Japan

We loved making dolls for Haiti so much,
we simply had to do something for Japan.



Hurray for Dolly Donations, the blog
that connected us with the right people!

The kids helped me make three dolls
for displaced children in Japan:


repurposed pants and silk vest turned into Fuzzy Pink girl,










quilting scraps became Princess Leia Buns and Blue Bunnie.

(Thank you, Sharon for the beautiful scraps!)



We tied love notes to each doll


and said our farewells at the Post Office.

My hope is that three children
find comfort in the midst of hardship,
and that my three children understand
that they are not too small to give,
however small our gifts.

School is out!

Whee!

Kindergarten's conquered!

This may not be my most prolific writing or blogging season

but as seasons go, 

it is beautiful, bright,

abundant.

In September, the girls will be off to school all day.

I can burrow away at my manuscripts then.

But today?

Time to soak up the chaos, sandy feet, extra laundry and dirt,

children, changing even as I blink. 

Time to monkey around in trees!





Time to hang onto our loved ones



and kiss them up while we can!

Serpentine or Elephantine?

Elephants
are always a little...

Big, big, big.

And lumbering.

They chomp bamboo like toothpicks.

Stomp and shove and shoulder.

Elephants do tricks

and live to a ripe old age.

                                                         

Bigger than monsters, 

are they afraid of much?

Huge as giants, do they roar?

Elephants trumpet and harrumph into their trunks

But do elephants snore?

Elephants 

in their wrinkled grandeur

make me feel 

small, small, small.

Serpentine

If I were a snake,

I would sob 

into my thin second skin,

"Why don't I have arms?

Or friends?

Legs would be so nice."

Sigh.

"At least I can eat mice."   

How do you move through life? 
feet-first, 
or face-first?


For a lovely poem about elephants and other majestic animals, you simply must read A.A.Milne's The Four Friends, (found in the book When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne).

And here's a fun book:

Chameleon's Colors by Chisato Tashiro

Writing, Part III: Adventures in Sun and Sin

The sun is out!

Birdy is crawling!

 

Our adventures begin.

Or do they?


Why do fictional characters need flaws?

Author Roseanne Parry expounded on this at my SCBWI writing conference last month.
She said that children's book writers are generally nice, decent people
who write about nice, decent kids.

But stories are about ADVENTURES,
and nice, decent kids don't have ADVENTURES.



ADVENTURES happen to characters who are familiar with the
SEVEN DEADLY SINS.

Pride 

Envy 

Anger 

Sloth 

Greed 

Gluttony 

Lust 

To get a better idea of how this works in fiction, we looked at well-known literary characters and tried to pin down their outstanding sins: Harry Potter, Ian Falconer's Olivia, Hamlet, The Three Little Pigs, The Little Red Hen.  

Think about a favorite book. Which sins most tempt its main characters?

How nice, decent kids say "KEEP OUT!":

 

Before hearing Roseanne Parry speak, I didn't allow my main characters to deal with real, flesh and blood sins. I wanted them to be good role models. 

Now I get it. 

We don't love Harry Potter because he obeys the rules 

and keeps his temper and makes everybody happy.

We love him because he's flawed. Like us. 

Tempted by anger and vanity, envy and sloth. Like us. 

  

 What sins do your main characters struggle with?

Books by Roseanne Parry:

Enjoy your adventures, my friends! 

Get in Touch With Your Feltings

Time to Make Gifts for our Lovelies.

Teacher Clips:

We folded felt over paper clips, added felt shapes, used spots of glue to hold. 

Sewing time: a little whipstitch around the edge 

Ta-da! 

We have a bloom of flowers and bugs for our favorite kinder-"Gardener"!

Felt Flower Clips and Corsages:

Cut scallops in a strip of felt,
gather and pinch each scallop into a petal
Fasten with a quick tacking stitch or two.
Continue to gather, pinch and stitch remaining petals together.


To make into a hair clip: sew or glue the flower to a clip.

Even Easier Felt Flowers:

Cut a flower or butterfly shape from felt.

Bunch it together in the center. 

Sew the bunchy part with several tacking stitches. 

Done! 

We layered two flowers,
stitched them to a safety pin

added a button.

A non-wilting corsage!

A great making-things book:

Fanny, by Holly Hobbie