One Plastic Beach

A little inspiration for a difficult day...

One Plastic Beach from High Beam Media on Vimeo.

Richard Lang and Judith Selby Lang are found object artists. But not just any found objects - they work with plastic that washes up on a nearby beach in Northern California. I love their vision, but I especially love the attention they draw to the overwhelming problem of plastic trash in our world. You can learn more about them at beachplastic.com and plasticforever.blogspot.com. Learn more about the Gyre at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch.
Thanks to The Kid Should See This for the link.

Design Your Monster

I have a thing for cute monsters. Y'know, the kind who would only nibble on you on a Tuesday if they were in a really bad mood. In fact, I have an entire section in my portfolio on monsters. So, when I came across CurlyQ Cuties, I flipped. You can go design your very own monster! What little kid wouldn't want to do that? (Or adult.)

Chuck Little Photography

Donna Bowman (photographer, author, jewelry maker) recently turned me onto the photography of Chuck Little. Chuck has been a surfer for most of his life, so when his wife asked for an ocean picture for their house, he said 'no problem.' That was four years ago, and his photography career has been soaring ever since. Check out ClarkLittlePhotography.com to see his amazing work and learn more about him. Meanwhile, this is why not just anybody could do what he does:

Puma Bag Disappears in Water!

Yes, please - can we switch to these? Immediately please?

How cool is that? Cornstarch, amazing stuff. It's estimated this one bag switch alone will save 192 tons of plastic and 293 tons of paper each year. Wow. Read more about it at Care2.

Swings: Los Angeles

I hope they come to Atlanta! What an awesome project - stop and swing. Relax, take a chill, swing. Perfect. And some of them are in amazing places!

Swings are by Jeff Waldman. Learn more by visiting swingsetting.org.
Thanks to SwissMiss for the heads up.

Antimosquito Fumigator app!

On the topic of mosquitos - how's this for brilliant? AntiMosquito Fumigator (for your iPhone) emits a sound too high pitched for humans to hear, but apparently is quite annoying to mosquitos. Annoy mosquitos... now there's a goal I can embrace!
Thanks to SwissMiss for the heads up.

Interviews with Children's Book Creators

The Cilip Carnegie and Kate Greenway Children's Book Awards (UK) honored their winners by interviewing them. So now, you can enjoy the creators behind the stories too. For instance, there are interviews with picture book creators Catherine Rayner (Ernest), Bob Graham (April Underhill Tooth Fairy), Anthony Browne (Me and You), Grahame Baker-Smith (FArTHER), and Mini Grey (Jim). Click here to visit the site and get watching.

Happy Independence Day!!!

I have lots of July 4th coloring pages - CLICK HERE. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

It's Budgie Ball!

Doesn't that just make you smile?

Simple Desktop Wallpaper

I love these simple designs for my computer - they keep my desktop from looking so cluttered. (And they add to the overall decor of my office - yup.) So, here's a treasure trove of simple designs at SimpleDesktops - all free for download. Like pigeon love below. Cute!

Thanks to SwissMiss for the link.

Today is Save Bookstores! Day

All you have to do to participate is visit your local indie bookstore and buy a book (or 4). Easy peasy! And let 'em know you're coming by signing up at the Save Bookstores! facebook page (click the image).

Southfield School Little Mermaids

I recently received a request from a teacher at Southfield School in Louisiana, Katy Merriman. The 3rd grade was putting on the play "The Little Mermaid" and they wanted mermaid t-shirts to hand out as souvenirs of the experience.
     Part of the reason I create my Coloring Page Tuesday images is to help teachers out. (Goodness knows their budgets have been cut beyond reason.) So, of course I said "yes"!
     As a thank you, they sent me a t-shirt (people often do when they use my art for t-shirts), but I especially loved seeing the kids wearing the t-shirts for their Field Day events. How cute is that?

Book Fair Coloring Pages!

A few weeks ago I received a request from a librarian at a charter school in Michigan asking to use one of my coloring pages for a contest surrounding their "Books are Treasure" book fair. You know I love librarians, so of course I said 'yes.'
     Well, 650 copies of my "Pirate's Treasure" image (from the 2007 "Talk Like a Pirate Day") went out to the students and here are some of the awesome results. (Click the image to see a larger version.)

     THIS is what my coloring pages are all about - a librarian sharing a love for reading with her students using my art... makes me proud.
     To share the image with your students, click here to visit the original blog post and download the full-sized coloring page.
     Have questions about usage? Please read my Angel Policy for my copyright information.

Save Our Libraries

10 Ways Libraries Matter in a Digital Age.
     A few weeks back I received an email from New York City librarian, Michelle Marcus. She's the Children's Librarian at the Windsor Park Library, and like so many libraries and librarians in our country, her library and her job is threatened by budget cuts.
     The short-sightedness of these cuts is enough to make me fear for our future. Libraries do so much more than encourage literacy - which would be reason enough to keep them. And the children who treasure their libraries often end up being some of our proudest success stories as a nation. Children need libraries!!
     Michelle shared a picture of her patrons' creative pleas to let their library survive! (Click the image to see it larger.)

     Is your library in trouble too? Please feel free to share my "Save the Library" image with your patrons like Michelle did. (I'd love to post yours too!) Click here to go see its original post, why I created it (for yet another NYC librarian), and download the image to share with your library.

Scott Weaver's Rolling Through the Bay

Mr. Weaver obviously had a blast creating this kinetic sculpture out of TOOTHPICKS. In this video he takes us on a mini-tour and it's amazing!!!

Scott Weaver's Rolling through the Bay from Learning Studio on Vimeo.

Thanks to Nathan Bransford for the link!

Shout out for Vicky Alvear Shecter!

My friend Vicky Alvear Shecter is in New York doing various promotions for her forthcoming book CLEOPATRA'S MOON. (Coming soon and boy will I be shouting about it then!) In the mean time, here is a great picture of Vicky with her Scholastic editors Arthur A. Levine and Cheryl Klein (Vicky is in the middle). Notice Cleopatra sitting on Arthur's shoulder - she's seeing the world! (Yes, this is the team of editors who brought us Harry Potter!)
     And don't miss Vicky's blog - History with a Twist. Especially her Friday Funnies - where ancient history meets with modern day humor - awesome!

Children's Author Maryann Cocca-Leffler

This was a great interview with children's book author/illustrator Maryann Cocca-Leffler by Manchester News, WMUR Manchester. Click the image to go view...
     Maryann is embracing turning stories into eBooks/apps because with her incredible publishing history (over 50 books!), she has several title out of print where the rights reverted back to her. She's breathing new life into these classics by turning them into eBooks/apps which can be enjoyed on the iPhone/Touch/Pad. It's a great example of how new technology can expand a successful career and benefit authors and illustrators.
     Maryann is also part of my e is for book blog. Go visit to find links to her eBooks under "Our eBooks."

The Other Side of the Story: Supporting Authors You Love

From one of my favorite blogs...
The Other Side of the Story: Noteworthy Links: Sharing the Love, author Janice Hardy says:

"Jody Hedlund writes one of my favorite blogs, and she did a post on ways you can support authors you love. I read this at a time when I was thinking about a post on the same topic, so she saved me having to write it myself...."

What does she link to? Jody Hedlund's post "10 Simple Ways to Support Authors You Love":

Before I was published, I didn’t realize how much authors appreciated readers taking the time to publicly support them. In fact, I didn’t know my support was important. And even if I had known, I wouldn’t have had a clue what kinds of things would help my favorite authors the most.

But now that I’m on the other side of the fence, with one published book out and another hitting the shelves in four months, I realize just how much it means when readers take a little extra time to offer their public support.

Yes, THE best support is actually reading the author’s book. But, if you enjoyed the book, you’ll do the author a BIG favor by taking the support one step further. That one step can make a huge difference. A reader’s word-of-mouth promotion has an enormous influence on pushing a book even further into the public eye. ...

Click here to read the entire post.

And yup - I'm an author too and I LOVE your support! e

Brian Dettmer's Altered Books on CBS

Remember when I featured Book Sculptor Brian Dettmer? Well, he was recently featured on CBS Evening News in anticipation of his New York show which opens this Thursday - Click here for more info.
You can also view it by clicking HERE.
Needless to say, I've become a fan.

Keep Our Librarians!!!!

In response to this awful article: "The disgraceful interrogation of L.A. School Librarians" http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0513-tobar-20110513,0,4862226,full.column

Dear Mr. John Deasy ( john.deasy@lausd.net ) ,
I am heartbroken that your district would consider getting rid of librarians as a viable option to trim your budget. Without a human there to make sure books are kept where they're supposed to be and cared for in an appropriate manner, a library would quickly turn into a junk pile of dog-eared books - an impossible to use resource. As a long time advocate of literacy, I know our schools are vitally important, but I know our libraries may be even more so. There are so many households that don't own books, the library becomes not only a resource, but oftentimes a safe haven. It also produces thinking, literate adults which makes the world a better place for us all. By the time the young children of today graduate, I'll be nearing retirement. In other words, I'll be in their hands. I can't imagine the governing citizenship being an illiterate one with little care for knowledge or books. I imagine retirement is in your future as well. Please consider this issue carefully as the decisions you make today could heavily impact your future and mine in ways we can only imagine. I find it ironic that here in America we spout how much we support our youth, and yet issues like this are seriously considered. A move like this not only doesn't support our youth - it harms them - and our future as Americans as well.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth O. Dulemba
http://dulemba.com

UPDATES:
A blog post by an attending librarian: Settle in. It's a long one. at The Library is Not a Fruit.

From School Library Journal:
Layoffs, Interrogations: L.A. School Librarians Under Fire

The response I received to my letter:
Thank you for your email and sharing your thoughts. As you are most likely aware our school district, state, and nation are currently facing a serious budget shortfall. While librarians and library aides are extremely important, there is not an area in the school district that has not been cut.
Again, thank you.
Patricia Carranza on behalf
Dr. John E. Deasy
Office of the Superintendent
(213) 241-7000

p.s. - Click the image to open a .jpg to print and color. Send your colored image (less than 1mb) to coloringpages@dulemba.com and I'll post it to my blog. Or heck - send it to Mr. Deasy! And please follow my Angel Policy copyright guidelines when using my Coloring Page Tuesday images.