Photo Collage Friday {Number Seventeen}

After the art auction in Kansas City a couple of weeks ago, we visited the studio of an artist living in the Crossroads District. He had many interesting things in his studio...my friend Meg thought it was one of the weirdest places she had ever been...This might not be my favorite photo collage ever....but I did find his studio interesting and there was some cool stuff hanging and hiding amidst the clutter.

Photo Collage Friday {Number Sixteen}

This makes me happy!! What a great idea, tie-dye your 'I Heart Joplin' Shirt. I saw this at art walk in Joplin last night. I wore the cutest vintage dress. I will be spending tonight writing up blog posts to auto-post thru next week. I took these photos at art walk with my lens baby, and I took a bunch more...look for the posts with those next week!!

Photo Collage Friday {Number Fifteen}

It is my last day of summer!! I am super sad, but I have had a great vacation. Today, I am blogging, baking pies, making a birthday gift, and sewing an apron. Busy busy!

For this week's photo collage Friday, I took some photos in my classroom of summer projects I have been working on this week. 

#1. Paper mache paint brush: A couple of years ago, I saw this great jumbo paint brush and palette set from Pottery Barn Kids. I totally wanted it for my classroom, but $200 was a little too pricey. Two years ago, I made the paint palette with scraps of styrofoam. This summer, I finally got around to making the paint brush using paper mache. (Thanks for the help, Emma!)  I made a cool set up jumbo paper mache art supplies last summer for my other art room.This was a super easy project, both the paint palette and brush are attached to my concrete walls with foam tape and hot glue. 

It looks pretty cool above my paper case, huh?

Before I can tell you about the other two photos in the photo collage, I have to tell you about a place in St. Louis that is an art teacher's mecca. I'm not even kidding at all. 

It is called Leftovers. And it is amazing. 

This place is a superstore of sorted, cleaned, organized junk. And for $7 you can fill up a paper bag with anything in the store. As much as you want. If it doesn't fit in the bag, they will cut you a deal. I got the long cardboard tube for the armature of my paintbrush from the store and I was so delighted!

#2 Splatter paint classroom furniture. I've always wanted something splatter painted in my classroom, but I'm usually too lazy/busy/forgetful to make something. Last week, I set up an old wooden table and a stool on a drop cloth and started splattering. These two pieces of furniture are a great addition to my classroom!!

#3 Spray Painted Clothespins. Okay, about 7 years ago while I was doing my student teaching, a little old lady came in and taught for one semester. One thing she did while she was working in my classroom, was spray paint a bunch of clothes pins in order to separate the classroom art work by table for each class. Brilliant! I've just been marking a little scribbled line with a marker on the end of the clothes pins for years, but this summer, I finally got out my rainbow colors and started painting the pins.

Photo Collage Friday {Number Fourteen}

These are all sky photos taken on my iPhone. I created this collage on my iPhone as well. It has been so sunny and hot here in Joplin, I really wanted to combine all of the beautiful sky images I have captured lately...especially when they reflect a bit of rain (which everyone is praying for daily).

Only one more week until I am back to school. I wish summer could last a little bit longer!!

Photo Collage Friday. {Number Twelve}

I know I shared a photo collage of my nephew just a couple of weeks ago...but I really wanted to share another one, I took SO many cute photos!! I miss this little guy so much!

This collage reminds me of all my favorite things about summer: sprinklers, bubbles, splashing and laughing!!

Photo Collage Friday {Number Eleven}

Summer favorites!! My summer is OVER half OVER!!

I am loving every ounce of my freedom. I am trying to do responsible things like drink lots of water, cook healthy meals, work out at the gym...but I am saving plenty of time for fun stuff too!! Here are some of my favorite photos of the summer so far. ENJOY!!

Photo Collage Friday. {Number Eight}

A little bit of spin art for your Friday.

Photo Collage Friday. {Number Seven}

Around the house.

In the wake of the Joplin Tornado disaster in Joplin, I am thankful for a house to come home to....dirty dishes in the sink, a screen porch, and a fridge full of magnets.

So many people in my city are homeless.

So many people have spent the last 2 weeks searching through rubble for their belongings.

I have spent the last two weeks desperately searching for a home for my mom.

I haven't had a lot of free time recently to hang out at home....between school and trying to help my mom, things have been super crazy.

Here are a few recent shots from around my house.

By the way, today is my LAST day of school....Happy summer...thanks for reading!

Photo Collage Friday. {Number Six}

This is an actual mural at my school. I thought it fit the criteria of being a 'photo collage' without much editing.

The school year is almost over! I am so excited for summer, but so sad to take this beautiful work of art down. It has been up since after Valentine's Day....it makes the hallway feel like an art gallery.

Photo Collage Friday. {Number Five}

Last night the local art center hosted a viewing of short films created for  a 36-hour film competition.

The requirements: Use one flour tortilla, the film must be filmed downtown (or at least a portion of it) and it must include the line: 'some things are better left unsaid'. The videos also had to be 3 minutes or less.

I will share a link and the video shortly. Here is a behind the scenes look at the making of the movie.

We worked really hard for 36 hours...got very little sleep...and used hundreds of spray painted flour tortillas to create a very unique stop-motion film. 

It was so much fun. 

Photo Collage Friday. {Number Four}

Last Friday I had a shadow. Emma came to job shadow. Such a fun day! She got to read the book to the classes, demonstrate a painting and make something fun out of clay. I brought m&m chocolate chip cookies for lunch. Enjoy this little photo collage of our day and a fun peak at my classroom!

Photo Collage Friday. {Number Three}

For today's photo collage, I wanted to share something funny with you.

Sometimes when I see a huge vat of some cheese....or a mound of leaves....or a pile of papers...or an assortment of objects in a basket....I think to myself....'wow, I would really like to Scrooge McDuck that bucket of bobbers" or "man, that cake looks delicious, what I wouldn't give to Scrooge McDuck that frosting."

Scrooge McDuck is the rich uncle Duck in a comic series Uncle Scrooge, but I remember him as the uncle to his grandnephews on Ducktales.

This collage is dedicated to all the photos on my iPhone of things I want to Scrooge McDuck.

I found a picture of good 'ole Scrooge McDuck doing what he does best.....going for a swim....(or #Scroogemcducking) in his room filled with money and gold...so that you get a good idea of what I am talking about. 

Photo Collage Friday. {Number Two}

This week....we haven't been allowed to use the internet in the mornings....and I am busy getting my computer cleaned off in preparation for a new one in the next few weeks. So much to do! Well things are getting rather wild and crazy at school, as they always do this time of the year. I try to stop and photograph beautiful things when I spot them....here are a few of my favorite 'art room photos. Enjoy this collage!!

p.s. I am thinking about having some of these photos blown up into 20X30 posters for my art room...wouldn't that be awesome!

Photo Collage Friday. {Number One}

Happy Friday everyone!
I would like to start a little tradition here on the blog: PHOTO COLLAGE FRIDAY!
I will pick out a series of photos on my computer (or from flickr) and post a little collage each week.

For today's collage, I really wanted to share photos from a recent 1st birthday party....SO CUTE! The baby dove right into that cake, I've never seen a 1-year-old do that before!!