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I'm really feeling like I need a holiday so I won't be back here until the New Year. Here's wishing everyone the very best of the season!
Thank you to everyone who has supported me here at Brandyink over this past year. I am forever greatful. Really. I am.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
For Family Night a few weeks ago, we made soap. I bought a kit at Michael's last time I was there which turned out to be super easy. There are chunks of glycerine inside the box that you cut up and put in the microwave... then you pour them into the molds. It came with a couple of molds that were kind of crappy, so we pulled out some of the ones we had at home which worked a lot better...
Then you just add the coloring that came with the kit and wait for them to dry. Yup, that's it. Super easy...
Some turned out pretty cool, others mostly black, but hey, live and learn...
Voila!
Here's Keiryn inspecting the soap as she washes her hands with it. Yup, it passes the test! Any guesses on what everyone is getting for Christmas this year?
We had a wonderful wintery night tonight... Christmas Caroling with Beyond Wild. It was a great time. The kids were super cute and we got a lot of smiles from the people opening their doors. Plus, when the kids finished singing theirs songs, they asked for donations of canned food for our local food bank. A nice Christmas evening for a feel good cause. What could be better?
Thanks to all the kids who made it out tonight and thanks to all my generous neighbours for donating food.
Gotta love Christmas!
I am the coordinator for this years P.A.R.T.Y. Program here in Creston. For anyone that doesn't know, this is a drinking and driving awareness program for teens. It's a highly effective program and I'm so pleased to be part of it especially since this issue is close to my heart. Why is it close to my heart? You can read about why here. And here.
Anyway, Grady and I went to conference in Vancouver last month and they suggested we involve the younger kids in the P.A.R.T.Y. Program. So that's what we did. We had the students at A.R.E.S. Elementary School decorate liquor bags.
Over the holidays, when people go and buy a bottle at the local liquor store, they will get a bag with a special message from an elementary child. We are hoping to hit home on the drinking and driving issue. There are about 400 bags in total and Grady and I got a kick out of them when we looked through them all. Some were sad, some were very well planned out and some were just plain funny. My personal favorite: Don't dink and drive. Ha.
The bag on the bottom right really gave me goosebumps. No child should ever have to experience something like that at Christmas.
I hope people will stop a minute to look at these bags when they buy their bottles of liquor and who knows, perhaps it will save a life. And to all of you reading this, please be safe this holiday season. As a lot of the kids said on their bags, "Don't drink and drive, call a BFF"
Thank you to Mrs. Beddoes at A.R.E.S. and all of the other teachers for participating in this wonderful project!
The book signing of Oodles of Doodles went great on the weekend. Thank you to anyone who came out to show their support for the Arts! If you didn't make it out, and still want a signed copy, I've got lots at Imagine Ink or in the on-line shop here.
A big Thank you to my peeps for showing up and signing books. We sold a total of 22 books which will plump up the Scholarship Fund significantly! By the way... if you want to put your child in Art Classes but don't have the funds at this time, make sure you ask about our Scholarship Fund. That's what it's there for. We NEVER want a child excluded from Art Classes because of financial restrictions. Ever.
I can hardly wait to get back to Art Classes for Kids again in January. Monsters (cool and funky ones) will be January's theme so get ready for that! But first, let's get through the Christmas season... Five more days until Santa comes. SHUT. UP!
Last Saturday, I spent the day with my peeps from Art Classes for Kids. We had the pleasure of visiting Pridham Studio. The owners gave us a great tour of their shop and Jeramiah even demonstrated how to make a mug on the pottery wheel. Oooh aahhh!
Then him and Micah gave the kids a little bit of history on Pridham Studio and told them how everything works from the mud, to the wheel, to the greenware, to the firing. It was really cool. Thanks Pridham Studio!
Then we ventured over to the Art Classes for Kids studio and painted the mugs. The kids had lots of fun and there were some great mugs that came out of the class.
Congrats kids! And thanks for taking part in this session of Art Classes for Kids!
Pictured above is my daughter Keiryn having lots of fun completing some of the creativity exercises in her copy of Oodles of Doodles. Lorne Eckersley at our local newspaper wrote an awesome story about the book. Check it out here. Thanks Lorne!
All of the kids that helped publish Oodles of Doodles are getting together to have a book signing this Saturday, so if you live in the area, do come and check us out....
Book Signing
Saturday, December 17th, 1:00 - 2:30
Creston Card & Stationery
Have your book signed by 10 of the cutest artists around: Alisha Ramsay, Jesika and Elizabeth Troughton, Erika and Olivia Wiklund, Emily Wierenga, Keiryn and Kienna Dyer, Katie Foy and Sophie Casemore. And, by purchasing your copy of Oodles of Doodles, you have contributed to the Art Classes for Kids Scholarship Fund. This is a great feel good kind of gift.
If you don't live in the area, you can buy your copy of Oodles of Doodles in the on-line shop, here.
Thank you Creston & District Credit Union
for sponsoring this project!
