10 Lessons to Ease into the New Year, Valentine's Edition

Okay, listen, I get it. We're still in December and you may not want to be thinking about what's gonna go down in your art room next week (or this week? Do you return to school on Friday?). Regardless, I thought I'd help you out by offering some of my favorite EASY and engaging lessons that will allow you to ease your way back to the art room. Most of these lessons have a video so you can play that for your students while you grab your coffee and try to remember what day it is.

Let's start here! This lesson is ALWAYS a hit and, believe it or not, I do it with kindergarten. HOWEVER...when I return to school after a  long break, the last thing I wanna do is prep like mad for 5 different grade levels. It stresses me out and, because our students our little mirrors who reflect us, it stresses the kids out. SO! I often do this lesson with EVERYBODY, kindergarten through 4th. Does it make for a lotta messy paint trays, paintbrush washing and overflowing drying racks? YES. But does it also make for a gorgeous display of hearts created by the whole school that is ready to be hung BEFORE Valentine's Day (always the goal, right?!). Yes! So, let's go. Full lesson here.

This is a fun one and totally addictive so...beware! 

If you want to start with a little less mess, then just bust out the black, red and white oil pastels and get the kids drawing! They adore drawing cute stuff and these little Valentines critters are perfect for that. I created a video for each. You can check out the blog post with all the info here. We also did a stamped background that is totally optional. Here's the video for the bunny:

Now, if you want a demo on how to create the stamped heart background, be sure and check out the panda video (below) as I walk you through those initial steps. 

Here's how you can draw a long with me to create this fox:

And here's how to create the background and draw that panda:

Here's the video for that:

And last but not least!

Let's draw this cute Valentine's Pup!

For your older students, third on up, they may enjoy creating this 3-D heart!

This one is super low-mess as all it requires are markers, water and a paintbrush (and an oil pastel once dry, but that's totally optional). I share the details in this blog post. 

This project was done in just 30 minutes (the length of my art classes) and only uses chalk! I was also able to introduce my students to a contemporary artist for the process. Details here!

This is probably one of my all-time fave kid-approved lessons: this Chris Uphues-inspired heart art! 

If you need a line review lesson, you might want to try these Romero Britto-inspired hearts on for size! 

Of course, you should definitely share my book Larry the Line which also has two printable pages of line-inspiration in the back! 

And if you are looking for a lesson that packs a powerful contemporary artist punch, then THIS lesson with an introduction to four artists who use hearts in their art is the one for you! I did this on a half day with fourth graders and they knocked it out in one class period! 

Of course, since we are going to be talking about hearts, now is also a great time to either introduce or review SHAPES! Don't forget...Alfred can help you with that!

Remember: take it easy as you ease on in to this new year! Have fun!

Let's Paint a Christmas Tree!

Got paper bags and an itch to paint? Let's create these Christmas trees! You'll just need the following:

*Acrylic paint

*Paintbrushes

*Paperbags

*Chalk (optional)

*Palette (a paper plate or newspaper works too!)

Alright, let's get started!

Right? So fun and easy! I love doing a bunch at a time because then I have a stash for gifts. AND they make great framed works of art!

Have fun!

Let's Paint a Christmas Wreath!

Tis the time of the year to get to creating! If you are like me, then you just can't seem to part with your paper bag collection. I always see endless ideas on Pinterest and Instagram for bags so I just can't part with them! Last year, I recycled my bags by painting them into holiday motif bags and it was so much fun. I have been doing it again this year and decided to film the process in case you'd like to join me.

Something fun I found is that...once your painting is complete, you have an original masterpiece that can be framed and enjoyed! 

Here's the process:

If you have children who need to scratch that creative itch over the holidays or are hosting a family gathering, this may be a fun activity for everyone!

And now I can't stop painting on bags and stuff!

Have fun!

Cassie's Christmas Closet!

Hey there! As I was unpacking my Christmas clothes at the start of the month, I decided to film the process. However...it was kinda boring just holding the clothing up so...I thought I'd try some on for ya! I only managed to scrape the tip of the Christmas clothes iceberg but these are my faves. I'd love to hear yours!

And...if you are looking to up your closet game, I highly recommend the following:

*Hit the thrift stores! I PERSONALLY...love to have one-of-a-kind items. So the thrift and resale shops are always the best. For those of you saying "I never find anything at the thrift store"...me neither! The key is to go often. And, if you can, go earlier rather than later in the day.

*Hit those sale racks! I never shop full retail. Never ever. I always put on my blinders and go straight to the sale rack. What other people decide is 'too weird' or 'out there' always ends up on the sale rack and, wouldn't you know, that's always my fave finds.

*MAKE IT YOURSELF! I know, you may not be able to sew but...I didn't either for the longest time. So...start with upcycling outfits by adding to them with your own bit of flair and just gradually go from there. You seriously won't regret learning a new skill like sewing, needle felting or the like.

*Have fun with what ya got! Chances are you have a closet full of possibilities. You just need to mix and match the patterns and prints a bit. You'll get better at this. My hot take: start adding more black and white dots and/or stripes to your wardrobe as THAT goest with everything and offers a flair of fun.

Happy Holidays, y'all!

My Christmas Tree Skirts to Lady Skirts Over the Years!

Hello, friends! If you've been hanging with me on this here blog for a while, then you know that I've transformed many Christmas tree skirts to lady skirts over the years. In fact, I've been doing it for so long that it was before I even created videos! So many of my tutorials were old school: photos and WORDS, y'all. Today I thought I'd take you on a little stroll down Christmas tree skirt to lady skirt lane in case you are so inclined to create your own. And you should! It's super fun! You can check out the skirt I made last year...here!

I have a coupla hot tips when it comes to this super easy craft. First...

* Get your tree skirt after the holidays. Pop into your local home dec, big box or craft store and scoop them up when they are half off or even cheaper.

* Vintage tree skirts can be found on Etsy or eBay. I've purchased a couple of my favorite ones from eBay. 

* Be on the lookout all year long! When I hit the thrift stores or estate sales, I always scoop up vintage tree skirts and stash them for later. 

* Get skirts that are large! If you order some online like from Amazon, be sure to check the measurements. Some tree skirts are meant for smaller trees...and could lead to a mini-skirt for ya!

* Get your self a crinoline. I get mine from Amazon. This will really give the skirt it's fullness so it can be admired in all of it's tree skirt glory.

Here's a video tutorial I created just for you:

If you'd like to visit my other blog posts with more step by step details, here's some of my skirts and the blog posts I've shared over the years. 

I can't believe this skirt is over 10 years old now! This was a hand-stitched tree skirt that I found on eBay. More details here. 

The following year, I made this skirt! I will say...this one is super warm and cozy BUT it was impossible to sew threw on my machine. So the skirt is just hanging on in the back with Velcro. This, I don't recommend. Cuz when your behind feels a draft...it's too late. All the gory deets here. 

Here's another vintage one purchased from eBay! Last year the zipper broke on this one so it looks like I'll be doing a little repairing before taking it out again. 

You'll notice how my tree skirts keep changing on my little vintage silver tree...that's because each year I pretty much rob my tree of it's skirt! Now this green tree skirt was a little shorter than others I have used. You can check out more about it here. 

Okay now this one...is actually a vintage round tablecloth! I did add the tinsel to the bottom and made it into a skirt much the same as the other skirts. More info here!

And that's it! I'm not sure if I'll make a tree skirt to lady skirt this year...even though I do have a back stash of skirts. You'll have to stay tuned on that one ;) Have a wonderful weekend, friends!