Archive for August, 2011

I made this for my mother-in-law for her birthday. (Shhh! all you family members who are online.) I was a little hesitant to try a circular tablecloth because I thought it might to too tricky to execute. In the end, I designed this, a reversible tablecloth made from home decor cotton/poly fabric. My father-in-law gave me the diameter of the table. I wanted the tablecloth to have some overhang. I used a little geometry and rigged a compass-like device with a thumbtack and tape measure to trim the round shape.

This is the side for everyday use.

This is the side for the Christmas holidays.

Here is a detail shot of the Christmas side. Having the right color thread is crucial for good top-stitching.

I will be visiting a creative writing class this week to talk about my work. At least one of the questions I expect to get is how can a young person get their work published? I know very little about the market for such work. I did a little research and came up with a few places on the web that seem to be rich with resources, including master classes by young writers for young writers, contests, and online and print magazines.

Please pass these along any young writers or visual artists in your life who are interested in getting their work published.

The National Writing Project, especially this page.

Write It on Scholastic’s website.

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers offers an annual contest with a rich, distinguished history.

We had a huge milestone around here last week. D, our youngest, turned 13. So, a house full of teenagers! Here he is with his snickerdoodle cake, the first one I’ve made in a long time. (N typically bakes the cakes around here; I don’t know what happened to him.)

The next day, all three boys started school. D headed off for his first day as BMOC at CMS. He is very glad to be the only boy in the car in the a.m., and I am enjoying having him be the only one up with us in the early, early shift.

Here’s N, preparing for his first day of High School. His first school day without a uniform since second grade.

And, now for the most experienced of our school goers: G. Getting ready for his junior year. He’s looking forward to a very challenging schedule.

As for me, I’m enjoying having the house to myself. I have been filling my days with shopping for school supplies, meeting plumbers, tree cutters, etc., and, generally trying to clear the mountains of paperwork that accumulate around here during vacations. Here’s to fall!

Now, for the teachers from the other side of the room… Julie took these with her camera and I downloaded them from her flickr album. I trimmed a little here and there so you can see the books. Once again, I tip my hat to the creativity of these teachers.