Blog Archives

Every Child Matters

6/30/2021

Today, something far more serious...

Today, the day before we celebrate Canada Day tomorrow, radio stations across the country are coming together to give a voice to our indigenous people, after the horrific discovery earlier this month, of the hundreds of unmarked graves at the sites of former Indian Residential schools in British Columbia and Saskatchewan....

Over a period of a century, one hundred and fifty thousand Indigenous children were taken from their families and sent to Residential schools. There they lost their culture, their language, their traditions, and teachings, and many were subjected to unspeakable abuse. Thousands lost their lives.

It's a shameful, horrific, dark part of our country's history, as the truth comes out. And as I'm typing this post there's a news flash at the top of my screen announcing another 182 graves have just been discovered at yet another former residential school in British Columbia.

How many more will they find??

Mud

6/29/2021

Today, June 29th, is also 'International Mud Day', and what could be more fun for little boys than jumping in puddles and getting covered up to the ears in mud?

Like at a construction site after a rain storm....

the Photographer

6/29/2021

Today, June 29th, is National 'Camera Day', featuring Baron as a temporary photographer....

Forced Perspective

6/28/2021

So, how did I take those Crossing Guard photos?

Well, it took some pre-planning at home. I posed the dolls on my kitchen table in such a way that their stands would be hidden behind their legs, then took the bristolboard 'crosswalk' I'd saved from the Beatles Abbey Road photo shoot a few years ago, and positioned the dolls all on it. I marked where the vertical supports for their stands needed to come through the bristolboard, marked them, and cut out little curves, then inserted the stand bases up through the slots.

The bristolboard crosswalk was taped to a piece of wood roughly the same size, with all the stand bases protruding. I needed a three-way intersection in order to place the dolls so they looked like they were actually crossing in the middle of the intersection. That would not be possible in a regular four-way intersection. So we headed over to the foot of ValleyFarm Road, which has a small utilities building with driveway on the fourth side of the intersection.

Jan put together our slide projector stand, so Benny's eyes would be at my eye level, and then placed the stand in the grass opposite the oncoming road....

Then I started putting all the dolls on their bases which were all protruding from the bristolboard 'crossing', being careful to make sure their stands weren't showing.....

In order for the 'forced perspective' to work, the dolls need to have their eyes at the level a real person's eyes would be.

Jan went across the road to take a 'behind the scene' photo....

I started taking photos, ignoring all the traffic passing by....

..including a city bus, which was a bit too close, so somewhat out of scale....

My favourite photo....

the Crossing Guard

6/28/2021

Benny was a single Mom who worked from home, and every morning and afternoon she took time out to go to her second job as a school crossing guard....

It was the last day of school.....

...and the children were excited, with many bringing gifts for their teachers....

Byuri had a rose for her teacher....

Coco had an apple for his teacher....

"I got my teacher a mug. It says 'World's best Teacher'"

Holly was also carrying a gift.....

...but it wasn't for her teacher...

"This is for you Miss Benny...."

"...to thank you for helping us cross the street safely every day...."

Three More Fairies

6/27/2021

Only five of my small Kaye Wiggs girls have fairy costumes, and even though I've tried letting the others share KID and BID size fairy costumes, they are just too big. KW dolls are just too skinny. So, not having anything else planned at the moment, I decided to make three more fairy outfits for the three girls who don't have one.....so, one in each of the three sizes.

First thing was to make them each some undies yesterday....

The three bodices with shoulder ruffles sewn in, and the skirts cut, and flowers chosen....

Today each girl has a basic, unadorned bodice....

Sandcastles

6/27/2021

June 27th is National Sunglasses Day, and where would they come in more useful than on a bright sunny day at the beach, with the glare off the sand and water?

Lonnie and Bonnie were making sandcastles, and Bonnie had on her sunglasses...

It was just too bright and sunny, with glare off the sand, water, and even her pail....

But Lonnie just had hers perched up on her hat....

the Puzzle

6/26/2021

When my sister had a book made of the Gnome Christmas story I had shot for her back in 2019, she also had a puzzle made of one of her favourite photos from the story...

Then because I still had her gnomes here for a birthday photo shoot, I thought it might be fun to have the gnomes make the puzzle they were featured on...