Showing posts with label miss frizzle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label miss frizzle. Show all posts

Monday, December 26, 2016

DIY: The IKEA Eyeball Dress

Happy Post-Christmas, y'all! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and is recovering nicely. Santa was super good to me this year (thanks, hubs!) and I got a ton of fun gifties. My favorite present was the insulated Starbucks cup that, as I was unwrapping it, I was told was a freebee from the work lounge. Um...thanks? My man is so silly, y'all don't even know. 

Speaking of prezies, I used one of 'em to film this wee gem that my entire neighborhood (and now all of the internet) was at privilege to witness...
I can only imagine what my poor neighbors think of the Hot Mess Express that lives next door to them. 
So if you've been following me here and here, first off all, bless your heart and secondly, thank you for suffering along with me as I figure out this thing I call The Eyeball Dress. After creating my last Ikea fabric dress with the giant cat motif, I decided that big bold prints are my new favorite thing. You can see another Ikea print dress here and here. When I stumbled upon this Ikea print on ebay, I scooped up all the yardage that was available. Unfortunately, there were only 3 yards...which normally is plenty for a dress in this style. However, because of the placement of the eyes on the fabric, it made for some tricky pattern cutting. 

So I had to do some thinking. Which really isn't my jam so I posed the question to y'all: what to do about that bodice. Initially I created the top right but the fact that the eyes didn't match up just about drove me bananaz. So I toyed with the idea of a solid bodice which got the most positive feedback from y'all. However, I've been power watching Schitt's Creek lately and if it's one thing I've learned, it's to let your crazily-dressed-freak-flag-fly...
This scene is reenacted multiple times a day at my house. My poor hubs. If only this were his reaction:
He's too brutally honest to ever fib about how I look. I've learned it's best not to ask. 
Every since I scored this fabric, I knew I wanted it to be all eyes, all the way. I mean, otherwise, it's just a crazy skirt with a top stitched to it. So even though it took some unfun pattern play, I opted to do the eyes right down the middle which then continued on down to the skirt. But if I'm being totes honest, I mostly put the eyes on top so I could say stupid stuff like, "Hey, buddy! My eyes are up here! No, wait...that's not entirely true." I know, I missed my calling as a stand up comedian. I get told that ALL.THE.TIME. (well, this one time. But I think the person was drunk.)

On Christmas eve, I was just about done with this thing when my dear ole faithful sewing machine decided to flake out. I'm all NOW IS NOT THE TIME! I was determined to finish the thing...so determined that we braved The Twilight Zone, aka Walmart on Christmas eve... 
I returned home with just a few minor bruises and scratches and a brand new Janome sewing machine. Just in time to finish this bad boy. 

By the way, the ENTIRE time I've worked on this dress, I've had that Twilight Zone eyeball on my mind.
I thought taking photos outside would be fun as it is currently a crazy 70 degrees here in Nashville. C'mon winter, man up!
Of course it is super windy outside, which explains the peepshow I gave all y'all and my 'hood. I was going for something a wee more graceful, like this.
Of course, Roger (the monster in the Playhouse) also kept popping into my head. Although, I'll admit, I have thoughts of Pee-wee's Playhouse on the daily. 
I managed to not stitch a single dress for the holiday season. Which is super unusual for me...but I actually didn't have enough days in the month of December to wear all of my Christmas garb, #tackytroubles.
Mike Wazowski, much?
 My favorite part of this dress: the eyeballs on the back. Now I can channel my inner Roz...
Speaking of windy, I leave you with photos from the end of my camera roll. I'd apologize but I'm just keeping it real, kids.
 Real...
Crazy, that is. Thanks for all the advice on the dress, I so appreciated it! And, of course, thank you for dropping by. Xo!
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Sunday, December 11, 2016

Art Teacherin' 101: Episode 25

Y'all can tell it's the craziest time of the year when I start multi-tasking my blog posts. Allow me to introduce to you the first ever (and hopefully the last) What the Art Teacher Wore/Art Teacherin' 101/All Sorts of Other Stuff blog post! Yay! It's kinda like when your mama has too many small portion leftovers and decides that throwin' them all into a pot, heatin' 'em up and callin' it Goulash is making dinner. Welcome to my Bloggy Goulash. Grab your Tums. 

First order of business I want to share with y'all is that Other Stuff...I'll now be sharing one-minute videos on my Instagram, Monday through Friday! 

Be sure to follow me on Instagram to keep up with this new adventure. To join me during our Facebook Live chat, follow me here. And if you miss a video, all of them will be archived on my YouTube channel

I decided to do this because I remember what it was like my very first year teaching, in a portable (aka a trailer), isolated from the other teachers and definitely out of touch with other art teachers. I had so many questions! Now that I have almost 20 years under my sparkly belt, I thought I'd give back what I have learned (and am still learning!) along the way. If there are ANY questions you have for me, please feel free to leave them in the comments or shoot me an email (my address is to the right of this post). I'd love to hear any feedback about this new adventure, y'all! 

Now, on to this week's Art Teacherin' 101...LETTING GO OF NEGATIVITY.
I know I've been sharing with you recently my feelings of stress and how I'm attempting to address it. This week things really hit the proverbial fan with an art show added to the mix. Don't get me wrong, working with Artome was A DREAM (blog post to come, y'all!). However, I was on the receiving end of some not super polite comments from colleagues and, I gotta say, I really allowed that to darken my day. 
This was compounded with some other things that have happened recently. I discovered an entire conversation about me that was happening in a private art teachers group and let's just say there were some very personal and unpleasant words spoken about me. That really wore me out. Unfortunately, I have the habit of allowing negativity to play on loop in my head. Shoot, the words typed out in this email from many moons ago by a fellow art teacher still ring in my ears: It appears your priorities of late are to make a costume a day and write your blog. That is fantastic and shows what a dynamic artist you are, but it leads me to ask, "Do you have time to be a FSSD Art teacher and honor those obligations?"
So all that to say, we are ALL going through stuff. Everyone's got negativity to deal with. The best we can do is try our hardest to let it go. The black balloon visual works really well for me. Another thing we can do is NOT BE A BLACK BALLOON. Remember what your mama taught you: if you've not got anything nice to say then shut it. 
It's also good to know that you aren't alone. Keep that in mind when things start to wear you down. This time of year, everyone is tired and irritable. Just keep your head in the art teacherin' game and focus on the little artists who make you happy. Speaking of, I love these snowfolks created in one day by my firsties!
A good cry always helps. Mine have been coming in waves, sometimes out of no where. Just go with it. You'll feel so much better, I promise!
Retail therapy always helps me...which is why I hit the thrift store so often, it's guilt free!

Seriously, y'all, happy holidays. Stay positive, let go of that negativity and know that you aren't alone. Love y'all! 
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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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Sunday, August 7, 2016

What the Art Teacher Wore #168

Welcome Back Monday: Yep, just like that, we're back at it! I know, I can't believe it either. It's been a wonderful summer...but busy! I'd love another two weeks just to recovery from my "vacation"...but I suppose that will have to wait. Time to do some art teacherin'! dress: Bernie Dexter; belt and crinoline: Amazon; converse: Um, DSW, I think

Howdy, friends! I dunno why I feel this way, but it seems I've not chatted with y'all in ages. I think it's because with the freedom of summer, I got out of my routine of blogging...but all that's about to change. I'm back to art teacherin' and, hopefully, back to a regular schedule. Cuz I don't think I'll be able to keep up those til-2am-sewing nights much longer. I'm excited to be back and I'm excited to be chatting with you!

I've gotten a lotta emails lately from y'all about heading back to school, how to prepare, how to set up the art room and all the rest. If you've messaged me and I've not responded, please accept my sincerest apologies. I am making an effort...but, honestly, I'm never gonna win the Best Emailer Award. If you'd please leave your questions in the comments, I can address them but the best part is, other folks can chime in as well. Don't think you are the only one with questions, we are all right there with ya. The more knowledge we share for all to see, the better. Also you might wanna subscribe here as I've been addressing those questions in Art Teacherin' 101. 

Now, if I can get my act together, I have some fun DIY and In the Art Room posts planned for you this week...so stay tuned! In the meantime, have a super duper week, y'all!
Calendar of Kindness, Day #1: Write a Thank You Note. True confession: I love writing letters. Mostly because I love receiving letters. When I was a kid, I lived far away from my extended family like my cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. I sent them tons of letters and LIVED for the day to get one from them. As I got older, I had pen pals all over the world: Yugoslavia (back when there was a Yugoslavia), Australia, Japan, Canada, you name it. I still have those letters and love rereading them. So writing thank you notes, or notes of any kind, is one of my fave things to do. 
I hope you are joining in on the fun! Some of the prompts are hard to post and reshare on social media (like giving a high five)...but I do love the daily reminder to do something, no matter how small, kind. Snapping a picture and sharing it with the interweb is just a fun way to get that wee reminder out there. You can find me (over)sharing here
I thought it would be fun to make a kid-friendly edition too! I just might have to continue this on a monthly basis. My thought is to plant the seed with these daily reminders...and also to use them as prompts for my early finishers. Done with that painting? Write someone a Thank You note! 
 Meet the Teacher Tuesday: Our sweet students come to school in the evening on this day to meet their teachers! It's such a fun way to welcome the kids back. Definitely one of my favorite events as a teacher. The enthusiasm is contagious! dress: by the brand CowCow, found on Amazon; belt and crinoline: Amazon; converse: DSW; sweater and scarf: thrifted; necklace: Paper Source
 How can you quickly become everyone's favorite? Bring a ton of chocolate to those long back-to-school meetings. Nothing makes data-mining sweeter. 
 Wonder Wall Wednesday: When I'm at school, I often snap my photos in front of my Art Rocks wall. You can read more about that here. I love how this dress from Wearing History matches so well! 
Like, WHUT. So my friend Beth Moore turned me on to these inexpensive (under 20!) dresses on Amazon. Search the brand-name Cowcow (if that doesn't make you feel self-conscious...). My buddy Rebecca found TONS of dresses by them in different themes like space, Halloween, Christmas, the list goes on. Go get yourself into some trouble and get you some new back to schoolin' duds. Then we can be twinzies!
 Back to School Eve Thursday: We were so fortunate to have this day to work in our rooms and prep for the kids. I am STILL not ready but I'm ready enough! And excited for the new year, so much fun stuff is in the works! I can't wait to share with y'all how we are kicking off the school year. Stay tuned. dress: Bernie Dexter

So I decided to "Thank an Officer" by taking a couple dozen donuts to the police station. I know, stereotype much? They certainly didn't seem to mind. At the end of the school day, we had about four dozen donuts left over from our morning treat that were sitting untouched in the copy room...so I took those to the police station as well. The sweet woman working the desk must have thought I was nuts! "You're back!? Well, the night crew will love it!" 
 First Day Friday: We started our school year with a half day. No kids in my art room...but we do grade-level assemblies to acquaint the students with the school, school rules, procedures and expectations. I'm itching to get 'em in my art room! dress, crinoline and converse: Amazon; sweater: Target
Calendar of Kindness said to plant something...so I planted my beautiful spider palm, Mildred Pierce, in the Jungle Lounge. I got tired of watching Asha (my sweet tabby) chew her leaves off. I'm excited to have something with bigger hair than me in my art room!
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Monday, July 18, 2016

DIY: A Starry Night Dress (Yes, Another One)

Lemme share with y'all a lil story about a crazy person who THINKS she can sew but is totes winging it 99.2% of the time. Look, kids, I come by this know-it-all-but-don't-know-nuthin' attitude naturally. How about I paint a picture for ya: I've been living in the Nashville area for something close to 20 years now. Every single time my dear sweet crazy mama comes to visit, she gets lost. Like, WAY lost. Like, calling me after driving 40 miles past my house, lost. Mind you, I've not moved anywhere different in the last 7 years. The roads have not mysteriously changed. I don't live in the Bermuda Triangle. This woman, who owns both a GPS and has Siri on speed dial (I know that's not really a "thing" but whateves), REFUSES to use either of these modern-day handy dandy devices because she THINKS she knows where she's going. 
 Kinda like her daughter. Who THINKS she knows how to sew. 

Riddle me this: Would a fur realz stitcher create a Franken-Dress with a mashup of 6 patterns?! Me thinks not. 
In other news, some bird was DYING for some air time, y'all. Get that fine feathered friend on The Voice, stat!
In other-other news, there is not a single solitary photo of me standing still like a normal person. I blame that enormous circle skirt and yellow crinoline. You try wearing that combo and not spinning yourself silly!
So let's start with the dress pattern that likes to shatter dreams, ruin lives and drive folks to drink (it's a short drive, y'all. It don't take much): Butterick B5606. Like, whut the heck. It looks all easy peasy, right? Well, lemme tell you, it's a lie. I hit a road block on the SECOND STEP. I watched tutorials. I read blog posts. I laughed. I cried. I shook my hands at the heavens and wondered just how Butterick had managed to dupe me into another dress pattern again (it's been a while...but my distaste for Butterick goes WAY back). I'll tell you how: it was That Bow. 
 That's all I really wanted outta that dress, that bow. I was determined to make it happen even if I wasn't about to learn how to sew a gusset or whatever that nonsense Butterick Step 2 was taking about. 
So I did the unthinkable. Serious Sewists, plug your ears: I cut the pattern apart. That's right, I cut off the long tail in the pattern that makes the bow and I used it to cut out the yellow strips for the bow. I had no idea just how I was gonna make that yellow bow happen but I was determined. 
And that's when I busted out my trusty tried and true Simpliciy 8087. This one never lets me down. It's my go-to because I'm a fan of that waistband. I used the pattern for the waist and the back bodice from here. Then, again, I did something crazy: I cut the back of this pattern to match that of Butterick. Yep, I cut a big ole honkin' curve outta the back of the bodice pattern (I've since taped it back together, stop sweating) to accommodate the open bowed back. Then I did some magical trickery (read: I'm too lazy to type it all out) and shazam! I had a bowed back and a big ole waistband!
Now if you follow me on Instagram, then you know this dress had short sleeves instead of capped for a while. It just made the dress seem too heavy and matronly. So I used yet another pattern for the cap sleeves and pockets (YAZ, Y'ALL. This thing has pockets!) 
So I only used this pattern for a hot minute for the front bodice. I don't know what I did wrong but my neckline comes up way higher than hers. Just sayin'. 
Like, see?

The Anna Maria Full Circle Skirt is my go-to for a circle skirt pattern. I love it because, unlike my vintage circle skirt patterns, it's a modern length. I did add three inches to the bottom of the pattern to get this length. And I did have to bust out the Scout Tee just to make a wee bias tape to hide a mistake on the bodice. Because I was at the end of my seam-rippin' rope, kids. 
Yellow chucks and crinoline come courtesy of Amazon. That crinoline was delivered to my doorstep on Sunday!
So, here she is! ANOTHER Starry Night Dress (my other one here)! One made without the help of Siri or a GPS...just like my mama done taught me. Until next time, if you see a crazy lady about 40 mile south of Nashville, send her my way, would you please? 






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