Art Show at Tilde

Tomorrow is the opening of my show at Tilde, and you are all invited to join me at the artist reception from 6 - 9p.  Seeing that a small number of you actually live in Portland, I've created this fun montage of the 19 new originals in the show.

Larger images can be seen here.

The good news is that you don't need to live in Portland to buy one of the pieces.  You can buy the art directly from Tilde.  The works, priced from $55 - $225, are already available for purchase online here. 



Although I don't like playing favorites, I will admit that I am most attached to oregon beauty (bottom row, second to the right).  The mountain in the painting is Mt. Hood, which is a short drive from Portland.  Locals can attest that it is one of the most glorious sights on any clear and sunny day. 

Along with my mixed media paintings, two of my embroidered works will be on display.  I created these original works last Fall but haven't shown both works together until now.  Although they are different from my landscape paintings, the two pieces go well with the mid-century decor in Tilde. 



The show goes through the end of July, but works are taken down once sold.  So if you were planning on coming by, I wouldn't wait 'til the last day to look at the collection.  And while you're in the Sellwood neighborhood, you should definitely plan on getting one of these.

It's a steamed barbeque pork bun from Jade, which is right across the street from Tilde.  So delicious and just $3.  Gotta love the cheap eats in Portland! 

Great Freebies! Customizable worksheets for homeschoolers!

Great FREE resource for all levels of hand writing practice in cursive or print, math, geography, puzzles, English language and more!!

For handwriting practise you can trace or copy whatever you type in!  I am using this for memory verses for my kids.  My 2nd grader will copy, meaning he will see it printed above in a large font and have the lines printed out where he copies it, and my 4 year old will trace it.  For tracing it prints it out lightly on a large line sheet like most kindergarten worksheets.  It is a great way to have your little one write letters to family members, practise their cursive or printing, and practise memory verses at the same time!  It has a lot of features like pre writing work sheets, alphabet worksheets, scissor practise worksheets and more.  The best part is that each sheet is customizable! 



For math and geography there are countless sheets as well as puzzles of every kind.  These would be great for roadtrips.  I am looking forward to using this a lot!  Hope you enjoy it!   http://www.worksheetworks.com

Topography Love

I've always had a thing for topographical maps, so it comes as no surprise that I'm digging these creative works.

Anthony Roberto

Aili Schmeltz

Maria Glaize

Nicola Searle

Mark Alsweiler

Homeschool - Not sure where to start? Here are some GREAT resources to help you out.

I don't know about you but I feel like we just started summer and already it is time to order next years curriculum!  I have only been homeschooling for one year and we used a state funded online school at home program.  I wasn't sure where to start so that was a great place to start, but now I know what I like and didn't like and what we want to try doing differently this year. I was so overwhelmed at all the choices and all the different philosophies I needed a good place to start. 

Hearing me talk about my overwhelmedness (real word? I am going to go with it) my friend lent me a book called 100 Top Picks for Homeschool  Curriculum by Cathy Duffy.  What a GREAT GREAT book!  It is the perfect place to look at all the philosophies and all the curriculum options with in that school of thought.  It has a quiz to help you narrow down your choices as to what method you would like as well as your child's learning style and descriptions on all the various curriculum's for those methods and learning styles.  SO SO SO helpful.  I was so new I didn't even know what questions to ask.  I just knew I was lost.  I highly recommend starting here. 

From there here are a few other resources you may be interested in...

homeedexpert.com - This is a really cool online tool  from Cathy Duffy as well to help you see what is best for you and links straight into www.homeedshopper.com that searches with one click a lot of the used and new sites for curriculum buying like EBAY, CBD, Amazon and a ton of others. 

simplycharlottemason.com - This is for those of you interested in the Charlotte Mason method.  It is an incredible resource for where to begin, curriculum options, what the philosophy entails, etc... I am relying on this heavily myself.  After going through the Cathy Duffy book above I found out I was interested in the Charlotte Mason method which is a totally different style of homeschool than the more traditional worksheet driven styles.  Check it out.  I am really excited to try this method this year with my wiggle worm going into 2nd grade.

www.homeschoolreviews.com - This is a really helpful place to check out more information and reviews on curriculum you think you might be interested in. 

www.cbd.com - is the site for christian book distributors a great site for deals on Christian homeschool curriculum, books, Bible classes, as well as  anything a christian book store would sell. 

Once you have chosen a curriculum try http://www.half.com/, www.ebay.com, or a new favorite www.homeschoolclassifieds.com which is a classified site dedicated to homeschoolers  that is like Craigslist with ads straight from the sellers themselves. 

I hope this was a help for you.  Have any other great resources, freebies, etc?  Send me a comment or email me directly from the email me link.  Thanks!  Hope you get all your homeschool stuff sorted soon so you can go enjoy the rest of summer!  Good luck to you! 

CLOSED The Great Canadian Blog Bash - Canadian Living Giveaway

I had one more giveaway lined up but didn't have it confirmed in time for June 24 but I am pleased to be able to include it before the event was done.

This giveaway is part of The Great Canadian Blog Bash. The giveaway is Canada only and is only open till July 1, 11:59 PM EST so hurry!

I have two books for one winner:

Canadian Living: Make it Tonight and Best Recipes Ever from Canadian Living and CBC.

This giveaway is sponsored by Random House Canada.

You can gain extra entries to the giveaway by:

Following Random House Canada on Twitter
Liking Random House Canada on Facebook
Following me on GFC (see sidebar or click here)
Following @callista83 on Twitter
Like SMS Book Reviews on  Facebook

My Week

the 100 mile stretch between Portland and Eugene is called the Willamette Valley

it's some of the most fertile land in the country

roses are in full bloom

this beauty is called abraham darby

a friend's wedding in picturesque Pleasant Hill, Oregon

finished the final pieces for the art show at Tilde which runs from July 1 - 31

The dog days of summer are here!

We have been loving our summer so far!  Camping, riding in the side by side, horseback riding, reorganizing, decluttering, playing in the fountains at the city park, and pool time!  We have switched internet providers and are having some trouble with internet so I am posting less frequent and also enjoying the break from time consuming projects as I play with the kids.  But I will have some fabulous out door projects to share soon!  I am currently working on overhauling a garage full of stuff, reorganizing the unfinished basement which has become a haven for all homeless things and unpacked boxes from our fall move here, and makeing over an old beat  up outdoor furniture set.  When it is all done the result will be fun and dramatic so I will be sure to share.  Thanks loyal readers for your support even thought the posts won't be as frequent as they previously were.  I still looking forward to getting some crafty, creative things done and shared as I get some time.  PS I have a make it yourself yogurt tutorial coming up soon!  Happy summer.  Hope you get outside with your family and make the most of it! 

My art on a TV show!

Spirit, limited-edition print

Back in March I was contacted by a set decorator for The Nine Lives of Chloe King.  She purchased some of my prints for the show, which premiered last week on abcfamily.  In the beginning of this week's episode, I caught sight of three of my prints hanging in Chloe King's home.  It was just a blip, but still so fun to see.  

Bloom and Cascade prints [nine lives of chloe king images courtesy of abcfamily]

GIVEAWAY/EVENT: Great Canadian Blog Bash

Welcome to The Great Canadian Blog Bash at SMS Book Reviews!

I also blog at http://callistasramblings.blogspot.com which is also participating in this event so check over there for more giveaways.

My name is Callista and I'm a SAHM of three children, a dog, a cat and a fish. I love reading and love blogging and I especially love sharing what I read with others. I started writing book reviews online way back in 2001 but didn't put them on a blog till 2003 and didn't blog regularly till 2007.

Unlike most other book bloggers, I rarely read fiction. I love nonfiction and I read picture books with my children. If I do read fiction, it's usually YA. I also sometimes review children's fiction on here, but nonfiction (adults and children) is my passion. I LOVE learning.

Windsor Fireworks from Flickr User Tukanuk

I live in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and am a very proud Canadian. I love reading Canadian blogs. Have you ever been here to the southernmost part of Canada before? It's strange, all Canadians know Canada is above the US but here in Windsor, we are actually below part of Michigan!

You can find me on twitter, facebook, stumbleupon, goodreads and linkedin. If you follow me on any of these and/or Google Friend Connect, let me know and I'll return the favour as long as your blog is in English.

GIVEAWAYS

So for the giveaways, please fill out the form at the bottom of the post. You will be able to choose which books you are interested in entering for. There are a few extra entries possible, some for each prize, some for any prize. Read carefully before you enter.

NOTE: I also have a separate giveaway for two Canadian Living cookbooks that got added late.

RULES:
Canadians Only
Open till July 1, 2011
Winners picked by July 3, 2011

Prize #1
From Scholastic - for ages 9-12
Dear Canada: Hoping for Home Stories of Arrival by Various Authors (Children's Historical Fiction)
I Am Canada: Shot at Dawn by John Wilson (Children's Historical Fiction)

Extra Entries for This Giveaway Only:
Follow Scholastic on Twitter
Fan Scholastic on Facebook

Prize #2
from Annick Press - for Ages 4 to 7
Better Together by Sheryl and Simon Shapiro (Children's Nonfiction)
Louis the Tiger Who Came From The Sea by Michal Kozlowski (Children's Picture Book)
Bookmarks


Extra Entries for This Giveaway Only:
Follow Annick Press on Twitter
Fan Annick Press on Facebook

Extra Entries for Any Giveaway
(+1 for EACH one you enter. So if you do one of these extra entries and enter for both giveaways, you get one extra entry for EACH giveaway.)

Follow me on Google Friend Connect(GFC) (see sidebar)
Follow me on twitter (or sidebar)
Fan my page on facebook (or sidebar)

Enter:

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Journals of love

As a baby shower gift for the birth of our first daughter, we were given a journal by a friend.  I was never much of a diary keeper, but I loved the idea of recording our daughter's life using the written word.  Each journal entry is in the form of a letter, and we write about two entries a year.  We talk about how she's growing and make sure to mention any memorable moments that had occurred.  Often times, I'll add a picture or some other paper keepsake to go along with our stories. 

When our second daughter was born, we bought a journal for her and began filling it with letters of love and memories.  Here's a snippet from 2005, when she was 2 1/2 years old.

Every morning you are the first to rise.  It's routine now for you to yell for us from your bed.  Even though Dad and I would love to sleep in just a few minutes longer, I never tire of hearing your feet go pitter-patter down the hallway and into the bed.  You're a great snuggler, and my heart seems to always melt whenever you say, "I missed you, Mom."

In the same entry, I describe the terrifying moment of when a coin got stuck in my daughter's throat.  And that very coin is in the journal!   

The girls discovered the journals just a couple of years ago.  Although they've read every entry to date, and even added a few of their own, my plan is to continue recording their childhood until they graduate from high school. 



Journals are truly a wonderful gift.  I have given them to new parents as well as newly married couples. With the birth of my niece and nephew last week, I'm once again on the hunt for two beautiful journals.



If you have a special way of organizing keepsakes and recording memories, I'd love to hear your ideas!

DIY- Kids art station

I wanted to show you guys my art station we created in the unfinished basement to give the kids a place to craft.  As you know I have 4 kids, but this was made for the two oldest who are now 4 and 6.  I may have been a little off as to how much autonomy they could handle at that age but it is still really fun.  It isn't perfect as we were working with out any kind of budget it had to be from what we already had with just a little elbow grease.  For an unfinished basement though it sure adds some style and fun.

 Here is what we did.  First my husband built a long narrow table from wood scraps we had laying around and painted it black.  Then we mounted it to the back wall with a cleat.  The next thing I did was to create a nice back drop for the back wall with out paint since we were short on money and time.  I simply used a piece of fabric, rolled the edges under till I had a nice clean line and used upholstery tacks I had lying around to attach it to the wall. 

I then added a shelf on each side under a name plaque I created with precut letters and craft store signs.  On the shelf I put jars of glitter, stamps, paper punches, baby food jars filled with beads and a baby food jar full of glitter pens, as well as few other crafty supplies.  

On the table itself I lined up several tin cans that I washed well and covered with scraps of scrapbook paper.  I used cowboy type patters for my son and I used pink girly papers for my daughters.  Inside each can I put colored pencils, pipe cleaners, cotton balls, glue sticks, and paint brushes.  Originally I had in mind to mount a metal strip under the shelf and use magnets attached with a hot glue gun to the cans to attach them to the metal strip.  I haven't found the right thrifted material for that yet.  The magnets are in place, but we are waiting on the metal strip till I see just the right thing.  The board in the middle just acts as a decorative accent and is a left over scrap of paneling cut to size, spray painted and then covered with 4 squares of scrap paper using spray adhesive.  You could add binder clips hung on small nails to  make it a display for their art work.

My kids are thoroughly enjoying this space only it is not quite as clean as it all was this first day.  Looking at this picture inspires me to get on them to get it all organized just so again.  They love it and I love the time it allows me to work on things while they are entertained, and the creativity it fosters.  Let me know if you make one!

Dazzling chandeliers made from discarded objects

Drop, 1800 plastic bottles, 2007.

According to British designer Stuart Haygarth, one man's trash is another man's treasure.  He collects thousands of discarded objects, mainly plastic items, and creates stunning chandeliers out of the found materials.   Drop (shown above) is a lighting structure made from the bases of 1800 plastic water bottles.  The pieces were tumbled in a cement mixer to give the plastic a frosted glass effect.



His lighting designs are as thought-provoking as they are beautiful.  Tide (shown below) is constructed with plastic debris and other manmade materials washed ashore along the Kent coastline.  Haygarth shaped the collected items into a moon-like structure, since the moon creates tides that wash up the discarded objects onto the shore. 

Tide, manmade objects washed ashore, 2004.

Spectacle, plastic framed spectacles, 2006.

Icon Experiment: Stuart Haygarth from Penelope Shaw on Vimeo.

Tail Light, vehicle light lenses, 2007.  [images courtesy of www.stuarthaygarth.com]

In addition to his creative lighting designs, Haygarth uses reclaimed objects in installations.  Here is a video of the 2010 installation Framed in the Victoria and Albert Museum (London).   Framed is comprised of hundreds of painted picture frame off-cuts.







FRAMED Stuart Haygarth/John Jones installation at the V&A from Stuart York on Vimeo.

Sorry I have been AWOL- went camping!

Sorry I haven't posted for a few days!  I am usually a pretty regular every day or so poster, but we took some family time to go camping over Fathers Day weekend.  We headed to the Sand dunes with my parents here in Colorado and then up to my parents land to do some camping and playing.  I will post some photos soon, but of course they are all taken with my iphone since I left my camera in the RV!  That is what happens when you are wrangling 4 kids in windy,sandy conditions,  If you are me anyway.  Oh well. 

We had a great time.  The sand dunes are amazing.  It is like staring at the Mohave desert with out the heat.  It was the strangest sight!  We didn't hike it as the kids just wanted to play in the stream at the bottom and build sandcastles.  I must admit battling the climb to the top with 4 young kids wind and blowing sand in the chilly morning air did not seem like a fun plan.  So the kids had a great time and we enjoyed the family time.  We had a lot of fun riding on my parents side by side (like a Rhino or Razor) on their acreage in the mountains and visiting around the fire pit minus the fire because of all the wildfires we have been having lately. 

What did you guys do for fathers day?

Plague and Pestilence: Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari (Blog Tour)

Stars: ****1/2

Scholastic (2011)
YA Dystopian Fiction
343 pages

Summary: Epidemics, floods, droughts–for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she’s rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can’t continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There’s something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

Although I don't read much fiction, what I do read is mostly YA. I love Dystopian fiction as the idea of survival interests me (although I have no interest in actually trying it.)

I enjoyed Ashes, Ashes and may I just say, I LOVE the cover of the book. That cover would make anyone pick up the book.

My favourite character was Lucy because she is able to take care of herself but also cares for others and understands she can't always be alone. She is what I would hope I'd be like if I were in her shoes. There are many characters that we don't know anything about so I could see a prequel come in to play if this book is as popular as I think it will be. It would be nice to know the back story of some of the characters.

My least favourite character was Grammalie Rose. I'm not sure why but I guess I didn't feel she was grandmotherly enough although obviously with the circumstances, she had more important things to do than sit with the kids or bake cookies. I just mean she didn't seem to be very understanding of Lucy.

The story was a bit slow at the beginning as Lucy is by herself and the storyline is being set up. However by the early middle of the book, it's got your interest and by the last third of the book, it's got you hooked.

I believe 100% that you can expect a sequel to this book in the near future. You can tell when a book has been left open for a future book and Jo Treggiari has already started thinking about one.

If you like Dystopian YA fiction, you'll want to check this out. It's a nice change to have Dystopian fiction that covers more than one end-of-the-world problem. It's not just Plague or Floods, it's both.


Links of Interest: Jo Treggiari Webpage, Jo's Facebook, Jo's Twitter, Chapter One of Audio book on Youtube, Interview Jo Treggiari on YouTube,

Other Tour Stops:
Midnight Bloom Reads     June 14th
Lavender Lines Blog         June 15th
21 Pages Blog                  June 16th
Geek Girl's Book Blog     June 16th
The Moody Teenager       June 17th
Dreaming of Books Blog  June 17th
YA Bookshelf                  June 17th
ShelfElf Blog                    June 18th
SMS Book Reviews         June 19th
Crazy Book Worm           June 19th
In the Next Room             June 20th
Lost in the Library            June 20th
He Followed Me Home   June 20th
Book Madam YA            June 21st

Buy Ashes, Ashes at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

GIVEAWAY
I have one copy of Ashes, Ashes to offer to one lucky Canadian reader.  Enter below using the form.



*I received a copy of this book to evaluate for a review. All opinions are honest and are my own.

my week

two miracles- my nephew and niece

born 9 weeks early at 2 lbs. 6 oz and 2 lbs. 14 oz. 

they are so precious //  these photos were taken when they were just hours old

my brother is soothing the babies with his fatherly touch

 since moving into our 1924 home six years ago, i've been wanting to paint it black

it should make the color of the greenery around the home pop!

. . .  now if only it would stop raining

my boots are put away for the summer

just bought these cute sandals on Etsy for $16

/// new work ///

top three pieces are going to Tilde

[a number of my original works will be available for purchase here starting July 1]

and my latest addition to my Etsy shop,

cabin in the woods

Short Review - My Dad, My Hero by Ethan Long

Stars: *****

Sourcebooks (2011)
Picture Book

Summary:
A young child starts off this laugh-out-loud picture book by listing all the ways his dad is NOT a superhero: he can’t leap tall buildings, run faster than a speeding bullet, or shoot webs out of his wrists.
Each spread illustrates how Dad doesn’t have super powers but is still a hero at heart. The sweet ending depicts all the cool—if not super—activities Dad does do with the child, like throwing a baseball, playing checkers and going toy shopping. - from Sourcebooks

The perfect book for Father's Day!

The illustrations are absolutely perfect and the story is funny. Younger kids will just enjoy the story while older kids will understand the jokes that are in the illustrations. A book that's great for different age groups is always a plus. It's even fun for moms to read!

Recommended for ages 3-8

Links of Interest: NONE YET
Other Reviews: NONE YET

Buy My Dad, My Hero at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

*I received a copy of this book to evaluate for a review. All opinions are honest and are my own.