I first attempted this project myself while attending a beautiful local women’s gathering by Art On Earth. Sewing leaves into pretty patterns and shapes was something I had never considered before attending an Andy Goldsworthy inspired evening in a yurt surrounded by sacred sisters.  I was scheduled to teach sixth grade art the next day so that morning I brought my snips and drove all over town in search of colorful fall leaves that were 1. low enough so I could reach and 2. not too crispy.

I started the lesson with a little background information, photos and a couple you tube videos.

Andy Goldsworthy

(from Wikipedia:)

(born 26 July 1956) is a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist producing site-specific sculpture and land art situated in natural and urban settings. He lives and works in Scotland.

Photography plays a crucial role in his art due to its often ephemeral and transient state. According to Goldsworthy, “Each work grows, stays, decays – integral parts of a cycle which the photograph shows at its heights, marking the moment when the work is most alive. There is an intensity about a work at its peak that I hope is expressed in the image. Process and decay are implicit.”^[7]

Art process

The materials used in Andy Goldsworthy’s art often include brightly coloured flowers, icicles, leaves, mud, pinecones, snow, stone, twigs, and thorns. He has been quoted as saying, “I think it’s incredibly brave to be working with flowers and leaves and petals. But I have to: I can’t edit the materials I work with. My remit is to work with nature as a whole.

You can download his documentary online

Rivers and Tides

I’d like to play the following videos in class:

https://youtu.be/JTnHiOA6a0E

https://youtu.be/fIQKZghtyiY

https://youtu.be/I051qmxvDlE

I’d like to share the photos from this website:

http://www.top13.net/land-artworks-andy-goldsworthy/

The Fun Begins:

Heavy duty thread and wide eye needles and piles and piles of leaves were spread across everyones desks.

I showed them a couple basic sewing skills and hoped for the best.  Sometimes I just cross my fingers and hope the project isn’t a complete failure.  The kids were quiet and engaged and seemed to really enjoy themselves.

One student had a broken arm and instead of sewing he created patterns on his desk, took a photo, and then made new patterns.

I encouraged everyone to place their leaf art in a body of water in nature and take a photo in true Andy Goldsworthy style.

Thank you to Mrs. Knight for a great tutorial on this colorful fall project.  The third graders had fun and the final piece is totally frame worthy.  I’ve listed some basic notes about the information I shared with my kiddos and most importantly plenty of photos….

………………………………………..

We’re going to learn tricks to creating the illusion of depth of space

Play 4 minute video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=Ompo4xG6m8g

Value:  Element of art associated with the darkness or lightness of a color

The following is an example of a piece of artwork that shows different values of one color that help give the illusion of space:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e3/e6/06/e3e60657a5053db42884918420b41b3a.jpg

Spotlight Artist:

Grant Wood

Born in 1891 in Iowa

His painting American Gothic is one of America’s most famous paintings.

American Gothic:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Grant_Wood_-_American_Gothic_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

landscape paintings:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Nearsundown_wood.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HEc9lLBM8YU/UCtpUJHvSOI/AAAAAAAAknQ/C8iS0-Yy8v0/s640/Grant+Wood++(3).png

http://artofthejets.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/1/4/10148402/7009937_orig.jpg

I made these super cute ornaments with my son’s third grade classroom last week.  It’s just mod podge and strips of paper on a glass ornament.  I photocopied an old children’s Christmas book at 50% size and the kids cut them into strips.  They brushed the mod podge onto the strips and then I added sparkles at the top.  Super simple.

I find it’s helpful to have an easy craft for those students who finish faster then others so I gave some basic instructions to tear the papers in different lengths to form a Christmas tree.  They mod podged the paper to brown craft paper and used a stamp cutter for the star.  I later used their cards as part of the package design.

Working with mod podge on school desks means you may have to come back with a razor blade at a later date to clean so consider using plastic table cloths.  Also you’ll want to wash your brushes immediately after using them before they are solid. I’ve found Murphy’s Oil Floor Soap helps to remove old hard acrylic paint from brushes by the way…..just soak them for a couple hours.

If you’ve been following along on instagram, you may have seen some photos of my war-zone backyard and our new labradoodle puppy Olive.  We decided the backyard was due for an overhaul and we are excited to be putting in a pool and cabana.  Of course we figured it would be done by now since we started the process in March, but of course we are still sitting on the edge of our seats waiting for the county permits.  What better time to get a new puppy!!

Part of the backyard redesign required the relocation of a shed and playhouse combination.  They are a combined unit but when the crane lifted it, they became two parts.  A pretty crazy ordeal and I’m sad that I missed the excitement as I was on an 18 mile hike from Sugar Bowl to Squaw…which was probably a lot more Zen-like then watching my backyard turn into a war zone.  I don’t do well with such chaos and although I can see the completed vision, I’m having a difficult time in the interim.  (Did I mention the interior demo in my kitchen?  I’ll save that for another day.)

Needless to say I’m spending more time in my courtyard.  With the fairies.

And the frogs.  And besides this zen frog master, our frogs are legit.  We have to turn the fountain on and off at night to scare the frogs from croaking long enough for my daughter to fall asleep.

Hopefully we’ll have a pool by fall, which in that case it will be soon there after become an ice skating rink.  Oh the joys of home renovations.

*remember to refer to Clay Guide lines

Printable PDF: wall hanging plant holder

Supplies: (check first grade clay bin)

• wooden skewers
• clay mats
• templates for front piece and back piece
• small bowls for water
• sponges (optional)
• impression objects such as lace, leaves, buttons (in art room)
• straws for punching holes

Prep:

• review clay guidelines
• Roll clay to 1/4 inch thick using the clay roller.
• Using needle tool or wooden skewer, slice pieces to fit selected templates

When choosing a template for the front part of the clay plant holder, make a couple samples out of paper and see how they look when curved into a pocket onto of your selected back.  I made two samples for our school and I’m not sure which one I like better.  And honestly if you know me you’d guess that if I did another I may do a different style.

Students:

• Using needle tool or wooden skewer trace selected wall hanging template
• Carve name of student onto the back of the back piece using needle tool.
• Using wet finger or damp sponge, smooth out edges of clay pieces.
• Stamps, lace, rubber leaves or other objects can be used to make impressions on the clay back piece and front piece.
• Variation one has a cone shape that attaches to the front side, while variation two attaches to the sides of the back.

• Attach front piece to back piece, by scoring clay on both sides that will touch, and adding water with finger. Wiggle clay until they adhere to one another. 

• My second variation has the front side attaching to the edges of the bottom piece.  Anything will really work as long as it’s attached properly.  

• Smooth clay where two pieces attach using a damp finger

• punch holes on back with straw for hanging

• Wall hangings similar to variation two may need a roll of paper as support during drying process.

Glazing Option:

• The glaze in both variations was applied and then lightly wiped off so more remains in the impressions.

6″ x 6 ” beeswax, paper, ink, claybord

A couple weekends ago I taught a class for a Wise Women’s Workshop located in the beautiful backyard of a dear friend.  Classes ranged from yoga and chakra dancing to herbs for health and sexuality, dream catcher making, meditative drawing, Craneosacral therapy and crystals.  I’m honored to have been a part of this two day workshop.  Locations for the classes included a tipi, a sacred deck that wrapped around a huge pine tree and a beautiful yurt.

I was blessed with the yurt as my meeting space primarily because it has electricity to warm my crockpot of beeswax that we used to layer multiple forms of medium to create one of a kind creations.  I thoroughly enjoyed teaching a small group of adults as I’m used to teaching large groups of children.  The week prior to class I spent preparing sample projects and finishing older pieces that had been cast aside.  I’ve always been intrigued with using wax as a medium for art and have recently began experimenting and taking classes in encaustics.  Due to time limits I decided this class would be focused on beeswax instead of encaustic medium and encaustic paints.

I brought an assortment of old books,  sheet music, tissue papers, transfer paper, stamps, inks, alcohol and beautiful hand made paper.  I gave a quick tutorial in image transfer using the burnishing method over wax and showed how alcohol can do magical things when sprinkled onto wet ink. Every student received one claybord and a piece of 6 x 6 inch plywood cut by my wonderful husband.  I demonstrated the wax layering process, fusing between layers and using a razor blade to level the surface but due to time constraints I did this process for most of them.

Some of my samples you may have seen via Instagram many moons ago, some are new:

6″ x 6″ Beeswax, inks, paper, plywood

6″ x 6″ Beeswax, inks, paper, oil paint, plywood

12″ x 12″ Beeswax, paper, ink, plywood

The poppy piece was a work in process for quite some time.  Image transfer of old music took forever and I lost interest.  Teaching this class encouraged me to pull it out from the depths of my studio and pick off most of the cat hair and finally finish.

Here is a close up of the poppy piece:

Watching the beautiful pieces emerge from the participants was my favorite.  Providing the supplies and watching the magic unfold has inspired me to teach this class again in the future.

Doors are an overlooked part of the home, but actually make quite a statement when implemented properly. Townhomes in New York City and historical estates in Charleston, for example, are often outfitted with brightly colored doors as a nod to their city or neighborhood’s culture. You can achieve this look no matter where you reside – but what do you do with your old, outdated door? Here are a few ideas to reduce your carbon footprint and recycle an old door as a décor statement.

1. Table Top Furniture is expensive, and using repurposed pieces you already own is one way to cut furnishing costs. If you have an old door lying around, you can simply sand and stain for a fresh look. Then, attach the door to a stylish base that complements the rest of your home. If you have a knack for woodworking, consider building a sawhorse, which is basically a workbench for carpenters, but also acts a unique stand for a door tabletop. The entire piece will give off rustic interior design vibes.

2. Room Dividers If you have an open-concept living area and would like to designate a space for an office, or even a dining area, consider using room dividers to delineate functionality. Unlike floor-to-ceiling walls, room dividers are lighter and more stylish without closing off a room, making it appear smaller in size. When creating room dividers, simply attach doors with decorative hinges and position in a folding pattern. The doors don’t have to be identical, especially if you want to achieve eclectic design at home. You can also use door dividers to hide storage spaces or laundry facilities while maintaining easy access. Just be careful when moving dividers, as they aren’t fixed to the floor and can fall when not in the accordion position.

3. Bookshelves Displaying novels and books isn’t just for avid readers lacking storage space. They are also a fun design accent to incorporate in a home or apartment. Use scrap wood from old doors to create floating shelves for a minimalist, contemporary design, or use larger pieces to install built-in bookshelves for a more traditional style. Built-in shelving is an easy way to attract future house hunters concerned with functionality.

4. Large Picture Frame The border of an old door can be the perfect outline for your favorite poster or piece of art. Simply cut out the middle of a damaged door and hang the outline around your favorite images. For smaller photographs and paintings, consider cutting down the sides of doors and reassembling for a tighter fit.

5. Standing Mirror Mirrors are the perfect complement to any space. While handy for checking appearances, reflective surfaces are also useful at making small spaces appear larger and brighter. Try using a repurposed doorframe, either refinished or in its original condition, as a border to a vertical, floor-length mirror. Simply lay the finished piece against a wall opposite of a window and create the illusion of extra square footage and ample natural light. You don’t have to go throwing away your old doors just yet. Instead, recycle them by getting crafty with one of these ideas. For more ideas on DIY projects and repurposing, check out Zillow Blog home improvement tips.

I sold my last kitchen table for $20 less then what I bought it for on craigslist.  It was in fine condition and a perfectly wonderful table, but honestly it was a little bit too high for me and it made me feel like a little kid (not in a good way).  You have to remove one thing to make room for another so I decided it was time to send it on it’s way.  My new table and chair options are a bit pricey.  I have a hard time spending money on new furniture when I know there are even better vintage options for less money.  But my home is a mix of highs and lows, new and old and that’s what keeps it balanced.  Here’s the options I was considering:

I love the tulip table but I’m concerned it will start to wobble after constant use.  Tulip tables definitely have a wide price range and something makes me nervous about buying a cheap one.  Like it’s only for looks and will not live up to my three kids.  I’m thinking the wooden table is the way to go and I plan on hiring an artist on ETSY to help me design it similar to the one in the photo.  I’m not sure what size, as my old table was five foot and that always felt a bit too big.  But what’s too small?  I want a rustic finish that will hide the wear and tear, but will also be wipeable from spills.  My husband has the reclaimed wood table from Restoration Hardware at his office and it has cracks and crevices full of food particles that can’t really be cleaned….gross.

I’ve always had my eye on the metal cafe chairs.  You can find them in a lot of online catalogs, but be sure you check all the measurements.  Some are less expensive because they are nearly child sized.  The chairs at Restoration Hardware are one of the largest you can find.  I decided to end my compulsive searching and just buy them…seven of them.  Five for full time use and two that we keep stacked in the guest room for when the grandparents come for a visit.  Whichever table I end up with long term, I know these classic chairs will work great.

So….meanwhile…. I happen to have an extra table in my garage.  I recently painted seven vintage chairs for my dining room table by my shutter wall.  When I purchased them, they came with a table and I’m not one to say no to free.

It has a rattan base with a four foot laminate top.  Nothing much to write home about.    But I thought it would be perfect on a temporary basis and a good way to experiment with size.

So…live or die, I decided to paint it with coral chalk paint and see how long it lasts.  Chalk paint (please note, not chalkboard paint) promises to adhere to nearly anything without any amount of prep.  I even made my own and painted my daughters desk which turned out great.  I’ll share soon.

I washed the table with a mild soap and scrubbed it with a kitchen Dobie.  Just like the chairs around my dining room, this table was super dirty.  Like DA ERT TEE!  I painted two coats of FolkArt chalk paint on both sides of the base and three coats of paint on the top.

After the paint dried, I brushed on one coat of creme wax on the base and three coats on the top.  You can buy a special brush just for wax coats, or you can use a rag.  I’ve done both for varying projects.  When using the brush, make criss cross X strokes across the flat surface.  Just remember that the texture of the table will be defined by the strokes of the wax.  On another project I used circle strokes with the rag.  The texture really becomes evident if you decide to put a tinted wax over the clear wax.  This will give the piece an aged look.  You can also tint the clear wax yourself with paint but I digress.  Perhaps I’ll do a tutorial on these techniques if you’re interested. All I did was the clear Creme Wax by Americana Decor.  I imagine I will need to add another coat every month or so depending on how often I wipe down my table.  We’ve been eating outside a lot this summer so that’s been helping the longevity of the wax coat.  I’ll keep you posted if you’re interested.

I sold my previous red round rug on Craigslist as well and am super excited about my new 9 foot jute rug.  Overall the coral table is not a favorite of the boys in the house buy my daughter and I love it.  It’s fun to have change and the pop of color makes me smile.  So far the size is working out great.  We are more inclined to have one conversation at a time since we are so much closer.  It’s a tight fit but we can put all seven chairs around the table when needed.  There’s not a lot of extra space for food but usually the food is set up like a buffet at the kitchen island anyway.

You may remember when I brought home my 12 foot long dining table, teetering precariously from the bed of our 5.5 foot truck bed.  It used to be a conference table and is complete with name carvings and used gum underneath the top.  If you know me, you know my home is always evolving.  My five turquoise Eames style dining chairs were joined by a ten foot church pew a couple years ago that I recovered in white vinyl.  I shall say that it was a little more then annoying to be the person in the middle of a bench that needs to excuse themselves.  I moved the bench into my living room and started keeping my eye out for more chairs.

If you follow me on Instagram, then you may have seen the chair photos I posted after a successful thrifting expedition:

Three cafe chairs and four rattan chairs.  The rattan chairs came in a set with a matching table.  I didn’t really need another table but of course I can’t say no to free.  It has since worked it’s way into our home and I’ll share it with you soon.  To be honest I wasn’t sure I would be using these chairs in my dining room or my round room or if they would just collect dust in my garage.  When I go treasure hunting, I consider buying an item if it’s a good price, I like it, and it’s in good shape.  I worry later about where it belongs.

All the chairs were extremely dirty with grungy grime like you wouldn’t believe.  I gloved up and scrubbed them with a mild soap and a kitchen Dobie.  I probably could have kept scrubbing for days and continued to removed cheesy fumundama but you got to know when to say when.

I used zinsser primer tinted with a dark grey for the first coat on all seven chairs.  It was cold and wintery outside so I did all the painting over cardboard in my kitchen while catching up on “Fixer Upper.”

I took my Eames style chair into Home Depot.  It was too big to scan in their machine but I found the closest color card to match.

Two full coats of turquoise paint and a third coat spotted on as needed on all seven chairs.

Recovering the round chair pads were fairly simple.  I placed the pad on top of the fabric and pulled it, attaching it to the wooden base using a staple gun at the four quarters like fifteen minute intervals on a clock.  Pulling the fabric taught in the middle of each quarter I continued to staple the fabric until it was attached all the way around.  Many of the staples needed to be hammered in further or hammered bent down around the fabric.  As long as the fabric feels secure it’s okay if you have to bend the staple over with the hammer.  Trip the excess fabric and reattach to the chair.

The blue and green suzani fabric is a remnant from the coffee table I turned into an ottoman.

The small print blue and green floral fabric I found a year ago at the thrift store.  I recommend checking the fabric section when thrifting just in case you find something you like and can tuck away hoard until needed.

Here’s the dining room before:

And after I painted all the dining room chairs to match my Eames Chairs:

Supplies needed before purchasing your bearded dragon:

Enclosure:

The tanks with the front doors are really cool and make it easier to access the lizards while not having to deal with moving the lights on the top of the tank.  They sell these at pet stores in town and on amazon. Priced at  like $240. 36″ x 18″ x 18″ ( you don’t want anything smaller then 18″ depth because of their size including tail).  This is a little small for our Bearded Dragons because they are extra large at 18″ and 20″ in length.

You can also use what’s called a 40 gallon breeder tank.  Sometimes Petco has a dollar a gallon sale in like June.  You can house a baby in a 20 gallon to start but you will eventually need 40 so you might as well not buy it twice.  The breeder tank is a little wider then a traditional tank.  Ours is 18″ deep, 17 ”  high and 36″ wide.  You only need a terrarium, not an aquarium.  The lid will need to be a metal wire lid.  They sell them with hinges so you can lift the front, leaving the back in place holding the lights and heater.

Ours is a Showcase Cage.  They’re great and are even stackable. This one is  4′ x 2′ x 18″

You do not need an under tank heating pad.  Some lizards may not move if they start to burn on their bellies.

You do not need a water bowl.  Babies need to be misted 3 times a day till they get older.  They will lick the droplets and it’s adorable.  The adults get a soak bath once a week.  This is how they drink.  Water should be warm and you may need to drain and refill because soaking can also help them poop.  And no one wants to drink their toilet water.

You need a food bowl.  Something heavy.  We have a cool glass ashtray I got at the thrift store.

We use a storage tub for insect feeding.

You need to choose a substrate for the bottom of your tank.  Tile is best.  Paper towels and newspaper are also good options.  Sand can be dangerous especially for babies because they taste their environment and can ingest the sand and become impacted.  Plus it gets the poopoos on it and can stink.

You need to buy powdered vitamins and powdered calcium.  This can be sprinkled onto their veggies and insects before they eat.  Vitamins once a week and calcium every day. We feed these supplements to our Cockroach colony instead of to the lizards.  This way they ingest it second hand.  If you feed them crickets you can shake the powder into the cricket bag.

A spray bottle is used to mist babies and to mist veggies so they can up their water intake.

You will need a hide/shade structure.  This can be simply made from two bricks and a flat stone or you can get something more expensive at the pet store.

You will need a CHE bulb (ceramic heat emitter).

You need a basking bulb

You need a UVB bulb.

We have a timer and use the Che at night (cuz it’s cold where we live) and the basking bulb during day. The uvb bulb is timed to be used during day too.  Someday I’d like to get a thermometer regulator.  It shuts the heater on and off to maintain the desired temperature.  But so far I’ve been bleeding money while getting everything set up so I’m going to wait a few.

You need a lamp to hold the CHE and the basking bulb.  You can buy two or you can buy a combo lamp.  The combo lamp mini has two plugs but is smaller and fits into the lamp pocket of the showcase cage we use.  Make sure it works with the bulb wattage you have chosen.

You need a hood to hold your bulb UVB/UVA light.  Mercury vapor bulbs are also common to be used in place of this strip bulb but I have not researched enough on that subject.

A temp gun is the best way to monitor the temperature inside the tank.  They need a hot side (where the CHE and basking bulb is placed ) to be about 103 degrees and a cool side of about 70 degrees (where you also put your shade structure/hide).  Night time temperatures can be lower.  The babies we have are kept with a CHE on 24 hours a day because we don’t keep our house temperature warm enough for them at night.

In the winter, bearded dragons can have a four month brumation period where you turn down temperatures drastically.  Please refer to the recommended resources for more information regarding brumation.

You will need some sort of container to hold your feeder insects.  We have an aquarium in the garage with a metal mesh lid for crickets. We only use small crickets for the babies.  We have a Dubia cockroach colony to feed our adult bearded dragons.  Provide your insects with carrots or orange slices and a bowl of water crystals.  We feed our Dubias a special cockroach mix to keep them healthy.  You are what you eat.

Local store in Reno, Nevada:  Sierra Aquatics is quiet reliable.  Don’t rely on people at petsmart or petco to give you any accurate information.

Below is my son’s report for his GT photojournalism report and will provide more information about caring for a Bearded Dragon:

******************

 Bearded Dragons

 INTRODUCTION–CHOOSING A BEARDED DRAGON AS PET

If you’re looking for a new pet, I would suggest a bearded dragon. They are great reptilian companions.  They’re calm and appropriate for all ages. Cory, an employee at Sierra Aquatics says they are, “…pretty much good for any age as long as they can handle it; the adult/parent anyway.  They’re one of the more common (reptilian companions) because they are so relaxed and fun to have around.  They’ll just sit on your shoulder and be very friendly.  Very rarely do you find a mean bearded dragon.”  When picking out your new bearded dragon it should look healthy and active.  They come in multiple colors so if you like colorful pets, pick a fancy.  Cory says, “You don’t want to buy them under anything like a month or two.  When they’re hatchlings it’s not good to give them out because they’re fighting the hardest to survive and eat.  They can be very stressed out easily as well so you don’t want to move them around a lot.”  “They can live quite a long time.  Sometimes over 15 years if they’re taken care of very well.”

DIET

When Bearded Dragons are a baby under one year they eat 10% vegetable and 90% meat.  When they are an adult it is the opposite.  “They are omnivorous, but they eat a lot of crickets when they’re younger.  The older they get the more greens and vegetables they’ll eat.  So I suggest some really healthy greens but mostly just crickets and a good variety of bugs like that.  People even feed worms and roaches as well.”  I feed my dragons Dubia Cockroaches from my own colony, and dandelion greens.  Sometimes we have other foods but these are really good for them.  Dubia cockroaches are better than crickets because they have a higher “meat to shell ratio,” like my mom always says.  Sometimes we gave them a pinky mouse and that’s good for them too.  Once I fed my lizards dead gourmet crickets in a golden can.  They didn’t’ try to eat the crickets, they tried to eat the can!

Bearded Dragons need to be bathed four times a month so they can drink water.  You can also spray them or their food with water so they can drink.  They do not need a water container in their habitat.

HABITAT

Bearded dragons should have at least a forty gallon tank.  But the bigger the better.  Sierra Aquatics Associate says, “I suggest only one per cage.  There’s a lot of dominance issues with bearded dragons.  If you mix them you’ll get eggs.  I wouldn’t put two males together.  Sometimes even females will fight.  They are pretty much solitary animals.  They very rarely run into one another in the wild and that’s only to make eggs and that stuff.”

There are multiple types of substrates.  Three common are sand, tiles and paper towels.  I would suggest tiles because, unlike sand, they can’t eat it.  You can’t use sand for any dragon that is under one year old because they will eat it and could die.  They sometimes try because they taste their environment.  Tiles are better then paper towels because whenever you clean it you just wipe it instead of getting another paper towel.

Bearded Dragons need a cooling place so you have to provide a shade structure.  They will also need a food bowl wide enough so they don’t knock it over.  They like to have plants in their cage, too.  The dragons will need a UVB/UVA bulb and a basking light during the day.  The temperature on the hot side of the habitat will be 103 degrees. The temperature on the cooler side will be 69 degrees.  Another heating device called a CHE (ceramic heating element) might also be needed if the cage isn’t hot enough.

BREEDING/EGG LAYING

Cory says, “Females eventually lay eggs.  Whether they have (a male) to help them with eggs or not. Sometimes they’ll have infertile eggs and it can take quite a toll on their body and stress them out.  But obviously you can work around that.  You can give them supplements like vitamins.”  When my male wants to breed with my female his beard turns black and he bobs his head a lot. “Males are very showy.  They kind of like to bob their heads and move around like they’re all that,” says Cory.  A nesting box must be provided when the female is ready to lay her eggs.  She is usually more heavy and bigger and she starts digging when she is ready.  If you do not provide a nesting box she may become egg bound and you have to take her to the vet for surgery.

While we were incubating our eggs we used a homemade incubator.  We lost ¾ of our eggs.  There was a few we lost after transferring to the new incubator.  We had three survivors.  The eggs took two months to hatch.  Right now we have our babies and they just hatched a few days ago.  They eat mini crickets and a few dandelion greens.  We will give them a new home when they are six weeks old.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion Bearded Dragons are great companions, but are not the easiest.  I agree with Cory when he said,  “Normal they are labeled as beginner pets but I would probably call them intermediate because of the lights and they’re special needs they have, their diet too.”  If you would like more information about Bearded Dragons go to Sierra Aquatics or www.BeardedDragon.org and not any ordinary pet store.

CREDITS

Cory at Sierra Aquatics

www. BeardedDragon.org

The Bearded Dragon Manual from The Herpetocultural Library

and my mom.