DIY: Love Letters

The Inspiration: When I was taking down my collection of vintage Christmas postcards, I fell in love with the backs of the cards.

I love getting mail. Especially hand-written letters. But people don't really do that any more. Well, they've not been writing to me, anyway.

Improvising: I racked my brain trying to find a way to create the perforated stamp edge. When I was in my sewing room, I noticed the rick-rack that the cat was chewing on. It worked perfectly.

When I was taking down my collection of Christmas postcards, I noticed the back of the cards for the first time. I loved the yellowed paper, the vintage typography, the flowing script of the sender, the post office seal. I sat down and read all of the postcards. My little collection is from the early 1900's. What I found interesting was how much the content of the letters seemed like it could have been written yesterday. "How are you? I'm sorry I've not written; Send your family my love; The weather here is mild for this time of year."

The Stamps: I have a collection of  vintage used stamps and I thought this one looked fitting. I was too lazy to do the research to see if these were actually World War II-era stamps.

 I'd already had it in my head that I wanted to do a little decorating around the house for Valentine's Day. I don't usually decorate for holidays, but I had so much fun morphing the house into my idea of a vintage Christmas, I decided I wanted to do something similar for Valentine's Day.

My Version: I lightly sketched the shape of the bell and free handed the detailing. I used these great pens by Faber-Castell  that I picked up at JoAnn's for the majority of the drawing. The only painted portions are the background and the stamps.

So with that thought in mind and with my new-found love of these postcards, I decided to create a couple of love letters. My head was still stuck in World War II-era  mode after finishing the embroidery of my sailor dress. I settled on the idea of having a young serviceman and his girlfriend exchange a postcard correspondence.

Penmanship: At the elementary school I attended, we did not have art class. So the closest thing for me was learning penmanship. I was not especially good at math and I totally didn't get that short vowel stuff, but penmanship I could do. Did you know that it is no longer taught in most elementary schools? Such a bummer.

 So I searched for and found some stamp designs. I had already settled on using on of my vintage postcards as the inspiration for the layout and typography. But what would I write? I didn't want it to come across as gag-me cheesy or The Notebook-esque because I'm like the antithesis of sappy. When I get an "I love you" from dear ole hubs, my reply is usually, "Whatever, I'm going to punch you in the face when you're sleeping tonight."

What it says: Dear Michael, I miss you darling very much. You say you won't get furlough that's bad. Don't dream too much now. Hoping to hear from you real soon sweetheart. As ever, Ann Jean

Obviously I couldn't write that punching-in-the-face business on one of my postcards so I googled "love letters from WW II".  I stumbled upon this beautiful story of a family of four siblings that discovered their father's love letters written to their mother during his time overseas. I poured over the site, reading each letter and the narrative that gave the back story. If you have time, I really think you should give it a look: http://www.cbn.com/special/ww2letters/

Typography: When did we stop being so fancy? When we started having everything made in China and stopped caring, I suppose.

I borrowed heavily from this site for the wording on the postcard below. I also used the addresses and what I could make out of the postage seal. These paintings will never leave my home so I am not worried about it upsetting the family. Though I suppose I should contact them out of courtesy. 

What it says: Dear Ann Jean, Please excuse the long delay in writing to you. This delay is in no way an indication of lapse of memory for you have been on my mind from one night in Boston. So much has happened and it is forbidden to tell all that it makes letter writing difficult. Ann I close this short note as I am very tired for I have traveled 125 miles over these rough mountainous roads today. Love, Michael

The website only has the letters that the husband wrote to his wife. And the funny thing is, the husband's name is Mitch (my hub's name). So I decided to change it to Michael. I just thought it would be too weird otherwise. We already get enough comments about the nude painting of the two of us laying on a bear rug that hangs above our mantle.

The Stamp: I found the other stamp design on pinterst. I love the dove with the shadow of the airplane and the letter in it's beak. I think I have Put-a-Bird-on-It syndrome. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you must leave here and go to youtube pronto.

 The writing I used for Ann Jean's letter came from another website with love letters. Again, I had to shorten the writing a bit to make it fit the format of the postcard. You can read a multitude of World War II letters here: http://www.fold3.com/page/1239_love_letters_during_world_war_ii/

Finished: This is how the two postcards look together in our dining room.

Hubs said no one would believe the size of the postcards unless a giant object was photographed next to them. Guess what giant object he had in mind.

Each postcard is about 24" x 18". I wrapped the edges in black satin ribbon and hung them in my dining room this afternoon. Right after the postman delivered the mail...which, for a change, included a little something for me. I'll have to share with you the sweet gift my brother's girlfriend Elsa made for me next time.

What the Art Teacher Wore #2

Monday, Monday: dress: vintage find at Goodwill; belt: one of mine, available in my shop; tights: black fishnets over maroon tights; shoes: Indigo by Clarks; headband: just a piece of black fabric that I hot glued a flower onto while wearing, thusly hot gluing the flower to my head. Awesome.

I'm just in from a butt-numblingly long road trip to Bloomington, Indiana. Okay, it's not that long of a car ride, just five or so hours, but I don't do well with long sittin's. I like to imagine it's because my tooshie has such a small amount of cushion that it can hardly withstand a lengthy car ride when, in actuality, it's just that I have a sad -n- flat white girl butt. A little back-side shelf space would be nice but I'm pretty sure the booty fairy ain't coming.

Come Sail Away Tuesday: dress: Goodwill, embroidered by me; sweater: Goodwill; belt: made by me, available in my shop; tights: white Urban Outfitters tights over red Target ones; shoes: Indigo by Clarks

This is seriously not where I was intending to take this post so let me back this thing up (and by thing, I don't mean "thang" as we've already established that I don't have one of those). So, uh, I went to Bloomington this weekend which, by the way, is the best college town ever. With the most awesome campus, the sweetest downtown square and the hippest cafes, restaurants and boutiques. At least that's how I remember it.

Rodeo Style Wednesday: bandana: stolen from hubs; shirt, belt, skirt: all thrifted from Goodwill; boots: Frye picked up at French's in Franklin, TN

But when I drove into Bloomington on Friday afternoon, it looked a little different. There were so many franchise fast food joints, banks and new construction that it was just a bit disheartening. I convinced myself that it was because I was on the outskirts of town, that the heart of town would still be home to the unique mom and pop joints that I remember.

On this day, one of my sarcophagus-painting 3rd graders looked me up and down and declared, "Huh, no offense, but you look kind of boring today, Mrs. Stephens." Thursday: dress: Goodwill. I took up the hem (maybe a little too much!); sweater: I appliqued some of the fabric from dress onto my Goodwill sweater; tights: Target; shoes: Anthropologie

And it kinda was. I mean, some of my favorite places where still here. But not all of them. Like the little independent shop The White Rabbit where I picked up Klimt posters for my dorm room is now a Starbucks. What used to be a little convenient store/incense shop is now a massive Urban Outfitters. And the shops that are still there aren't exactly the same. The hippie store that used to only sell South American fair trade clothing now sells dresses made in China. My favorite vintage clothing store also sells new clothing.

Snow Day Friday: Geared up to spend the next five-ish hours in the car driving to Bloomington. Sweater: Urban Outfitters found at Goodwill; Skirt: Free People found at Marshall's; boots: Frye found at Journeys years ago for a mere $39!

And I get it. They've gotta adjust to the times or else chance going out of business. But for selfish reasons, I just hate it. I felt like I could have been on any ole college campus, not mine. There was a homogeneous to it that kinda bummed me out. 

Butt, er, but, guess who picked up a $3 tea at Starbucks? And scooped up some painfully hip shoes at Urban Outfitters (they enhanced my derriere, I swear!)? That's right, the hypocrite with the flat butt. Suppose if I stopped participating in such commericalism, I could justly complain. Hmm, something to think about. Over a Starbucks, of course.

DIY: Pirate Style

Apparently, I've much to learn about fashion. Today, I was told, "Mrs. Stephens, I like your pirate dress." Er, my what? "You're a pirate! Cuz that big black collar thingie makes you look like a one." Sweet.

Hiya and thank you for visiting my blog! I'm interrupting this post to say that I recently finished another embroidered dress which you can read about here: http://cassiestephens.blogspot.com/2012/02/turn-him-loose-jill.html

I thrifted this '70's era black sailor dress at the end of the summer. I'd been looking for a little sailor get-up and this seemed to do the trick...except for one tragic flaw. It was booorrrriiiing. If I'm going to wear something, it better be glittery, bedazzled, patternedy (a fashion term, look it up) and just overall over-the-top tacky. And I kinda fell asleep just looking at this number.

When I told a kindergartener today, "You look nice with your shirt tucked in," I was informed, "It's not called 'tucked in', it's called 'rodeo style'." Yeehaw.

I knew I wanted to alter it somehow but nothing was coming to me. Ideas never do when I sit down and focus on them. They usually come to me when I'm falling asleep or doing something extremely mundane, like attending a faculty meeting (haha! I kid!). So I had this dress hanging in my sewing room for ages just waiting for the idea to come.

Not too long ago, I woke up early, washed and straightened my hair and went to school bumpit-less. When my first class arrived, one of my fashion-savvy first graders said, "Where is the beautiful Mrs. Stephens? Your hair is so flat." Humph.

 This idea actually came from this lovely blog: http://misskatie-littleredsquirrel.blogspot.com/'' A couple of months ago she showcased a beautiful skirt that she had embroidered pin-up girls all over. I decided to do the same. Seeing as how my dress has a sailor style, I thought my little pin-ups would WW II era sailor girls.

The next day, when I had this same student in my class, I was OF COURSE wearing my biggest baddest bumpit. She was so thrilled that she decided to pat me on the head and say, "Good, Mrs. Stephens!" Little did she know that those bumpits have teeth and when she patted my head, they poked and startled her causing her to shriek and pull back her hand. Revenge is so sweet.

 I scoured pinterest for pin-ups and started sketching out and altering my girls. There weren't too many sailors girls to be found, so for some of these, I added sailor-esque details like the anchor and the steering wheel. I know it's not called that but I'm too lazy to find the correct term. Stern? That sounds right.

After a very in-depth demonstration on rainbow printing today, I asked my fourth graders if they had any questions. One student raised her hand and asked, "I just have to know, how many pairs of tights are you wearing right now?" Oh boy.

My favorite thing about working on this dress, aside from being done with it, was the people I met while working on it. I only work on embroidery while traveling. It gives me something to do in the car or on the plane. On a recent trip out to California, I took my embroidery and met two truly delightful women. Both were so excited when I took my work out. They had both embroidered in the past, one even worked as an embroidery designer in New York, and both lived during World War II. It was such a delight hearing their stories and receiving letters from them upon my return home. Chatting with them has me working on my next project. And, no, it's not a pirate's outfit!

What the Art Teacher Wore #1

Monday, shopping with the family in downtown Franklin. My last day of break, sniff. sweater: Ann Taylor, thrifted; belt: one by me, for sale in my shop; tights: dunno, Target?; boots: Seychelles picked up at French's Boots; Egyptian-print dress: from this sweet etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/VintageWithAppeal

I thought I'd start snapping some photos of what I wear during the work week. I've decided to do this for a couple of reasons. For starters, I absolutely love outfit posts. I am always amazed, not to mention inspired,  by the creative looks people put together.

Tuesday, back to work planning with fellow art teachers. Yeah, yeah, I've still got Christmas decor up. Shut up. sweater: another thrifted Ann Taylor; dress: Black Friday sale at anthropologie; belt: bird buckle by me, for sale in the shop; tights: Target; boots: Frye, another find at French's Boots. You Nashville locals must get yourselves there!

The other reason is, I can never remember what I wore with what. Seriously. For example, that Egyptian print dress in the first photo? When I decided to wear it on Monday, I couldn't remember what sweater I liked to wear with it. This is not a case of "too many clothes" (okay, it actually is, but let's just pretend it's not in case hubs ever decided to read this), it's really a case of terrible memory. I actually had to get on facebook and pull up the photo of myself wearing the dress with the mystery sweater to remember what I wore. Purty sad.

Wednesday, first day back with the littles. Question of the Day: "Mrs. Stephens, do the erasers on the pencil shoes really work?" I told 'em I don't make mistakes so I didn't have a way of finding out. sweater: thrifted (what is it with me and thrifted sweaters?); belt: squirrel buckle, made by me, for sale in the shop; tights: Target; shoes: made by me; dress: vintage, from a great shop called Nostalgia in Knoxville http://www.nostalgiamarket.com/

 Maybe this little weekly clothing diary will help me remember? That's IF I can remember to take the photos. And, sorry, my photos are not going to be polished or professional in any way. I mean, it's just me, my tripod and a timer. I've only got 10 seconds to run in front of the camera, suck it in and attempt not to look more ridiculous than normal.

Thursday, standing in front of my art history timeline. Favorite comment of the day, "Mrs. Stephens, your hair is so tall. Can I touch it?" belt: thrifted; tights: Marshall's; shoes: Clarks; Egyptian-print dress: from another sweet esty seller, http://www.etsy.com/shop/ohdearthings

However, I don't plan to document my weekend outfits. They're more functional and kinda boring. Our weekends usually involve a road trip of some kind, hiking or hitting the thrift stores (for more sweaters, of course!). This weekend, for example, we road tripped to Gatlinburg where I was swathed in long johns, sweaters and jeans. Not a look I care to share with others, ya know?

Friday, third day back with the kids and I've already acquired a cold that stole my voice. The soft talking works wonders in the classroom...too bad I'm such a big mouth normally. Hubs is enjoying Silent Cassie a little too much. BTW, I hate this photo. jacket: Modcloth; dress: Francesca's; tights: Marshall's; shoes: Shi; headband: fabric from my stash

So, that's it. If you like, consider this your weekly "What Not to Wear".

In the Art Room: The Smartest Artist

I've been at this art teacher business for something approaching 15 years and during that decade and a half, I've learned I suck at consistency. If you are in the teaching field, you know there are all sorts of tricks of the trade for establishing routine and discipline in your classroom. Using sticker charts, pulling popsicle sticks, putting marbles in a jar, you teachers know this stuff.

I created the "Masterpiece Gallery" years ago with frames donated from a framing shop that was going out of business. I used cork that comes by the roll as the backing and covered the cork with jersey fabric in primary colors. 

Well, I've tried all that. And I hate it. I can't keep up with it, I forget to give a sticker or drop a marble (I've lost too many along the way) and it just ends up being more work with less results. For me. For some of you, it may work beautifully. But you might not have that trouble with consistency like I do.  You jerk.

However, I recently did come up with something that I can keep up with. It's a two-minute activity I do with the kids as they are lining up to exit. I hand one random kid the inflatable microphone, making him/her our host and I shout "And now it's time for..." and the kids reply "the Smartest Artist!".

I then proceed to ask the kids questions about what we've covered today. For example, my fourth grade is doing metal tooling. So my questions were "What activity were we doing today?" "What is it called when you dent the metal in with your tool? (embossing)" "What is the Egyptian symbol for life?"(we are using Egyptian symbols in our design). You get the idea. As I ask the questions, the host will call on a boy or a girl and we keep score on the dry erase board.

The kids really seem to enjoy it. In fact today I was asked if we could make sure to clean up on time (because Mrs. Inconsistent is ALWAYS running late) so we'd have enough time to play.

Today, my littlest friends, the kindergarten, learned how to play a fill on the drums. They were wildly excited. Afterward, we drew self portraits of us rocking out on the drum set. Many thanks to Forks Drum Closet http://www.forksdrumcloset.com  for the generous donation!

 My art classes are a little on the short side. I see my kids for 30 minutes twice a week. That's IF I'm not running late. And in between getting supplies out, giving directions and cleaning up (if that's what you call what we scramble to do in 30 seconds or less), we are usually at a 17 minute work time. So this short little recap is just right for me to keep up with.

My amazing third grade artists. We spent many classes learning about the proportions of the face, shading and, of course Egypt. After capturing their Egyptian likeness, the kids created an almost life size sarcophagus.

Once the kids painted their designs in black, I introduced them to the metallic paints (insert choir of angels singing). To them, this is the best thing ever. The temptation to paint their nails is strong...but the impending wrath of their art teacher is stronger...as they know!

Okay, look. I don't claim to be the Smartest Artist. But if you need an end-of-the-class, everyone-loves-it, educational activity, I say try it. You might like it.