Back to School!

Seriosuly, where did summer go?

I mean, I did drive across the American southwest.

John Ford's Point

And I went to Belize.

Xunantunich

I also spent 2 weeks on crutches and another 10 days on the couch with a weird bug.

You know what that means? That means I watched some serious television. Like this:

and this:

and this:

All guilty pleasures and probably I lost some valuable brain cells.

I wrote 45,000 words of a fractured retelling of Beauty and the Beast (it's not finished, but it's close.) That's my fourth novel this year, if you're counting. (I'm counting.) One of these I'm eventually going to polish up and try to publish.

That was my summer. How was yours?

Good-bye summer 2013, how I will miss thee.

ps.   For all my teacher friends who are going back with me or in the next few weeks, I have a Teachers Pay Teachers storefront filled with freebies. I don't make any money off of my TPT store. It's just a nice central location to give away things I make for my classroom.

TeachersPayTeachers

Nerd Herd ~ Burda Style Most Worn Garment

Career Day at school yesterday, so my compadres and I (the Business teachers) dressed as the Nerd Herd from Chuck ... 

What do you think?  Do we pass nerd muster?

I made us badges and everything:

I used the most flattering photos I could find of us on Facebook.  Of course.


I thought you'd all get an especially big kick out of it. Not only because the nerd label is such a stretch for me (shut up Kristine) but because the only white button front shirt I own is from Burda World of Fashion 6/08 #107.  (You can read my original post here. ) Yes, I was a girly nerd. Shocking, right?

I've worn this top a bajillion times.  Not exaggerating.  I have worn it at least once a month since I made it and often more.  I need a new one.  This one is now too big.  Woot for too big tops!  (My pants are too big too, but they're from Old Navy.  Woot for too big pants!)

Question of the week...What's your most worn Burda Style/Burda World of Fashion item??

A Night at the Circus

It was prom this weekend!  Our theme was "A Night at the Circus".  The kids adamantly wanted a vintage circus feel, a'la Water for Elephants.  Last year, we did A Night in Old Hollywood, so I've gotten to plan a vintage theme two years running!

Here is the entryway, originally a kit for a "Hollywood Movie Premiere" archway.  We just bought additional $1 styrofoam letters and spelled circus instead!

The students traveled down the hall from the entryway to the cafeteria, which we transformed into a "banquet" area and dance floor.  Dance floor:

Canopied banquet seating:

The canopy "circus tent" was 19" gossamer in red and white, draped over pole & drape rods.  The tables were decorated with popcorn boxes filled with swirly suckers (Oriental trading has just about every color!), mason jars with tea lights, and a fortune teller ("cootie catcher") that I made to match our theme.

The fortunes told you which circus act you were!  (forgot to take a good picture of one though. Rats.)  I printed them on parchment paper, so they looked old too.

I think my favorite part was the ceiling!  Paper lanterns (always a hit for little cash) and upside down umbrellas!   The umbrellas are paintable paper umbrellas from Oriental Trading, and the kids painted the red stripes with plain old acrylic paint. 

Outside of the dance floor, there is a glass "cross connect" between buildings, which we used for an old-fashioned photobooth and a caricature artist.  These giant letters might be tied for my favorite detail.  (the little bench is where people sat to have their caricature's drawn.)

 

The letters were for cheer or dance teams to use in performances and stand 48" tall.  Except the "I" which...was a flub and I didn't notice until we unboxed them Thursday night.  Too late to fix at that point!  THey had sent one correct side and one incorrect side.  So we cut the correct one down to match the smaller one and just glued a paper lantern on top like a "dot".  I might like them better with that red dot on the I!  The letters were all glittered in iridescent glitter (of course). 

Dance floor in the dark... It livened up and you could really see everything when the DJ started the lasers, but I wish there was an easy way to light up the ceiling (for amateurs, I mean.  I'm sure professionals could do it in no time.)

The gazebo was HORRIBLE to build.  But it looked pretty!  Here it is in a "lights on" photo:

The kids loved it too. We put 2 benches inside of it (actually to help stabilize our crap building job, haha!) and there were kids sitting inside the gazebo all night.

I designed the ticket too, and a local print shop printed them up. (I hid our school name for anonymity's sake, but it was originally above the "presents" banner). 

A lot (ALOT) of work but the kids had fun and stayed to the end (had to shoo them out finally at about 12:15 am!) which is always a good thing.  The longer they're in the cafeteria with us, the longer they're safe and sound! 

If you have a vintage circus prom or party coming up (we saw a lot of circus weddings when we were planning), hit me up if you'd like details on anything we did!  I'm happy to share!

Now I'm pooped.   I might be getting to old for this prom business. ;)

Me & Lu testing the photobooth Friday night!

My Teachery Blog...

Just a quickie post this morning for my teacher friends! I've decided to open a Teachers Pay Teachers store to upload my freebie stuff to, AND to share my classroom/teaching stuff on it's own blog. 

A few times the past several weeks I've been dying to post something about teaching or my classroom or to share a free digital item, and I've held back because I know the majority of you aren't teachers and wouldn't be interested.  The good news (I think?) is, there are a lot of teachers blogging now!  Teacher blogs are EVERYWHERE! 

I'm keeping the name I used to use for my class blog...Yo! Ms. Amos!  (This is what a student used to say to me, years ago, when he wanted my attention.  It was probably annoying but I don't remember it that way now. haha!) 

If you are a teacher, I hope you'll follow me on over to the new blog.  I'll be sharing all of my classroom and freebie teacher stuff there from now on.  I made a little icon that links to the new blog, you can find it on my sidebar if you'd like a copy to share. And let me know if you have a teacher blog too!  I'll add you to my growing list to follow!

No worries for you vintage and fashion sewing bloggers here on Quality Time though! I still plan to blog just as much here as ever!

ps...I'll be back later with yellow Violet blouse goodness!

Oldie but Goodie

First week of school!  I was so tired Tuesday I actually went to BED at 8:30!!  ha.  I'm feeling a little more normal now and today went relatively smoothly.  I think we're crossing the line from "complete disorganized chaos no matter how hard I try" to "this IS a real teacher".   :-)

Sadly, I have nothing new to share (I had a bit of a virus over the past few days that lingered and made me extra tired over the weekend.  Super bad timing!)  But I can share what I wore today...not that I took a pic of my outfit or anything. 

Remember this skirt?  I drafted the pattern from the Sew What Skirts book, and used a psychedelic cotton print from Hancocks.

My favorite part has always been the pockets:

And an old photo of me wearing it.  I wore a turquoise sleeveless knit top and a cropped white cardi with short sleeves.

It was a hot day, so a good outfit for the heat!

Hopefully I'll get those buttons finished on the mustard skirt so I can wear it in a few days and share that too. 

Something new I "wore" today that I thought I'd share (even though it's a little, um, indelicate?)  This is SkinDura Secret Shield:

It's a skin protectant stick for anti-chafing.  (Wow, this is sort of awkward. ha.) 

Anywho.

If you need it, you know what that is.  If you don't, you don't. Am I right?  ;)  In a nutshell, for those days it's just too dang hot for Spanx (or faux Spanx.  Fanx?)  Two words:

Loved. It.

Wore it all day, no problems whatsoever.  Never reapplied.  I walked from one end of our building and back 4 times today (it was library day for my classes!) and you don't get much hotter or more humid than Arkansas in August!  I bought it from their Etsy Shop.  I recommend!

Classroom Pics & Freebie Printables

I took these on Tuesday, but just haven't had time to upload them from the camera!  These are all of my new classroom.  First, a little background on me for those just joining me.  I teach 9-12 grade in a rural community in Arkansas.  My classes this year are Housing &  Interior Design, Digital Layout & Design, Digital Imaging, Computerized Business Applications, Advertising, and Fashion Merchandising.  Quite a variety!

That'll help explain this huge room, with both a fabulous computer lab and classroom seating area.  And I mean it's HUGE. I may have to invest in one of those Britney Spears mike's after all.  :-)  I took all of these photos with my ipod, so the quality is not as good as my camera!  I think you'll get a good idea though.  Are you ready?  Let's start our mini tour...

This is the front of the classroom, a small whiteboard on the left and my Smartboard on the right (that's my podium peeking out from the right too). The walls are cream except for this front wall, which is a rusty red.  (It looks a little more orange in this photo than it is in real life.)

Hopefully those cords and things will get covered and tidied up when they finish hooking everything up.  The projector is ceiling-mounted, but I forgot to take a photo of that part.

Next is my bulletin board, and the first corner of the room when you enter:

My "art cart" will usually be wheeled into the middle of the classroom area, because we use scissors and glue sticks every day for collage and other paper design work.  The bulletin board is 12 x 12 scrapbook paper.   We were in a mad dash to get the school presentable for our first open house last week, so I never got to finish.  I thought it was cute enough "as is" to get me by until I had breathing room!

My plan is for this board becoming a Word Wall or possibly a display for student work.  I'm hoping I get my request for a 60" table to fit under the bulletin board, so I have a place for my magazines and other reading materials, and for handouts, sign in sheets, etc.

This is the same wall, a wide view past the bulletin board.

I made the bunting from colorful fat quarters and grosgrain ribbon.  They're attached to the wall with 3M removable hooks.  The two large B&W posters are from Hobby Lobby (50% off sale!) and all others are self-printed from things I saw on Tumblr or Pinterest.  (I'll link to some great printables at the end of this post).  I also picked up some wall decals at the $1 store and scattered those into my "collections" of small prints.

I can only print 8.5 x 11 at home, but if you cluster several "like" things, they make a great display together.  The wall decal quotes really tied these together nicely.   I printed on a textured cardstock from the scrapbooking area, so they look like canvas, even after laminating.

This is the view of the back of my classroom, including the regular classroom seating.  I have 7 groups of 4.  The back right corner is my built-in storage cabinet, and that ugly grey thing behind the rolling stainless steel cart (which will NOT be staying in my room, it's just waiting for the storage closet to be cleaned out so I can roll it down the hall!) is the breaker box.  It will stay and be an eye sore.  Sigh.

The 2 large posters are from Hobby Lobby also.  The hanging paper lanters are from Hobby Lobby, in the party section.  The table on the left corner holds my polka dot cubes I showed last week, and turquoise flower pots filled with colorful Sharpie's and colored pencils.  The 4 small prints I'll link to below, they were all freebies.

This is the other long wall with more bunting.  I'm lucky enough to have big, beautiful windows for lots of natural light!  The middle section has a WONDERFUL poster from the 1940s of boys at a movie theater laughing.  It's my favorite.   The Keep Calm and Carry On poster is technically a wall decal, but I put it on a large sheet of paper  and laminated it so that it's just a poster now. The two pieces between the window sets are student "mood boards" from Fashion Merchandising in previous years. 

The left edge shows my printer table with the scanner and turn in baskets.  The gigantic printer is out of view.  That chair is in the wrong spot too.  I have 2 extra chairs that I need to take to storage when the closet clears out!

The bright yellow poster in the back corner is a beautiful freebie from Joy's Hope. Here's a small preview, but please go to Joy's Hope blog to see the original and download it.  Very inspiring and the bunting goes so well in my room!

Image Source/ To Download

(I printed the "Write" poster above on cardstock using my printer's "Poster Print 3 x 3" function.  Then I trimmed the pieces so they fit like a puzzle, glued together, and laminated.  Presto.  Large poster from a small printer.  If you don't mind spending $7 or $8, Walgreens will do 16 x 20 prints.)

On the opposite wall next to the storage cabinet I have this poster hanging (you can't really see it in the long wall view):

 Image Source/To Download

This is large also, about 15 x 18", and I used the 2 x 2 poster printing, the same as above.

I have a couple of vintage poster prints too, this one and one that is a close match in color (probably the same artist):

I did tweak the color and texture of both to match what I personally wanted.  This one's available as a large scan all over the internet, so I won't link to it.  If you'd like a large format of the one I did (this one is my tweaked version and not the original I downloaded), let me know and I'll get a download ready for you!

I created some colorful tags to number my computers for a seating chart.  I made these in Photoshop using a free damask background (I did the color changes in PS) and a free PS brush from Pixels & Ice Cream. 

I numbered them in Photoshop so I can reuse the same numbers over and over, but here is a free blank set of tags (large file size!) if you'd like to print your own!  If you have an image editing program like Paint.Net (free for PC) or Photoshop, feel free to add whatever you'd like to the tags and use as you wish!

Damask Tag Download

I also made a weekly "calendar at a glance" for my white board.  It's viewable above, in the first photo of the front of my room.  There are 3 separate weeks, for the 3 classes I teach.  I'll jot down brief notes or objectives for each day (hopefully on Monday, or better yet, Friday afternoon!) so that the students can see at a glance where we will be going that week.  

I printed these (individually) on cardstock, taped each day together and then ran through the laminator twice, both for durability and to make sure they would withstand plenty of white board marking and erasing. I used sticky back magnets on the back to adhere them to the white board (you can see I need to add a couple more strips of magnet to keep them in place though...the bottom one slipped out of place!)

I created these all in Photoshop.  Here are the links to download each day individually.  Since they are 6 x 10 inches, you'll need to print them individually on a regular printer.  

Download Monday

Download Tuesday

Download Wednesday

Download Thursday

Download Friday

Ok this is turning into a super long post, so I'll stop there!  I did want to link you to one of my favorite places for classroom printables though, Sweet Blessings.

Visit her blog for TONS of cute printable freebies!  My personal favorite is this one: 

Have a GREAT weekend!  I'll be adding buttons to a certain mustard yellow skirt...  Photos to come on that one too!

weekend wrapup & a mini-tutorial

Between the oppressive heat (we're on day 36 of 100+ temps...many of those above 110!!  WITH 80-90% humidity.  It's like breathing soup.) and starting back to school last Monday, I'm pretty wiped out. 

That's saying something seeing as this is MONDAY.  Oof.

I did get a tiny bit of quality time with the '78 Bernina this weekend though; no clothes (which I desperately want to work on), just classroom stuff.  I whipped up this cute bunting for my very plain computer lab walls:

We moved into a brand spanking new building last week, so everything is shiny and new.  It's a little overwhelming to tell you the truth!  But I feel very lucky.  I teach the MOST fun classes, and now I have the best space possible to do that in. 

Here are 2 storage cubes I decoupaged this weekend for my room.  This one is for decorative scissors, punches, rulers and interior design templates, etc:

And it's matched mate is for cardstock or construction paper (when the budget gets tight!)

 

I painted stripes along the backside before I built the cube, in pretty, colorful stripes.  You can't really see them until you bend over at eye level (or are a student in a desk facing that cube!) but it's a nice little surprise for those who do!

The cubes are from Hobby Lobby and are those stackables you can "build your own" creative storage center.  I bought white cubes (I think they come in black too), glossy Mod Podge, and white with red polka dot gift tissue.  Cut the tissue to match the outer dimensions of each side and Mod Podge them in place!  I used 3 coats on top for durability.  

I have a 3-drawer storage piece I decopauged using this method several years ago when I first started teaching (zebra tissue!) and it looks amazing still even after sitting on my desk for 7+ years!  The tissue can be a little finicky to place (if you accidentally touch the Mod Podge while placing it, it's a bear to remove and reposition.  But if you take your time, it's a cool "painted" effect without all the work!  Think of all the cool patterned gift tissue there is out there!

I hope to get most of my stuff in place and on the walls today, so I'll take my camera and get some photos of my finished room to share!  You'll have to forgive my Teacher Geek for a few more days...it's that time of year!

wow.

Where did flipping October go?? Holy cow.

SUNDAY is November. NOVEMBER. As in turkey and Christmas shopping and cold weather and Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade NOVEMBER. Crazy times.

I've been quiet lately, just busy! Our "block" rolls over mid-October at school, so I get all new classes and I'm usually swamped in the beginning, as you well know if you've followed me for any length of time! I'm thinking sewing, if that counts.

I did something crazy insane last week for my new classes. I opened a wordpress blog (blogger is blocked at school) to use as a "newsletter" format for my kids & their parents. Now I just have to find time to update it regularly! I know I've got lots of teachers out there in the audience, so if you happen to teach Business Ed or FACS like me, feel free to pop over and see if there's anything usable to you & your classes!

blog here!

(Oh, and its just a page right now, I was serious when I said I haven't posted yet! HA! That's on today's agenda.) Wordpress was pretty easy to setup, too. If you're a teacher and looking for a way to keep parents & kids involved, I'd recommend giving Wordpress a try! Our admin encourages those types of connections with home. I thought being a veteran of the blogworld, a blog was my best option.

Let's see...what else have you missed this month?? OH! Have you ever heard of Coastal Scents? If you're a youtube video junkie like me (Trudy started it all) you may have seen makeup tutorials videos. Well, one of my favorites, makeupbytiffanyd, did a review of eyeshadow palettes that Coastal Scents sells. I know it sounds like a candle company, but this place gets GREAT reviews all over the net on their makeup AND their makeup brushes. Their prices are spectacular! I just ordered several brushes and this palette:


It's the 88 Warm Palette. LOVE the colors and I can't wait for it to get here! I'm a little sad I didn't see the gel eyeliners before I purchased, because those are my favorite formula (Smashbox being my favorite brand) and I'd love to try a few. Darn.

Lastly (because I'm going to be late if I don't get wrap this up!) I got my November BWOF Wednesday! Woot! I LOVE this. I love a few other things too, but this is my favorite:



Line drawing:


Might forgo the shoulder ruffles, but who knows. I've been known to throw caution to the wind before! Again, as you well know. Toodles!

wordplay

Today in the life of Ms. A (or Hey Lady, as one is fond of calling me)...

Characters & Setting: Me, Boy Student to my right, Girl Student to my left.

Girl Student: "Here Ms. A, check my letterhead and see if it's good." Hands me a letterhead with a transparent image of hanging Christmas ornaments in the lower half of the page.

Me (checking the printout carefully): "But you cut your balls off."

Girl Student: Bites lip.

Boy Student: Freezes.

Me: Tries not to make eye contact.

We: Look at each other and laugh til we cry.

It was a good day.

A Thursday Song

Home Again!

Well, technically I got home last Saturday, but a large thunderstorm that evening knocked my DSL modem out! I was without internet until late Wednesday!

Nashville was LOADS of fun! I saw Lonestar at the Grand Old Opry and ran all over downtown with my school buddies. We're all bonded now. :P And can I just say that if you are in Nashville on Thu-Sat nights, you MUST check out Steven West at Tootsie's (10 pm-2am). He should really be famous. His partner in crime, Leslie Craig, ain't bad either.

GO! See them before it costs a bunch of money to!

Ok, this will be short because there's nothing really to report, but I wanted to let all of you know that I'm alive & kicking & will *hopefully* be sewing again ASAP. I do go back to school in 10 days (sigh) so I will probably be enjoying my last bit of summer the next week by lounging in the pool/on my lawn chaise, and not chaining myself to the sewing machine.

In theory anyway.

Toodles!

Small Souls

Most of you know I'm a high school teacher in my "day job". I teach computer applications to 9-12 graders. (Thus explaining the occasional looney escapism on the blog.) Sometimes I don't enjoy my job. There I said it. It's a tough job. The pay is lousy, the hours long (how about neverending), and I dream about the things I should have done differently.

Which means I eat, sleep & breathe school.

I'm inspired by really great teachers, though, and sometimes at a conference I'll meet someone who gets me all excited again. That happened this week. This is a shout-out to Misty Freeman in Georgia, who is an amazing teacher and tickled my mojo this week.

Misty believes in the Take One Teach One philosophy, and since I've taken some of her ideas away with me, I'm Teaching One here to all of you (some of you are also teachers!)

This movie makes me cry and inspires me to be a better mother & a better teacher every time I watch it. It will move you to view your students (and your children for those of you who are just moms) in a whole different light...and give you an inkling of the huge weight of responsibility that lies on the shoulders of every teacher in the world.

Grab a hankie.

Animal School

Back to School...

I can't believe that summer is basically over! Yes, the temperatures are still climbing (95 today. Yikes.) But I go back to work today, all business teachers report back today. Sigh. Where did summer go?!

Just a recap...I didn't loaf away my summer. It was chock full of good stuff.

Softball...


Whales...


Sparklers...


and Brangelina... (My goofy friends posing nonchalantly outside their door. Smooth.)


All in all not a bad summer.

The Big Easy

Glimpses of my week in New Orleans!

Me & Cheryl on the mighty Mississippi...

The gorgeous French Quarter...


Dozens of interesting side streets to explore...


Lively Bourbon St...


Block after block of Katrina devastation...many neighborhoods are still ghost towns, with homes abandoned...



The yello X on the house below denotes the water level when the rescue crews came by...


and the promise of brighter tomorrow, some of Harry Connick Jr's Musician's Row houses:


The historic Garden District with its beautiful old homes...


and spooking ourselves on Friday the 13th in Lafayette Cemetery...


All in all a fun week! (Oh, and I learned stuff too, being as I was at a convention.) I sure am glad to be home though.