New Dress

My mom and I went shopping at a fabric store where we found this drapery fabric with embroidered ladybugs on it. I loved it so my mom bought it as a gift (for me to make something and for SB to wear.) I made Sarah Beth a new outfit out of this ladybug fabric recently and wanted to take her picture in it.

Well Sarah Beth has become somewhat camera shy, or just plain difficult to photograph. Now that she's mobile, she really doesn't sit two seconds in one spot. I can't tell her, "Just stay here and let Mommy get 1 good picture, then you can go play." No, before I finish asking she's off chasing something that is of utmost importance to her. Her daddy and I worked together to get the best cooperation we could out of her. He would run around placing her while I tried to make her look at me.

SB not wanting to be photographed and letting me know it.

On top of her not wanting to show off her new dress, she has found new ways to make noises and funny faces with her tongue. In most of the pictures I took of her, she has a bottom lip issue: poking out, sucking in, crooked...or her mouth is wide open in protest of my asking her to smile.

"I have smiled ONE TOO MANY TIMES, MOMMY! This is my best."

The photos above were taken on my bathroom floor. It was the place with the fewest distractions. We tried outside, but she couldn't help but squint the whole time.

Serious and sassy, SB!

The picture above was pure accident. She doesn't pose for anything. This one was taken in my bedroom because we knew she would like the chair. You still can't see the dress very well, but she's so cute.

Here are a few more random pics from the same shoot. No more hand made dress, just some cute clothes Todd's mom got her.

If you've ever tried your hand at children's photography, you know how challenging it can be. I once sat for 4 hours trying to get a friend's kids to quit crying all at the same time. In the end, SB was still a good subject even if I never got a good smile out of her. Those somber expressions are just as priceless to me.

Fashionista

Haley, one of my students, wanted to do some fashion designing as a project in my class. She's in 5th grade, so I wanted to keep it simple. Take a look at the dress she's wearing and decide for yourself whether or not it's simple to make. She's the one on the very left in blue.

Her cousin was in the Miss America Pageant, and Haley and her family attended the program. There she met Clinton Kelly from What Not to Wear. He complemented her on her dress... which she forgot to mention that she made...in my class.

Sharing

Carsyn and Sarah Beth: a conversation on cookbooks

Girl talk about 1st birthday cakes.

Carsyn just turned one and was sharing with Sarah Beth some tips and tricks on how to make it the best one ever. SB turns one in May and spent plenty of time at Carsyn's party checking out all the digs. She mentioned to me that those treat bags could not be topped but was hoping we could come up with something almost as clever.

Here the chat was interrupted by a rude photographer.

New Word

Geordi-- curious, intelligent, female, rat terrier...daw

Geordi, our best friend, likes to lick SB in the face when we're not close enough to stop her. SB likes to reach for that curious orifice on the back side of her.

The Lord's Day

Lilly

Today I went to visit my sister and her family for the afternoon. We live 2 hours apart and don't get to see each other very often. She has a 2 year old daughter named Lilly who has recently taken a liking to her Children's Bible. Lilly's not a fluent conversationalist, but she know's how to get her point across. Katee, my sister, says that when she carries her Bible around, she repeatedly says, "I have Jesus" and when she is looking for her Bible she says, "I need Jesus."

We met at a restaurant on the river today. There were ducks swimming outside, so we all went to feed them some leftover bread. Katee gathered her things and placed the bread on top of Lilly's Bible because her hands were already full. Someone said, "Now when you try to feed the ducks, it's going to make 5000 pieces." Katee mentioned then that she and Lilly had just read about Jesus feeding 5000 people. When talking about the story Lilly said, "Mommy, Jesus cook."

A child's response to the Bible and to the Lord's tugging at their heart is so convicting. I wish I realized more often that I have Jesus in His word and I need Jesus constantly. One of my constant prayers is that the Lord would make me conscious of His presence in my daily life. If He is always on my mind, I'm sure I'll be quicker to walk uprightly before Him... and everybody else for that matter.

Psalm 130:5
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

Preferences

Sarah Beth somewhat enjoys wearing clothes on her head as they make nice headdresses. She's leaning towards the Pharaoh/ Arabian Nights look here. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so I told her I liked it and would take her picture with her looking so nice and all. I prefer her in something a little more ladylike.

SB before a bath.

SB modeling one of my creations.

TGIF...BAH (Before A Holiday.)

Recycled Art

I could go on and on about my daughter, but thought I'd better include some posts about my other interests too.

Hurricane Gustav, 2008

Acrylic, newspaper, photos, found objects

The International House of Blues Foundation holds an annual art competition for school age children (grades 5-12). The theme for this year was "A Significant Event that Shapes Your Life and World". The assignment was to create a piece of abstract art out of found objects and recycled material. My students participated in the competition, and one of them won second place!

The piece above was an example I made for my students. It's about Hurricane Gustav. I found newspaper clippings, photos of friends' houses that were damaged, and debris from the storm. Even though you might not see it in this flat image, there are holes in the canvas where the branches come through.

My winning student's piece was about increasing gas prices. It's a drop of oil made from pennies. One of the most common things people say about abstract art is, "I could do that." Taking a concrete idea and turning it into an abstract representation is more difficult than most people think. Even some of my best students have trouble with this concept - This student did a great job for a 5th grader. Here's her piece:




If you've ever thought, "I could do that" when looking at an abstract piece, I challenge you to try this: create an abstract piece of art with the topic "My Dog". Try to create something that makes complete sense to you, but not to everyone else. A representation of your pooch, but not a portrait. Send the results to me at ficklelittlepickle@gmail.com , and if you like, I'll post them to this blog in the future (I won't do so without your permission).

New Word

This is SB's new word. She's 9 1/2 months old now. The dat's real name is Mimi.

Sleepwalking

Since Christmas, SB, my sweet baby girl, has decided that sleeping alone cramps her style. Her daddy and I feel a little differently about the matter. We decided to let her cry it out and she finally got the hang of this sleeping thing, but things have gradually taken a turn for the worse.

Lots of times I wake up in the morning and ask my lovey hubby, how she got in our bed. He tells me I did it. Well... I don't remember doing it.

When I was a kid I used to sleep walk a lot. In fact, once I woke up with mud on my feet and the front door of my house ajar. I often got ready for school and woke up wondering how I had completely gotten ready for the day that hadn't quite come yet. Once, I confessed a secret to my mom in my sleep that I hadn't planned on admitting quite yet. "Mom, I lost my flute at school..." I still wonder where it went.

SB doesn't care how she makes it to our bed, she just wants to be there. This sleepwalking thing doesn't lend it self to consistency in child rearing. I'm at a loss, but we plan on letting her cry it out over the Mardi Gras holidays. I'll be glad when it's over...unless...

Pleased to Meetcha!

...ME!

I’m starting this blog to chronicle my creative processes…while trying my hand at making anything and everything. By way of introduction, I have a degree in art education, and I teach talented art in my local public school system. It’s really nice because I teach a small group of extremely talented students – the cream of the crop (I love my job)! I’ve done professional photography, graphic design, and sold my paintings online and in galleries across the southeast United States. I’ve been married for 11 years to a wonderful guy, and after 6 years of trying we finally have a beautiful baby girl (9 months old). She’s inspired me to new outlets for my creativity, namely sewing, making baby toys, shoes, stationery, and accessories. I’m a Christian, saved by faith alone in Christ alone, and am constantly amazed that He’s adopted me.

As far as this blog is concerned, here’s what you can expect: Thoughts on art, design, motherhood, sewing, photography, creativity and its role in glorifying God, education, maybe even the occasional book review, or something I find funny, or whatever else I feel like throwing in there. This is mainly to log my personal journey…but maybe you’ll find it inspiring, or at least entertaining…maybe some dialogue will spring from this blog that will benefit us all…that’s my hope, anyway.

Be sure to visit often, and leave comments!