Having a Ball

The invitation arrived in the afternoon post

Miss Vanessa, it said, will be the host

Gather your friends and your smartest chapeau

with treats in hand through the Looking Glass, go.

So I spoke to my pals and the elephant next door,

she was having company at a quarter to four

But they were willing join us and get out of the house

so I rang up my friend, the hazel dormouse

Now Mousey has been to a Mad Hatter's ball

Hatter and Hare had been the ones to call

By the end he found himself dunked in the tea

Good soggy fun he squeaked at me

He offered to drive, then quickly declined

legs too short for the brakes often get fined

but said he'd pay part of the gas at the station;

even thought the car runs on imagination

So we agreed I'd pull up to his home and just beep

with four elephants, and one cow, chicken, pig and a sheep

We'd dress in our favorite festive party clothes

all hoping the pig would avoid fishnet hose

My dear Beatrice, the elephant who dwells next door,

was hosting the Shapiros, so in total that made four.

Sister Bettina and husband Isadore, too,

and their charming young son, Little Babu.

The sheep named Baab and the chicken named Claire

decided there was no expense that they'd spare

Delilah the cow was a bit more restrained

but Steve the pig couldn't be contained

So we climbed in my car and set out for the pass

to make the second right into the Looking Glass

We sang a Boynton ditty and songs to make the time fly

Moo, baa, la, la, la and Miss American Pie

Before we knew it, we were at the soiree

cars run on imagination always seem to know the way

We were so excited to see the great throng

and Babu jumped high at the clang of a gong

There were hatters and batters and cows leaping the moon

and costumes to make the curators at the Metropolitan swoon

Confections and libations and goodies galore

and a man so rotund he couldn't fit through the door

Bettina and Isadore joined the Electric Slide

and when Dormouse spotted Hatter, he looked for somewhere to hide

Babu went splashing with kiddies in the pool

and Steve on stilletos just tried to look cool.

Beatrice enthralled with a tale of the Savannah

and danced with an otter wearing a bandanna

Claire led us all in the chicken dance 

and Delilah flirted with a handsome young Brahma from France

As for me, I chatted and ate and shared homemade iced tea

indulging in laughter and dances 'til a quarter to three

Then called for the troops and found Dormouse asleep

at last for home it was time for us to creep

But the night is so magical we don't want it to end

we want to visit longer with all of our friends!

So the Shapiros decided to walk the way home

When you're an elephant you're not afraid to roam

So we waved our good-byes and climbed into the car

and found our way home by following a star

We had a great time and hope you did, too,

and if anyone finds it, Steve lost a shoe.

Let's go to a party!

It's party time! Have you ever been to a Bloglandia bash? Well Miss Vanessa is inviting all of us to put on our finery and join her for:

You can see all the amazing pre-party preparations and learn more by visiting Vanessa HERE. She's inviting all of us to disguise/reveal ourselves in costume and partake in the revelry. 

You may be wondering how a party in Blogland works. It's pretty simple. Go to Vanessa's blog and RSVP. She will put you on the party list. Then on June 28, post your party finery, treats and anything else you'd like to contribute on your blog. Then visit Vanessa and her list of partygoers for all kinds of wonderfulness. No designated driver necessary, although the dormouse did offer.

See you at the party!

Trying to Resist

School is out. The Bar Mitzvah Boy did us proud at the award ceremony. The house plants moved to deck and porch are bursting with new growth. And that big shining orb in the sky is kissing us with promises of light clothing and dips in the water. 

What better way to celebrate the delights of summer than using my increasing stash of resist papers? In my frenzy to find more paper I tore apart a Trader Joe's grocery circular and used that. The newsprint absorbs paint like a sponge making for an interesting effect. I also cut up my Land's End kids catalog since The Bar Mitzvah Boy is nearing six feet. (Wasn't I still ordering from this catalog last year? Sheesh!) And while I'm at it, no use resisting (ahem!) that new circle punch I got with my JoAnn's coupon. Add some of the waxed paper I use to protect the counter when I paint, and voila! A sunshine celebration. Hope you're having one, too. 

Happy Summer Solstice! 

Into the Waves

Ocean Spray

What's the story, Morning Glory?

And while I'm thinking of it, check out the following post in tribute to Fathers Day. Love these resist papers!

The Man at the Helm

Happy Fathers Day!

Gee Wiz!

After my flurry of wax impressions on paper, I switched to a different canvas. These gorgeous children were the major characters in The Wiz at my son's old school. It's a magnet elementary school that is rich in arts education. It is also lucky to have the brilliant Bruce Hirsch as director. Bruce has been putting on a production the quality of a high school musical for 27 years. He gave my budding thespian his start and I believe is singularly responsible for the rich theater community in my town. 

Last year I volunteered to do the age make-up for My Fair Lady, to make the children playing older characters look, well, old. Afterward, I promised Bruce I would return even though my own character was flying up to middle school. Lo and behold, Bruce chose The Wiz, a very heavy make-up show. With the aid of the dedicated and hard working costume chair Ann Marie Hubbell, we ordered supplies and I had the great fun of turning children into art. 

Here's our Scarecrow, with his painted-on eyes. Each performance we collaborated on a new "pattern" for the right side of his face.

The Tin Man wanted to look rusty but was vetoed by the Bruce and his co-director Rich Tallberg. In compensation, I gave him a ratchet jaw -- or at least tried to!

Our fearless lion grew out his dark hair and let his mother bleach it for his role. Such dedication!

Along with our male leads, we had our witches. Here's Addaperle, the wacky Witch of the North. Despite the 90+ degree heat, no air conditioning and bright lights, our Addaperle looked as perfect at the end of the show as in the beginning. Was it magic?

Evilene, the wicked Witch of the East. She let me make her as fearsome as I could. What an actress and what a great sport!

And the fairy-tale Glinda, the good Witch of the South. This cherub was the hardest to do because she had to look beautiful and sparkly all the way to the back of the theater, without anything being too exaggerated. 

Let's not forget The Wiz himself! (Here without his crazy black and silver wig.)

While there was melting going on due to the unexpected heat wave (I believe we may have reached 100 on Sunday) the kids were real pros and delivered a great show for five performances. Bravo and brava to everyone!

Simply Irresistible

The Commuter's Journal primer on how to play with crayons.

1. Go to Michelle Wards GPP Street Team Crusade no. 21 and read all about making rubbings using crayons. Remember how much you loved to color over textures and make grave rubbings and become madly inspired.

2. Raid your son's room for old flyers he was supposed to throw out and baggies of crayons. 

3. Pull out your store-bought stencils to use for impressions. Begin coloring immediately on a number of backgrounds.

4. Swish on some watered-down acrylic craft paint. Pat with paper towel.

5.  Get very excited and try stenciling first, then rubbing and painting.

6. Find a lavender crayon with glitter and go a little nuts.

7. Try three or four more versions, deciding that random light painting on the bottom layer works the best.

8. Remember the Fiskar texture plates you bought on sale for a reason you no longer recall. Jump up and down with excitement as you pull them out and see all the possibilities.

9. Paint the back of a school memo in shades of yellow and orange. Throw in a shot of plum.

10. Try to distract yourself from rubbing while waiting for the paper to dry. Fail utterly. Rip paper but decide you rather like it.

11. Rub an orange yellow and a carnation pink crayon over a plate with flower impressions. Follow up with navy blue paint. Decide it needs a spot of purple. Blot with a paper towel.

12. Become delirious with the results and use up all the old school flyers. Take apart an envelope and use that. Reluctantly stop, then remember there's only two more weeks of school and lots of paper destined to make its way into your hot little (?) hands.

13. Eat chocolate and blog while thinking about the Revolutionary War cemetery near the library. Discard idea for now and scan pages. Wonder what normal people do for fun.

14. Repeat process.