What the Art Teacher Wore #168

Welcome Back Monday: Yep, just like that, we're back at it! I know, I can't believe it either. It's been a wonderful summer...but busy! I'd love another two weeks just to recovery from my "vacation"...but I suppose that will have to wait. Time to do some art teacherin'! dress: Bernie Dexter; belt and crinoline: Amazon; converse: Um, DSW, I think

Howdy, friends! I dunno why I feel this way, but it seems I've not chatted with y'all in ages. I think it's because with the freedom of summer, I got out of my routine of blogging...but all that's about to change. I'm back to art teacherin' and, hopefully, back to a regular schedule. Cuz I don't think I'll be able to keep up those til-2am-sewing nights much longer. I'm excited to be back and I'm excited to be chatting with you!

I've gotten a lotta emails lately from y'all about heading back to school, how to prepare, how to set up the art room and all the rest. If you've messaged me and I've not responded, please accept my sincerest apologies. I am making an effort...but, honestly, I'm never gonna win the Best Emailer Award. If you'd please leave your questions in the comments, I can address them but the best part is, other folks can chime in as well. Don't think you are the only one with questions, we are all right there with ya. The more knowledge we share for all to see, the better. Also you might wanna subscribe here as I've been addressing those questions in Art Teacherin' 101. 

Now, if I can get my act together, I have some fun DIY and In the Art Room posts planned for you this week...so stay tuned! In the meantime, have a super duper week, y'all!

Calendar of Kindness, Day #1: Write a Thank You Note. True confession: I love writing letters. Mostly because I love receiving letters. When I was a kid, I lived far away from my extended family like my cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. I sent them tons of letters and LIVED for the day to get one from them. As I got older, I had pen pals all over the world: Yugoslavia (back when there was a Yugoslavia), Australia, Japan, Canada, you name it. I still have those letters and love rereading them. So writing thank you notes, or notes of any kind, is one of my fave things to do. 

I hope you are joining in on the fun! Some of the prompts are hard to post and reshare on social media (like giving a high five)...but I do love the daily reminder to do something, no matter how small, kind. Snapping a picture and sharing it with the interweb is just a fun way to get that wee reminder out there. You can find me (over)sharing here. 

I thought it would be fun to make a kid-friendly edition too! I just might have to continue this on a monthly basis. My thought is to plant the seed with these daily reminders...and also to use them as prompts for my early finishers. Done with that painting? Write someone a Thank You note! 

 Meet the Teacher Tuesday: Our sweet students come to school in the evening on this day to meet their teachers! It's such a fun way to welcome the kids back. Definitely one of my favorite events as a teacher. The enthusiasm is contagious! dress: by the brand CowCow, found on Amazon; belt and crinoline: Amazon; converse: DSW; sweater and scarf: thrifted; necklace: Paper Source

 How can you quickly become everyone's favorite? Bring a ton of chocolate to those long back-to-school meetings. Nothing makes data-mining sweeter. 

 Wonder Wall Wednesday: When I'm at school, I often snap my photos in front of my Art Rocks wall. You can read more about that here. I love how this dress from Wearing History matches so well! 

Like, WHUT. So my friend Beth Moore turned me on to these inexpensive (under 20!) dresses on Amazon. Search the brand-name Cowcow (if that doesn't make you feel self-conscious...). My buddy Rebecca found TONS of dresses by them in different themes like space, Halloween, Christmas, the list goes on. Go get yourself into some trouble and get you some new back to schoolin' duds. Then we can be twinzies!

 Back to School Eve Thursday: We were so fortunate to have this day to work in our rooms and prep for the kids. I am STILL not ready but I'm ready enough! And excited for the new year, so much fun stuff is in the works! I can't wait to share with y'all how we are kicking off the school year. Stay tuned. dress: Bernie Dexter

So I decided to "Thank an Officer" by taking a couple dozen donuts to the police station. I know, stereotype much? They certainly didn't seem to mind. At the end of the school day, we had about four dozen donuts left over from our morning treat that were sitting untouched in the copy room...so I took those to the police station as well. The sweet woman working the desk must have thought I was nuts! "You're back!? Well, the night crew will love it!" 

 First Day Friday: We started our school year with a half day. No kids in my art room...but we do grade-level assemblies to acquaint the students with the school, school rules, procedures and expectations. I'm itching to get 'em in my art room! dress, crinoline and converse: Amazon; sweater: Target

Calendar of Kindness said to plant something...so I planted my beautiful spider palm, Mildred Pierce, in the Jungle Lounge. I got tired of watching Asha (my sweet tabby) chew her leaves off. I'm excited to have something with bigger hair than me in my art room!

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What the Art Teacher Wore #167

 Marvelous Monday: Ah...this week actually felt like SUMMER! I didn't have too obligations on my agenda except to visit buddies, hit estate sales and do whatever I wanna do. Isn't that what summer is supposed to be all about? dress: sweet little five dollar estate sale number from the 50's. I'm in love! belt: a market in L.A.; yellow Chucks: Amazon; bag: Goodwill Outlet

Hey there, party people! I hope this week has treated you well. It's been a fun and relaxing one here. I've stitched, worked on a couple new projects to share with y'all and in my art room, attended and presented at the Art Ed Now conference, estate sale'd and met up with buddies for coffee and lunch. The perfect summer agenda, says me! 

Next week, the fun really begins: the hubs and I are taking off for Southern California for a short vacation. Then my buddy Laura is flying in for us to join the amazing Patty Palmer at her Deep Space Sparkle Workshop! We are so excited to meet the attendees and share our passion for creating with children. I'll keep all y'all posted. Until then, have a fabulous week!

 If you follow me here, then you know I'm learning to play the uke. I've not played a musical instrument since my sad attempt to learn the violin in college (my apologies to EVERYONE who lived on the second floor in Edmonson at I.U.!). I'm a slow learner but this instrument seems like something I might be able to handle. The end goal is to learn to play We Will Rock You (odd choice, I know, but hear me out) so that I can play accompaniment when we sing Art Will Rock You in my art room! I've been working on more lyrics to share with y'all as well as how I plan to use it in my art room. Stay tuned, I'll be sure to keep you posted! 

 Terrific Tuesday: I've not had much luck shopping for vintage and other goodies at the thrift stores of late. This Anthropologie dress that I scored a while back is still one of my fave finds. I love the vintage cut of the dress! dress: Anthro, found at the thrift; belt: Pin Up Girl Clothing; shoes: Chucks found at DSW; bag: Enid Collins, antique

 This is the first time since May that I've had a chance to spend time in my sewing room. I have a small stockpile of vintage dresses that I've thrift picked over the last couple of months that are in need of minor repair before wear. I decided to knock out a couple before starting a new sewing project. The red dress (scored for a mere $8 at Buffalo Exchange) just needed to have the elastic in the shoulders tightened up!

 Wonderful Wednesday: And now look at the dress! I am in love with the print and the cut. I also dig how well it matches my Enid Collins bag. dress: vintage, Buffalo Exchange; belt: Pin Up Girl Clothing; shoes: DSW; bag: vintage Enid Collins, ebay

 If you attended the AOE Now online conference and happened to hang out with me while I chatted about fiber arts in the art room, then you got a sneak peak of my sewing room! This is also where many of my Art Teacherin' 101s have been filmed of late (y'all should subscribe. New videos about all things art teacherin' drop every Wednesday). I'm fortunate to have a space to sew. It'd be a lot  bigger of  a space if I didn't cram it full of fabric, felting supplies and patterns. But these things make me so happy. And, like a true hoarder, I like to surround myself with everything, all at once, all the time. 

 Thoroughly Thursday: I managed to pack so much into my Thursday it was bananas. Early morning estate sales, Art Ed Now conference and chat, Indian food, afternoon coffee with an art teacherin' friend and her wee baby and thrift store shopping. I love a packed day when it's filled to the brim with funness. dress: vintage. It once was a stained white before I dyed it fuchsia

 So, funny lil story: for the Art Ed Now conference, I needed to be available to chat and take questions during my session which was around noon. A storm was rolling in so I decided, five minutes before my air time, to run out and clear our deck of the furniture I didn't want damaged in the storm. And wouldn't ya know, the dern door locked right behind me. I was LOCKED OUTTA MY HOUSE. I could see my laptop on the kitchen table with Jessica about to introduce me and I literally screamed NOOO! 

Seriously. That was me. Dustin Hoffman. Thankfully, I'm married to a Boy Scout who is ALWAYS prepared and happened to have a spare key in a hidden spot. I made it inside just in time for my first question. Whew! Crisis averted. 

 Fabulous Friday: Lunch with a friend was the biggest item on my To Do list this day. Not to shabby after the mountains of To Do's I've been climbing of late. A girl could get used to this. top: vintage, Buffalo Exchange; circle skirt: vintage, estate sale; belt and yellow Chucks: Amazon; bag: made by me, details here

This weekend, I've decided to dive right into my first Back to Schoolin' dress with a mash up of five dress patterns (eep!) and some fab fabric found at Joann's. Stay tuned! I hope to have this complete by next week to share with y'all!

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What the Art Teacher Wore #166: A Feature in Threads Magazine

A while back, I was contacted by Threads magazine about a feature in their magazine. I was beyond flattered and thrilled that this publication, which is for some super serious sewers, thought of crazy ole self-taught-stitcherin' me. Now that this issue of the magazine is no longer available on newsstands (this article is from their April/May issue), I am free to share it here with y'all. 

Now if some of these photos look familiar that's because they were the ones snapped by Nashville Arts magazine for this article! The other dresses were more current creations. For that reason, I boxed 'em up and shipped 'em to Threads magazine so they could take pictures of them. Because the copy is super small, I thought I'd share with you what Stephani L. Miller and I chatted about here. Enjoy!

Cassie Stephens: An Art Teacher Fashions Fabulous Outfits to Inspire Students

Cassie Stephens learned how to sew just a few years ago. Since then, she's graduated from ready-to-wear refashions to attention-grabbing ensembles that she wears to support her art lessons in the classroom. The Nashville, Tennessee, elementary school teacher's motivations is to encourage her 400 students to get interested and learn about art. She makes outfits inspired by artists and cultures to engage her students' interest and show them how art can be applied to life. Cassie has found that wearing something she's created nearly every day is a great way to start conversations with students and spark their creativity. 

Threads talked to Cassie about using sewing as a classroom tool, and how linking her creativity to her teaching fuels her passion for both.

Threads: What first inspired you to sew something for teaching?

Me: I needed an apron to wear while teaching, but all I could find were aprons for chefs. So I stocked up on fabrics from a thrift store and an old pair of jeans. I sewed an apron that looked like I was wearing a shirt and jeans, and I appliquéd a guitar - complete with faux tuning pegs and strings - across the front. I embroidered a patch onto the jeans that read "Art Rocks". I had so much fun creating it that I started sketching more ideas and attempted to bring them to life. Rock Star Apron, here. 

Threads: What was the first thing you sewed specifically to support a lesson plan?

Me: In the beginning, I was unsure of my sewing skills, so I eased into it by repurposing thrift store clothing. My first masterpiece-inspired dress was based on Katsushika Hokusai's woodcut print, The Great Wave at Kanagawa. I appliquéd the entire scene onto the front of a thrifted white dress. I likened appliqué to collage, and I feel very comfortable with that medium. My students and colleagues responded so well to that dress that I decided to create more. The Great Wave Dress, here. 

Threads: How do you plan your lessons and outfits?

Me: Here's how my ADHD-fueled mind works: Planning lessons leads to sketch outfits to accompany the lessons. From there, I start scouring the Web for the perfect fabric or media to make my lesson-inspired outfit. Then, I finish lesson planning. It has become an integral part of my teaching method. When I first began teaching, I focused solely on educating my students. I read every book written. I worked tirelessly on my lessons and in my art room, but I stopped creating. And I became very unhappy and even bitter toward teaching. But when I decided to marry my passion for creating with teaching, I became excited about teaching again. I realized the using my ability to create and educate was what art is all about. I became a whole lot happier when I started to connect as many dots as possible in my teaching and creative lives. I need to create to teach and teach to create.

Threads: How do the students respond to your outfits?

Me: My students are very curious about my clothing. Many of them have never seen a sewing machine and are unaware of the concept of making their own clothing. In their world, clothes come from a store, and how they are created never enters their minds. We have many conversations about how my clothing is made. And they'll often come in with an outfit they've altered based on something wacky I have worn.

Threads: How do you translate an art inspiration into a garment?

Me: When an artist has inspired me to design, I think of what medium would best translate their style. For example, when I sewed my Andy Warhol inspired Cambell's Soup Cans dress (here), I knew appliqué would be the best medium. When I wanted to create a dress featuring Claude Monet's Water Lilies (seen here), I thought needle-felting would best showcase his Impressionist style. Sometimes, I get lucky and find fabric featuring an artist work, like a Piet Mondrian print (here). When that happens, I use that fabric to sew a dress.

Threads: How do you hope your students remember you?

Me: I hope they remember how much I love teaching them. I have a sign in my art room that reads, "My job is to love you." I hope I convey that love by my actions, my lessons and my wacky clothes!

Thanks for reading, y'all! 

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What the Art Teacher Wore #165

 Manic Monday: Having just returned from Art Scouts, I realized that I'd not taken any time to add flowers to our front yard or steps. Now, here in Tennessee, it starts getting HAWWWT before the sun even rises which means you gotta get your weed-pullin'/flower-plantin' game on early. On this day, I'd hit the garden center, mowed the lawn and stuck stuff in the ground all before 10 am. There might have been a nap or two in the afternoon. dress: thrifted, vintage; belt: Pin Up Girl Clothing; shoes: Converse; box purse: Enid Collins, my favorite

Wowza, where did this week go? Summer needs to slow it's roll because when June ends and July steps in, I get that Sunday-Night Blues feeling. We head back to school on Auggie 1st so July is just the beginning of the end. I still have end-of-the-school-year cleaning to do, y'all. Ima gonna say that is NOT going to happen any time soon.

In other news, I finished the last of the 52 Clay Labs I've been working on for the book I'm writing. THAT was a good feeling. When I was first approached with this project, I felt certain I could never come up with that many ideas for no-kiln clay projects. In the end, I had a surplus of ideas but was more than happy to stop at 52 (like, seriously. SO happy). It's gonna be a long while before a hard copy becomes a reality, but until then, the hard part is oooo-ver.

This coming week is full of work. I've got a deck to power wash and stain, some redecorating I want to do and a couple of fun new projects in the works (I'll keep you posted). Working on the book made it so the DIY action on this here blog suffered a bit. I'm so happy to bring that back. You don't know how many times I've just stood in my sewing room, looked around and uttered the words, "I miss yooooooou, Sewing Room." I'll be so happy to get back in there.

What are your plans this week?

 We all have our favorite things. One of mine happens to be Enid Collins box purses. Made in the late 60's, they make me go weak in the knees. Finding these lovelies isn't all that hard as etsy and ebay are fully loaded. But the prices, THE PRICES, are just plain crazy. My days of finding these in the wild (aka the thrift store) are officially over. What do y'all collect?

 Summer Storm Tuesday: I do love me a good ole spooky summer storm. You know the kind: sunny and bright one minute then black as night with claps of thunder the next. Getting caught in it is the worst but from the comfort of home with a cat on your lap, it's pretty cozy. dress: vintage

 If you follow me in Instagram, then you know the next Art Scouts is coming soon to beautiful Tennessee! Jen and I spent some time preparing for our awesome Scouts and painting a backdrop. We are thrilled with how it is turning out, can't wait to share it with you!

 Getting in the Mood Wednesday: At the end of July, my buddy Laura Lohmann and I will be heading to sunny SoCal to work alongside our good friend Patty Palmer at her Summer Art Workshop! We are so excited. Our theme is Mexican art so, to get in the spirit of things, I wore my fave embroidered top. top: Buffalo Exchange; skirt: gift from a friend (thanks, Bethany!); belt: Amazon; shoes: Minnetonka; purse and necklace: vintage, thrifted

 The colors and design are so beautiful and sweet. I want to paint this on the front of our house! Pretty sure our HOA would frown on that tho. Party poppers. 

 Life is Short, Wear the Prom Dress: When I scored this dress at Buffalo Exchange a while back, I was like, "I'm NEVER going to have a place to wear this!" but it was just too pretty to leave behind. When I spotted it in my closet on Thursday, I just thought, eh, why not? To keep it casual, I paired it with my chucks and went about my errand running. I heard so many sweet compliments from all walks of life about this dress! So, note to self: ALWAYS wear the prom dress. 

 So, last night at 11:47pm, I wrote up the last Lab for the Clay Lab book. This photo was from a couple days prior when I was still testing recipes (and failing, obviously). I'm not a chef by any stretch so me making clay is rather comical.

Summer Movie Date: One of our fave things to do during the summer is hit the early show at the movies and grab dinner out. However, there ain't been much at the movies lately! We went to see The Conjuring 2 which had some great scares (just watching the big dude in front of me practically leap out of his chair at one scare was worth the price of admission). Have y'all seen any good movies this summer? Love a recommendation! dress: old, Forever 21; necklace: gift from a friend (thanks, Tamara!), Anthro

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What the Art Teacher Wore #164

Memorial Monday: This has become my fave Memorial Day ensemble...especially with the addition of my few fave shoe obsessions: Converse. As I get older, my feet start doing more dictating as to what kind of footwear they'll tolerate. I have been loving colorful Cons of late. A predict a new shoe obsession coming on. dress: Anthro, couple years ago; belt: Pin Up Girl Clothing; crinoline: Amazon; shoes: DSW

Ahhh. There is nothing quite like the first full week of summer. I'd like to say I've spent it relaxing and soaking up the free time but to be honest, this is shaping up to be one of my busiest months yet! I might have shared with you before that I'm working with Quarry books on one of their Lab series of books. Mine will feature 52 clay projects crafted from non-kiln fired clays. My deadline is at the end of this month so y'all better believe I'm busting my backside to get everything complete. I've been using my Time Timer MOD that Time Timer sent me (more below) and it has been WONDERFUL at helping me be more accountable with my time (I'm the worst at time management, guys. THE.WORST.) I'll definitely keep you posted on when the book is complete and released (turns out, those kind of things take months). 

Something else me and some of my favorite art teacherin' buddies have been working on is Art Scouts! If you follow me here, then you've been seeing our daily #countdowntocamp. We are so exited to spend next weekend with our favorite type of folks: art teachers! If you are attending, we look forward to seeing y'all real soon. 

Hope your week has been a wonderful one. Chat with you real soon!

If you follow me or my fellow Troop Leaders Laura Lohmann, Ginger Pacer and Jennifer Alvarado, then you know we are super stoked about Art Scouts. Not only do we have so many fun lessons to share with our fellow art teacherin' types but we also have huge bags of swag from our awesome sponsors. We are so looking forward to helping our scouts earn their art teacherin' badges in Bowling Green, Ohio this weekend! If you are interested, you can find out more here. 

 Bicyclin' Tuesday: So I'm reading a book (well, restarting reading a book, ahem) called Better than Before. It's a great book about cultivating good habits. I used to be very active and since the holidays, I fell of that wagon hard. So, I'm running each day, doing a little biking and waking each night when the temp cools. I'm so in love with this Schwinn I recently got. It's so fun to cruise around on...yes, in a dress. AND yes, with biking shorts underneath (you're welcome for the visual). dress: vintage; belt and crinoline: Amazon; shoes: Zappos

Big THANK YOU to all of you that joined in on #wecanmakeitmay! It was so much fun to see everyone's post on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! The last photo challenge was a Big Toothy Grin. There was plenty of that at the end of this month! 

Feelin' Peachy Wednesday: The thing I love about summer is that I can wear my fave vintage dresses. During the school year, I often dress according to my lessons...but in the summer, I wear what suits me. I love this peachy color paired with the color of those shoes. dress and head scarf: vintage, thrifted; belt: Amazon; necklace: gift from a friend; Alice in Wonderland pin: Disneyland!; shoes: DSW

After sharing my love of the Time Timer in my Art Teacherin' 101 episode, they were kind enough to send me a Time Timer MOD. I am SO IN LOVE with this little guy! With looming deadlines, it's really helped me stay accountable and keep track of each moment I spend. I have been setting it for an hour and working solid without stopping for anything: no snacks, drinks, social media or bathroom breaks. That might sound drastic but with a person who suffers from adult ADHD as much as I do, it has really helped! It helped me meet several very big goals this week and that has me so excited. Thank you, TimeTimer! 

 Just Me and Asha Thursday: I didn't leave the house a'tall Thursday and Friday. That was my way of forcing myself to workworkworkworkworkwork (sorry, I had to). This means I spend a good majority of my time talking to the plants and Asha, the cat. Who spends most of her time, when she's not sleeping, begging me for food. I always cave. That's the power of the fur. dress: vintage; cherry pin: estate sale

 The hubs and I have been vegetarian for, like, ever. The problem is that we often fall into the trap of eating the same old same old which is mostly my fault. When I come home from school, I'm usually tired and hungry. Which means I binge on nuts and chips. When it comes time to eat, I'm still tired but no longer all that hungry. All that to say, there's been many a cereal and salad nights. With summer here, I'm trying to cultivate the habit of new recipes. We juice each morning but I'm trying to expand our drink horizons. This week, I tried radish, ginger, cucumber, kale and grapes. It was delish! We also tested a recipe from my Native Foods cookbook called Russian Velvet which was lentils, carrots, beets and onions pureed. It was a winner as well! I'm looking forward to trying out more recipes. 

Freaky Weather Friday: Storms rolled in this week, dropping the temps and bringing the rain. Left me grabbing my sweater and rain shoes (uh, my Crocs. Don't judge). Thankfully it wasn't as bad as some of the rainstorms I've been hearing about. Poor Paris and Texas, y'all! dress and sweater: vintage

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