in two weeks!
And, ‘lest you think there’s a limit to my lust, don’t forget that the school year ends June 1. Tomorrow I head to North Oldham Middle School to pick up my first load of leftover school supplies.
A friend of a friend gave me a dozen industrial buckets (they held some sort of putty) and I’ve been covering them in designer fabric samples. When my Girl Scout volunteers and I take these to South Oldham Middle schools to glean what’s left in their lockers, won’t we be stylish? Then these will line one wall of the Creative Reuse Center, for teachers to “shop” from when they need to restock their classrooms.
I’ve also been experimenting with different ways of storing smaller stashes of supplies. Colored pencils fit perfectly in an empty video box, which are easily shelved (like books) or stackable.
I’m toying with the idea of creating an art version of a Little Free Library. Imagine little art kits (certainly we can come up with a clever name?), containing things like scrap paper, pipe cleaners, pencils, stickers, and so on. Again, empty video boxes are a perfect size for lots of what I have and could easily be taken on road trips or into restaurants or waiting rooms. Then, when the box is empty/used, they could bring it back for refilling.
If May has been my month of lusting after (and bringing in) all sorts of treasures, June will definitely need to be a month of giving back. And there it is. My earworm for next month: June Is Busting Out All Over!**
* “The Lusty Month of May,” sung by Guinevere and chorus, from the musical Camelot
** “June Is Busting Out All Over,” sung by Nettie Fowler and chorus, from the musical Carousel