DIY: Cardigan/Scarf

I told you I was on a floral kick. I've got Begonias and herbs growing in these pots. Fingers crossed my notoriously black thumbs don't kill these guys.

From the creator of the Blarf, that's scarf-to-blouse, and the Skankie, the hankies-to-skirt creation, I now bring you the Scarfigan!

Er, Cardiarf.

 Scardiarf?

Oh, it's a cardigan that I sewed a scarf onto. Call it what you like.

Sorry for the face.  I blame my mother. The problem with pinning a flower to your sweater is it confuses the insects. This is one of the few non-swatting and screaming photos.

Today's To-Do List said the following:

1. Go for a run.
2. Clean the garage.
3. Organize closets.

I wrote that list last night. When I read it this morning, I thought, "that's the dumbest thing I've ever read." So instead I did this:

1. Got out my vintage scarves.
2. Threw them on the floor.
3. Made a cup of tea.

This is Asha. But she has many other alias...aliases...aliai...she got a lot of names. Among them: Jango, Bo-bo, Chubby Girl, Jabba, and Brittany. Okay, I made that last one up.

When I came back, I found this. No matter what I'm working on, there's a certain furry someone that always has to lay near it, across it or on it. Currently, that thing is my typing arm. But who could deny that furry widdle face?

I got the idea in my head that instead of cleaning the garage, what I really needed to do was sew a vintage scarf onto the back of some long-forgotten, rarely-worn cardigan. It was really pretty simple. Here's how I did it:

1. Using the zig-zag setting, I sewed around the back of the sweater, following the back panel. I did this because I don't have a serger and I wanted a finished edge to prevent unraveling.
2. I pinned a vintage silk scarf over the back panel (notice I've not cut into the back of the sweater yet). Because the silk is so thin, it was easy to just tuck under and pin into place.
3. Using a top stitch, I sewed the scarf to the cardi.
4. I removed the pins and carefully cut the sweater out staying close to the zigzag line. The tricky part was NOT cutting into the scarf. Which, of course, I did. Not cool. 
5. And...viola! Finished Scardiarf! Doesn't that sound like a dish served by The Swedish Chef?

"What do you think, Jungle Cruise?" ... blank stare. I get that a lot.

So there you have it. And it didn't even take me, The World's Slowest Crafter, that long. Which meant that I had plenty of time to reread To-Do List #1 and revisit my options.

And I decided that my initial reaction was true: That's the dumbest thing I've ever read.

So I went antique shopping for vintage hankies instead. I wish I were making that up. But I'm not. I'll show you what I did with them soon.

On a side note, I thought I'd share this great photo with you. Do you know who this amazingly creative and spectacularly tacky (and I say what with great respect) woman is? This is Enid Collins, purse designer from the 1960's. I recently discovered her creations and was so excited to score one of my own recently on ebay.

Since the backyard proved to be an insect hazard, I thought I'd try the front. Except I kept tripping over the stairs in order to beat the camera timer. Oui. I am really the last person that should be blogging!

Goodbye, Grungy Garage and Cluttery Closets, Mama's got shoppin' to do. Outfit details: dress: vintage, thifted; belt and flower: H&M; shoes: Frye, TJMaxx; bag: Enid Collins, ebay; scardiarf: originally from Target, DIY'ed by me.

I hope you go out and avoid your To-Do List today as well! Thanks for reading.

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What the Art Teacher Wore #7

Workin'-on-Prez-Day Monday: sunflower sweater: Anthropologie picked up for cheap at Buffalo Exchange; skirt: Anthropologie; tights:  Target; shoes; Anthropologie. Holy cow! I'm head-to-toe anthro!

Well, hello there! This week's wacky is-it-winter?-is-it-spring? wardrobe is a reflection of the weather. One day it was a summery 78 degrees and the next there was a 30 degree temperature drop and a sky full of spooky clouds. As Lauren put it, "I'm waiting for the sky to turn green or purple or something."

In other news, since we did have school on a holiday, one of my favorite coworkers and I dressed as ole Abe and George for the school-wide morning announcements. We have more fun hamming it up than should be allowed. A word to the wise: Abe hats and bumpits do not mix.

Well, here's hoping the weather where you are is a little less wackadoodle, Yankeedoodle.

George and Abe: This is right before my friend George looked at me and made me lose it to a case of the giggles. On George: shirt: I know you can't see it, but she's wearing one of my wannabe goth shirts from high school; wig: handcrafted by Lauren from fake fur and toilet paper tubes. On Abe: beard and hat: Party City; jacket and shirt: thrifted

You know you're meant to be an art teacher when you look this happy on a Monday! I believe both Lauren's shirt and skirt are thrifted. She created her own bow. She's holding her example for the fourth grade lesson on sculpting heroes and standing in front of her lesson on Kandinsky's circles.

Cowgirl Tuesday: I just realized that annoying neighbor who walks her dog through our yard saw me snapping pictures of myself...and then tripped over her dog. Tee-hee. jacket and belt: thrifted; dress: Target, embroidered by me; tights: Target; boots: Frye, ebay

Well, I know she snagged that sweater at Goodwill...I was with her when we were doing a little pre-Valentine's Day wardrobe shopping. I love her pencil skirt, don't you? Target, people.

Wainy and Wet Wednesday: I've been waiting for a good spring day to wear this jacket and my new rain boots. However, wearing rain boots with no ventilation makes for janky feet syndrome. jacket: Anthro; boots: Hunter, ebay

Under the jacket: sweater and dress: thrifted; bow belt: made by me

Look at this outfit! Love...

Spring Chicken Thursday: I'm proud to say that with the exception of the belt and undergarments (like, ew), this outfit is head-to-toe thrifted! I've never worn this dress before as it's knitted and a little warm. Perfect for spring.

Totally diggin' the burnt orange. I've got to get some in my closet -- she's totally rockin' it with the green and navy.

Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh, Friday!: sweater: thrifted; tiger striped dress: BCBG; lion buckle: gift from a friend; fishnets: Marshall's; shoes: Dolls by Nina

Look at that Kandinsky-esque scarf she scored! I love how it matches the project she did with the third graders...and so did they. And check out those splatter paint shoes she made. Awesomeness.

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DIY: You're Such a (Soda) Jerk!

I went and did something I promised myself I wouldn't do. I painted this here Valentine's Day canvas. I knew it would take me forever and that I'd just barely finish it in time to enjoy it...and...yet... I managed to convince myself to do it anyway. Here's how the conversation between Delusional Cassie and Sane-ish Cassie went down:

D.C. : Aw, look at all of these cute vintage Valentine's that keep popping up on pinterest! I should so totally paint one for the house.

S.C. : Absolutely not. You take forever to paint anything. Besides, it's kinda cheesy. Aren't you like thirty-seven or something?

D.C. : It's not cheesy, it's cute! And I swear, it won't take me that long, I'll just sketch it out and block it in. Piece of cake for this, ahem, thirty-six year old.

S.C.: You say so, Crazy.

After perusing pinterest for the perfect vintage valentine, I found this one. I absolutely love the girl (the hair! the red bow shoes! the heart shirt!) and the fact that she's chillin' at a soda fountain...but the rest of it was kind of lacking. I mean, I had to read the bit about being a working girl a couple of times before I got it (did I mention there is a Slow Cassie as well?). She just seemed too lonely and sad for a Valentine.

So I started sketching out some ideas. Instead of a poor working girl, I wanted a man-eatin' go-getter. Hence the fishnets and box of chocolates. And I wanted the object of her affection to be some cute -n- clueless soda jerk.

So I did some google-image-searching and found a plethora of soda jerks. After I created a sketch that I was happy with, I decided to tint and texture my canvas. I mixed up a warm yellow ochre and slathered it onto the canvas. Once dry, I sketched out my scene in pencil and started blocking in the colors.

Sadly for this dude, his flesh is a little multi-colored. Too much time in the tanning booth will do that to you, I hear. By the time I noticed his flesh inconsistencies, I was too tired of working on the painting to care.

Once I had the colors blocked in, I started going detail crazy. I decided I wanted the counter top to have a formica pattern so I attempted to paint tiny boomerangs with a one-haired brush. They ended up looking like hearts...which I kind of liked. I just had to add the fishnets as they are my favorite thing to wear. And what's a diner without a checkerboard floor? All of the outlining and lettering was done with a black paintbrush pen.

I have a small collection of vintage Valentine's that I picked up from an etsy shop last month. One thing I noticed about them is that they all have a play on words. As I was plotting and planning, I came up with the "So-da one you love is me?" My only regret is that I don't actually have him making a soda but what looks to be an strawberry shake. Oh well, hopefully the idea for that and the "fountain" reference at the bottom is still clear.

One of my favorite discoveries while soda-jerk-searching online was rediscovering this Norman Rockwell painting. When I became interested in creating art in high school, I found these sweet images so repulsive. I was just entirely too cool for nostalgic Rockwell paintings. Now, having the love for all things vintage that I do, I just adore his work. Especially when I discovered a collection of photographs that he snapped to create his paintings.

This makes me smile. Great, isn't it?

Well, would ya look at that, Sane-ish Cassie? It's finished! And hung right at the foot of my stairs for me to admire...for the next two days. Oh well. It did take much longer than expected but it was pretty fun regardless. Happy Valentine's Day!

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What the Art Teacher Wore #4

I-Forgot-It-Was-January-And-Wore-Sandals Monday: Not like it matters, we've had one of the warmest winters on record. And I couldn't resist...these John Fluevog's I picked up in San Fran were demanding to be worn. sweater: gift from mother-in-law; dress: Four Seasons Cottage Vintage in Knoxville; belt: made by me; fishnets and tights: dunno, Target?; shoes: Fluevog

Hiya, all! I'm sharing with you this week what I chose to wear. Which, as you can tell, involves closing my eyes, plunging my hand into my closet and just throwing on whatever mildly matches. You think I'm kidding? Check out Thursday's number. Plaids and stripes? That only happens when the light's out in your closet and you pick your clothes in the dark. Trust me.

I'm so excited that my incredible student teacher has allowed me to feature her daily outfits as well! Isn't she a doll? I do have a photo of her lovely Monday look but blogger was being a booger and refused to post the photo right side up. So you'll just have to take my word that she looked just as cute as she does in the following photos. I do hope you enjoy what's left of your weekend. I plan to change that bulb in my closet...but don't expect any change in my look next week.

Totally Tuesday: So last week I was told by one of my second graders that I needed to invest in some Red Hot Lipstick...and I did! I was so excited to show her. However, she was not the least bit impressed. "That's not Red Hot enough for you!" Man, kids these days. So hard to please. red shirt and mustard tights: Target; dress: thrifted, altered by me; collar and belt: made by me, I chatted about it here: http://cassiestephens.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-to-dress-like-kindergartener.html; shoes: Clarks

This is the look she gives the naughty kindergarteners. Ha! Just kidding. We NEVER have any ill-behaved children. On Lauren: floral top: thrifted; sweater and shoes: Target; pants: Express; belt: For Love

It's a Perry the Platypus Belt Buckle kind of Wednesday: sweater: BCBG , thrifted; dress: vintage, thrifted; blue fishnets: dunno, Marshall's?; shoes: Dolls by Nina; Perry the Platypus belt: created for a custom order then was never purchased. So now I get to wear it!

Look how adorable she is! dress and shoes: Target; tights: Express; shirt: H&M

Trust me, I find this photo as annoying as you do. Thursday: sweater: thrifted; skirt: gift from a friend; shirt and tights: Target; shoes: originally black thrifted shoes but I painted them into pencil shoes. The kids always ask if the eraser works...but never if they pencil does.

The Calm After the Storm: Here's Lauren after she and I did bubble printing with four kindergarten classes back to back. She's still smiling! dress: I think she told me Banana Republic; sweater: Philanthorpie; shoes: Toms

Friday, you don't know how happy you make me: sweater: thrifted; dress: Cactus Flower in Bloomington, IN; apron and flower brooch: gift from mother-in-law; fishnets: Marshall's; shoes: Indigo by Clarks

Sorry, we were so involved in our lessons for the day that I forgot to ask for outfit details. I do love how Lauren layers her sweaters. I am so stealing that idea!

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