Thrifty Scissors

Friday, September 8, 2017

Easter Even

Easter Even

by Margaret French Patton

Our dear Lord now is taken from the cross,

His bruised body wrapped in linen cool.

And laid by loving hands in Joseph's tomb;

Outraged Nature bows her head and sleeps;

The guard is set; Jerusalem is still.

Ye sleeping buds, break

Open your green cerements, and wake

To fragrant blossoming for His sweet sake;

To-morrow will be Easter day,

And I would have my garden gay

On Easter day.

Ye home-bound birds, take

Swift-winged flight, that from my budding brake

Your joyful hallelujahs ye may make;

To-morrow will be Easter day.

And I would have my garden gay

On Easter day.

Ye strolling winds, shake

Out your drooping sails, and heavenward take

The songs and sweet aromas for His sake;

To-morrow will be Easter day.

And I would have my garden gay

On Easter day.

Early in the morning while 'tis dark,

Like Mary Magdalen, with spices rare,

I, too, shall hasten to my garden fair

To seek, our risen Lord. Who knows? For love

Of birds and buds He may be walking there.

Easter Index/ Previous Page/ Next Page

An Easter Carol

An Easter Carol

by Christina G. Rossetti

Spring bursts to-day,

For Christ is risen and all the earth's at play.

Flash forth, thou Sun,

The rain is over and gone, its work is done.

Winter is past,

Sweet Spring is come at last, is come at last.

Bud, Fig and Vine,

Bud, Olive, fat with fruit and oil and wine.

Break forth this morn

In roses, thou but yesterday a thorn.

Uplift thy head,

O pure white Lily through the Winter dead.

Beside your dams

Leap and rejoice, you merry-making Lambs.

All Herds and Flocks

Rejoice, all Beasts of thickets and of rocks.

Sing, Creatures, sing,

Angels and Men and Birds and everything.

Easter Index/ Previous Page / Next Page

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Father

Father

by S. E. Kiser

When all my other debts are paid

My greatest debt will yet be due

For sacrifices you have made

And cares that I have brought to you.

I have been slow to understand

The patience and the love and pride

With which for my sake you have planned,

Your own ambitions put aside.

When others have withheld from me

The praise that I have longed to hear,

You, Father, have been quick to see

And glad to speak the word of cheer.

With eager efforts you have sought

To smooth my paths and make them fair,

Unselfishly expecting naught

In payment for your tender care.

I have been slow to learn, but now,

With recollections that are sweet,

I braid a laurel for your brow

And lay my tribute at your feet.

My Father's Voice in Prayer

My Father's Voice in Prayer

by May Hastings Nottage

In the silence that falls on my spirit

When the clamor of life loudest seems,

Comes a voice that floats in tremulous notes

Far over my sea of dreams.

I remember the dim old vestry

And my father kneeling there;

And the old hymns thrill with the memory still

Of my father's voice in prayer.

I can see his glance of approval

As my part in the hymn I took;

I remember the grace of my mother's face,

And the tenderness of her look;

And I knew that a gracious memory

Cast its light on that face so fair

As her cheek flushed faint--O mother, my saint!--

At my father's voice in prayer.

"Neath the stress of that marvelous pleading

All childish dissensions died:

Each rebellious will sank conquered and still

In a passion of love and pride.

Ah, the years have held exquisite voices,

And melodies tender and rare;

But tenderest seems the voice of my dreams--

My father's voice in prayer.

Sculpture & Pottery Index

Sculpture the art of imitating living forms in solid substances. The word means, strictly, a cutting, or carving, in some hard material, as stone, marble, ivory or wood; but it is also used to express the molding of soft substances, as clay or wax, and the casting of metals or plaster. Three forms of sculpture are usually recognized. When the object stands free, it is said to be in the round; when it projects slightly from a sold surface it is said to be in relief; when it is cut into or sunk down into the surface is said to be in intaglio.
The following methods of manipulating clay are typical of art assignments given to students (k-5th grade) in the United States: roll out a slab, stamp into clay, drape over a bowl, roll out a coil, carve out a design, pinch a pot, and join surfaces together. All of my clay crafts/lesson plans use some sort of combination of these methods in order to finish the project.

Artifacts About Sculpting Figures and Basic Pottery Shapes:

Shape a Draped Ghost for All Hallows Eve! (clay pinch pot)
Shape a pinch pot acorn (clay pinch pot)
The Chiva Bus Parade (clay slab)
Shape a coiled snake to hold your crayons! (clay coil pot)
Wad, Wrap and Tape A Fall Pumpkin Craft

Lesson Plans & Crafts from Art Education Daily Related to Sculpture:

Four Different Varieties of Pottery

Three of the most common varieties of pottery are Earthenware, Stoneware, and Chinaware or Porcelain and one far less common is Micaceous clay pottery made famous by Pueblo Native American potters.

Earthenware, which includes all of the coarser grades, from the ordinary stoneware, of which jugs and crocks are made, to the heavier grades used for culinary and table purposes. Earthenware is undoubtedly the earliest, form of pottery, and rude articles are found among' all uncivilized people.

Stoneware, a high grade of earthenware. The term is often applied to numerous varieties in most common use. It is hard, well enameled and often beautifully decorated.

Chinaware or Porcelain, the finest grade of pottery. It is made by mixing' the best quality of kaolin with a Chinese clay containing' a little silica. When fused at a high temperature these ingredients produce a beautiful translucent ware. Porcelain originated with the Chinese, hence the name china, or chinaware. It is known to have been manufactured as early as 950 b. c. Prom China and Japan come the most delicate and beautiful specimens of this Chinaware.

The manufacture of china was introduced into Europe early in the sixteenth century, and numerous establishments now exist both on the Continent and in England. The oldest and best known of these is near Dresden. Saxony, and from this city the ware has taken its name. Dresden china has attained wide popularity and is prized for its excellent quality and beautiful finish.

My favorite pottery is made by Native American potters.

Above is a video describing Micaceous clay Pueblo pottery.

Firing, Glazing and Decorating

Molds made of plaster of Paris for ceramics class.

Vessels that are not round are usually cast in molds, made of plaster of Paris, each half of the vessel being made separately and the parts joined together when taken from the molds.

Pottery is burned, baked or fired in kilns, which vary in size and shape according to the sort of ware for which they are designed. The higher grades of ware are placed in cylindrical earthen boxes, called saggers. The saggers are stacked in the kiln by packing in tiers, one above the other. The ware is usually raised to a white heat, which is maintained for thirty-six hours or more, after which the kiln is allowed to cool slowly. When cold, the ware is taken from the saggers, and in this state it is called biscuit. The rough places on the surface are now smoothed, and other finishing touches are given, after which the ware is glazed.

The process of glazing is accomplished by dipping the ware in a mixture called the slip. This is a solution of the glazing substance in water and is but little thicker than milk. The ware is dipped in, and on being removed, it is so handled that no drops are left standing on the surface. The porous walls absorb the water and leave a thin coating on the surface, which, on a second firing, passes into the clay and forms the glaze. By the addition of necessary pigments, coloring can also be produced with the glaze. When this is poured on and allowed to ran down until stopped by the heat, beautifully shaded effects are often produced.

Decorations are usually put on with a brush, either before or after glazing. If decorated after glazing, the ware must be fired a third time. Decorating requires great care and skill, as the colors, when put on, are entirely different from those which will appear after firing. For instance, gold is put

on in the form of a chloride which has a brown color.

Applying a slip to a pot by Bill Gilder.

How a potter works his or her clay...

The first step in making pottery is to grind the clay to a very fine powder, which is mixed with water into a dough-like mass. In the manufacture of ordinary stoneware, a quantity of this dough sufficient for the vessel is attached to a horizontal wheel called the potter's wheel, which is worked by foot power. The workman forms the clay into a cone with a blunt apex. Then by inserting his thumbs into the apex of the cone and revolving the wheel, he roughly shapes the vessel with his hand. After this, the walls are pared and smoothed inside and out by tools of wood or leather. During the working, the clay, tools, and hands of the workmen are kept moist. When shaped, the vessel is placed in the drying room, where it is allowed to harden, after which it is ready for burning.

Fine potter, Emily Reason, demonstrates "working the clay"

Varieties of Clay and Glazes

Pottery is made of various grades of clay, to which sometimes small proportions of fine sand, powdered feldspar or flint are added, the kind and proportion of these ingredients determining the sort of ware.

Ceramic Wares & Bodies

Clays that contain any appreciable quantity of iron turn red when burned, as in the making of brick, and much of the coarsest grade of earthenware is made of this kind of clay. Other varieties turn to a cream color, and others become a reddish-brown. The finest quality of clay used for pottery is known as kaolin and is pure white. Some varieties of clay contain enough sand to make the glaze or enamel, but for most wares this must be added. The glaze is made by different substances for different wares. That of stoneware, such as common jugs and crocks, is made by throwing common salt into the furnace, where it is decomposed and fuses with the clay. Other varieties of stoneware are glazed by a mixture of white lead, flint and glass ground together; while porcelain is glazed by still another composition.

Glazing your ceramics.

The Buster Brown Index

Richard Felton Outcault.

Richard Felton Outcault was born on January 14, 1863 and died on September 25, 1928. He was the American cartoonist who created the series The Yellow Kid and Buster Brown, and he is considered a key pioneer of the modern comic strip.

Richard Outcault introduced Buster Brown to the pages of the Herald on May 4, 1902, about a mischievous, well-to-do boy dressed in Little Lord Fauntleroy style, and his pit-bull terrier Tige. The strip and characters were more popular than the Yellow Kid, and Outcault licensed the name for a wide number of consumer products, such as children's shoes from the Brown Shoe Company. In 1904 he sold advertising licenses to 200 companies at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Journalist Roy McCardell reported in 1905 that Outcault earned $75,000 a year from merchandising and employed two secretaries and a lawyer. Read more...

Artifacts About the Buster Brown Cartoons:

Mosaic & Collage Index


Read more about "Ricardo Cat" at my new art repository.

The invention of Mosaic may perhaps be attributed to the Romans. They used it to pave their buildings and cover their walls. The Byzantines, however, made popular, under the name of "opus Groecum," or "Groenieum," a kind of mosaic composed of little cubes in clay and in colored and gold glass. This process must have been used at Cordova, for the ceiling of the mosque, for instance; it prevailed in the early stages of Arabic art. It is presumed that these mosaics are the work of several Andalusian artists, although originally they were executed in old buildings by Greek workmen, steeped in Byzantine traditions. In the same sense may be considered the marvellous mosaics of the Koubbet-es-Sakhra, in Jerusalem.

In Egypt, in Arabic period, mosaic was made in two ways. It consisted of small marble cubes applied to a mortar bed, or of various pieces of marble fixed in a single piece which formed the background of the work. The latter method resembles inlay work. The marbles which were most frequently used in the mosaics of Cairo were red, yellow, black and white.

Collage is a technique using magazine and newspaper clippings, ribbons, paint, bits of colored or handmade papers, portions of other artwork or texts, photographs and other found objects, glued to a piece of paper or canvas. The origins of collage can be traced back hundreds of years, but this technique made a dramatic reappearance in the early 20th century as an art form of novelty. It is the hands on method most often used by art teachers in America to teach students about mosaic art because it may be used to demonstrate similar design principles used in both applications.

For this same purpose I have combined these two art practices under the same index.

Artifacts Representing Both Mosaic and Collage Applications:

Mosaic and Collage Projects from Art Education Daily:

More Featured Collage/Mosaic Arts and Crafts:

Weaving Index

A Jacquard Loom, was invented by Joseph
Marie Jacquard in 1804.

       Weaving, the art of making cloth by means of a loom, from threads or yarn. It is not known when weaving was first practiced, but it is certain that it is one of the earliest of the arts, and it seems probable that hand looms were invented independently by several of the ancient nations. The Greeks and Romans brought the weaving art to a high degree of perfection. Among modern countries Italy was the first to acquire fame for the manufacture of woolen and cotton cloths. France, England, Germany and the United States later developed extensive weaving industries. Since the fibers of wool are much more easily worked than are those of cotton or flax, woolen cloth has always been made among the more primitive peoples before they attempted fabrics of linen or cotton.
       In weaving, two sets of threads are necessary, one running lengthwise of the cloth, and called the warp, the other running crosswise, and called the weft, or woof. The threads of the warp are arranged on the loom by being wound on a yarn beam, at the back, and stretched evenly to the front, where they are fastened to another beam, upon which the cloth is to be wound. In passing from one beam to the other, the warp threads are laid through the heckles and also through a comb on the batten. In laying the warp, every other thread passes through one heckle, and the alternate thread passes through the other. The weft is wound upon bobbins, which are placed in the shuttle, by means of which the weft is laid in position. Weaving by hand loom includes the following steps: (1) Pressing a treadle, which is connected with the heckles by a cord that passes over a pulley on the top of the loom. This spreads the threads of the weft, raising one-half and lowering the others, so that they form an angle called the shed. (2) Throwing the shuttle across the warp and thus laying the thread of the weft in position. (3) Striking this thread with the batten, so as to drive it close up against the one previously laid. (4) Springing, down the opposite treadle and thus preparing the web for the nest thread of the weft.
       Weaving in these times is almost exclusively done by power looms, operated by steam or electricity. Simple as the hand loom is, it contains the elements of all modern looms. The complexity of the pattern may be increased by placing more than two frames in the heckle and dividing the weft into more parts, also by inventions which raise certain threads in the warp at one time and certain others at another. An invention known as the Jacquard loom operates upon this plan. Any number of cords can be used, so that a pattern of any degree of complexity is possible, and since all cords are tied together in the form of an endless chain, the pattern may be repeated indefinitely.

Weaving Artifacts for Teachers:

More Information and Ideas at Art Education Daily:

More Weaving Crafts from Easter Egg Crafts Blog:

Page last updated October 11th, 2017

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Bird Index

Examples of Bird Crafts and Poems in my collection below.

Birds, the only feathered creatures of the animal kingdom. They belong to the back-boned or vertebrate group, are warmblooded, and most of them can fly. Because of their varied and beautiful coloring, their gift of song and the gentle nature of the majority, birds are perhaps the best loved by mankind of any group of animals. It is true that some species, like the hawk and the vulture, have seemingly no lovable qualities; there are birds, too, of ugly shape and plumage, and there are birds which utter harsh cries instead of singing notes. Yet, to the average person, the word bird brings altogether pleasant associations - thoughts of a graceful bright-hued form flitting through the trees, of a nest of tiny creatures fed by a devoted mother, of a chorus of woodland songsters.

Bird Artifacts for Enhancing Lesson Plans:

His Wish

His Wish

If a good little fairy should come up to me

And give me a wish, I just know what twould be.

I'd wish 'stead of one little boy I was three,--

One English, one Chinese and one just me.

Thats what I'd wish, and do you know why?

'Cause 'stead of one best day that seems to just fly,

I'd have three of those days in the year, oh my!

Guy Fawkes' day and New years and Fourth of July.

The Happy Wind

The Happy Wind

by Ninette M. Isowater

A Happy little southern wind

Went wandering away;

It was the dearest little wind

That ever went astray.

It touched the city's outer edge,

Then swiftly turned aside,

For it had heard that little winds,

Caught by the hot streets, died.

It wend along a country lane,

And through the meadows fair;

It lifted up a horse's mane,

And stirred a baby's hair.

It lingered in a quiet place

Where tall, fair lilies grow;

When moon drew near, it hid itself

Where pines stand in a row.

It slept until the shadows turned,

Then, dancing, went its way;

No other little wind that blew

Had such a pleasant day.

The Fourth of July

The Fourth of July

by Aunt Fanny

Come, wake up, girls, come

wake up, boys!

The dawn is very near;

The day we celebrate with noise,

The jolly Fourth is here.

Come, get your crackers for

the fun,

Both big and little size;

We'll wake up echoes when

the sun

Begins to open his eyes.

It's pop and bang till shadows

fall,

Then, when the night comes

on,

The most exciting time of all

Is fireworks on the lawn.

Pa sets the rockets 'gainst a

post, They fizz and screech and

fly,

They fizz and screech and fly

Away up out of sight a'most,

Then crash against the sky!

Monday, September 4, 2017

Sea shells, star fish, mollusc shells and sea horse clip art

Shells, star fish, mollusc shells and sea horses drawn by me and for classroom projects and personal crafts only. I will be posting a variety of project suggestions here that use them.

Don't forget to drag the png. or jpg into a Word Document and enlarge the image as much as possible before printing it folks. If you have a question about this coloring page, just type into the comment box located directly below this post and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

Tiny sea shells for games, crafts, and counting books

A collection of miniature shells drawn by me and for classroom projects and personal crafts only. I will be posting a variety of project suggestions here that use them.

Goldfish for games, crafts and number books...

These silly little wiggly goldfish are drawn by me and for classroom projects and personal crafts only. I will be posting a variety of project suggestions here that use them.

Saturday, September 2, 2017

Santa Claus's Scout

Santa Claus's Scout

by Eunice Ward.

On Christmas Eve, when lights are dim,

But eager eyes with excitement shine,

The Sandman steals from the chimney-place,

And glancing round, makes a backward sign.

He dips his hand in his pouch of sand,

The silver grains flinging far and white;

And listens, then, for the drowsy sighs

That come when eyes under lashes hide.

He softly tiptoes from crib to crib,

And sifts the sand in a tiny heap;

Then up the chimney he gaily calls,

"Come, Santa Claus, they are sound asleep!"

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Shape a Draped Ghost for All Hallows Eve!

A draped, pinch-pot ghost.

This simple clay project is made with four sculpture methods: rolling a slab, pinching a pot, scoring a surface and draping a pot. All four are required methods for primary school sculpture standards.

Make sure to leave a large enough opening in the ghost's back for a tiny battery operated light. You would need to make the same project with high-fire clay in order to safely burn a candle in the figure.

Supply List:

newspaper
acrylic white paint
small soft brush
shallow dish of water
air dry clay or paper clay
acrylic varnish
tiny lights or battery operated votive candle
flower cookie cutter
paper bowl
plastic fork for scoring
plastic butter knife for cutting into the clay

Step-by-Step Directions:

Shape this Halloween ghost first by rolling a ball between the palms of your hands.
Now insert your thumb and position your five other fingers outside the surface of the ball.
Pinch and turn the ball clockwise. Soon the clay will open up to shape a small pinch pot. Set aside.
Roll out more clay and use a flower shaped cookie cutter to make the base of the ghostly figure. This base should be 1/2 inch thick or more.
Score the bottom of the pinch pot and drizzle a little water in these scores to help them attach to the flower base.
Now position your pinch pot over the flower shaped base. Pinch and pull the ghost's walls to fit the flower cut base. (see below)
Cut a mouth hole and two eye holes into the front of the ghost's head.
Cut a large hole into the backside of the ghost's body so that you may insert twinkle lights or a battery operated votive inside the ghostly figure after it dries.
Smooth the holes of the face and the rippled walls of the ghost's sheet with a bit of water on your finger tips.
Let the ghost dry.
Paint the ghost with white paint.
Varnish the draped ghost figure with clear acrylic.

Use a large flower shaped cookie cutter to press a base shape for your ghost.

Placing the ghost into a paper bowl allows the student to move the project around without damaging it.

Shape a pinch pot acorn

Finished pinch pot acorn made with paper clay.

Shape a few small acorns for fall this year. Bring in some real examples for your little students to examine before beginning the craft.

Supply List:

newspaper
acrylic or watercolor paints
small soft brush
shallow dish of water
air dry clay or paper clay
scoring tool - plastic fork
acrylic varnish
nail or screw for making marks into the acorn cap

Step-by-Step Directions:

Shape the nut part of the acorn first by rolling a ball between the palms of your hands.
Now insert your thumb and position your five other fingers outside the surface of the ball.
Pinch and turn the ball clockwise. Soon the clay will open up to shape a small pot.
Pinch the solid, outside end of the pot into a tiny peak.
Next, shape the acorn's cap be the same process.
Use the nail or screw to press a printed surface into the cap.
Score the outside edges of both the nut and the cap.
Trickle a little water into the score lines.
Press the cap and nut scored edges together gently.
Students may wish to dip their fingers into water and smooth the surface of their acorns a bit before finishing.
Let the acorn dry completely before applying paint. This will most likely take a day at the very least.
Choose several browns and greens to alternate in thin washes of color over the surface of your pinch pot acorn.
Varnish and let dry.

Shape the pinch pot into an acorn by adding a pinched end.

Make sure you shape the cap to a smaller size and add a little stem too.

Print the acorns cap with a nail or screw.

Shape a coiled snake to hold your crayons!

Craft a Coil Snake.

This simple sculpture would be a good "warm up" project prior to crafting a more complicated lesson like a coil pot.

Young children can learn how to roll basic coils with the palms of their hands. Give them a mat, newspaper, or an old piece of cardboard to roll out the clay for this cute little assignment. Let them play with the coils for a while and encourage them to repeat the process over and over before finally finishing the snake pencil holder. They may need to wet their hands while working with the clay to prevent their coil from cracking and drying out.

Their snake coil should be about 3/4 inch thick at it's widest point. Children may also score the surfaces to add texture or print. Make sure that one of the snake's ends is rounded and fat enough for a head and that the other end tapers off gradually. It doesn't really matter where the head or tail ends up in the end. Each one of these little reptiles is adorable when children are allowed to give them unique knots and twists.

Supply List:

newspaper
acrylic or watercolor paints
red embroidery floss
white glue
air dry clay or paper clay
small paint brush
acrylic varnish
printing or scoring tools like a plastic fork
shallow dish with water

Step-by-Step Directions:

Roll out a very long coil of clay.
Lift and form the coil into a tall container.
Leave enough space between the simple stacked coil for pencils, crayons, markers etc...
Poke a small hole with the tip of a pencil where the mouth of the snake should be.
Let the snake dry overnight or longer.
Paint the snake with a strip, spots, or any other patterns you like.
Glue a long strand of red embroidery floss coming from the snake's mouth, (hole) to mimic it's tongue.
Give your snake eyes with the tip of your paint brush too.
Seal the snake with a thin coat of clear varnish.

The shape of a coil snake pencil holder.

A friendly snake clutches a child's crayons.

On Easter Morn

On Easter Morn

By Edith M. Thomas

I had not known that I was dead.

Until I heard it softly said

By the quick grass above my head.

And the many-budded thorn.

On Easter morn.

"Yea, thou art dead " (these whispered me),-

"Dead long ago; none seeketh thee ;

Thy sealed eyes shall never see

The Lord of Life put death to scorn

On Easter morn."

I said, "One thing deny me not:

With all your bloom and verdure plot

To make my grave the fairest spot

That by His footsteps shall be worn

On Easter morn."

Then in the dim and sighing hour

Ere over the darkness light hath power,

They wrought together -- blade and flower --

The mold above me to adorn

For Easter morn.

I felt His footsteps pause and stay,

Felt the sweet searching light of day.

"Rise grateful dust!" I heard Him say:

"For thee have I put death to scorn

On Easter morn."

Easter Index/ Previous Page / Next Page

Poem "Awakening" and A Tulip Border Craft

Awakening

by Rose Terry Cook

With the first bright, slant beam,

Out of the chilling stream

Their cups of fragrant light

Golden and milky white

From folded darkness spring.

To hail their King.

Consider these, my soul!

How the blind buds unroll

Touched with one tranquil ray

Of rising day,

Into the full delight

Of lilies white.

Out of thy streaming tears,

Thy chill and darkening fears,

Oh, sleeping soul, awake!

Lo, on thy lonely lake,

Thy sun begins to shine,

Thy Light and Life divine!

Consider these, my heart!

Dreaming and cold thou art:

Swift from thyself up-spring,

Shine for thy King.

Rise in His light.

With garments white,

Forget the night:

The Lord hath arisen.

A Potted Tulip Paper Border.

Download and print out the pattern below. The dotted lines indicate where the image will be folded to continue the potted tulip silhouette seamlessly after it is unfolded. The number of images "linked" together in one continuous chain is determined by the length of the paper being cut. Use a very thin paper to make your cutting easier. Cut away the areas indicated by the design. (see image above and read text on the pattern below. This paper-cut may be used as a border around an Easter bulletin board in a classroom or as a paper chain for a shelf if you like.

Potted Tulip border paper cut.

Easter Index/ Previous Page / Next Page

Pages

Friday, September 8, 2017

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Monday, September 4, 2017

Saturday, September 2, 2017

Thursday, August 31, 2017