Sunday, December 4, 2016

What the Art Teacher Wore #170

Most Wonderful Time of the Year Monday: Y'all know I am the proud owner of just a coupla outfits, right? Well, when it comes to Christmas, I have to clear out a portion of my closet just to make room for all of my holiday-wears. I ain't proud...I'm just sayin'. sweater: DIY, made by me many moons ago; scarf, skirt and blouse: vintage, thrifted; boots: Frye, paint splatters accidental; tights: Target; belt: Pinup Girl Clothing

Well, hey there, hot stuff! Long time, no What the Art Teacher Wore. Like, seriously, long time. In fact, I just checked, the last one was mid-August right before school was really rollin' and I lost all control of my time. Things are always the craziest this time of year and, lately, I have been really feeling it. So much so that Monday I had the pleasure of experiencing my first panic attack...at least I think that is what that overwhelming sense of stress, ear-ringing and quickness of breath was indicating. In an effort to slow things down a pinch, I delivered my first "no" this week to an art teacherin' bunch I wouldn't normally say that to. However, my state of mind couldn't handle the thought of one more thing on my plate. So even though I hated to say "no"...I really did feel much better afterwards.

But boo! We're not hear to listen to me moan and groan! I decided to bring back What the Art Teacher Wore this month because, well, I do love to dress Christmas-y. Halloween and Christmas are my fave times of year and my wardrobe would most certainly agree. I cleared out a large portion of my closet recently to make room for all of my holiday clothes. If you follow me here, you've seen several of these snaps already. I thought I'd also share what's goin' down in the art room this week, the most exciting being Esmerelda the Elf! Anyone else have an Elf in their art room? Y'all, it has been so much fun and really sparked the kids' imaginations. 

I hope y'all have a fabulous week! 
 Second grade weaving is one of my favorite projects! The kids love it and now that these are all warped, they are really gonna love the weaving process. We are ready to roll next week! If you've never done this project with your students, it's perfect for those in second grade and up. You can see the lesson on that here (great visuals to print out and provide your students) and video tutorial here
Rockin' and Rollin' Tuesday: Next week, we have our musical performance/art show/book fair because at our school, we are all about DOIN' EVERYTHING ALL AT ONCE! I'm so excited, our kids our so stinkin' talented. sweater and tights: Target; skirt: DIY, more here; blouse, scarf and pin: thrifted
 When I see my third graders, I see two classes at once for an hour. This particular group is ahead of the rest so to slow them down a pinch, I decided to have them work on a new mural to be featured outside of the art room: a James Rizzi-inspired funky town! I can't wait to see these funny buildings lining the halls to the art room. More details on this lesson soon. 
Merry Kitschmas! Wednesday: So I've been weeding out my closet and I'm slowly saying goodbye to clothing that is not vintage or made by me. What I'm left with are some fun outfits that make me so happy to wear like this plaid dress in Christmas colors I picked up in a resale shop. dress: vintage
 Last year, my sweet kindergarten teacher friend Heather had an Elf on a Shelf and I thought it looked like so much fun. Lo and behold, wouldn't you know that on Wednesday, December 1st a wee little door appeared outside my art room. Upon entering, the kids and I discovered that an Elf had strung yarn all over the entrance of my art room! We had to do the limbo just to get around the strings (because touching it might chance Esmerelda losing her powers!). The kids are IN LOVE with this little art room elf of ours. Our elf is considered to be magical (much like fairies) and doesn't just celebrate one winter holiday but many! I've hesitated in mentioning that she's watching for good behavior after one first grade class refused to take their eyes off her! "She's watching us, guys! I just saw her blink!"
Tree Skirt to Lady Skirt Thursday: Every year for the last several, I've managed to make a tree skirt into a lady skirt. It's like my fave thing ever. I'm on the hunt for this year's skirt! tights: Amazon; shoes: Converse, Marshall's years ago; top and suspenders: thrifted; skirt: made by me! See my tree skirts here, here, here and here!
 Not even gonna lie, I'm a little jelly of all the attention that Esmerelda is getting: notes, gifts and drawings. Like whut?! How this wee elf more popular than me? 
Trees from the Ceiling Friday: Obviously Esmerelda doesn't care about fire codes (ahem) -- look at those trees she hung from the ceiling! We talked about the celebrations that happen during winter all of the world after 'Melda reminded us of several with her message. I'm loving having this Elf, y'all! Love to hear if you have an Elf in your room as well. tacky sweater: made by me, more here; dress: made by me, deets here; boots: Frye
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7 comments:

  1. Your tree skirts always remind me of Bernice on Designing Women.

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  2. Wish I could find some tree skirts as cute as the ones you converted. I've had my eyes peeled for them ever since discovering this blog!

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    1. You know, Big Lots always has a ton and for reasonable prices. My vintage ones are usually ebay finds. Also...check your local thrift!

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  3. Lorraine Poling12/06/2016

    Dear Cassie Stephens: thank you for sharing your "anxiety" with us. Some of us wonder if you ever sleep, if you have clones, or are an alien life form- who has that much time or energy? You let us other art teacherin' folks see your humanity. I am amazed at your awesome classroom, fantastic plans, and inspired creativity, but I truly admire that you share your knowledge so freely with us all. Girl you do SOOOOO much for SOOOO many people! Bless you for saying "no"! It's so hard to do- but ultimately it will keep you sane. Lots of love to you, Cassie Stephens- you are one in a million.

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    1. Lorraine!! I love you for your kind and sweet words, you don't know how much they mean to me! In the last month, things have been a little rough for me: between pushing myself to my limits and receiving some really negative comments from other art teachers and colleagues, it's been a really trying time for me, I'm not even going to lie. Staying upbeat and positive has been a struggle. I so appreciate your kind words, they really speak volumes to me and come at just the right time. Thank you for taking the time to type them out to me! xo!! Cassie

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    2. I've been around art teacher' folks forever- my dad was one!- and I like to think I know a good art teacher when I see one. We do have some cranky, negative colleagues, don't we? Any time you need a boost please drop me a line. Art teachers like you give me faith in the profession and hope for the future.

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