And Now, Please Allow Me to Present the 2nd Half of this Extraordinary Project!

Come discover the original artwork and poetry created by the magical artists and writers who participated in this 2nd Grade Thursday Sweet Treat project. Each artist was invited to write their own “I Am..” poem and then bring an aspect of a student's work to life.

The work of these talented, creative, professional, sensational artists will take your breath away!

Amanda, creator of Persistent Green, was inspired by Jordan's Pencil poem and Muhammad's Clock poem.

http://persistentgreen.etsy.com/

http://persistentgreen.blogspot.com/

"Jordan's Pencil was drawn with colored pencils and painted with watercolor," said Amanda.
"I love how clearly Jordan described the pencil, with its sharp tip, pink eraser and body yellow as the sun. I wrote all over the background in pencil, then splashed bright watercolor over the top. I like how the letters smeared a little, as they often do when I write with pencil. Then I drew in a big, happy pencil. I hope Jordan likes it!"

"Muhammad's Clock was drawn with colored pencils and markers," said Amanda. "My favorite part of Muhammad's poem was the repetition of the sound a clock makes--tick, tock, tick, tock. I wanted my drawing to make that noise too. Most of my clocks are digital now, so I really liked remembering the old clocks I grew up with. Thanks, Muhammad!"

Amanda also composed her own poem.

Notebook
by Amanda Fall

I am a new notebook
with fresh blank pages.
Denim blue lines march along,
ready for my next thought.
I scrawl secrets, doodle dreams,
erase here, scratch out there,
then try and try again.
I'm becoming a well-used book,
scribbled thoughts sprawling
sideways/upways/downways.
Even straight blue lines
can't contain me.

Agathe, creator of Meherio68, was inspired by Tamia's "I am purple" poem and Ricardo's "I am Red" poem.

http://meherio68.etsy.com/

"For Ricardo's "I am red", I created a charm bracelet, with an apple (not completely ripe, so just half red), a little brass charm stamped with flames, a red, Swarovski crystal heart, a lady with a cute red dress, and a heart-shaped charm saying "Hand made with Love". Both pieces are adjustable just as the lovelyness of their poems are universal..." said Agathe.

"I created a necklace, starting from this ancient plum-like bead (that was originally meant as a chandelier ornament), I added a textured brass pendant, for grapes, and a stamped one that says "POP !" for the soda, of course," said Agathe. "The little beads are very much the colour of purple lipgloss, aren't they? And then there's a little bag charm that just might accomodate books— and lipgloss, I guess!"

Janet, creator of Janet Davies, was inspired by the "Bluebird" and "King Cobra."

http://janetdavies.etsy.com/

The Bluebird was created using silk organza, fabric paint, acrylic and oilstick on paper.

The King Cobra was created using pastel and acrylic on paper.

Janet also composed her own poem.

I Am
By Janet

I am light
I shimmer in air
I dance on the lake
I open your eyes
and wake all things from their slumber
I am light

Marja, creator of Glass Elements, was inspired by Nikeisha's "I am... Red" poem to create this Fiery Red Fused Glass Candleholder.

"This handmade fused glass candleholder was created with a fiesty red fire in mind," said Marja.

http://www.glasselements.etsy.com/

Marja also composed her own poem.

I am…
By Marja

I am …
ever evolving,
shaped by experiences
with life, people, love.

I am…
steadily growing,
slowly unearthing the truth
that is Me

Maureen, a talented artist, was inspired by Jaydin's Cow poem and Jennifer's Pizza poem.

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com/

Inspired by Jaydin's Cow

Inspired by Jennifer's Pizza

Maureen also composed her own poem.

I am . . .
By Maureen

Tart like lemony frosting
Sweet as a speckled ripe banana
Sad like my dog getting sick
Funny as the best knock-knock joke ever
Firm like a juicy red apple
Soft as a puffy white cloud
Hard like a rock I stub my toe on
Gentle as rain after thunder

I am all of this
Always a surprise
I am me

Teri, creator of Giraffelabel, was inspired by the "Mom" poem as well as Tyquel's "I am.." poem. http://giraffelabel.etsy.com/

"This is a purse...a clutch. Again, I have had this fabric for a long time, and have always loved it," said Teri. "Just wasn't sure what to do with it. It had so many elements that related to the poem - the black and orange, the stripes, and the jagged design (like teeth). Anyway, I don't really have a name for this either...maybe the tiger clutch?!" What do you think?

"This is a cuff bracelet made from fabric (vintage and new), beads, and vintage buttons," said Teri. "The pink fabric is something I have had, and it just seemed perfect for the "pink clothes, high heels, and eye shadow" in the poem. I don't really have a name for it." Any name suggestions?

Teri also composed her own poem.

I am…
By Teri

I am a mother
but, I am still a daughter
I am a wife
but, I am still independent
I am a positive thinker
but, I still have doubts
I am friendly
but, I am still shy
I am a teacher
but, I still have a lot to learn
I am an adult
but, I am still a kid at heart…

Ellen, a talented artist, was inspired by the Penguin poem and the Shark poem.

"I painted these in Photoshop, and they're not my usual style. I wanted to do something more design-y and illustrative for both of them" said Ellen.

This piece was inspired by the Penguin.

Ellen composed a poem for the creator of the Penguin poem.

I am...
By Ellen

I am a koala
I live in a eucalyptus tree
And spend my day eating
And sleeping in the high branches
I am soft like a rabbit
And only live in Australia

This piece was inspired by the Shark.

Ellen composed a poem for the creator of the Shark poem

I am...
By Ellen

I am a bat
I sleep upside down
And eat fresh fruit on tree branches
I hear tiny bugs
With my giant ears
And see in the dark with sonar

Jenjen, a talented artist, composed her own "I Am..." poem after she read all the poems. http://www.gottalovemom.com/

I am the sun
By Jenjen

I love the sun and it just makes me feel really good knowing that the sun rises and brings hope and sets to give us time to reflect and re-charge.
The pictures I put together are pictures from my zen-walk, cruise and vacation.

I am
the first beam of sunlight that marks a new path,
that starts slow and mild,
and step-by-step gathers strength,
as the clock ticks seconds, minutes and hours pass

I am
the radiant sunray that shines through the clouds,
that touches life as it shows the way,
and guides to persist
as the clouds cast the shadow in a day.

I am
the promise of hope,
the joy of being,
the feeling of success,
the grace of confidence
as a new moment is cherished.

I am
the warmth that oppresses rage,
the flame that can explode,
the rage that will infuriate,
the wrath that has to be contained
as the darkness sneaks through the day.

I am
the promise of sunshine,
the escort of the rainbow,
the conductor of the sounds,
the love that shines through,
as the storm stops.

I am
to end the day,
to recharge and evaluate,
to introduce the bright moon,
as the bright stars wait to twinkle in the sky.

I am
just like the sun
waiting for the moment to shine

Jenjen was inspired by Jie's Shark poem.

The poem just inspired me to have fun and be playful. I love how Jie described the playfulness of the shark. It makes me feel like a kid again, even though I’m as big as a giant! And when he wrote "sometimes I jump out of the water and sometimes I flip", I can just imagine sharks doing cartwheels!

http://gottalovemom.blogspot.com/2009/05/another-van-gogh-or-picasso-in-making.html

The entire project inspired me to paint with my 8yo –(Another Van Gogh or Picasso in the making? Or maybe a Matisse as someone commented) I was amazed on some techniques I learned from him – like putting different colors in the sponge before pressing it into the paper itself. But the most important technique he taught me was just to have fun and let the those fingers do their magic!

Tuesday, around midnight, I put all my art supplies on our dining table and just had fun with it.

In this piece, I used water color, acrylic paint and some oil pastel crayons. I just adding and re-doing it, just having fun and playing until 2am in the morning!
My 17yo (who loves to paint and do graphics) saw me painting earlier that night.

Son: “Mom, what are you doing up so late? Hmm ..since when can we paint here?
Me: “I am just playing. I had something in mind but…”
Son: “Mom, welcome to the artists’ world. Oh, btw, keep some paint for me!”

(Of course, everything was cleaned-up and put away before I headed to bed…)

I thought I was done, but I was still feeling playful. So I headed to the den and was just inspired to do some more oil pastel coloring.

This project definitely tapped in the “kid” in me!

Scott Lane was inspired by Rahman's "I am an Eagle" poem.

Scott composed a poem of his own.

I am a history reenactor
I dress in WWII clothes
wool shirts
army pants
tanker boots
short haircuts
I pretend its the 1940s again
while listening to 1940s music
and swing dancing to Glen Miller
With my Gal

Steph, creator of Tart Deco, was inspired by Tyrique's "I am Brown" poem and Elizabeth's "I am Red" poem.

http://tartdeco.etsy.com/

Inspired by Tyrique's Brown poem

Inspired by Elizabeth's Red poem

Steph composed her own poem.

I am song
Lyrics and Music
Living in the past and creating the future
Tears and Laughter
All in me

Natasha was inspired by Max's "I am a Gorilla" poem and Angel's "I am a Dolphin" poem.
http://doodlestar.etsy.com/

This Happy Birthday greeting card features a dancing gorilla created by Natasha and Brian.

This "Miss You" greeting card features two dolphins reuniting and was created by Natasha and Brian.

Natasha composed a poem of her own.

I am..
By Natasha

I am a child with a bucket of words,
endless waves of laughter,
colorful sidewalk chalk drawings,
an umbrella in the rain,
the moment right after a breaking wave,
a mini-Tasmanian Devil,
music notes hanging in the air,
the chocolate shell on a candy bar,
love dangling from a shirt sleeve
and a pistachio among peanuts.

Kris, creator of Lisianblue, was inspired by "Butterflies" and a "Whale."
http://lisianblue.artfire.com/

Glass Wings

"I think butterflies are incredible beings, beautiful, fragile, yet they are incredibly strong and can fly an amazing distance," said Kris. "I guess that's also tenacious. I love how something so delicate and soft can be compared to something also delicate, yet hard like glass. I was inspired to create a piece that could combine movement, beauty, their strength, and their fragility. Originally, I was painting an ornament,was almost done when I broke it! After I broke another one that was almost finished, I got it! I think I was supposed to do something else!
What better way to incorporate movement than make a mobile of a butterfly with glass wings, flying around a flower - or above it. I didn't want to use regular stained glass, as I wanted to make this a bright beautiful butterfly with colorful wings instead of just one or two colors if I had used stained glass. Being able to paint my glass projects allows me to be even more creatvie than I could be with just the glass. Even with the broken ornaments, I truly enjoyed creating this mobile that was so inspired by the Butterfly poem.

Splishin and Splashin

"I go from one of the smalled beings to the largest! I was so inspired by the Whale poem," saud Kris. "I wanted this to be about the the whale's movement, the water, and possibly sound. Aha! A mobile/windchime seemed to be a good way to express this. Initially, I hung the whale in the middle, with a series of glass on each side of her. As I was searching through my scraps of blue glass, to represent water, I had a different idea of how to lay it out. I put several pieces in a vertical position, as though the water was coming up with the whale as she comes up out of the water, along with more glass hanging from those in horizontal positions to one side of the whale. The other side was to be all horizontal with varying rows of glass. As I struggled with getting this to balance, I realized I was running out of time, and I still needed to paint the Orca and the butterfly, so I took the one side and hung it below the whale It isn't quite what I wanted, but I'm still pretty happy with it. These were such a delight to do!"

Kris also composed a poem of her own.

I am Blue

I am the soft blue of the lisianthus flower
a love instilled by my mother
I am the deep dark cobalt blue glass that
shines in the sun
I am the the royal blue of my grandmothers blue willow dishes
I am the azure blue of the New Mexico sky bathed in sunlight
I am of the ever changing blue of the Sandia Mountains
always in my backyard
I am the light blue of my fathers eyes,
always loving
I am the steal gray blue of my sons eyes
always trusting................

I am Blue

Bird, creator of Crow Tarot, Kitty Hawke, Cat Bird Crystals, and One Earth, One Tribe, was inspired by Jasmine's "I am a cat" poem.

Talismans by Crow Tarotfound at http://www.crowtarot.etsy.com/
Our Other Etsy Shops
http://www.kittyhawke.etsy.com/
http://www.catbirdcrystals.etsy.com/
http://www.oneearthonetribe.etsy.com/

Tacmai Belt & Necklace: Tacmai is I Am Cat spelled backwards. It seems to have a nice wildness to it as well.

The acrylic yarn is shaded in orange, grey-brown, and brown, for the fur, and a bit of pink for that little sharp kitty tongue they like to stick out at you from time to time. The faux pearls signify the white of the fur, but also droplets of delicious milk. On the necklace, there is also a ceramic bead w/the skeleton of a fish on it.

Reading that line in the poem, I was reminded of my husband's cat, from back in the days before she officially became his cat. His neighbor in the condo complex left his door open one day, as one does sometimes, because it was Florida and hot. This wouldn't have been a problem, except for the fact that he had cooked a lovely fish and set it out on the counter, then become distracted with something, a phone call, I believe, and stayed away for a while. When he finally returned, it was to find a perfectly intact skeleton of a fish on his plate, and nothing else. Sylvia had eaten it all. I've always admired her for the delicacy it took to eat that fish without disturbing any of the bones. So, the bead is there for her, and for Jasmine-cat.

The Mystery Skein was intended for my original project, a necklace with more literal mice and milk and fur colors. However, the charms have not yet arrived, so the plan changed. But it's a kyool piece, so thought I'd share it anyway. Ever since I saw a Mystery Skein listed on Etsy, I've wanted to play. So, now I shall! :-D

Bird also composed a poem of her own.

My poem has a bit of interestingness to it as well.

Tho' it may look simple, it's actually rather complex.It starts with a brick wall, overlaid w/a cobblestone pattern. Then come the words that folk used to use to name me, words of shame and judgement. As I have learned to shed the negativity associated with those names, and to sever my association with them, so have I next lain a pattern of snakeskin over those negative names, followed by a leafy layer, signaling the new growth that has let me overcome and grow. Then on top are the words I choose to associate with myself today. New names, new associations, all for the person I am and the person I want to be.

Special thanks to Kelsey who gave feedback but could not be a part of the larger project: http://caffeinatedfrenzy.etsy.com/

Also, a HUGE round of applause for Felicia Kramer, creator of http://anotherbrightidea.etsy.com/ and Marja, creator of http://glasselements.etsy.com/ for donating supplies!!

Thank you to everyone for being a part of this experience. Please feel free to share your comments and some love here then pop on over to their shops to check out more of their incredible works!