Who are the people in your neighborhood?

My friends Shelley and Carrie and I decided to start a "Craft Challenge" club about a month ago. We've had 4 challenges so far. The first challenge was using any medium we wanted to create something that went with the theme of "neighborhood."

Carrie used Shrinky Dinks to create delightful doodles which she turned into a bracelet. She even gave one to Shelley and me.


Shelley used oil pastels to paint "Birds in the Neighborhood." How sweet are these tweets?


I took on a bit more than I could chew using wood blocks as a base for my "neighborhood" concept. I had to use some heavy machinery which was introduced to me in 7th grade art class of all things. That nugget of knowledge along with a helpful coworker gave me the confidence to throw on the work goggles and turn the spinning blade of the band saw to "on." After the wood pieces were ready to go it was smooth sailing - all paper trimmings which is more my speed. The "neighborhood block" that I designed is meant to be a sort-of toy (minus all of the safety hazards it displays). The roof can be moved so you can create different looks of houses. I had a million ideas of ways to expand this concept. I'll post them when I finally get around to going back to this project.

So ended the first Craft Challenge. I think it was a success. The next theme: Your Favorite Children's Book using collage as the medium.