Teacher Gifts

Last year, Trevor made a beautiful beaded bracelet for his beloved first grade teacher as a year-end gift. He chose her favorite colors and created a pattern he thought she would like. She did.

This year, I asked Trevor what he wanted to give to his second grade teacher as a year-end gift. Not surprisingly, he chose to make her a bracelet too. And then he said that he wanted to make one for his Sunday School teacher too. I thought that was an excellent idea. We headed to our favorite bead store, Beads on Main. Not only do they have a great selection, but everyone who works there has been absolutely wonderful about helping Trevor make projects himself (rather than doing it for him). I imagine that 7-year old boys are not their primary customers, yet based on their patience and professionalism you'd never know it.

Trevor scanned all the beads and almost immediately selected a conical marbled teal bead that he loved. He thought it would be perfect for Mrs. Rosenthal's bracelet. He chose a square lava rock bead next, because lava was something they'd discussed in class. Finally, he added some silver spacer beads. He spread them out on the work mat, then strung them. I'm kicking myself for not taking pictures of Trevor hard at work.  

Here's the finished bracelet: 

Next, Trevor chose beads for his Sunday School teacher, Miss Ann. He decided on a red/black pattern with the same spacers as he'd used for the previous bracelet.

Here are the two bracelets side-by-side. I love them both and am so proud of Trevor for putting the time into making such thoughtful and beautiful gifts for two amazing women who have been instrumental in helping him learn and grow this year.

A huge thank you to Mrs. Rosenthal and Miss Ann for everything!

Raingutter Regatta with Soap Boats

Trevor's Cub Scout Pack just held their Raingutter Regatta.  However, instead of using the traditional kits to make wooden boats, they carved their own boats out of Ivory soap.  Each boy made his own boat at home with his parents (which is why Trevor is wearing Scooby Doo jammies instead of a Scout uniform).

He had a lot of fun using the vegetable peeler, cheese grater, screwdrivers, and other tools to transform the bar of soap into a boat.

Here's his finished boat.

They raced their boats by blowing through a straw.

Unfortunately, this didn't really work.  Most of the boys' boats capsized immediately.  The ones that stayed upright didn't move just from air on the sail.  One of the older boys realized that he could put the straw in the water and blow, which was by far the most successful technique. Everyone had a lot of fun, even if most of the boats didn't float and almost immediately turned into a soapy mess.

In two days, Trevor will officially complete his Wolf year and bridge to Bear.  It has been an amazing year.  I love how our Pack encourages Trevor's creativity, whether it's the Pinewood Derby, the cake decorating contest, or the Cubanapolis.  I love how much he has learned and grown though his Scout activities.  I love that Scouts is doing for Trevor what 4-H did for me.

24 Years Later...

While I wouldn't really call myself an event scrapper, I do tend to photograph and scrap special occasions and holidays far more than everyday life. I'm trying to do a better job of photographing and scrapping the everyday. Those things that seem so ordinary or boring that they don't deserve a photo or layout are exactly the things I'll want to look back on decades from now.

I say this with certainty because I just attended the 50th anniversary celebration of my high school.

I attended Granada High School for four years: 1986-1990. I was involved with clubs, attended sporting activities, and had lots of friends. Plenty of things happened that I should have photographed, even back in the Dark Ages before digital photography. During the approximately 750ish days I spent at GHS, care to guess how many times I took pictures on campus? Never. Not once. No pictures of special presentations I gave, spirit days, or club activities. No picture of me standing in front of the school. No picture of the locker I shared with my best friend, Nancy. I didn't take a single picture of high school. And it's not like I never took pictures - I took a lot of pictures during those years, just never at school.

Fortunately, there are photos in the yearbook, plus dance photos I bought, and a picture from when my parents came to school to watch me compete in the Physics Club's cardboard boat race. (I'll try to find it the next time I'm at my parents' house and scan it to share.) But I don't have a single photo of where my friends and I ate lunch. No photos of any classrooms. No picture of the 'Big G' in the center of the quad that everyone carefully walked around lest they get beat up for defiling it. No pictures of a place that was a pretty big deal for four years of my life. So when I visited Granada High for the 50th celebration, I took pictures of EVERYTHING.  

I took pictures of things that looked pretty much the same: 

I took pictures of things that looked completely different:

I took pictures of what had been added: 

(No fence when I was a student.)

(Nor a fancy marquee.)

(New display cases, currently filled with items from each decade.)

And I took pictures of things that were missing.

(No Big G)

(No lockers.  Mine was on that blank wall on the right.  This was surprisingly emotional for me.)

I took pictures of old friends...

... some of my favorite teachers....

.... my old principal...

... and my family.

(My sister Kari, GHS Class of 1993.  Her son Timothy, GHS Class of 2019.)

I took dozens of other photos, trying to capture those teenage memories. I spent a lot of time walking around the campus alone, ducking into familiar places and snapping photos. I spent a lot of time just standing still and looking, trying to remember what it was like when I was a student there. I was mesmerized by the new science wing and the new media center, confused when I walked into what I thought was the library and it was actually the leadership room, and blown away by the synthetic track and field.

The whole experience was surreal. I really enjoyed my day and am so glad I went, but I was overwhelmed. It is incredibly odd to feel both 17 and 42 simultaneously.

Happy birthday, Granada High!  I hope the next 50 years are just as great.

And I hope that today's students are capturing those little details and everyday moments that they wish they could see 24 years from now.

Those Deco-Edge Scissors Can Come In Handy...

Like all good scrapbookers in the late 90s and early 2000s, I amassed quite a collection of decorative-edge scissors.  

I used them to cut photos and mats... cringeworthy now, but all the rage then.  It's been at least a decade since I used deco-edge scissors for scrapbooking, but I do use them for the occasional craft.  Trevor and I used them last year for our art journals.  Most recently, Trevor used them for a science experiment. 

For their last homework assignment of the year, the 2nd graders at Trevor's school each have to present a science experiment to their class.  Trevor chose to experiment with gyrocopters.  He started by making one gyrocopter using regular scissors, then made an otherwise-identical one using a pair of decorative-edge scissors.  

He stood on a chair to drop the smooth-edged gyrocopter and the decorative-edged gyrocopter and observed the results.  There was a clear difference!  He repeated his experiment with different decorative edges until he found the one that yielded the best results.

He tested other variables as well.  He compared different sizes (small, medium, and large) and different materials (copy paper vs. cardstock), each time changing only one variable and checking the results.

Each time he made a new gyrocopter, he stood on his chair to see whether it would fall more quickly or slowly than the previous.  After some initial experiments standing on the chair, he moved all the gyrocopters to the stairs and tried them there.  Here's a short video of him testing two different sizes of gyrocopters.

After much experimentation, Trevor determined how to make an optimal gyrocopter.  Materials: copy paper, ruler, pencil, pinking sheers, large paper clip.

1. Measure a 6.5" x 1.5" rectangle on a sheet of copy paper. Use pinking sheers to cut it out. Cut a 3" slit down the middle of one of the ends to form the wings. 
2. Fold the wings in opposite directions. They should be 90° from the main part of the gyrocopter. 
3. Add a paperclip to the bottom center of the gyrocopter for weight. 
4. Go to a high place and drop the gyrocopter. Watch it spin and float to the ground!

Fun, easy, inexpensive, and educational.  Can't beat that!

Virtual Blog Tour

Last week, I got an email from my good friend Sharon Fritchman asking me to participate in a virtual blog tour, so of course I said yes.  (Click the link to see her beautiful work!)  My assignment was to answer four questions, then send my readers off to check out another inspiring crafter.  So here we go!


1) What are you working on?

I always have at least a dozen things in progress!  Looking around the craft room, I can see layouts in various stages of completion, a pile of supplies for a Cub Scout Day Camp session I'm leading at the end of the month, and gifts that still need to be wrapped for Trevor's birthday.  I also see Star Wars crafts, something I NEVER thought I'd make.  Here's the latest one that Trevor and I made together.  I'm not even sure what it is, but he assures me that we did a great job. Well, he did.  All I did was help him snip pipe cleaners and cut the tricky areas of felt.

I'll be using it and a bunch of other items for Trevor's Star Wars themed birthday party next weekend.  Previous parties (Angry Birds, Lego, maze party, etc) have been a breeze for me to put together compared to this Star Wars one.  Fingers crossed for a theme I actually know something about next year!  I have a year to talk him into something cool, like Camping, Harry Potter, Detectives, or Mad Scientists.  

2) How does your work differ from others?

My work differs from other people's because I do so many different creative things.  I'm a scrapbooker and a cardmaker, but I also design kids' crafts and throw themed parties.  I've recently taken beginning jewelry, glass flamework, and lapidary classes, just to name a few.  I dabble in recipe creating and cake decorating.  I love cooking challenges and get great pleasure out of turning ordinary experiences into something fun and unusual.

 Handprint Owls

Name Skeleton

Trevor deRosier: Second Grader

Giraffe Cake

3) Why do you create what you do?

I scrapbook to record our memories and as an artistic expression.  I make cards because it is cheaper than buying them and it's a good way to use up scraps from my layouts.  I design and make kids' crafts because it's something I can do with Trevor and because it's a connection to my teaching days.  I take classes about random crafts because I love learning new things.  I make up recipes to enter in fairs and I decorate cakes because it is fun.  I like cooking challenges because it takes the everyday activity of putting food on the table and makes it into a game.  I like turning ordinary experiences into something fun and unusual because small adventures are still adventures.

Our first Chopped Challenge

4)  How does your creative process work?

At any given time, there are thousands of ideas swirling around in my head.  Mostly they are ideas for kids' crafts and scrapbook layouts.  I carry a notebook at all times and scrawl down my ideas as soon as I can.  If you watch me walking to pick up Trevor from school, you'll almost always see me with my notebook out.  It's not unusual for me to stop in the middle of the grocery store and write down an idea or sketch out a layout.  My inspiration comes from all around.  I keep just about every basic craft supply imaginable on hand at all times so that I can make things as soon as possible when inspiration strikes.  Despite that, I probably only make a tiny fraction of a percent of the ideas I have.  There are always new ideas that push the older ones aside.  Occasionally I'll sift through my notes and sketches and find a gem that I'll go back and create.

...

Now that you've learned a little more about me, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Michelle O'Driscoll!  Michelle lives in a growing rural town just outside of St. John’s, the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.  She is married with 2 young children, 3 dogs and 5 goldfish.  Many of Michelle’s scrapbook pages include the family, trips and life events. She has been scrapbooking for 11 years and making all her cards for the past 6 years.  She shares all her papercrafting adventures at http://scrapbookingsos.blogspot.ca/.