Public Art at Sacramento International Airport (SMF)

As I mentioned in my last post, I made an unexpected trip to Idaho last week. I flew out of Sacramento, my favorite of the three major airports that are essentially the same distance from us. I arrived ridiculously early for my flight, which gave me the chance to take my time and enjoy the public art in Terminal B. I've seen it before, of course, but I've never taken the time to stop and appreciate it. 

This is Leap, by Lawrence Argent. It's 56 feet tall and is instantly recognizable to anyone who has flown in or out of Sacramento. 

Behind the ticketing area, there are two large wood and steel murals on either side of the elevators and escalators, called The Baggage Handlers. Artist Christian Moeller included the faces of six airport employees whose important work occurs largely behind the scenes.  

At the top of the escalator, you'll find A Fragment of the Universe, a glass mosaic by Joan Moment. The colors are beautiful and the patterns mesmerizing. 

Beyond the floor mural, there's long display showing the different uniforms the Sacramento Kings have worn over the years. Apparently it's not officially artwork, as there is no mention of a title or artist, but it adds a lot to what would otherwise be a long, empty wall. 

Next is As the Crow Flies, by Lynn Criswell. Embedded into the floor are 21 silhouettes of birds native to Northern California. Above each hangs an empty bird cage. When Trevor was little, he loved trying to match the names of the birds to their silhouettes. Too bad this is in a high-traffic area just before the tram instead of in a place where young bird lovers can entertain themselves while waiting for a flight. 

  

Flying Colors by Suzanne Adan is a whimsical glass mosaic featuring stylized birds. It would make a fantastic jigsaw puzzle. 

Acorn Steam by Donald Lipski is stunning. This enormous artwork of wood and Swarovski crystals honors Sacramento's oak trees and their importance to the indigenous people. 

This is called Your Words are Music to My Ears and is by Po Shu Wang and Louise Bertelsen. You can play the instrument to entertain your fellow waiting passengers, but not in the way you think. Check out the video that explains it. 

There is a lot more artwork at SMF in the other terminal, at International, and outside that wasn't accessible to me on this trip. My favorite is Samson. You can read about it, and all the other public art at SMF, on their website. 

Have you been to an airport with a lot of fabulous artwork? Let me know about it in the comments!

Watermelon Crafts for Kids

Summer is just around the corner. Get ready with watermelon crafts and recipes that kids will love! I gathered all of my watermelon-themed tutorials into one place to make it easy for you to pick the perfect activities to do together. At the bottom, you'll find affiliate links for some fun watermelon-themed picture books. Enjoy!

Watermelon Crafts for Kids

• Crayon Melt Watermelon - Enjoy the intense colors you get with this unique craft activity. 
• Construction Paper Watermelon Self-Portrait - This project is perfect for the kid who LOVES watermelon!
• Watermelon Felt Coaster and Festive Treat - A little sewing, then a little snacking. 
• Decoupage Watermelon Flower Pot - Technically, you could use it to grow watermelon...
• Clay Watermelon Necklace - This darling pendant is fun to make and to wear. 
• Watermelon Paper Plate Wreath - Fans of finger painting, this one is for you!
• Peanut Picnic Ants - Oh no! The "ants" have found the watermelon at the picnic. 
• Handprint Watermelons - Turn your handprint into a watermelon. It's lots of fun to do!

Watermelon Recipes for Kids

• Watermelon Ice Cream Cones - These cute treats look just as good as they taste. 
• Watermelon Cookies - These cookies are packed with flavor and totally adorable!

Watermelon Books for Kids

• The Watermelon Seed - What happens if a crocodile swallows a watermelon seed??
  
• Watermelon Party - Based on a true story from an animal rescue!
• This Watermelon is Not Round - All about kindness and appreciating our differences. 
• One Watermelon Seed - A deceptively simple counting book that's lots of fun. 
• Runski Punski and the Watermelon Shoes - Watermelons as shoes? There might be a few problems.
• Watermelon Watermelon - A catchy sing-along book!

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I will be taking at least the next week off from blogging as I travel to Idaho, following health problems with my dad. I appreciate your prayers and good thoughts. 

National Scrapbook Day: Before, During, and After

Along with all the scrapbook challenges, there were dozens of games going on during the National Scrapbook Day event at A Cherry on Top. I played along with most of them. Not only was it a lot of fun, but I won a prize for one of them! I also won a bunch of Cherry Points. 

One of the games asked us to take three sets of pictures of our workspaces: before the challenges started, in the middle of the action, and at the end of the weekend. I thought it would be fun to share those photos with you. 

I always do a thorough cleanup before NSD. Here's my scraproom the day before the event started. 

My desk pretty much never looks like this. 

Here's what my room looked like in the middle of the day on Saturday after I'd been scrapping for a day and a half. There are in-progress layouts on the desk to the right of the door and on the counter under the window. There are two groups of layouts on the floor. The ones are the far right are done and ready to be scanned. The ones to the left are ones I started for specific challenges but hadn't finished. There are piles of paper on the floor behind my chair. 

This is closer to what my desk usually looks like. In the photo, you'll see piles of sticker books, rub-on packs, paper scraps, and the first stages of the layout about our bonded buns. That little notebook between my paper trimmers and the layout is what I use to record the supplies I use on each page. I've used the same system since 2008. 

I took this picture on Sunday afternoon. All of the completed layouts are off the floor, scanned, and in albums. One incomplete layout is on the floor, because I still hoped to finish it for a challenge (yet it's still not done now, 2+ weeks later). The in-progress layouts that were under the window are now piled on top of the remaining ones on the desk to the right of the door. There are still papers on the floor, but fewer than before. 

This year, I did a really good job of cleaning up between projects, so there wasn't too much on my desk in the after photo. That's the layout about Picnic Day. I'd pulled a bunch of different yellow and blues papers, which you can see underneath the stack of photos. No green papers - I hadn't decided yet to use green on the layout.  

I'm glad this NSD game inspired me to photograph my work area, as that's something I rarely do. I'm also thinking that taking photos I knew people would see might be what led me to do a better job cleaning up between projects than I usually do. Win-win!

Standing White-Tailed Deer

Native to North, Central, and South America, the white-tailed deer is one of the most widely distributed land mammals in the world. They are crepuscular, consume a wide variety of plant materials, and are highly adaptable to different habitats. White-tailed deer can sprint at speeds of 40 miles per hour, sustain speeds up to 30 miles an hour, and jump 9 feet high and 30 feet forward. 

The white-tailed deer is culturally important in the US (and beyond). It is the state animal of Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, the state game animal of Oklahoma, and the wildlife symbol of Wisconsin. It appears on the flag of Vermont and is the mascot of the Milwaukee Bucks. Bambi is a white-tailed deer (in the Disney movie - in the Austrian book that inspired the film, Bambi is a roe deer.)

Read on to learn how to make a family of white-tailed deer that stand on their own. Affiliate links below. 

 

Standing White-Tailed Deer

Materials:

• cardstock (tan, cream)
• microtip scissors
• colored pencils (I used Ohuhu)
• craft glue

Steps:

You will need four basic shapes to make an adult male white-tailed deer: a body, legs (2), ears (2), and antlers (2). If you want to make an adult female or a baby, you don't need the antlers. Cut the body parts from cardstock, then use colored pencil to add details: a black nose, a black eye, black hooves, black shading on one ear, and white shading around the nose, under the belly, under the tail, and inside the ear. If you are making a fawn, add white dots all over its back. 

For the adult make, fold the legs in half, then glue them to the back of the deer's body. Adjust them until the deer can stand on its own. Glue one ear to the front of the deer and one to the back, then glue the antlers in place. Use the same steps, minus the antlers, for an adult female or a fawn. 

Ohio Star Paper Quilt Craft

Have you heard of the Ohio Star? This classic quilt pattern has a very interesting history. Kids studying the Civil War or Ohio state history will enjoy making their own version of the Ohio star, using paper instead of fabric. This tutorial makes 9” squares. Affiliate links below. 

Ohio Star Paper Quilt Craft

Materials: 

• cardstock
• patterned paper or construction paper
• paper cutter or scissors
• craft glue

Steps: 

Cut a 9" square piece of white cardstock to use as a background. Cut the scraps into 3" squares. 

Select 2-3 pieces of patterned paper or construction paper that go nicely together. I chose a green polka dot, a pink with swirls, and a yellow stripe. 

If you are only making one quilt square, you will need one 3" square of each color. Set aside the one you'll be using for the center. Cut the other two along one diagonal, then cut each of the resulting triangles in half. Here are the steps: 

Be as accurate as possible when cutting. A paper cutter helps immensely, but you can do this with scissors. (Use a ruler to mark the lines!)

Set aside four white squares. Cut the other white squares into 4 triangles each, just like with the colored papers. 

Arrange your squares and triangles in place. When you find a pattern you like, carefully glue them down. 

This is the finished design. 

Of course, I couldn't stop at just one quilt square. 

I love how they look assembled into a 9-square quilt! So pretty!

If you want to simplify things, use a single color with white. It's still really pretty. 

Two colors with white is nice too. 

There are tons of variations you can do with the Ohio Star. It's a beautiful and versatile design and makes a really fun project for kids.