How to Decorate Your Art Room: Alphabet Cabinets!

I have been in my current art room for close to 15 years...which is hard to believe. I've only ever taught at two schools. I spent my first five years teaching in Nashville and the last 13 in my current school in beautiful Franklin, Tennessee. Can you guess what convinced me to change schools? If you are thinking all the storage and space, you are correct! I'm absolutely spoiled rotten, I'll be the first to admit. 

 Before I arrived at my school, this room was the school library. After a renovation, it became the most glorious art room with former bookshelves becoming wall to wall cabinets. Which I love...because, well, storage. BUT I'm not wild and crazy about wall to wall brown. For years I've tried to jazz up my cabinets: word walls cabinets; artwork displays; artist showcases; you name it, I've tried it. None of those things were something I could maintain because of my self-diagnosed ADHD and my self-diagnosed chronic laziness and, also, my self-diagnosed starter/not-finisher prognosis. I really should have been a doctor because it's obvious I'm good at diagnosing. But my handwriting was far too pretty so they kicked me out of med school. 

 Recently, on a trip to the craft store, I spotted a variety of letters and I got the idea to paint letters on my cabinets. If you've been following me since the beginning of the school year, than you know I'm on a redecorating kick with the idea to decorate to educate. 

 Evidence of my recent redecoratin'? Here you go:

* My Pencil Painted Cabinet

* My Roy G. Biv Paintbrush Wall

* My Tints and Shade Sign 

* My Color Family Crayons

* My Color Wheel Brushes

So when I settled on the idea, I searched the discount bins at the craft stores, always bought the ones on super sale and used my teacher discount...not too shabby when all was said and done. I didn't bother priming the letters because of my self-diagnosed battles with chronic laziness. I just lathered on the acrylic paint and they were fine.

I didn't want the letters to be too matchy-match but I didn't want them to look out of place either. So I decided to stick with the same color palette and just went with patterns for some and plain for the other.

I worked on these sporadically between a handful of other projects (ADHD, remember? You should see my house! It's a mess of "a handful of other projects"...starter, not a finisher, remember?!). Total, it probably took me 2 and a half weeks to get these complete. I used our school wide open house as my deadline.

These letters do make me so happy. Although now I kinda wanna take down what is above my cabinets. I have finds from other countries...but it currently looks like Cracker Barrel if Cracker Barrel was a World Market.

I really had a great time painting. I really helps me unwind to get my craft on and this was a fun outlet. 

How did I get them to stick to the cabinets, you ask? Hot glue. But that stays between us, okay? Command Strips woulda worked great...but I had hot glue on hand so...you know. I used it.

 I do need to update my wee hands as some of them are no longer accurate. Not to mention, those have bee up since I first started teaching at the school! Which means they're vintage and I could probably sell 'em on ebay.

The thing with redecorating and rearranging...once you start, you just can't quit. I have a dozen more projects I'm dreaming up. The fun never ends, does it?

 Thanks for letting me share this new project with you...they letters really make my cabinets so much happier.

 Mostly because I love all things brightly colored and patterned!

 

In the Art Room: Colorful Village, An Update!

It's gotten pretty spooky here on the blog...what can I say, I love me some Halloween. And, by the way, you ain't seen nuthin' yet as I have so many Halloweenie DIY's to share! I'm beyond excited...but, for now, I'll take a wee break to share this super fun, art-ucational and easy SUB PLAN that my kiddos have been working on. 

That's right, a couple of weeks ago, I was out of town for a few days and needed to leave my sub and my students some fun plans. I created the following video for her to share with the students:

I try my hardest to request the same subs when possible so that they know my students and they know the drill: show my video up to the portion that the kids will be creating that day and get them rolling. If I'm gone a number of days, then I have them continue with the video on the following art classes. 

 Often times, when I prepare sub plans, I'll have the sub do the same project with nearly all of my classes (in this case, my friends in kindergarten worked on something else). I do this for a couple of reasons: less prep for me as far as materials and supplies goes and less prep for the sub. My subs are usually not art teachers so I like to keep their life simple. A happy sub is an art teacher's BFF...and in this case, mine was so happy, she left me an email saying she cleaned my tables for me. THANK YOU, MS. SHORT! 

 When I returned to school the following week, I was created by these beauties! The kids worked on 9" X 12" paper. You can read about the supplies used here. 

 By the way, looking for sub plans? I've got a ton and I'm happy to share. You can find them here. Also here you'll see how I set up for a sub...when I have the time to do so.

And if you'd rather just listen to this ding-dong talk sub plannin', well, here you go! But now, let's get back to the sub plan at hand, shall we?

  My students have felt so much pride in their work since I taught them how to draw in the third dimension. They are now pros! I love their fun and funky villages. 

 Reason #3 I LOOOOOOVE having every grade level do the same project when I am away: because when I return, we just drop in to finishing it off! That means I don't have to scramble to see what it was we were previously doing  and I don't have to prep new plans for the upcoming week. I can simply return to school, drop in to the pre-planned lesson and relax knowing that the art educatin' still goes on...with little stress from me. 

 This also gives me time to see where we left off on previous projects and where the next couple of art classes will take us. It's like a moment to breathe. And who doesn't need that?

 While I'm breathing (usually into a paper bag), my students are wrapping up their drawing and coloring. Once complete, they use liquid watercolors to add patches of cool colors. A light sprinkle of table salt adds the fun effect you see. 

 I'm so excited to display these along with the other landscape projects we are currently elbows deep in. 

 By the way, I'm a huge fan of Sax brand liquid watercolors. Last year, I liked them so much, I also purchased their fluorescent watercolors. Meh. I'll explain my feelings on those in uno momento. 

But first let's ooh and ahh over this salt-sprinkly goodness, shall we?

 So the Sax brand fluorescent paints were just weird, I don't know how else to describe them. I most def would not recommend them. They were more like a weird watery-soapy tempera than they were a watercolor. The kids liked them. I was not a fan.

 I tested the waters with a few classes and then promptly switched back to the ole tried and true. 

 The paintings still looked fabo so no complaints here. I work with some seriously awesome artists, what can I say? 

 One of our words of the week was VARIETY...I requested variety of houses, sizes, patterns, colors, you name it. And they delivered. 

 It was pointed out to me by several of the kids which house was mine...needless to say, it was always the craziest. Aw, shucks. They get me...every.single.art.class. Poor kids! 

DIY: Eyeball Ornaments

They say the eyes have it, y'all. Well, I'm excited to say that not only do they have it but they have bows too. Yay! Balls and bows, my favorite! Wait, uhhhhh. Scratch that. Eyeball ornaments with bows are my favorite. That sounds MUCH better.

I created these Eyeball Ornaments for my Halloween tree (yes, it's a thing) that will be revealed right here on October 9th so mark your calendar in Candy Corn, witches, cuz it's a Candy Corn Tree! I was tasked by Treetopia to not only decorate said tree but come up with a theme. I've been sharing sneak peeks here but you'll have to wait until October 9th for the full reveal. Until then, I'll be sharing the DIY's I created for the tree.  Today, that means there here ornaments. Here's my wee how-to video:

Here's a wee list of the supplies I used:

* Foil. I hit up the Dollar Tree for this one. Did you know they sell a box of 30 sheets of foil for...you guested it...a dollar?! That place is my sanctuary. Don't judge.

* Rigid Wrap. Which is plaster wrap. You can find plaster wrap at craft stores but I really like Activa's Rigid Wrap. The stuff just seems a little thicker and more sturdy. You can find it here.

* Acrylic Paint. I'm a fan of the cheapo craft store stuff. Cuz I'm cheap and crafty. At least that's what the boys say.  

Before these cuties hit my tree, I displayed them for all to see. If you are curious where I scored my Halloween decor, I'll gladly spill the beans: Nancy Drew book collection was from a gullible neighbor kid I knew when growing up; EEK signs scored at 70% off at after-Halloween sales last fall; paintings by yours truly; beakers from the craft store and the rest was thrifted. 

 Oh! I forgot to mention, after the eyeballs were created, I thought they needed a little touch of cute and fun so I added the bows. I used ribbon found at the craft store. After shaping them in to bows, I simply hot glued them to the top.

 By the way, what is it with me and eyeballs? I mean, I have an eyeball dress and eyeball jewelry. Weird, much?

 About that Haunted Mansion painting...I've never blogged about it because I never finished the thing. And I don't know if I will. The spider webs are strategically placed to hide my unfinished'ish'ness. 

 I REALLLLLLY cannot wait to share my Halloween tree with y'all. Any guesses on the theme I went with? The big reveal will be next Monday, October 9th!

  On a different note, is it weird that I'm itching to paint the covers of the Nancy Drew books and hang them in my house? I want a whole wall. I am living for the paintings on the cover. I might have to do some painting over fall break...which is next week...not that I'm counting the MINUTES. 

 Oh! And not only have I been decorating my home but my art room as well. I'm excited to share what's new in that hot mess express, choo-choo!

 Until then, Jeepers, Creepers! Where'd you get them Peepers?! 

 

DIY: Top Ten Spooky Ensembles!

Happy October 1st, guys and gals! I'm SO EXCITED that my favorite month which is also home to my favorite holiday is FINALLY here! I've been sharing my favorite DIY's for the season as well as my favorite art projects for kids...and today I'm sharing my TOP TEN SPOOKY ENSEMBLES! Can you tell I'm excited based on my excessive use of the caps lock and the exclamation points? Sorry, I just can't control myself. 

But before I go any further, I have some super spooky and fun news to share with you: I've been chosen by Treetopia to one of their 2017 Halloween Queens! What does that mean? Well, that they sent me a CANDY CORN CHRISTMAS TREE which I've just spent the last 48 hours crafting and decorating. And you'll be able to catch a sneak peek right here tomorrow on October 9th. I'm so excited to also share that I'll be hosting a HUGE giveaway then. Ya'll won't wanna miss this!

I will admit, I'm mighty nervous...I mean, check out this line up! If you are not familiar with these DIY rock stars, then hop on over to  their blogs! BriteandBubbly is an ABSOLUTE DOLL, y'all have to check out her blog. 100directions blogger Jen is a girl after my own heart: her blog really is going in 100 directions and I love them all! Chloe at CelebrateandDecorate has such a fun and colorful blog that I cannot wait to explore more. If y'all are looking for some fun DIY's for yourself to create for your home, Natalie at Natalme has some amazing ideas. CraftyLumberJacks is AMAZING...I just got lost exploring their blog and all of their amazing ideas for Halloween. JenniferPerkins is where I get so much inspirations...she's a girl after my own heart with her love of anything vintage, weird, colorful and...well, weird. I'm thrilled to be in such good company!

So be sure to pop back by tomorrow  on October 9th for some fun news! Until then...let's talk Spook-tastic Ensembles!

Zombie Dress! I found this amazing Walking Dead-esque fabric at Joann's last season and knew I had to make a dress! I wore it to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. Mitch snapped the photo...knowing full well that there was a psychotic chain saw gal with great hair creepin' up behind me. More details on the fabric and the dress pattern used right here. 

Needle Felted Haunted Mansion Eyeball Pants! Okay, I know that's a lengthy description but that's exactly what these bad boys are. I found the stretchy pants at Target and knew right away that they'd make the perfect Haunted Mansion pants...as the print reminded me of the creepy-eyeball wall paper at the place. The Haunted Mansion at Disney is one of my most favorite things ever. I was so excited to create these pants. And, PANTS! I never wear 'em. In fact, I have three pairs and this is one of them. More details here. 

El Dia de los Muertos Dress! I've actually made a couple...I love all things Day of the Dead. These planters were super fun to paint as well. I'm excited to wear this dress this year. But I'm on a heels boycott so, sadly, I won't be wearing the dress with those super cute heels! More dress and planter details here. 

Monster Mash Dress! I think one of the reasons I love Halloween so much is because of the music. It's like Christmas music in that we listen to the same songs every year...and they bring back so many fun memories. Monster Mash makes me think of bobbing for apples, trick or treatin' and wearing our costumes to school. This fabric inspired me so much, I needle felted a matching sweater! More here. 

Classic Horror Movies Dress! The classic Universal Studios horror movies are my favorite thing ever. Well, maybe not the movies so much as just looking at the posters, the movie stills and photos Boris Karloff getting into so many amazingly spooky characters. This fabric is some of my favorite and I always get stopped when wearing this dress. You can read about it right here. 

The Scream! Granted, this dress wasn't intended to be a Halloween dress, but I'm gonna stretch and say that it qualifies as Munch's the Scream is spooky as all get out. Not to mention, despite the fact that this dress is sleeveless, it's COMPLETELY made of felted wool on the front thereby making it the hottest sleeveless dress in history. It's been confirmed. Read all about it here. 

Another el Dia de los Muertos Dress! I had a lot of fun adding the colorful pompoms to the bottom of this dress. I'm telling you, seeing the colorful art of this holiday makes me so happy. I wish I had more of it in my home! For now, I'll have to settle on this here dress. Read all about it here. 

Black Cat! I knew as soon as I spotted this curtain fabric at IKEA that it was coming home with me and becoming a dress. I now am ruined for fabric because of this dress...because now all I wanna sew with is big and bold print (preferably from IKEA because it's so incredibly inexpensive!). More about this cat-astic dress here.

 Naughty Kitty Club Jacket! Okay, so one could argue that this is not Halloween specific but I disagree. If you know your vintage Halloween cat decorations (what?! You don't!? Shame on you!) then you'll recognize this cat. He's the one on most vintage Halloween decor. I loved him so much, I decided to needle felt him onto the back of this cheapo jacket. More here. 

Spooky Owl Sweater! Have you noticed a trend? In the fall, I LOVE to get back into needle felting! Every season, I return to it and don't stop stabbing stuff (ahem) until spring. I'm excited to get back into needle felting soon...just don't know what I'll be up to yet! More about this simple project here.

 Now y'all have a super start to the best month ever! AND remember to pop back by here tomorrow for a HUGE giveaway and some exciting fun-ness to share. Until then!