This is what I accomplished with the help of 21 second graders in 3 days this week. Every yearI have to make an auction piece for my class to present at our Fine Arts Night. Parents get paddles and bid on the children's art as a fundraiser for our elementary school. Sometimes it's a class book, or ink and chalked cards and envelopes, painted aprons, photo collages, etc.
I had NO idea what I was making last week and this was due Tuesday!!!! Luckily, I am very motivated by adrenalin!
At the retreat I went to in Key Largo last month, my friend Eileen shared the rosen paper technique she learned from Lynne Perella. I made a big background piece this weekend. It came out so cool, I decided to have my students make a large banner for our auction.
On Monday I brought in a 4 foot by 4 1/2 foot piece of red rosen paper. I had applied the gesso and some tissue paper, pattern paper, and paper flowers gessoed on for texture. I showed the class the white banner and told them I wanted to make it a colorful, vibrant celebration of Spring! I painted the background colors and had the students draw pictures. They drew the ladybugs, butterflies, dragonflies, hummingbird, flowers, leaves, and grass. I asked three kids to write the large words Grow, Create, Bloom. We traced the drawings with black sharpie markers and glued them onto the background. They colored the background with portfolio oil pastels. The pictures and flowers were colored with oil pastels, watercolor crayons, sharpies, and glitter watercolors.
I covered the whole piece with matte Mod Podge. I added the dotted lines and dots with Sharpie poster paint markers and glued gems to the flower centers. I attached the vintage white pom-pom trim, giant red rick-rack and orange rick-rack to the top and bottom of the banner.
The piece hangs with a dowel inserted through a sleeve on the back side. I got a lot of positive comments about it from teachers and parents. MY students LOVED it and several brought their parents to bid on it. I am thrilled to report that our collaborative piece brought in $100.00 at the fundraising auction! We worked hard to create it in just three days and it is such a happy, bright, lively banner. One of my students is going to hang it in her bedroom and enjoy it for a long time to come.
We stayed near Moonlight Beach in Encinitas and it was just beautiful!
Weston enjoying the Meditation Garden wearing his Ipod the whole time of course!
Dave and I watched the sunset one evening from the perfect viewing spot.
The coy pond at the meditation garden was awesome.
One of the only pictures we got of Dave smiling- gotcha!
The view from the top of the meditation garden-wow!
We came across a family finishing up a HUGE sandcastle on the beach- I loved the cool details.
We enjoyed gorgeous blue skies every day on our vacation.
