I Mustache You a Question...

Make your very own Mustache Valentine using PicMonkey online photo editor.

Step One: make or buy a mustache. We made ours out of black, sticky-back felt. This was TERRIBLE on my scissors, but was relatively cheap and easy to do.

Step Two: have a photo shoot.

Go ahead and include the little sister while you are at it. 

Step Three: pick your favorite picture and head to www.picmonkey.com. Hover over the "Design" button and select the custom size. Enter 1800 x 1200 for printing to a 4x6 print. If you accidentally click the button without hovering first and selecting custom size, select "Resize" in the options on the left of the new screen to change the size to 1800 x 1200.

Step Four: click Canvas Color and select the background color you want. 

Step Five: click Overlay in the far left menu (a butterfly icon). Click "Your Own" in the 2nd column menu and upload the picture you chose. Drag and the drop the image where you want it, resizing by dragging the corner or sides of the image as needed. 

Step Six: if you want to add a frame, click Frames in the far left menu (a little frame icon). Select the frame you want. 

Step Seven: click Text on the far left menu (a Tt icon). Choose your starting font. You can select the ones that PicMonkey provides or the fonts already on your computer. Type your text in the text box then resize the box as needed. You can highlight then change text color or font type as you wish.  For the heart symbol ♥, you can use Alt code 3 (press and hold the Alt button, then the "3" button, release together).   

Step Eight: Save your creation somewhere you can find it on your computer. Send it to your favorite photo lab for 4x6 prints. You can regularly find 4x6 prints for $.19 each and often can find deals for them cheaper. Tada! Easy peasy, fun Valentine. If you are feeling REALLY spunky, you can attach a fake mustache to each. 

From the MUCH younger kids you see in those pictures, we made these a few years ago. It's still one of our favorite Valentines. 

Review: Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

“That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word.” Ordinary Grace follows the lives of two young boys in small town Minnesota the summer of 1961. Death comes often that summer and Frank and Jake find themselves more and more thrust into a grown-up world as they navigate the dynamics of their family and their town.

My favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. In the sense that this book also focused on the kids' perspective in a small town in a "simpler" time, Ordinary Grace reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird. I'm sure my enjoyment of Ordinary Grace benefited from my love of the Harper Lee classic. This book was, though, at it's core, a who-dun-it - an enjoyable one at that. Some "conclusions" were pretty obvious from the start but many twists and turns took you by surprise.

The father, Nathan, was an almost unbelievably gracious and forgiving man, while the mother, Ruth, played foil with great emotional instability. Probably my favorite character was Gus, a friend of Nathan's from the war, who was constantly a rock upon which the boys could lean and a lighthouse in the dark to help Frank and Jake navigate tough issues. Yet, he was flawed in very real, authentic ways.

The one distraction for me was the layout of the town. I don't think the author used a real town or a map of his imaginary town or he was bad at describing directions of things. Many times I found myself "lost" in town (no, the trestle is the OTHER WAY!). Or a description that something was past of the edge of town, with a real sense that it was far away - tucked away on purpose - but then it was only a 5 minute car ride later on. Or a bike ride in the middle of the night from the poor part of town to WAY up in the high rent area - again, earlier depicted as far away - that takes very little time. Given how I mentally "Google map" the books I read, these discrepancies were jarringly noteworthy as I read.

All and all, an engaging read. This was a book club selection for me and not something I would have likely picked up on my own.

Artist of the Week: Georgia O'Keefe - February 2nd & 4th

For the week of February 2nd, the Artist of the Week is Georgia O'Keefe, an American artist best known for her large-format paintings of flower blossoms. Students will learn about her life, art techniques and the time and culture in which she lived. Students will then have the chance to try out some of the  art techniques of O'Keefe.

Monday, February 2nd, 2:30 to 3:50  - FULL
Wednesday, February 4th, 2:30 to 3:50 - FOUR spaces available

Students will use bright colors to create their own O'Keefe-inspired close-up floral print, then learn some basic drawing techniques to make a bull skull painting with Texas-influenced backgrounds. 

NOTE ON AGE RECOMMENDATIONS: My Age 6 - 9 classes are full with a waiting list for the semester and the age 10+ classes are empty. I am changing all my art classes to ages 6 - 10. The Monday and Wednesday classes will be the same curriculum as a result. As always, age limits are guidelines. You know your children better than I do. Focused five year olds are welcome as are pre-teens who want to learn and don't mind a class full of "little kids".

To register for this or any of my other classes, visit http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090d4ea4a72fa46-heatherannes1.

For more information on terms and policies, visit http://foofynotfoofy.blogspot.com/p/homeschool-lessons.html

Artist of the Week Wrap-Up: Edgar Degas

Not every week of class is productive in the sense that the kids take home some completed art. This week was one such "unproductive" week. We studied the French artist, Edgar Degas, through sketching from a live model (my daughter) and through making "action" sculpture using aluminum foil. As a backdrop to our sculpture, we also made our own scratch paper with crayons and black paint. The sculptures were fun but the kids got far more into the process than the end result. And the sketching afforded many opportunities to explain from drawing basics but the focus turned more to learning those basics than finishing a sketch. Such is the way sometimes in art class.

Why I wish the People of Walmart would go away

And I don't mean the actual people of Walmart. I mean the photo collection website, to which I will not link because I don't want to promote it in any way. And it's not just that site. It's every site that mocks people just going about their life, minding their own business, when some mean person with a camera decides he or she is better than that person and chooses to snap their photo to share and mock with the world wide web.

I'm not talking about mocking people for the publicly displayed choices they make through protest or performance art or whatever. (A certain Topeka church comes to mind). If someone is putting themselves purposefully out in public to make a statement, then by all means, mock away if you don't agree with them. But there are weird people in the world. And that's okay. There are people who don't fit the standard of beauty (or really come anywhere near the ballpark of it). And that's okay. If someone is just living their life, happy in their own little universe, who the hell has the right to whip out a phone, take a picture and subject them to the cruelty of the world? Leaving your house does not mean you are granting license to every a$$&ole out there to take your picture.

Carly Findlay was one such woman who found her face plastered on Reddit and mocked. Carly has two rare skin conditions. As a result, she looks like she is severely sun burned. Carly is a blogger so when her face was used in one of these mean memes, she fought back! And beautifully so. But Carly had a platform from which to launch her defense and a talent for words to help her "win the internet". What about the dude with the unfortunate haircut, the single mom who is going through hell right now and left the house in her shabby clothes to spend her last dollar on food for her kids, the war veteran who is covered in odd scars. Who will defend them?

Parents, teach your kids not to mock people. Friends, call out your buddy when they point, stare and laugh. Humans, start loving the other humans! It's the only way we're all going to make it on this big ball of dirt we're sharing.

Artist of the Week: Henri Matisse - January 26th & 28th

For the week of January 26th, the Artist of the Week is Henri Matisse, a French artist known for his use of color. Students will learn about his life, art techniques and the time and culture in which he lived. Students will then have the chance to try out some of the  art techniques of Matisse and the fauvist movement.

Monday, January 26th, 2:30 to 3:50  - FULL
Wednesday, January 28st, 2:30 to 3:50 - FOUR spaces available

Students will use bright colors to create their own Matisse-inspired aquarium still life, then get to experiment with "painting with scissors", just as Matisse did during his later years.

NOTE ON AGE RECOMMENDATIONS: My Age 6 - 9 classes are full with a waiting list for the semester and the age 10+ classes are empty. I am changing all my art classes to ages 6 - 10. The Monday and Wednesday classes will be the same curriculum as a result. As always, age limits are guidelines. You know your children better than I do. Focused five year olds are welcome as are pre-teens who want to learn and don't mind a class full of "little kids".

To register for this or any of my other classes, visit http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090d4ea4a72fa46-heatherannes1.

For more information on terms and policies, visit http://foofynotfoofy.blogspot.com/p/homeschool-lessons.html

Craft Supplies Storage

Even with all the space I have in this house... and the, um, (cough, cough) dedicated craft room in the basement (cough), I still struggle to keep my craft supplies tidy and where I need them, when I need them. Just like everyone else. My homeschool room / office / art class studio is FULL of books, paint, brushes, paper and all the myriad other items I need to educate my two children and all my art and music students. It's not a place conducive to pearl jewelry supplies and all the tiny bits and baubles that go along with that.

Enter my antique sheet music cabinet. 

My darling daughter gave me a new bead organizer and beads for Christmas. I moved into the new organizer and tidied up my supplies, storing everything in this unused cabinet. I'm looking forward to a lot more organized design work ahead. 

The cabinet sits in my dining room. The craft room in the basement sits unused because I'm a social crafter. Even if someone isn't specifically crafting with me, I like to be near other people while I'm working. Having the supplies near where I hang out with family and friends already is ideal. The beautiful cabinet makes it easy to hide a potential cluttered mess in plain sight. 

Now, my yarn stash - that's a story for a different day. I'm still working on the ideal solution for that. Where do you store your main project supplies?

Artist of the Week Wrap-Up: Katsushika Hokusai

As usual, we ran long in class. The two art projects we made both really turned out well. I started with the water color on the lanterns so it would have time to dry. We moved to "carving" the styrofoam sheets for our printing. Unfortunately, my brayer is lost in a box somewhere and I didn't get it replaced before class. A wood dowel and a short piece of PVC pipe worked just fine in a pinch. After finishing our prints, we took markers to the lanterns and started folding and taping. In between projects or while work was being done, we watched several videos on the life of Katsushika Hokusai, as well as on the woodblock printing technique. We discussed Japanese lantern festivals and the common practice of changing your name (A LOT) in Ancient Japan. Hokusai changed his name over 30 times in his life!

TBR Pile Challenge: Throne of Glass Read-Along - First Discussion

Throne of Glass Read Along: 1st Discussion

The TBR Pile Challenge I joined this year has a Real-Along every other month. This month, the selected book was Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. 

1) Did you read The Assassin's Blade? If so, do you think it enhanced your reading of Throne of Glass? If you haven't, do you plan to go back and do so before continuing with the series?

I have not. I haven't read any of Maas's works before now. I am enjoying Throne of Glass though so I will at least add them to my "TBR" pile... because it wasn't already too big. 

2) Who do you think is behind the Champions murders?

Possessed dogs. I know... kind of silly and far fetched but the way the Champions have been mutilated and the fact that Dorian's "kennels" have been mentioned in an offhand way more than once up to this point. Whether Dorian is behind it or not, I'm not sure, but I think his dogs have something to do with it. 

3) Thus far, what are some of your favorite scenes from Throne of Glass?

All of them? Maas writes some beautiful imagery and great dialogue. 

4) Have you tried sticking to Sarah's pronunciations or did you make up your own way to say all these names

I glanced at them before I started and I'm close on some. The one key difference is the pronunciation of "wyrd". I believe Maas was referencing the Anglo-Saxon concept of fate or personal destiny. That "wyrd" is pronounced "weird". And I have friends whose last name is Wyrd and that's how they pronounce it as well.

5) Is this the first time you've read Throne of Glass? Were you like Andrea and Jessica and completely unsure as to why you waited so long to read it? Or, if you reread it for the Read Along, did your reading experience change from the first time?

First time I've read Sarah J. Maas at all. I'm really enjoying it though. 

6) Okay, let's just get into this: As of this moment, who are you more fond of--Chaol or Dorian?

Chaol, though I also think Calaena would make a fantastic queen. 

7) What do you think about Princess Nehemia and her friendship with Celaena? Are you a fan, or are you giving the princess a side-eye?

I'm a fan. I think that friendship will ultimately lead to the defeat of the king and a new era of peace for the world. 

8) How are we liking Nox? Do you think he'll end up as someone to count on in the future, or should we not trust him?

He seems okay, but Calaena's behavior toward him doesn't seem in keeping with her assassin nature. Actually, there is a lot of her behavior that seems contradictory at times. In the beginning, we're lead to believe she is nothing but a cold-blooded killing machine, but her "soft underbelly", as it were, showed more quickly than I think makes sense for someone trained to be so ruthless. Maybe something there relates back to the books before this that I haven't read. 

9) The writing! Are you loving Sarah's writing as much as I am? Because seriously--it is so gorgeous.

I am definitely enjoying the writing. 

10) Do you have any predictions for the rest of the book? Anyone finding out Lady Lillian's real identity? Betrayals? More friendships? (If you've already read the other half, skipping this one would probably be best. Ha.)  

I think Lady Kaltain will find out Calaena's identity and it will probably cost her her life. And I'm certain the other three Champions in the final four (because, let's be clear, Calaena will be in the final four) will find out who she is at some point leading up to the final battle. 

A Peek Behind the Scenes

My dear friend, Melanie, over at The Knotty Elf, had a birthday last week. We most often are working on our handcrafts when we're spending time together so last Saturday, instead of JUST taking her out to lunch for her birthday, we also spent time shopping at Joann and taking pictures of our jewelry pieces for our respective Etsy stores.

We're still getting the hang of good pictures for online. We really want to take some outside, natural light pictures, but right now, the weather in Kansas City is just way too cold for spending any amount of time outdoors. So we got creative with some cardboard, white fabric and my Ott light and set up a light box. Melanie took some "process pictures" as we worked. Toward the end of our marathon session, I had my daughter pick up Melanie's camera to make sure Melanie was in some pictures too. This is what Melanie found when she checked all the pictures.

Yep.  My daughter. 

Artist of the Week: Edgar Degas - January 19th & 21st

For the week of January 19th, the Artist of the Week is Edgar Degas, a French painter and sculptor. Students will learn about his life, art techniques and the time and culture in which he lived. Students will then have the chance to try out some of the  art techniques of Degas and the impressionist movement.

Monday, January 19th, 2:30 to 3:50  - TWO spaces available (these are the last two Monday openings)
Wednesday, January 21st, 2:30 to 3:50 - FOUR spaces available

Students will sketch from a live ballet model then create a multi-media painting using watercolor, chalks and more. Time permitting, students will have the chance to create action sculpture using foil. 

NOTE ON AGE RECOMMENDATIONS: My Age 6 - 9 classes are full with a waiting list for the semester and the age 10+ classes are empty. I am changing all my art classes to ages 6 - 10. The Monday and Wednesday classes will be the same curriculum as a result. As always, age limits are guidelines. You know your children better than I do. Focused five year olds are welcome as are pre-teens who want to learn and don't mind a class full of "little kids". 

To register for this or any of my other classes, visit http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090d4ea4a72fa46-heatherannes1.

For more information on terms and policies, visit http://foofynotfoofy.blogspot.com/p/homeschool-lessons.html

Icebreaker Questions about Me!

So you've found your way to Foofy Not Foofy and you are wondering who is behind this blog, these art and music classes, the handcrafted thises and thats? That'd be me! HeatherAnne Norbury. As my sidebar up there reads (assuming you aren't on a blog reader... if you are you should click through to see the pretty orange on my blog)... so anyway... as my sidebar reads, I am a homeschooling, crafting, cooking, canning, reading, overly busy but trying to keep it all together mama writing a blog. I teach art and music classes in the KC Metro and I also make handcrafts, such as jewelry and crocheted goods, that I sell in my Etsy store and at local craft shows.

I have two wonderful children and a loving husband who puts up with being the sole breadwinner even though we both have law degrees. Our home is a menagerie of pets (two dogs, two cats, two rats, one fish and two snails) and friends (rarely a day goes by without friends over). I am organized by nature so I continue to shovel in the blizzard to try to keep our home tidy and neat. I started Foofy Not Foofy to share craft ideas, canning tips, recipes, book and product reviews and other news, factoids, funnies and tidbits that come my way. The Foofy Not Foofy business has grown to include my art and music classes and my handcrafts. Here are a few more interesting things about me. Please comment with your own answers to some of these questions! I'd love to hear from you.

 1. Do you go by a nickname? Not anymore but for the majority of my life, I was Choo-Choo. My grandmother started calling me that when I was only a few weeks old because some noise I made reminded her of a train. It stuck. I was Choo-Choo until high school when I stopped using the nickname publicly. I used it again through college and law school, though it was shortened to just Choo. When you see me use Hawchoo on things, that is a combination of my maiden initials (HeatherAnne Welch) and my nickname. Some friends still call me Choo, which is fine. Just don't call me Heather. It's HeatherAnne... all one word.

 2. Who is the most famous person you ever met? Ted Williams. He was a close family friend of my grandparents.

   

Me playing piano for Ted at my grandparent's house. Circa 1982 maybe?

 3. What book has had the biggest impact on you? To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It is my favorite book. It definitely opened my eyes to how completely messed up race relations were (and are) in this country and sent me on a path of trying to understand and help make a difference so that all people can be treated with respect and dignity. It also has one quote that I go back to again and again in my life. I even had a band named from it for a time. "It's when you know you are licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." -Atticus Finch.

Band Logo - Artwork by my lovely and talented friend, Heidi

4. Are you a dog person or a cat person? Both, obviously, though I am currently owned by a 15yo Maine Coon named Maggie. So right now, I'm a cat's person. 

5. Do you prefer Coke or Pepsi? Coke and only Coke. It's the only soft drink I like well enough to drink empty calories for. I try to limit myself to one Big Q from Quik Trip a week... sometimes it's two. 

6. What is your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving or Halloween. I really like Thanksgiving and it's relatively low stress levels, but I also really enjoy helping the kids make costumes and taking them around the neighborhood with friends for trick or treating. 

7. What is your favorite cereal? Fruity Pebbles. I haven't bought a box in YEARS and YEARS because I will eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner until the box is empty. Not really a healthy choice. So I just don't buy it. 

8. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? The first thing I remember wanting to be was a ballerina. I may have been in 1st grade. After that, it switched back and forth between architect and veterinarian. My daughter wants to a be a veterinarian. As homeschoolers, I love that we can focus on things that inspire her passion. We do a LOT of science and a LOT of unit studies on animals. 

9. What was the last movie you saw? My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Rainbow Rocks. We might be a family of bronies and pegasisters. 

10. If you could pick any actor to be president, who would it be? Morgan Freeman

Artist of the Week: Katsushika Hokusai - January 12th & 14th

UPDATE: The Monday class is FULL. Registration for the Wednesday class will CLOSE at midnight tonight. There is still room and time to register. 

For the week of January 12th, the Artist of the Week is Katsushika Hokusai, a Japanese painter, wood engraver and printmaker. Students will learn about his life, art techniques and the time and culture in which he lived. Students will then have the chance to try out some of the  art techniques of Hokusai and from Japanese culture.

Monday, January 12th, 2:30 to 3:50 - Ages 6 - 9 

Students will "engrave" on foam plates to learn about printmaking and make Japanese lanterns.

Wednesday, January 14th, 2:30 to 3:50 - Ages 10+

Students will learn about linoleum block printmaking and using calligraphy in art.

To register for this or any of my other classes, visit http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090d4ea4a72fa46-heatherannes1.

For more information on terms and policies, visit http://foofynotfoofy.blogspot.com/p/homeschool-lessons.html