How many times have you picked and scraped to remove one of those pesky produce stickers?
Photo by acloudman via Wikimedia Commons
I hear you!
But the next time you have a sticker stuck under your nail, you might look at it a little differently. You might—who knows?—even smooth it out, strip away the pieces of peel that cling to it, paste it to a piece of paper, and mail it to the Sticker Man.
That’s right—Sticker Man.
Once he has your sticker, it’s anybody’s guess where it could end up …
Photo courtesy of StickermanProduceArt.wordpress.com
Look closely. Yes, those are ALL produce stickers stuck by “Sticker Man” Barry Snyder.
Photo courtesy of StickermanProduceArt.wordpress.com
Why produce stickers, Barry?
His reply, “It’s so stupid, it’s neat.”
Neat, indeed. The 60-year-old, self-proclaimed Almost World Renowned Food Sticker Mosaic Artist has had a penchant for produce stickers, reports Modern Farmer, since he was teenager in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Over the years, he has refined his hobby into a singular sort of produce-inspired pointillist pop art.
This one might just be my favorite …
Photo courtesy of StickermanProduceArt.wordpress.com
Or, well, who wouldn’t love this colorful interpretation of American Gothic?
Photo courtesy of StickermanProduceArt.wordpress.com
Something about Barry’s art just makes you smile.
Photo courtesy of StickermanProduceArt.wordpress.com
You can actually purchase prints of Barry’s brilliant work, but you’ll probably have to call him (he prefers the telephone to newfangled computer chat).
Of course, he also welcomes produce stickers via his (tongue-in-cheek) Save Our Stickers Foundation.
In Barry’s words, “The Save Our Stickers Foundation provides a new home and a meaningful purpose to these unassuming stalwarts of our supermarket lifestyles. Won’t you please help? If you could find the compassion in your heart to simply peel these valiant warriors off the skins of your preferred produce and then place them, sticky side down, on a piece of notepaper (paper, not plastic), they can live as artwork (united with thousands of fellow food stickers as part of a symbiotic visual presentation), bringing joy to young and old alike.”
Photo courtesy of StickermanProduceArt.wordpress.com
He asks that you send your stickers to:
Barry Snyder
POB 301
Erie, CO 80516
After I returned from my virtual vacation “visiting” Wendy Houses, I was wandering the Web and found myself way out on the desolate, windy plains of Manitoba—off the beaten path by miles, I know—where I discovered a delightful domicile designed for all of us who have entertained dollhouse dreams long past the days of youth …
Photo courtesy of HeatherBenning.ca
And, yes, doll face, it was scaled for grown-up girls like you and me!
The dollhouse was the brainchild of Canadian artist Heather Benning, who spotted the ramshackle residence in 2005 while completing an artist-in-residence program in Redvers, Saskatchewan. Rather than photograph the abandoned farmhouse, capturing the sunlight on its aged timbers the way many an artist would, Heather was struck by an entirely different inspiration.
Photo of the dollhouse prior to restoration courtesy of HeatherBenning.ca
She tracked down the owners of the property, who told her that the house had been empty since the late 1960s and was in pretty sad shape. After hearing her proposal, though, the owners donated the house to Heather so she could doll it up for a unique artistic exhibition.
“For over 18 months, I re-shingled the roof with recycled shingles and restored and furnished the house to the era the house was abandoned,” Heather explains. “I then removed the north-facing wall and replaced it with plexiglass. The house was officially opened to the public on June 9, 2007.”
Dollhouse photos courtesy of HeatherBenning.ca
“I chose to close the house in with plexiglass because I wanted it to be inaccessible and tomb-like—inaccessible in that one cannot enter a real dollhouse because of the scale, and tomb-like because it encapsulates a time and a lifestyle that no longer exists, and will never exist again,” she said.
Heather furnished the interior with items collected locally from community member donations, garage sales, auctions, and thrift stores.
Alas, we can’t hope to make a pilgrimage to the house in person because it no longer exists …
“In October of 2012, the house began to show its age—the foundation was compromised,” Heather says on her website. “The house was only meant to stand as long as it remained safe. In March of 2013, ‘The Dollhouse’ met it’s death with fire.”
Dollhouse photos courtesy of HeatherBenning.ca
Sigh … ashes to ashes, dollhouse to dust.
Dollhouse photos courtesy of HeatherBenning.ca
Doesn’t it make you want to round up the little Janes in your life and design a dwelling for dolls? Even if we can’t live it it, we can always dream!
And the winner is:
Robin Blitchok, who said on March 31, 2014:
“Love all the vintage musicals, Debbie Reynolds, Doris Day, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Audrey Hepburn, and Julie Andrews.”
Robin, watch for an e-mail from the farm so we can get your new movie, Calamity Jane, on its way to you!
And the original post was:
“Yippeeeee! It’s the Big Bonanza in Musical Extravaganza!” reads the cover of this 1953 classic, starring Doris Day in the title role and Howard Keel as Wild Bill Hickok.
“At first, curvaceous Calamity is too durned busy fighting Indians and cracking a bullwhip to pay mind to such girlie what-alls as dresses and perfume. And Wild Bill is too danged busy wooing a dainty chanteuse to give a hoot about a hot-headed tomboy. But things change in a rootin’, tootin’, big way when each becomes love’s target. These are wide-open Technicolor Western spaces, lots of high-stepping dances, and a hummable humdinger of a score.”
How the West was sung!
If you like vintage musicals, you’re going to love this DVD! Leave a comment telling us who’s your favorite musical comedy star, and we’ll enter you in our giveaway. We’ll put your name in a hat and pull out the winner … stay tuned!
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … CJ Armstrong!!!
CJ Armstrong (ceejay48, #665) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert Level Weather Merit Badge!
BEGINNER:
How does one describe the Earth’s atmosphere and weather? A very complicated, complex process that we can only begin to understand. Earth’s atmosphere is briefly described as “layers of gas,” which are mostly nitrogen, but contain some oxygen. The short term is “air.” Often, certain air masses remain stationary over certain areas for a time; for example, the air over a tropical climate would become hot and humid. But the masses can shift and could bring changes to an area that are not typical for that region. But the atmosphere is ever-changing and moving, causing a variety of weather conditions. Part of that process causes changes in the atmospheric pressure, and a high-pressure system would indicate good weather, while a low-pressure system means clouds and precipitation are probably in the works.
A barometer is an instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure and can indicate short-term changes in the weather.
Wind is basically movement of air and, briefly described, is formed with changes in the Earth temperatures, with different heating patterns between the equator and the poles, and is affected by the planet’s rotation. Wind is also difficult to describe.
Studying all the elements of how weather is formed is very interesting and very intricate. Some of the other areas I have studied that impact weather are air masses, process of evaporation, jet streams, and El Niño.
INTERMEDIATE:
One could study clouds for a long time and one could watch them form and move on for hours. They are beautiful, interesting, and ever-changing. Basically, clouds are formed of condensed water/ice and are formed when rising air expands and cools to the point that molecules clump together faster than they are torn apart by thermal energy.
Common types of clouds are:
Cumulus, meaning “heap”
Stratus, meaning “layer”
Cirrus, meaning “curl of hair”
Nimbus, meaning “rain”
There are also classifications of high-level, mid-level, low-level, and vertically formed clouds.
I learned to classify clouds a long time ago as a child in school. It’s something that my husband and I still practice so that we have sense of what weather might be coming our way, and it’s something we taught our daughter when she was in school. Very intriguing practice!
EXPERT:
Because of our need to know what weather might impact travel, gardening, building projects, outdoor activities, and numerous other situations or activities, my husband and I have been charting weather in our area for a long time.
We are mindful of what might be ahead before planning any activity or project that is going to be greatly affected by the weather.”
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
