She's Crafty | Crafty New Year!

Oh my gosh, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2014 is here already and it feels like I barely got to know 2013.

With the new year comes a heap of resolutions...right? Right. I'm a resolution makin' machine and over the year's I've kept some really important ones so I continue to keep up the tradition. Something about new beginnings that make us stop and take stock of our lives. But that's another post for another time.

My resolutions usually include: read more, exercise more, travel more, quit doing this, definitely stop doing that, play more, smile more...

But I also have a long-list of crafty resolutions:

• I resolve to sew more. 

• I resolve to finish more projects that I start. 

• I resolve to learn more about basic painting techniques. 

• I resolve to keep an art journal.

More goals exist in that lofty, dreamy area of my brain, but these are the ones I feel are most important and attainable.

To help me keep my art journal resolution I found two colorful and thoroughly enticing titles at the library, Art Journal Workshop by Traci Bunkers and Journal Junkies Workshop by Eric M. Scott and David R. Wodler. I also found two thrift books to journal in that I purchased from a Friend's of the Library booksale. Come tomorrow, I'll be ready to start 2014 with my first messy and colorful journal page! I also resolve to post more about art journaling in the new year, so stay tuned for that.

Ohh so colorful and enticing!

Can't wait to dive in!

Do you have any crafty resolutions? Let us know in the comments.

May your 2014 be happy and crafty!

~Kaye & Malia

Learning | Lifelong Learning

In my last post, I did say I never liked making New Year's resolutions, didn't I?  My opinion hasn't changed. But if you're looking around for a spare resolution, I have a few suggestions.

You might consider the idea of lifelong learning.   There's a new book called  Learn something new every day : 365 facts to fulfill your life .  At least this one should get you  through your first year of lifelong learning. As I'm writing this post, all five copies of this title are checked out--maybe because it is written by National Public Radio Librarian Kee Malesky. As soon as I saw this title in the catalog, I looked for the catalog subject headings attached to the record, and I learned two new things.  

• First, I learned a new word: vade-mecum, because the first subject heading was "Handbooks, vade-mecums, etc." Vade-mecums are handbooks or manuals that are intended to be carried around for ready reference. This subject heading sounds so useful! I wonder why we only have 36 titles with that heading.  
• Second, I learned of another subject heading. It's called "Curiosities and wonders", and it's chock full of fodder for the curious mind. When I last checked, our library system had 168 titles attached to that subject heading.  

 

Give yourself a classical education. There is a book that will guide you through the process.  It's called The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had. This ambitious tome provides an introduction to the reading and appreciation of fiction, autobiographies, history, drama and poetry. There are lists of recommended books with synopses.  Even though I don't feel the need to make a resolution to get a classical education, I think I may turn to this book, when I'm looking for some good reading material. 

4 Kids | A Book a Week?

ispycincy.com

As each year comes to an end, it's easy to look ahead with excitement at what the New Year will bring. It's also really easy (as in, really, really easy) to make New Year's resolutions that are all about improving ourselves, breaking bad habits, etc., etc. I'm tired of making New Year's resolutions to change something I really don't want to change! No more! I'm not going to give up chocolate. Furthermore, I refuse to give up Taco Bell. For me, 2013 is going to be about enjoying life.....and that means books.

After very careful thought, I've come up with a resolution I'm rather excited about. I am going to read one book a week! Yes! One book a week. In all honesty, that's quite easy for me to do because, as you all know, I LOVE reading. But I'm going to read at least one great children's book that I find on the shelf of our wonderful Library.

I promise to share what I read with all of you on Tuesday mornings...right here...on the 4 Kids blog. I hope I'll entice you to read something new. Or old. Or funny. Or scary. Or adventurous. Or completely out of this world!

Since there are still a few days left of good old 2012, I'll finish the pile of books that sits on my nightstand:

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Kit's Wilderness by David Almond

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood (Book 1 of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series)

And please, dear readers, leave a comment below if you want to recommend a book you think I absolutely MUST read. I will read any and every book you recommend. I promise.

In the meantime, Happy Holidays to you and yours....and a very Happy New Year!!

See you in 2013!!