[teacher’s pet part 2]

My eldest had his Year 7 Graduation tonight, marking the end of his primary school years.

Here's the card we made for his teacher:

He's really going to miss her...

[teacher’s pet]

It’s the last week of school for my kids this coming week, and I only get a gift for the teacher if my boys say they want to ... so here’s the first creation for my littlest man's teacher, who just loves owls!

The gift box is handmade and it's decorated with a Christmas decoration that's intertwined around the box’s ribbon. I love what my Grade 2er wrote on the inside of the card for his teacher. Nawwww, so cute.

[quilled Chrissy decorations]

It's such a busy, busy time of the year ... with end of year celebrations happening and yet to happen! 

Tonight I'm heading out to dinner with my girlfriends and we've reached a little milestone ... we all met when our kids were in preschool and this year marks when those little preschoolers finish primary school! Where did the time go?? Over the last 7 years we've lost a few of the 'originals' who've moved away, but essentially it's still the same group of friends, which I think is rather cool.

Anyways, I managed to whip up some cute little quilled decorations for everyone last night - momentarily escaping the work and other chores to find a little Christmas spirit. :)

'Tis the season... :)

[Christmas papier mache bowls]

I was again wondering why I proposed such long-winded projects for my Year 2 art gig on Wednesday arvos ... especially as this one took four weeks for all the kids to glue two layers of newspaper into the plastic bowl mould. Thankfully this week I could finally undercoat/seal them at home and then the kids got to decorate them yesterday. 

I will have to take photos of the designs the kids have done and show you, but for now, you'll have to be satisfied with my prototype design I did as an example...

BTW (this bowl won't be gracing my Christmas table - the teacher really wanted one, so it's hers now!)

Bowls, bowls, everywhere... took a couple of days to do two coats of undercoat/primer so no newsprint showed through!

[patchwork owl proposal]

I've put together a proposal to create a group art project with my son's Grade 2 class – some wall art to go up at school! The kids will decorate the 'feathers' of the owl with their own design and will be made of laser cut MDF. The eyes, 'horns', beak and wings will be made of 3D recycled objects, such as hubcaps for eyes, showerheads for the centre of the eye, and plate aluminium (or faux metal decorated MDF). The kid's pieces and the 'found objects' will be assembled by myself and another artist friend. 

As this year's Grade 2s won $1000 for the school to put towards an art project with their self portrait collaborative artwork, we're hoping to get the 'feathers' done before school finishes this year – before they're split up into different Grade 3 classes next year. Afterall, they won the prize!

Let's hope the Principal likes it and approves it soon!

[rediscovering my Tupperware]

I do love Tupperware ... so much so, that on the rare occasions I've been to a party I always get asked if I'd like to be a demonstrator. Not my thing I'm afraid, but I'll happily sing its praises to all that'll listen.

Wednesday night is always a bit mad in our house, as the boys have a TaeKwonDo class at 5.30pm, which unfortunately wreaks havoc with either eating or preparing dinner at a decent hour. Rather than have them pig out on bikkies before training, tonight I decided to make a 'Jel-Ring' pizza for them. I could prepare the 'pizza' ahead of time, and put it in the fridge until it was time to turn it out on a tray and cook in the oven (which only took 15 minutes). 

JEL-RING PIZZA

1 loaf of bread

1 tub pizza sauce* 

crushed pineapple

diced ham

1 small onion chopped

grated Mozarella cheese

(and any other filling you'd like)

*I made my own pizza sauce with tomato sauce, minced garlic, oregano and basil

Remove crusts from bread and spread with pizza sauce. 

Place a generous layer of cheese in the gel-ring. 

Cover the cheese layer with a layer of bread, sauce side to the cheese. 

Add another layer of cheese and a layer of each of the fillings. 

Cover with another layer of bread, sauce side to the fillings.

Push the bread down so the ingredients 'squash down into the mould'.

Repeat with another layer of cheese, fillings and finish with a final layer of bread.

Seal and refrigerate for at least half an hour. 

Turn out onto an oven tray (lined with baking paper), and place in a moderate oven until crisp.

So if you have one of these goodies that you 'bought on a whim' at a Tupperware party, why don't you try this quick snack or rush-hour dinner and you can rediscover your Tupperware too!

[winners are grinners]

Well the art prize tradition is alive and well in our family. My youngest son came away with 2nd prize for his sculpture at the Youth Art Awards tonight, and his classmate got 1st prize. Such happy boys, and finally they are stepping out of the shadow of both their older brothers who often did the 1st-2nd prize thing a few years back in the same awards. Just following a good tradition I say!

The other exciting news is that the group entry by their Grade 2 class also won 1st prize! How awesome is that?
The school now has $1000 to spend on art, so we'll be busy, busy, busy trying to see what wonderful art activity we can organise for the class before the end of the school year - which only has 8 weeks left!