DIY- During the Summer

Hey all:

Although I had good intentions of blogging over the summer, sadly that just did not happen. But since the beginning of the school year is upon us, I have become motivated to pick up the habit again. I thought for my first post, I would share some of the DIY projects that I have worked on over the summer!

The first thing I tackled, was a house-warming present for my little brother who has just moved into his first apartment! So cute! He works at a local zoo and he loves everything having to do with animals. One of his favorite animals is a red panda, so I painted him a picture of a red panda for his wall using oil paints and a palette knife.

I also have started making an apron for my classroom. I'm following Cassie Stephens and her Apron-Sew-Along. Her directions are awesome and she's quite humorous. Here is the material that I picked out.

I only have one side and the pocket done, however eventually it will have a neck and waist tie and some borders, along with a backing to keep the mess that is sure to get on it from bleeding through onto my clothes!

My last project of the summer involves a new classroom! That's right folks, I'm at a new school this year! Still teaching elementary art, but I had the challenge of reorganizing a new room and making it ready for the new year. Not to mention planning for a new curriculum and getting to know new staff and procedures. Here are the before pictures of my room:

After several days of very hard work, here's how it looks now!

This is the entrance as you come in.

This is the free-create station for early finishers

The front of the room, complete with Smart Board. Also notice the Artist's Word Wall on the grey cabinet.

To the left of the Smart Board is a bulletin board with the class room jobs, Star Chart for behavior, and an area for writing down 'I Can' statements for each class. I also made a book nook for reading and playing art games after work is done.

I moved my desk to the back of the room and beside it are all the shelves for students work.

Lastly, the room is shaped like an upside down 'L', so in the corner is the drying rack, sink, one of the store rooms, and a table for working with clay and prepping materials.

So now I"m all ready for the school year. My next post will hopefully be next week. I will want to share the first projects that my new students start!