Teachers for Social Justice

Ok, I am totally energized! I attended the 9th annual Teachers for Social Justice (TSJ) curriculum fair this weekend and it keeps getting better every year! They had so many more workshops, exhibitors, and resource tables than ever before. This year TSJ members made some awesome t-shirts, so, of course, I had to get one. I also had to buy a beautiful necklace from Maya Essence. But most importantly, I met and networked with some amazing teachers and activists!

I attended an excellent workshop in the morning, titled "Exploring the Roots of Youth Violence: Curriculum Development Project." The Chicago Freedom School, Project NIA, TSJ, and Chicago Youth Igniting Change are partnering to develop a youth-led action research curriculum guide! The workshop was packed with a diverse group of youth allies who were interested in the deeper questions about the root causes of youth violence; how the economy, racism, justice system, etc. intersect with youth violence; what the link is between power and violence, and so on. The workshop participants had some great questions and ideas to add to this curriculum, and I am also hoping to get involved, and will send them my "Clothesline Project" that my students did a couple of years ago. The curriculum guide is scheduled to be ready in February and there will be grants for anyone who is interested in implementing the curriculum...and you can bet that I am going to be applying! :)

Peru Pics

So, I've never taken a photography class in my life, but I think it is incredibly fun to look out for neat "shots" and pretend like I know what I'm doing as I'm squatting, arched over, and balancing on one leg.... I am especially inspired by fall leaves, bold colors, streaming sunlight, and cool structures (bridges, stairs, etc). Of course, it doesn't hurt to just have amazingly beautiful sites, which you can find all over Peru!

Cuzco Lights

Morning sun at Machu Picchu

Tree at Machu Picchu

Dad taking pic

Red plant at Machu Picchu

Door at a mansion outside of Arequipa

Diving condor in Colca Canyon

Men's Necklaces

My husband (Usman) has been very encouraging of me making and selling my jewelry and even set up my Etsy site for me! For the last few months he's been asking when I am going to make him a necklace, so, I finally did. He likes it, or so he says! ;) So, I think I will start making some men's/unisex jewelry - stay tuned!

Baby Shower Gift

I went to a baby shower for a co-worker this weekend and she didn't have much on her registry - just the basics. So, I decided to be creative and make something that would go with her theme (yes, I know that zebras and giraffes do not go with palm trees but that is the print on the blankets and baby items!!). Luckily, she had an open space in the nursery that she didn't know what to do with and was about to just buy a mirror - perfect! I left space for photos, once the baby is born!

I drew the pictures, cut them out with an exacto knife, and found some printed paper for the background....

Pressed Flowers

When I was young, I loved to walk around our house clipping my mom's beautiful flowers for my flower press. I would lay the flowers out between pieces of paper and cardboard and screw my press together tight...and then impatiently wait for 2 weeks to see the magical creations. Sometimes they turned out great, other times they were a little moldy or brown. Now, my press is packed in some random box at my parent's house. I hadn't used or even thought of my press in years until my parents sent me a birthday package this summer. There were a few art/crafting books and a microwavable flower press!! No more waiting! I went slow this first time, so it took a little longer than it should, but I didn't burn any flowers and I could press them and make a card in the same day!

I spritzed the cloth with a little bit of water, put the flowers and leaves in the press, and microwaved them for not more than 30 seconds at a time (so you don't burn them).

Between each heating, I opened the press to let the hot air out, which aids in the drying process. I repeated this process (in shorter episodes as the flowers were closer to being pressed) until they petals and leaves felt like paper and could not be bent without breaking off.

I decided to make a birthday card with one of the flowers. I used tweezers to handle it because of it's delicate nature now. The flower is stiff and does not droop when picked up.

I used Elemer's glue to secure it to the paper and then added a little note!...

For the Love of Food!

It took me MONTHS to make Usman's (my husband) birthday present. I've been cooking like a mad woman and taking pictures of all my meals since the spring, with the idea that I would make my husband a cookbook for his birthday. Both of us are somewhat disorganized with our recipes. I have a recipe box with some written down, some are printed and then folded up in the box or stuff inside books, others I go look on the website I found them. Usman usually cooks his mom's recipes, which are typed in Word, with his laptop sitting on the kitchen counter, just waiting for a spill! He also has some written in his college poetry book, and other folded up and stuffed in the book. Needless to say, it can sometimes be hard to find the recipe we are looking for. Even if I know that it is in my recipe box, there is not system and I proceed to take out all of the index cards and flip through them to find the recipe I want. There's also the problem of me not remembering which recipes Usman likes and which he thinks are my "bland farm food."

So, I set out to fix this problem and began documenting my delicious creations (and some not-so-delicious creations which didn't make the cut). When Usman was home and I was forced to take the picture with him in the kitchen, he would roll his eyes at me and ask whhhhyyy I have to take pictures of every single dish I make. He would also politely remind me that the food was getting cold. :)

Finally, I could stall no longer and had to put the book together with the recipes I had. I used Tastebook and found the site quite simple and the finished product is neat and visually pleasing. The only thing I didn't like about this site is that you cannot use your own photos for the cover or the tabs. You can add more recipes though, which I will definitely be doing in the near future, as a friend just recommended 101 Cookbooks to me and all of the recipes I have tried are FABULOUS!

I believe Usman likes the finished product as well, although he was a little skeptical as to why I was giving him more work to do! ;)

Here are a few pages from the book...


Of course, I had to include a recipe for my special popcorn so Usman can make it when I'm not around!


I had to start getting creative with the pictures after taking so many!




...as well as creative directions for "serving"!

Peruvian Textiles

I just returned from 2 weeks in Peru with my Dad and I am still in love with the handwoven textiles. I couldn't resist and had to buy just one! I bought this from a store in Ollantaytambo (near Machu Picchu) that helps native women preserve the traditions of Quechua weaving and pays fair wages through the Awamaki Weaving Project. You can meet the weavers on the website as well. They are all fairly young (I believe their group leader is 16 yrs old)...Felicitas Rios Cjuro is the woman who made my weaving!

All of the colors are natural (made from plant dyes) and it is all handmade. The symbols in many of these weavings are symbolic. The sun was very important to the incas, the condor was a symbol of spirituality, they used llamas or alpacas for food, clothes, instruments, etc.

If you would like to learn more about this organization (or perhaps learn to weave through their sustainable tourism initiative!) please visit the website above! They are also accepting gifts for children in the area, if you are visiting Machu Picchu soon.