Weekly Wrap-Up

I may have posted that I am going to be teaching middle/high school art this fall.  Well, I am taking that class over for a teacher who left mid-semester, while I was subbing in the Reading class.  This school has only been open a year, so he was the first art teacher and I am pretty much starting the program over again. .  They are building the high school, and that should be ready by January 2016.  Until then, I will have 6-10th grade art, and a mixed class of 7-10th graders for Advanced Art.  

The kids have had a couple of subs since he left, and things weren't going as smoothly as they should have been.  Many supplies had to be thrown out, but there are some I can salvage.  I like everything in it's place, so I have to go through and figure that out.  I also submitted a list of supplies, but there are more that I need to get.  I'm collecting a lab fee, and I would like to get every student a sketchbook to work from.  I saw one teacher use this, and I really liked the way she had the students use them.  Plus, it's something cool they can keep and continue to use. 

I headed back into my classroom to get some things done on Friday--what a mess! Almost all of the furniture was in one corner, but I managed to move the heavier stuff around.  I just need to set the tables and chairs. I'm still debating on whether or not I will use the tennis balls I 'inherited' on the legs of the chairs so that the teacher below me doesn't go crazy will the noise from chairs on the floor.  I was subbing in the classroom below, so I know that that was like!

 I put up one of the bulletin boards--I tried using a plastic table cover like I saw on Pinterest, and that worked well.  Covered the whole board easily, but I just need to go up on the ladder and fix the top edge.  I bought the other table cloth somewhere else, and it was too thin--could see right through it--so I will have to wait on that one.  I forgot about the board in the hallway, so I need another table cover for that one too.  

I still have to go back and totally organize the 2 cabinets full of supplies, and clean out the file cabinet that was left full of stuff.  I cleaned out the desk, but I still need to get in there with a rag and clean out the food crumbs---yuck!  

I still have several things I need to finish making that I would like to have up in the classroom by my desk.  I will add some pictures, also.  

So many tiny things...

So, I have been working on some things that caught my attention on Pinterest.  I have been loving the tiny glass bottles for some time, and I finally got a few of them to try and experiment with some things. Before I bought the bottles,  I made some very tiny polymer clay owls (pictures soon), as well as some tiny apples to put inside the bottles.  They baked up so cute!  Once I got the bottles, I soon realized that all my tiny things were TOO BIG for the opening of the bottles!  So now, I have to craft some even tinier ones, but decide what to do with the other baby owls that I have.  Maybe mini terrariums for desk decor? I will take some pics once I come up with something!

I have been working on some jewelry for my collection.  I hope to add those to my Etsy store by next weekend. I have also been making some flowers brooches from netting that will be ready for sale soon, too.

Back on the blog...

After a very long break--filled with moving, finding a job, and getting my Etsy page back up--I am back!  I will be doing my best to post here once a week, as I really want to get things going on here again, and not just use this blog like a diary of complains!

 I will hopefully be teaching art this fall--no contract is signed, but I did sign a letter-of-intent for fall, once I get my endorsement to teach art.

I have put several items on sale in my Etsy store---oh yeah, and I changed the name of it too, just like I did for the blog!  I wanted it to reflect a different side of me--one that I can change without changing the name!

Whew!  It's been a while since I have posted anything--I completed my student teaching and actually managed to graduate with my Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education in May!  Now, comes the search for a job.  I have applied to my local school district, but I have not gotten word back yet--I still have a few things to do before that comes anywhere close to being done.

I reopened my Etsy shop after being in vacation mode while I finished school, so I will have some new things up soon.  Currently---as in right at this moment---I am at the Nevada Humane Society's 4th Annual Cat Convention selling tote bags, lanyards, cat hats, cat blankets and other items I have sewn or crocheted.  This is my 3rd year doing it, and it is always a lot of fun.

I hope to keep this up during the summer, until I start work----hopefully!----this fall.

What a life!

I've been a bad blogger....I haven't even blogged in months! School started--it's my last regular semester--and I have been working too, so things have been very busy1 I have been working on a scarf for my mom for her birthday; it's one of those Sashay yarn ones.  I haven't even listed anything new on Etsy, since I haven't had time to sew.  I feel so uncrafty right now, and I don't like it.......

I have some great fabric for Breast Cancer Awareness month, so I hope to get some wonderful things out and onto Etsy for October, so look for it soon!

Its been a while, huh...?

Yup, its been a while since I have posted on here....

First, work has kept me busy.  I only work part-time, but my hours are all over the board--I don't have a regular schedule and I don't have fixed days off (except when I am in school), so that can make for some odd hours.  I usually end up closing the store, but sometimes I will be scheduled for morning or mid-shift.

Second, I have been trying to work on some new things--a lot of trial-and-error to say the least!  I have an idea, think it will work according to what I already know, but it doesn't always work that way!! I've also been experimenting with at-home screen printing, stenciling, and embroidery.  I'm still working on finalizing some pieces, but I'm not ready to share.

Third, I haven't had much new to post!! Since I'm still working on things, I haven't really had anything exciting to post.  I do have a few things to take pictures of and post to Etsy, and hopefully I can rope my daughter into helping me with the pictures in the next day or so---I need a model for the bigger bags I have (they are too hard to photograph in my little photo box).

One thing I have had fun doing is making aprons! At work, we are allowed to wear aprons we make, as long as we use fabric from the store, so I've made 5 so far, 2 of which I made already for a special sale. I have 5 more I would like to make, since I figure once I start teaching, I won't want to get my clothes dirty (as an art teacher, I don't want to come to work with paint-splotched clothing).

I have been considering slowing business down, though---school will start in 6 weeks, and I have 4 classes now, but need to take 5.  In spring, I will be student teaching, so goodness knows I won't have time for anything after that!  I'm going to spend the next 6 weeks trying to make as much stuff as I can for Etsy, using materials I already have.  Gotta use it up!!

As for the tutorials I was thinking about creating....sigh!  The process is not coming out so good, so I might hold off on the idea for a while........

new inspiration for an old idea

So, I was--of course---on Pinterest, and I saw a lot of cool things. Like, how to quilt without quilting (just going zig-zaggy across your quilt surface) and making galaxy designs with bleach (the pieces are outside drying right now).

 I had an idea before of printing and decorating my own fabric; hand-painted, of course, and I thought that would step up my game a little bit.  I love working with printed fabric, but I would love to do my own thing.  I have been on Spoonflower, and I have been learning how to do repeats on Photoshop, but right now, that is a little too expensive for me to do.  So.....I might get out my litho carving tools and fabric paints and see what I can do to step it up....it seems on Etsy that things of this nature are popular, so I want to try it.  I have tried piecing my own fabrics, and making things from it, and  that comes out pretty good, so I would like to try to quilt my own fabrics and make something from that.

I also found a technique for making a zippered pouch that I would like to try--I think it might work well for piecing thicker layered and quilted fabrics.

I will, of course, add pictures as the process goes along.

Last Day of Class!!!!

Well, today is the last day of the spring semester--I just finished my last paper, and I have a movie to watch in my last class--yes, a movie.  It's a 2nd language acquisition class, and we have been studying Japanese, so we are going to watch a Japanese movie--with subtitles, of course--during our finals time.  And, no, I don't know that much Japanese, but I do know how to ask how late something is open until, and how much do certain things costs.  I can make it in Tokyo!!!

I know my apartment will be happy school is over---it needs a good cleaning!

So, that means that I will have the summer to work on a boat-load of items for Etsy!! I haven't been able to sew for about a month, since I have been so busy with schoolwork, so I am ready to start.  I might even make something tonight! I have a couple of orders to get out, so I have to get started on that. 

I will also try to post stuff on my yummiedebbie Facebook page, as well as my personal Facebook page, and see where that gets me.  Hopefully some new orders will come from that!

Back on Storenvy...and aprons!

I met someone last week at work...she makes crafts, and has a store on Storenvy...I told her I had an Etsy account AND a Storenvy account, but I hadn't used Storenvy much, since I had no luck on the site for quite a while..she told me it had changed and that she was doing well on it, so I decided to give it a go again...

I only added 3 items for now, so I hope to add some more and get things going over there.

I had thought about making aprons as another thing I can make and sell, but I just found out yesterday at work that we can now wear aprons that we make for any season.  I know we could have them for Christmas, but I was still pretty new then, and no one told me about the apron thing.  So, this weekend, I think I will make an apron, or two, maybe 3 if I have the money, so I can wear them at work instead of the standard issue ones.  I will be sure to take pics of my creations when I am done!

3D Sculpture Project for my Digital Media class

Sometimes I will post pics from my Digital Media class that I like.  I seem to have so much trouble in this class--I have been having some sort of issue with almost every project we have done! This time, we got to make a sculpture that represents ourselves, then we will be creating a computerized 3-D project after this, so I at least got this part right!  I made a shrine that represents the elements and themes that I like to use in my art projects:  Mexican, Japanese, and Chinese cultures, old photos, steampunk (the gears), ribbons, sepia tones, etc.  I did not have any of my things from India to put in there, since I have boxed up a lot of that stuff----just no time to work on it right now. I didn't realize how much I missed doing the mixed media thing! I might have to turn out some ATC's soon!