Sunday, November 16, 2014

What the Art Teacher Wore #122 and Aw, Alpacas!

Abstract Monday: I'm taking my second graders to The Frist Center next Tuesday to see the Kandinsky exhibit. I wore this here number to chat with the kids about our trip and all that we'd see. Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly and that I don't experience my usual night-before-the-field-trip-nightmares. Anyone else have those?! Kandinsky dress: made by me, DIY heresweater and shoes: thrifted; tights: Target; hair clip: made by me; belt: Pin Up Girl Clothing

Whut's happenin, kids?! Just trying to stay warm and muscle my way through this last week before Thanksgiving Break. We are fortunate in my school district to get the ENTIRE week off for the holiday (don't hate. I DID got back to school at the end of July, remember?) so I've just got five days of schoolin' until 5 days of relaxin. Not that I'm counting down the hours/minutes/seconds or anything. Ahem.

This past week was kinda a wacky one. I had some sort of craziness every evening after school which was fun but wiped me out. So much so that I fell into a 2 hour coma sometime after lunch yesterday. I'm looking forward to a less-thrill/more-chill week before el break-o.

In other news, I had the opportunity to visit an alpaca farm Friday afternoon! I met the owner of the farm at a craft fair and made mention that I'd love to purchase some alpaca roving. Before I knew it, Suzie Conn, the owner of Willow Creek Alpacas, was inviting me out to her place to "meet the animals!". She was kind enough to allow me to snap a million photos and make short videos. I can't wait to share them with the kids before we begin our needle felting unit! In the meantime, I thought you might be interested in meeting these sweet creatures as well.

OH! And before I forget: I'll be holding a GIVEAWAY this week! So be sure to come back on Tuesday for more details, kids. Until then, have a great week!
 Willow Creek Farm is located in College Grove, Tennessee. The owners Suzie and Gary have 14 alpacas and have been raising them for the last 8 years. When I asked Suzie how they got their start, she said she saw an alpaca at a fair and decided she wanted one. After doing her homework, she bought her first one (for $15,000! But that was then. Now they go for about $2000). She now raises them and knits beautiful scarves and hats with their wool. 
The alpacas are very curious creatures. They immediately walked up to me however it was mostly cuz they thought I might have food. They are very skiddish so quick movements kinda freak them out. They're also not fans of being touched which is a total bummer. I was able to touch the wool on the back of one and, y'all. That is some seriously thick fur! I don't think I've ever felt fur that soft, warm and dense.
Tuesday: This was the last day of my after school clay class. I can't wait to show you some of the kids wild and wacky creations. This week, I'll show you how we created ceramic turkeys (or peacocks in some cases) with the help of a fall leaf. Each creation is just as creative and hilarious as the wee artist. dress: vintage, Buffalo Exchange; bow belt: Pin Up Girl Clothing; tights: Target; shoes: Dolls by Nina; necklace: Franklin Farmers Market
Ridiculous amount of cuteness, amirite?!

Windy Wednesday: Y'all, it's, like, winter here or something. And it's really crampin' my style. I just stay in a constant state of three-layers-of-tights/stacked-scarf coldness. I've been outta Indiana too long for this kinda cold, y'all. Where's my 60 degree November weather at, yo?! jacket: For-never21; Monet-wannabe dress: vintage, thrifted; belt: Anthro; boots: old, Seychelles
Y'all. I must apologize. I'm currently ADDICTED to creating memes. This here would be Exhibit A., B. and C.


 OMG, that face, I'm dying. The alpaca don't have top teeth in the front, just bottom. Their upper lip can separate and pick up even the smallest bits of food like tweezers. 
 Thursday-ness: I have to help out with math in fourth grade every so often. Which is RIDICULOUS as I'm THE WORST at math. I did have a funny convo with one student. He got the answer "52" and he said, "that's the age of my dad." To which I replied, "Huh, my mom is 58." And he was all, "whuh?! That means they are only 5 years apart. And I'm only 10! And you are, well, kinda old." After I forgave that "old" business, he asked how old my mom was when I was born. When I told him 17, he replied knowingly, "Ah, a teenage pregnancy. It happens." Bwahaha! dress: Modcloth; pencil sweater: DIY here

Alpaca Farm Friday!: Don't you worry, I didn't wear THIS to the farm although I couldn't resist wearing this skirt to school on Friday. I mean, hello, it has alpacas on it! (okay, so they might be llamas but whateves). I did change into some lovely long johns, leg warmers and a down jacket for the trip to the farm. It was a might bit chilly but so worth the cold to see these sweet guys and gals. sweater: Anthro, thrifted; belt, shirt and skirt: Anthro, not thrifted, unfortunately
This little baby alpaca (only one year old!) was easily my favorite. Thanks for dropping by, guys! 

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11 comments:

  1. Seriously... this is one of my fav posts of yours! Love love love the woolly creatures. Would love to visit that farm someday soon. Do you have an email or website address where I can contact them?

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    1. Judy -- if you click on the link to the farm (it should be highlighted in green) it will take you straight to the Willow Creek Alpaca Farm website (or google can too!). Suzie was very friendly, I'm sure she'd be up for a visit. Just drop her a line :)

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  2. Hello-
    I love your punky enthusiasm and your blog is great to read! I saw that ART WITH MR.E has you tagged as a blog he reads, and I'm glad I looked at your page.
    The freakster above has been posting on many womens blogs with this sad and dim witted post. His blog is equally unimpressive. Pay it no mind,-- you can't shut "stupid" up all the time, but you can delete the post!

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    1. Hello new friend! No worries, there's always gonna be folks out there that have little else to do than leave freak-show comments. I just hit delete and forget it! So glad you dropped by and thank you for leaving a happy comment :)

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  3. I love the alpacas! That baby is soo stinkin' cute!!!

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  4. Ha! I'm assuming the comment you got and deleted is the same one that I got too (and also deleted). I got the exact same comment a couple of other times, at least 2 years ago. The wording hasn't even cnanged. I'm amazed at the amount of junk that gets throug, even after the 'captcha' step.

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  5. I totally have Field Trip Nightmares, too! Once I dreamed I took my students on a field trip to Disney World (wtf?!) and I managed to lose half of them in the crowds! Their parents had to be called down to find their kids and I was humiliated and promptly fired! Ack! Anyway, good luck with your field trip! (And I love the llama skirt!!!!)

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  6. Hello, my new favorite blogger! I'm not sure I have come across anyone so entertaining in all my 62 years, except for my mom r.i.p. My daughter lives in Nashville where I came across the article about you in a magazine, she lives in the East side. I'm an artist of 25 years, watercolor mainly, just love the stuff. Also had a lot of success with transferring designs from flocked fabric to solid fabric if you are interested, would make a really cool garment and could also be a fun project for your kiddos. I'm a fabric store peruser and will keep an eye open for art fabric.

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  7. Anonymous11/18/2014

    You make my day! Your enthusiasm, passion, love of what you do, and ability to laugh, smile and have FUN while you do it is inspiring. I teach art to 3 grades at my school (sans studio, but with one crafty art-cart that I wheel from class to class... ugh!) and I find reading your blog an amazing uplifting part of my day... especially after 'one of those days' (like today was!). Cheers and congrats on being an amazing teacher and artist! Love it! Looking forward to reading more and more, Cassie :)

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  8. So, I had to read this post, too! Crazy creative is a great phrase. I used to live in a Northern California retreat center and we had a llama (whose name was Dolly) and she was a character. When my mom from Chattanooga came to visit, she fell in love with the llama and would visit Dolly every morning. One morning when they were "cuddling" over the fence, Dolly swiped my mom's big gold loop earring out of her ear and ATE it! My mom loved telling that story...
    LOVE YOUR BLOG, Cassie!

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