Classroom Management: The 3 Things I Do Before Every Art Lesson

Okay, so I'm gonna be honest: I'm not GREAT with consistency. BUT...I am consistent when I run my art class. Full disclosure: my art classes are (and yes, I still use the present tense; I've only been out of the art room for a month and I will always consider myself an art teacher so you'll have to forgive me) 30 minutes long with all grades, kindergarten through 4th. So even tho I don't consider myself a consistent person by nature, I've had to force myself to be for the sake of getting any true art teacherin' accomplished. 

In those 30 minutes, I have a lotta routines established. Today I thought I'd share the three I use to begin each and every lesson. Some folks hate these routines of mine...and they are always sure to let me know. BUT in the end, you gotta do what works best for you, your students, your situation and your set up. 

That said, here's the three things I do before every art lesson:

If you are interested, I wrote a whole dang book with my art teacherin' tips and tricks in it. You can grab a copy here, if you like. 

And if you are interested in what I'm using in this video, be sure and read the description. I added links to all of the supplies from the Open/Closed sign to the tabletop dry erase board to the happy face magnets! Tap this link to view those and...subscribe! I'm adding a ton of new content to my YouTube channel. 

DIY: Paint Pen Earrings!

Hey, y'all! 

So, backstory on this DIY:

A year or so ago, I bought this super cute pair of plastic (or maybe they are acrylic) face earrings. I loved them...but they were brown, the same color as my hair. The moment, I wore them, you couldn't see them! 

They sat in my earring stash for many a day until...one day...I decided to attack them with paint pens. What's the worst that can happen? I thought. I mean, I never wore them anyway. 

Turns out, after painting them and covering them in a thin layer of ModPodge and glitter, I loved them! 

And I recently did it again! This time, I created a how-to video so...here you go:

By the way, this is just a side note, but I'm adding a ton of new content to my YouTube channel! So...if you're interested, you should subscribe. Just sayin'.

If you wanna give this a go, I created a list of the supplies I used with links. Here you go:

*Super cute earrings here, here and here. 

* Posca pens were so fun to use!
* Glitter for some added sparkle!

* And ModPodge to seal the paint and prevent the earrings from chipping.

Knowing that I am always short on time, as I know you are too, I'm always looking for fun, easy and fast crafts. And this was it! 

ALSO...I'm getting back into blogging! AND I'm giving a tour of my 'closet' this week...and I'm really excited. It motivated me to clean the space! Just a little more tweaking until it's ready to share. Stay tuned!

Until then, have a great week, y'all!

Sewing Room Tour!

I finally cleaned my sewing room (after, you know, 10 years or whatever) and I thought I'd offer a little tour! Before we begin, I wanted to share with you all of the links to my favorite things you'll see in my sewing room. If there is anything you spot that I forget to link, please just ask. BUT...you'll have to ask on my YouTube video as leaving comments here on my blog is darn near impossible. A couple of years ago, my blog was flooded with spam comments and I had to make it more difficult to leave a comment. My apologies for that. But the comment section of this video is open:

Here are some of my recommended sewing must-haves!

My FAVORITE sewing machine for all sewists levels My FAVORITE book for new sewists My FAVORITE way to store spools of thread My FAVORITE thread (don't skip and use cheap thread, trust me!) Good scissors ONLY used for sewing is a must I LOVE this for pin holding when stitching, look how cute! A good cutting mat is a must These sewing pins are my favorite

In my video, I failed to mention that I have a roommate in my sewing room: Max. He's our toothless wonder. Though he's not very old, we had to have all of his teeth extracted a year ago. This means he has to eat soft food separately from our other cats (Johnny and Tika) who are wild wolves and would surely devour Max's soft food. Since he eats in my sewing room, he pretty much spends his days in there. With me. And his liter box, ahem.

I have had many versions of this wall in my sewing room. But what has worked for me the best is to have all of my tools up and visible for me to see and grab. Hence the multiple pegboards and the supplies on the wall. Artwork by my fave, Chris Uphues!

And I just finished that painted jumpsuit! If you wanna learn how I made it, just get thee here. 

There's probably a ton that I failed to mention so just ask!

What would I do without wire shelves?! Since leaving teaching in February, I've ordered a ton more for all of my art teacherin' books and supplies. I plan to share a tour of that space, where I 'work' very soon. It's just currently a hot stinky mess. 

AND if you weren't aware that I stepped away from the art room, YEP! I did! After 25 years. I do plan to chat about that in an upcoming podcast next week, so...stay tuned!

Fabric on hangers is seriously THE ONLY way to go! 

I do hope you enjoyed the tour! Stay tuned for more.

DIY Painted Jumpsuit!

DIY Painted Jumpsuit!

Hey, y'all! 

Okay, so...I KNOOOOOW I owe y'all a post about my favorite clay projects that I promised you, like, a couple weeks ago. Holy cats, I just looked...I promised that A MONTH ago. 

I'm not sure if y'all are aware but I stepped away from my art room on January 31st. Here I thought I was going to have so much time to return to blogging, creating content and all the rest and look at me. LOOK AT ME! I'm a whole month behind on blogging. Sometimes I wonder, how did I find the time before?! I have no clue. Looking to get back to all the things, including providing y'all with that promised blog post, real soon. But, in the mean time...

I painted a jumpsuit! And it was super fun and easy. I thought I'd share the process. 

So, here you go:

Now, I found my jumpsuit at the thrift. But if the thrift gods are not in your favor and you just want to get started, I created a whole list of supplies for you right here...including some really cute jumpsuits! 

I will say, this did take some time. Especially since I had to build in time for the paint to dry before flipping and painting the other side. The good news is I worked on two other DIYs at the same time (can't wait to share) so I was able to keep myself busy while I waited. 

This jumpsuit is super comfy to wear and I'm in LOVE with it. I'm totally tempted to wear it to NAEA next month (who else is going?!) BUT I have a feeling it will be a little too warm in San Antonio for that. ALSO...the problem with jumpsuits is...

When you gotta go to the bathroom! OMG! 

Thankfully, I can go to the bathroom when I like now that I'm not currently teaching. Pardon me if this is a little too TMI for you BUT...I know you teachers are sitting there nodding your heads. You know what I mean!

Anyway, I just wanted to share! I hope y'all have a fabulous day and I DO HOPE to be back real soon with more posts. 

Let's Talk Clay! Part 1

Well hello there, y'all! It's been a minute...and, if you haven't heard, a lot has happened around here. Like, for instance, me stepping away from teaching art in a classroom setting after doing so for 25 years! I KNOW. CRAZY. All the details on THAT very soon but first...a little something that I've been promising on Instagram for quite some time: a big ole post on all things CLAY. 

Let's first cover my supply list of Must-Have's for working with clay:

* TOOTHBRUSHES! I'm so sorry to shout...actually, I'm not. You will thank me later but THIS is what your kids should be using when they slip and score. Buy this set and use them year after year!

* WATER DISHES! This is where we keep our slip. In fact, I use the same set of no-spill cups each year, just add more clay to it. When clay time is over, I let the water evaporate and just leave the dried clay inside. When the new year begins, I just add water and we have insta-slip! Kids dip their brushes here. We also have a set of these just for painting...so I don't have to worry about cleaning them out when we switch from clay to painting!

* DOGGIE DISHES! Okay, so this is an alternative to the no-spill cups. I love these! We use these also when painting. So if the other cups are too much for your budget, try these!

* DOILIES! Since I started shouting, now I just can't stop. I LOVE doilies...in fact, just scroll below and you'll see a ton of my projects features a texture...it's from theses bad boys! You can also find them at your local thrift store and yard sale so be on the look out!

*SKEWERS! I think we all know about using skewers with clay but one thing that really always bothered me was how long they were. I was always thinking someone was gonna lose an eye! Not a happy thought. I discovered these shorter skewers a couple years ago and now...this is all we use. 

*TRAYS! Contain all of that dusty mess with trays. I didn't start using trays until recently and I was like WHERE HAS THIS BEEN MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE?! 

* GARLIC PRESSES! Oh man. You can't just get one of these. You're gonna need bunches! I found them here...but I have also found them less expensive at the Dollar Tree and Walmart. 

* REUSEABLE TOWELS! Oh man...I cannot tell you how much this saved the MESS in my room this year. Hear me out: I placed a bin of water on each table with a splash of soap and 2 towels. At the end of each art class, the kids used a towel to both clean their hands and the table. This kept the dust mess down! My custodian friend was so happy. 

The other items you'll find on my list are the air dry clays I've used in the past. I'm also sharing glaze (which is only used on kiln fire clay). I purchase my clay locally from The Clay Lady. She also sells the clay mats I strongly recommend. If you purchase your clay locally, you'll be supporting local businesses. 

And now...on with the show!

Isn't it crazy to think that we are expected to know about all things clay...just cuz we have an art teacherin' degree?! Well, I created a video sharing everything I know about clay. You can catch even more details in this blog post. 

And I talk a whole lot about glaze right here. 

Of course, there are plenty of ways to add beautiful color to ceramics without the hassle of a second fire and of the expense of glaze. I'll share a TON of projects in the second installment of this blog post that do not require glaze...and still look amazing. BUT FIRST...

What is Clay is a video I created several years ago to share with my students on the very first day of working with clay. With my 30 minute classes, we watch the videos and then we spend the rest of class just rolling up our sleeves and getting a little messy. It's a great introduction to clay, no matter what the project. Here's a peak at the video:

And now...a moment from our sponsor. 

Me. I'm the sponsor. 

Many of my projects can also be done with air dry clays, either homemade or store-bought. And if you are kiln-less and would like a little more guidance, I wrote a whole book about it! You can find it here. 

Okay, y'all. I really thought I could also add all my favorite clay projects also in this blog post BUT...I think I'll save that for the second installment of this series, so stay tuned. Until then, have a good one!