Another week of camp… and this time it’s all about Chess!
The kids are going to make an entire thematic chess set out of terra cotta.
So today we started the day with some great brainstorming to help the kids
come up with their themes. Some of them came into the day with a theme
already in their head, others needed some help. So we came up with a lot of ideas…
and it was funny to see where there minds were coming from! We had a list with
lots of video games, vampires and crazy inanimate objects!!! Once they each
decided in their theme, I had them fill in a worksheet to figure out what each
piece in their set will be. A quick demo… and then they started forming their pieces!

It’s going to be a very long week… they’ve got a LOT of work ahead of them.
With 32 chess pieces to make, plus their thematic chess board, they’ve got a lot of
handbuilding to do! So my job is to keep them focused… and their job is to keep me laughing!

This morning was quite humid, with a layer of low laying clouds on the horizon.
As the sun started to rise, there was a great swash of clouds across the sky that
took on a wonderful shade of pink.

After “surviving” a weekend in the park, my booth display flowers found
a new home in an adorable oval vase made by potter Suze Lindsay!

After a beautiful Saturday in the park, Sunday was quite different.
I got their early to replenish inventory and put everything back in place…
prepping for another fun day! And then the clouds rolled in… and the storm!
About 10:00am, the rain started, the wind kicked in and everyone closed their
tents back down. We hung out for an hour in the rain… and then miraculously
at 11:00am, the skies cleared and the sun came out!

The day was nice & sunny, with a nice breeze.
The customer flow was pretty good, a typical Sunday.
And so good to see some of my Facebook Fans & loyal customers. Until…

About 5:00pm, the clouds rolled back in, the winds picked up, and the rain started.
So, the second wave of storm effectively closed down the art fair. Luckily, we had the
majority of the day with nice weather. Just cut an hour short. And we had the “privilege”
of packing in the rain yet again!

So now my tent & shelves are strewn all over my storage room…
draped around & leaning against things in an attempt to dry things out… again!

After a week of clay & metal, my summer camp kids finally pulled everything together
to make their dinnerware sets come true! They’ve made their clay plates, bowls, cups,
platters, cups, whatever. And then made metal forks, knives, forks, spoons, bowls,
chopsticks, whatever. Today we finished everything & had a wonderful potluck feast!

We started by pulling all of their metal pieces out of the tumbler… all polished and
hardened from a night of tumbling. The kids loved seeing their pieces all shiny!

Then they assembled their pieces by inserting the metal pieces into the clay handles
that they made on Monday. A little epoxy… and voila’… instant handmade cutlery!!!
And a few pieces that were all metal. Cut, textured and metal handles riveted in place…
like my new salad tongs!!!

As some of the kids had already assembled their dinnerware sets, and we still had time
to make a few more pieces, some kids moved onto forming metal bowls from a flat sheet
of metal. Fun with torches & a lot of hammering!!!

Finally it was time for lunch and we got to use some of out new pieces for The Feast.
It was so nice to actually use the kids pieces to eat their lunch. Serving pieces, forks
and plates!!! And from the looks of it… we had quite a Feast. The kids brought in
a LOT of wonderful food to cap off our wonderful week of camp!

What a difference a half hour can make in the morning sky!

So we’ve been seeing the huge white tents set up by the Chicago Tribune
Freedom Center for months. And finally got around to seeing the latest production
of “Peter Pan” tonight. It was a beautiful night in Chicago… and the show was a lot of fun.
The classic story by J.M Barrie has been brought to life on-stage in the round! With
Peter Pan leading the Lost Boys in their battle with Captain Hook and his crew. Not to
forget the Indian Princess Tiger Lily, the mermaids and the “ever-ticking” alligator!

With some enchanting puppetry and inventive sets, the primary focus of the production
is the stunning 360-degree projections all around the tent ceiling. Moving images that
surround the stage, and the audience, to create the scene… and make the actors truly look
like Peter, Tinkerbell, Wendy and the whole Darling clan fly through the sky!

It started out very dark… very cloudy… very windy.
And I assumed this was the best the sunrise was going to be. A sliver of color.

But then the clouds started to break up and were passing quickly. The waves were
crashing all around making a few obstacles along the bike trail. Luckily, I found a place
to stop and go for another morning swim. The waves didn’t look quite so big from above.
But as I was pushed around by the waves more than I was swimming… the 3-foot waves
were a challenge, that sadly I’m not ready for yet!!!

As I got out of the water, the sun was breaking through and creating quite the sky show.
Beautiful colors sparkling on all of the clouds. Making the sunrise a lot better than I had
expected from its dark & clouded beginning. Stunning…

And even more stunning…

With the Chicago heatwave seeming to break this evening, it looks like the weekend
weather may be perfect for another art fair in the park! So stop by to say hello,
play in the park... and buy some art!

Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival
Saturday, August 6th from 11:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, August 7th from 11:00am-6:00pm

I will once again be bringing a large selection of functional bowls, mugs, vases, soap
dispensers, flower pots, planters and more. Plus more whimsical items like my salt & pepper
shakers, ikebana vases, wall pocket vases, tiled ClayQuilts and the new Relic Rattles!

Located in beautiful Dawes Park along Lake Michigan on Sheridan Road at Church Street.
I will once again be in Booth #43 down on the southeast corner of the pond.
With nice cool breezes and a beautiful view of the lakefront out the back of my tent.

Hope to see some of you there this weekend. Stop by to say “Hi.”

As we finished our clay pieces yesterday with underglaze colors & clear overglaze,
the pieces were all put into the kiln and we moved on to the metal portion of our camp.
So we started the day with the kids designing the flatware pieces that will coordinate
with their ceramic plates, bowls & cups. After a little instruction & demos, the kids set off
and started sawing through their sheets of copper. With some great conversations,
a fun iTunes Playlist by Sydney and a lot of laughs!!!

At lunch today, we saw a large tree that had been chopped down. Beautiful wood chunks.
Just sitting there for the taking. How can you pass it by? We couldn’t… Pam was too excited
to get a couple pieces back in the Metals Studio for new hammering work stations. So we
put the kids to work and had some of them roll them down the alley and back to Lillstreet.

Back at Lillstreet, we had a very happy Pam about the new “huge stump in her life.”

Then my camp co-teacher Pam Robinson gave them a demonstration on how to hammer
their pieces to add textures & curves.Lots of tools. Lots of techniques. Lots to learn.

And if that weren’t enough, we also enjoyed the 3rd Annual Chocolate Chip Cookie Bake-Off.
We had seven entries in the contest, so everyone tasted the homemade cookies and voted for
their favorite. Since I taught my adult class late last night, I didn’t bake. But I did bring milk
to help cleanse their palates in between cookies. I love it when my campers bake cookies!!!

Isabella came up the big winner with the cookie on the far right side – with a mixture
of semi-sweet and white chocolate chips! She will be the proud recipient of the
“Number One Cookie” plate I made for the victor! Congratulations Isabella!!!