DIY: A Pack-a Attack-a Alpaca (AKA, Tales from an Alpaca Addict)

It could easily be stated that there are many a thing wrong with me. I suffer from anti-cleaning disease. I have a super bad and unshakable case of I-despise-cooking-itis. Not to mention the car-that-looks-like-an-army-of-hobo-clowns-live-in-it disorder which I deal with on a daily basis.

However, despite all my countless flaws, I never thought I'd add Alpaca Addict to the list...and yet...

Each and every time I look longingly at the photos from my alpaca trip, I'm all...

For that reason, I went on a wee bit of an alpaca-crafting bender over Thanksgiving break. With the help of my moms-in-law who, by her artsy nature, is always (willingly) dragged into my crafting adventures, we sculpted and papier mached these bad boys.

I know, right? Like, so super cutes it burns your retinas. And we used a buncha scrap supplies that woulda otherwise ended up in the recycling bin. Or in the back of my car with the hobo clowns which is more likely the case.

So just how did these lil guys come to life? Lemme start by showing you what our kitchen table looked like after the tofu-kery and pumpkin pie were cleared away...

So just what did we use? Well, lemme start by saying that is not mashed potatoes in the middle of the table. To craft our Alpaca Ornaments, we used:

*  Clothes pins for the legs. The ones with the metal wire hinge thingie work the best.

*  Wallpaper paste. Not be confused with mashed potatoes. Like, ew.

*  Aluminum foil scraps. I saved all the foil scraps from the kids' projects this year thinking that we'd come up with something to create. 

*  Newspaper torn into strips. What with Black Friday ads, we had plenty of newspaper to use. 

To create the body, we simply stood two clothes pins on end and crumpled a piece of foil over them for the body. Another piece was then wadded up and added for the neck and head. From there, we commenced wrapping the alpacas with newspaper. The ears were created by folding a wad of newspaper up to create a triangle shape and then attached. Because of their small size, these guys really took no time at all. And they were pretty easy once we figured out how to sculpt the body. I'm thinking my third and fourth grade kids could totally handle the scandal. 

After drying overnight, we give the little dudes a base coat of white to hide the newspaper print. From there, I just started slapping colors on the little guys whilst merrily scrolling through my alpaca pics for inspiration.

Then came the hair stylin's. When I was paper mache-ing, I didn't have a clue how to go about creating the hair. However, on a trip to the craft store, I found these super awesome pom-pom-making contraptions that worked out perfectly.  

In my bottomless stash of stuff (which reminds me, I can also had crazy-crafty-hoarder to my list of illnesses), I also happened to have yarn the exact color of my lil alpaca friends. So I promptly set to creating pom-pom alpaca afros. 

Also in my stash were some ethnic ribbons for the "blankets" to drape over the backs. These were hot glued into place.

Sparkly ribbony stuff was added for the hanger and viola! All ready for the yet-to-be-dragged-outta-the-closet Christmas tree!

 At some point during all this alpaca-madness, I got the crazy notion to paint some stationary. Because, you know, why not?

 I'm thinking that if I can fight off the urge to keep them myself, I just might gift these sets for Christmas. 

 I went about making them factory style on the dining room table (you know, because the kitchen table was full of papier mache and alpacas. As it should be). I started by just dry brushing some stripes...

 And some more stripes before stenciling. I found this super groovy ethnicy stencil at Michael's and bought it even before I had a plan. And I'm so glad I did because I loves it so.

After the background dried a bit, I sketched in some alpaca silhouettes in paint. Half the time they ended up looking like giraffes, llamas, deer or some creature from the Black Lagoon but I was determined to just keep painting and make 'em work. 

Once dry, I thickly painted stripes, dots and patterns on the back of the alpaca to mimic a blanket. I also added a lil line around the alpacas so they wouldn't appear so flat. 

And there you have it! A Pack-a Attack-Alpacas! I so loved creating both the cards and the ornaments. 

So, I gotta know, did you craft over Thanksgiving break? I'd love to know what you created. If you'd be so kind, share what you made in the comments and, if you have a blog where you featured your creation, please be sure to add a link below. Thanks, y'all!

Read more »

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 here; sweater 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! 

Read more »