August Break: Pretty Toes

 

Went to get a pedicure today with some girlfriends. Pretty toes for Jamaica!




I'm participating in the August Break.

August Break

Big plans, guys. I had big plans. This summer, I wanted to paint my walls, clean out my basement in hopes of starting to develop it, and fit in some other creative projects along the way.

Then life got in the way. I got some really exciting news at the beginning of July. A colleague and I had applied for a grant through the federal government's international development brach, and we found out that we got it! The grant would twin our school with a school in Jamaica, with the aim of engaging more Canadians in international development. One of the perks of the grant was that my colleague and I would be going to Ottawa for a week at the end of July for training and planning. Then in August, we'd be going to Jamaica!

So my summer suddenly took a different turn.

I had also committed to going to visit my grandma in southern Ontario with my mom and sister the second last week in July. So the last two weeks in July were spent in Ontario.

Now I'm home for a week before we go to Jamaica. I am so so so excited for this!

To add another wrench, before I knew that we got the grant (by the end of the school year we just kind of assumed we didn't get it), I accepted a contract with Alberta Education to develop some lesson plans for them.

So suddenly, I have absolutely no free time to do the creative stuff I had wanted to do this summer. That's okay, though, as I am super thrilled to have gotten this grant and the opportunities it will bring my way. Still, I want to do something creative this summer...

Enter: the August Break!

I am going to try to post a photo per day as a part of the August Break, just to show a glimpse of what's going on in my life, and to allow myself a bit of creativity through the composition of the photograph. To start us off, I'll post a few photos I took in Ottawa, to make up for the first nine days in August.




The Parliament buildings.



Canadian geese, the Ottawa River, and Parliament Hill.

Parliament Hill has a Cat Sanctuary for stray cats! How cool is that?!

Inside the big tower, the Peace Tower, on the front of the main Parliament building.

We actually stayed right across the Ottawa River, in Gatineau, Quebec. This manhole cover translates to "One life, one city."

I went to the Canadian Museum of Civilization. This is part of the First Nations Hall.



Parliament Hill at sunset.



We went to this light and sound show called Mosaika, which was projected onto the Parliament Building. It was really neat.

As part of our training, we did a video conference with Mali.



My colleague Lisa, my "twin" from Jamaica, Rono, Anna from the feds, and me!


 There we go! Hopefully (fingers crossed!) I can keep up with this! One photo a day... I think I can do this.

Mom and Dad's Kitchen Renovation

My mom and dad are renovating their kitchen. I told my mom I'd find some pictures of the vision I have for the space.

I think Persian rugs and stainless steel would look pretty awesome.


Via Desire to Inspire.

 Their house is quite traditional but my parents appreciate modernism and I think the above photo does a good job of combining the two.

More rugs in kitchens.



Desire to Inspire.



Desire to Inspire.



Design*Sponge.




From Desire to Inspire originally from Domino Magazine.

 What about a farm table instead of an island? But we'd need to add more storage somewhere else if we take away the island that's currently there.

Here's an idea: They have a breakfast nook just off the kitchen. Build a super long table to serve as island AND a table.

Desire to Inspire.

This is a pretty neat idea, actually.

Desire to Inspire.

Replace some of the upper cupboards with shelves, maybe? It would help add continuity into the breakfast nook?

Desire to Inspire.

I like it when kitchens have different coloured main cabinets and islands. The island's pretty nice, too.



Martha Stewart at Home Depot.

 They have kind of dated oak cabinets that I think they should paint. I think grey would be quite handsome.




Design*Sponge.


I think they should get a stainless steel island like this:



Desire to Inspire.



Design*Sponge.

There may be a part 2 coming soon!

Seed Bombs

It's almost the end of the school year. I have two more days with my students, and then two more after that for organization, planning, and cleanup. I have had the same group of students for the past two years and so I am really going to miss them. At the end of every year, I like to give a little gift to my kids to thank them for a wonderful year.

This year, I took my inspiration from our year-long inquiry project we did: What is Beauty? We pondered this question throughout the year and sought out differnt sources for their opinions on the answer to this question.

I wanted my students to know that I think beauty is what's inside them, and thought a great metaphor is a seed. So compact and small in its infancy, but give it a bit of time and love, and it turns into a beautiful flower. Much like teenagers.

I made seed bombs.

The recipe is quite simple. You just need dry red clay, wildflower seeds, compost, and water. I used this recipe, and Redart Clay. A huge bag cost about $40. (Now I have a tonne of red clay leftover and no idea what to do with it. Any thoughts?)

The recipe is 5 parts clay, 3 parts compost, 1 part seeds, and 1-2 parts water. Just mix, and roll! Then you just need to let them sit and dry for a few days.

Then I ordered a bunch of cotton muslin mailer bags from uline.ca. I ordered 5x7, and they were the perfect size. The bags have this great red stitching at the top, which I love. Highly recommend this company, by the way. They're fantastic. My order came two days after I ordered.

I stamped the bags with a Queen Anne's Lace stamp and another one that says, "Find beauty in all things."

Then I printed up a little insert made with this great free printable from Creature Comforts:

On it, I printed the poem "The Swan" by Mary Oliver:
Did you too see it, drifting, all night, on the black river?
Did you see it in the morning, rising into the silvery air -
An armful of white blossoms,
A perfect commotion of silk and linen as it leaned
into the bondage of its wings; a snowbank, a bank of lilies,
Biting the air with its black beak?
Did you hear it, fluting and whistling
A shrill dark music - like the rain pelting the trees - like a waterfall
Knifing down the black ledges?
And did you see it, finally, just under the clouds -
A white cross Streaming across the sky, its feet
Like black leaves, its wings Like the stretching light of the river?
And did you feel it, in your heart, how it pertained to everything?
And have you too finally figured out what beauty is for?
And have you changed your life?


And then wrote on the back about what to do with the seed bomb and how the seed's potential represents the student's own potential:

 And to each student, I wrote a personal note about what I think is beautiful about them.

 And tied a little tag to the top. They're ready to go!

I hope the students do find a place in need of beauty to plant a couple of seed bombs. I am looking forward to driving through the neighbourhood at the end of the summer and seeing small patches of wildflowers everywhere!

Jules Reid Sale

Okay, I lied about posting more regularly. June is Crazy Month for teachers. It was very dumb of me to think that it would be otherwise. Let's wait for July for regular posts.

But I have a few minutes today before I get going on some final lesson planning. So I thought I'd fill those few spare minutes with some gorgeous, colourful eye candy.

AND! AND! ANDDDDDD they're on sale! It's Jules Reid resort wear, and the winter line is 65% off and the spring line is 25% off!

McPherson

Beatrice

Ralph

Polly

My favourites are the first and the last. What are yours?

Enamel Lamp Shade

I had this boob fixture:

And obviously hated it.

Because it's ugly.

Actually, hideous.

And then I found this enamel lampshade at the antique mall in Airdrie.

So while my dad was here for the weekend to see me perform in my choir show (I'm the one in the top left):

He put it up for me.

And then we got an Edison Bulb from Anthropologie. Love it!

My Lovely Sister /WLWL

The newest issue of We Like We Love is out and it's as gorgeous as ever!

(love the pon poms!)

But the best part of it is the my lovely sister Selby is in it! Can you believe it?!?!

Selby's the model, and her friend was the makeup artist.

Isn't she gorgeous?!?!?!?!?

Congratulations to Alyssa and Liz for another knock-out issue!