Hooray for Hollywood!

I am thrilled to debut the quilts created by the fourth graders at my kids' school! This is the second year I've worked on this project with them and it was a blast!

Each class chose a theme. The art teacher and I really encouraged them to choose themes that would allow each student to make an individual part that would be added to the whole. When this class chose "Hollywood," I was very skeptical about how it would all come together.

They totally surprised me! It's my favorite of the whole bunch.I created the background for them: the blue sky, the green hillside and the gray road/sidewalk area. The Hollywood sign really sets the theme. Notice the spotlights and paparazzi helicopter.
Here on the red carpet you can see limos, more paparazzi, the Walk of Fame stars, Oprah, Paris Hilton and Duane Johnson.Oprah is wearing a purple dress and has her dog with her. Here is a comparison.
Paris Hilton is predictably dressed in pink and carries her dog in a pink bag. Another comparison.And Duane Johnson is showing off his buff bod.The giddy, enthusiastic energy in the classroom was so inspiring! (And I never thought I'd be inspired by Paris Hilton.)

More quilts later in the week!

It's me!

Looking at the camera?
Or not looking at the camera?

Iceland

Iceland has been in the news quite a bit. In fact, my parents are stuck in Paris. On Sunday, they were supposed to return from a 27 day vacation. They are now scheduled to return on Friday. That volcano in Iceland has caused an incredible amount of chaos.

I can't help but think of Iceland very fondly. Jeff, Claire and I shared a wonderful week together in Iceland in 2001.
Claire had just turned two. Jeff was serving as a pilot in the US Navy and was deployed for six months in Iceland.

We really enjoyed exploring together. I loved the colorful rooftops in the city of Reykjavik.Pingvellir National Park was beautiful.
Millions of years of volcanic and glacial activity make the landscape like no other.

Here is Claire holding her green dolly (which she still sleeps with) and a stuffed puffin that Jeff gave her when we got off the plane.

The Blue Lagoon was an amazing geothermal spa.This is one of my all-time favorite photos, taken after our rejuvenating dip in the mineral pools.
I suppose it seems rather barren here. Still beautiful.
Much more lush here.
This is the original "geysir" from which all other geysers are named.
I am so grateful for the many travels Jeff and I have shared and those we've been able to share with our kids. When there is big news about a place you have actually visited, it is more than just news. It's a memory and an experience and a new perspective.

Museums

Last week, a bunch of neighborhood friends and I visited a couple of museums and a great restaurant in Fort Worth.

Our first stop was The Modern to see the Andy Warhol exhibit. No photos allowed in the special exhibit. It was very interesting. It really made me think about art, artists, patrons and the journey of an artist. I was particularly interested in his religious works. I wonder what he was really really thinking as he screen printed Jesus' face 112 times. It seemed quite meditative.

This gallery is a collection of Sean Scully works. Very quilt like. Sometimes I think I'd like to explore spare linear compositions.

I loved this sculpture in its intimate concrete alcove.
It's by Anselm Keifer and is titled "Book with Wings."

This interactive sculpture outside The Modern is great for noise making and echo-creating.

Lines... grid... texture...
We skipped across the street to the Kimbell Art Museum for a quick spin through their main gallery. I also stepped out into this tiny courtyard with a sculpture and fountain.
Self portrait in courtyard.
We had lunch at Ellerbe Fine Foods which has received excellent reviews. It's in a refurnished gas station. I liked it very much, but don't need to go back.

A day with friends, art, food, lovely spring weather... divine!

Preparing

I'm teaching a workshop on Thursday for the Trinity Valley Quilt Guild. (I think there are still spots available. Let me know ASAP if you are interested.) I offered to design a new workshop for them called "Ideas for Art Quilts." It's going to be super fun. I am very excited.

I also offered to prepare kits for students. This is a big job, but so worth it, I think. This ensures that the students have the materials that will really work for our projects and it saves them the time gathering and shopping for a supply list. I scribbled a creative message on a paint chip to decorate the kits a little.

I also put together three little samples for the class. This is exactly what the students will do -- create three little art quilt samplers. I'm calling them samplers because they will sample many different materials and techniques and put them together to create a tasty little piece of art.

This one is called "Knocking." It's 8x10ish and includes various surface design techniques, embellishments and embroidery.

I also hemmed a pair of t00-long pants today. Not a task I enjoy.

Hope

Easter and Spring really do bring "hope" for new beginnings. I'm trying to embrace that feeling today.
We went to the Nasher Sculpture Center on Saturday. It was Target First Saturday -- free admission and lots of family activities! (As if I needed another reason to love Target.) The photo above (where you can see the word "hope") is a glimpse from one of eight pieces in the special exhibit by Jaume Plensa. I loved this exhibit. Really really loved it.

Of course, I loved the rest of the museum too. It was a beautiful spring day.

Three profiles... me, Benjamin and Picasso.

Another of the Plensa pieces. This one is called Spilling Over.

Several of Plensa's works are somewhat interactive. You can walk right into this giant figure. (See the museum photo of this piece here.)
Do I even need to say how entranced I am by his use of letters?!

Then we went home and dyed eggs! This activity never gets old. Big fun.

Diversions

I enjoy a cuppa every morning... even more in a beautiful mug. So, I splurged on Etsy last week.
Isn't that a fantastic mug?! You can see more pictures on the original listing. (There you can also see the inside "setting sun" and the tiny words at the bottom.) I love it! Check out D. Hergt's other ceramic creations in her shop.

I did not splurge on these amazing earrings from the Sundance catalog.

But I did make this necklace inspired by the earrings.
It came together pretty easily and I'm pleased. Simple but interesting, I think. It lays nicely and I think it's a good length. I purchased the turquoise beads for this project, but everything else came from my stash. I'm on a bit of a jewelry kick. Should I make some coordinating earrings, or would that be too matchy-matchy?