THINKBIG(Bloomsbury, 2012) is a rollicking, joyous celebration of creativity and imagination that embraces art in all its glorious, soul nourishing forms. And who better to bring this message to young readers than the infinitely talented Liz and Vanessa, who, much like the children featured in the story, grew up thinking outside the box.
Fairy Princess Liz
Their early experiences with creative play enabled them to become the accomplished artists they are today. Their secret? Never losing touch with the child within — the one that’s eager, excited and unafraid to dive right in and experiment, with a mind open and fresh, dwelling in that magical place where all things are possible.
#45 in an ongoing series of posts celebrating the alphabet.
Confession: I LOVE to set the table.
Even more than cooking the food that goes on it. Not quite as much as I like eating the food, but still. Give me soup bowls and cups and saucers and teapots and little dessert plates and best of all, dishes with words on them. Let me stack them, place them, wink at them. Shiny dishes, see-yourself-in-their-reflection dishes, the promise of sustenance-to-come dishes.
And what would these peachy keen dishes be without cute cutlery? Only some of us lick our plates, but most of us lick our spoons and forks (at carefully prescribed times after licking our chops). Ecstasy!
I’m here today to tell you word lovers who revel in fine flatware that it’s possible to kick up your enjoyment yet another notch: behold vintage silverware you can actually READ! Oh sweet literary feasting!
Bella Jackson Studios of Napa, California, lovingly hand stamps delicious bon mots on silver knives, forks and spoons. They’ve got something for everyone — lines of poetry, witticisms, puns, nursery rhymes, holiday greetings, expressions of endearment, names of cheeses and spices. And of course they’ll custom stamp anything you like to fit the occasion. I like the idea of pieces selected for their charm and uniqueness, each with a distinctive patina and the “imperfections” resulting from hand-stamping one letter at a time.
Got any cheese?
These make such fun gifts; something for the birthday girl, the bride and groom, the coffee or tea lover in your life. Have a friend who fancies gardening? Check out these cool garden markers. Love them!
Visit the Bella Jackson Studios Etsy Shop for lots more! Their repurposed silverware is a cut above (sorry, couldn’t resist).
What’s your favorite table utensil? I love spoons spoons spoons. “SPOON” is a perfect word, when you really think about it. Say it. Notice how your lips tap together gently like a little kiss and teasy pout. Perfect!
Get in line and fill up your plates! Join the picnic!
How I love love love this picture book, let me count the ways. It was actually love at first sight. I squealed when I first saw the title. “Auntie Yang?!”
Well, I just happen to have six Auntie Yangs and many fond memories of eating boiled soybeans just like the characters in the story. We had some lovely family picnics as well, though most of them were at the beach rather than in a relative’s back yard in the Midwest.
Just released in April, Auntie Yang’s Great Soybean Picnic (Lee & Low, 2012) was inspired by sisters Ginnie and Beth Lo’s childhood memories of their Auntie Yang who lived in Illinois.
As narrator Jinyi tells it, she, her little sister Pei and their parents often visited Auntie and Uncle Yang and their cousins, who lived a long car drive away. Both sets of parents had left China to study at American universities. They abandoned plans to return to their home country when the war made it too dangerous. So they stayed in Illinois and Indiana, raising their families in an area with very few Chinese Americans. All the more reason to stay close and visit each other as often as possible, so that the four cousins could grow up “as close as four soybeans in a soybean pod.”
This biennial fundraiser is being held on Friday, May 11, 2012, at the AVA Gallery in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Open Fields is a small private non-graded school open to children ages 4-12 in Thetford Hill, Vermont.
Many of the eggs up for bidding have been decorated by eminent children’s book illustrators. Take a gander at some of my favorites (click on any image to access its bidding page):
“Homer, an Egg-traordinary Dog” by Diane deGroat“Boss Baby Egg” by Marla Frazee“Year of the Water Dragon” by Grace Lin“Hansel & Gretel” by Andrea Wisnewski“Hill Farm” by Meg McLean“Glamorous Egglasses” by Barbara Johansen Newman“Egg on Your Face/Face on Your Egg” by Cyndy Szekeres
Aren’t they all just too cool?
If you don’t live in the Lebanon area, you can bid online as an absentee bidder or by phone. Click here for all the details and to browse all the other eggciting goosey creations (46 in all)! Ashley Bryan! Thacher Hurd! Ed Young!!
Auction begins at 7 p.m., Doors open for viewing at 5:30 p.m.
Deadline for online bids: Noon (EDT), Thursday, May 10, 2012.
#44 in an ongoing series of posts celebrating the alphabet.
Was cruising around the web recently and found some cool examples of typography art. I get excited enough just appreciating different fonts that are doing nothing in particular except forming words, but when I see letters showing off their best acrobatics to create images, shapes, and textures, I’m a total goner. Click on the images below to access their web sources, some of which contain even more amazing pieces. Enjoy!
via WebyLifevia WebyLifevia Raychno21Bicycle Typogram by Aaron Kuehnvia Design Swan
It’s time once again for the 
Jama's Alphabet Soup 