How Long Will You Live

This is an interesting question and, I must admit one that I was just asking myself. A friend just happen to send me this info and I thought you might find it interesting yourself.

I have always envisioned myself lasting until my late 90's BUT (based on this calculator) I will not get much past 80 and THAT SIMPLY WILL NOT DO!


http://media.nmfn.com/tnetwork/lifespan/

Since adding this info to my blog I have lost 12 kilos, changed my way of eating and even though I can't quite get to doing formal exercise I will now live to 90! Well so it says anyway.

STUDENT:- BIANCA 1st model

STUDENT:- BIANCA 1st model

Isn't it amazing. I have my second student. She read about my first student, here on this blog. This is brilliant!

I have finished Spring Cleaning my two rooms, my studio and I am now open for business.

This is what Bianca started with

Bianca choose to start from scratch so she choose a gourd, cleaned it and then used a saw to cut her gourd open revealing the seeds and pith inside. She then needed to cut out the windows.

Her next job was to create all the permanate fixtures. These were a floor, fireplace, three cupboards and shelving and stairs and a clock. She also designed and painted her own stain glass windows.

As can be seen from the image to the right the 'bones' of the inside of the house has been placed inside. There is still a 'few' things to do just to finish it off.

The inside with the lights switched on.
The inside is almost completed.

It has three lights and one flickering light in the fireplace and she will be using optic fiber on the outside. All up it took Bianca 60 hrs to finish her house. She visited me once a week for 3.5 to 4 hrs. The cost of her lessons were $15 hr. The cost of the gourd was $25 and the cost of materials was $20 and lights $25.00. The lights are run on two 9v batteries.

 

After 60 hours of work she made this. Isn't it wonderful!

STUDENT :- LUKA

STUDENT:- LUKA

I have my first student turning up next week to learn how to make a gourd house. Isn't that brilliant! I am hoping that she will be the first of many and then I can give up my watergardening that I have been doing for the past 30 years.
I am presently spring cleaning my studio 'again'! I am really hoping that this is the last time. I've put up lots of shelving and purchased lost of clear plastic containers and hopefully it will be enough to keep these two rooms in a nice ordered fashion.
My hope, if the student will allow it, is to put up a photo of her completed work.

Well hear we are photos what do you think. Pre-t-e-t-y good I reckon.
I am EXTREMELY proud to put forward the results of my first student. She is girl aged 10 year named Luka.

A pre-made Gourd

She started with one of my pre-made gourds. Others can be seen in the back ground of the image to the left. By starting with one of these a 1/3rd of the work is already done.

Luka wanted to create a bakery.



The inside of the bakery

 Luka built the long shelving off to the left of the building out of balsa wood. Then two small shelves off to the right.











She created the stain glass windows, the pleated curtains with music notes all over them. Then created a fake door on the inside, made cakes and bread to go in baskets and bowls. She then stuck everything in as you see here. Luka also placed a light in her gourd house and also had a bunch of optic fiber that would be placed on the outside. This was run off a 9v battery. She also created fake vines to go around the gourd.

This is the last photo I had before the project went home for Christmas
to show to other memebers of her house hold.

As you can see an awful lot has been done. There is still a little bit to do. Luka created her rabbit (with a little help from me). She dressed her and created the counter and the cakes that are sitting on the shelves. She then decorated the outside of the gourd and can you see the row of ants walking under the floor boards? Very creative.

I am extremely proud of Luka's work. She learned how to cut wood, how to solder, how to work out what lighting she needed and how to put it all together. How to iron fabric, to sew fabric, to design her work, to work with colour and to create a model out of polymer clay. She also designed and painted her own stain glass windows. Luka's mother was extremely pleased with her daughters work and the classes I held and the way I taught my lessons and the information Luka learnt.

All up it took Luka 29 1/2 hrs to reach this point. She visited me once a week for 2 to 2.5 hrs. The cost of her lessons were $10 hr. The cost of the pre-made gourd was $25 and the cost of materials was $12 and light $10.00.

In the end Luka was very proud of herself and that is worth more than any money can buy.