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.

I have a DATE!

With Harry Potter at midnight!

I am doing a quick photo shoot after school and then I am going home for a nap...so I can be well rested in time for the midnight showing of Harry Potter! I can't wait!


Here are the finished over-sized art supplies from a previous post. They turned out pretty good! I am working on one more, a box of crayons!

I love the lumpy-bumpyness of paper mache. These were painted with acrylic paints (the silver scissors are tempera paint) and then coated with some polyurethane.

I will photograph them sitting up on the shelf in my room later. The kids love them!

Are you going to see Potter tonight?

Recycled and Repurposed...what to do with those leftover art supplies..

You know...all those broken crayons...dried up sharpies...empty watercolor pans....

I have been saving this stuff and much more and I am excited to announce a recent 'relief sculpture' project I have been working on with my students.

Here are the mini 'teacher' samples that I created to give them some ideas. I'm excited to show you their work, hopefully later this week!!

A lovely little art book.

After the first day of school last week, I couldn't wait to make a little book for some of my classes. I quickly printed off a few pictures at the Sams Club one hour photo lab and I went to work. I stayed up late so I could finish. I included many pictures of my students in the book. I showed them cleaning, creating art and being safe in the art room.

Hehe...rule #1 We will listen to Mrs. Mitchell....they think it is so funny to see me in a book!



I used a Flip Flap from CTMH to include a couple of extra pictures on this 'safety' page. I have a special symbol by the paper cutter to keep kids safe!



A few pages don't explain rules or show any students, they are just for fun!



This was a fun book to make. I used a bunch of OLD patterned paper and cardstock and a few new rubons and stickers. I am forcing myself to use up things that I probably won't be using on any cards any time soon. Also, I got to use my Bind-it-All!

Back to School

Well, I have posted a lot of cards this week but I have been taking plenty of photos as I prepare for another school year. For any of you that are not teachers and do not have kids at home, I thought you might be jonesing for some of that new crayon smell. Part of being an art teacher (well, one of the best parts) is all the new art supplies.





If you like opening a huge package full of new goodies, then this would make you totally jealous. Oh, and I get hundreds more than just 96 new crayons for the start of a school year...maybe even thousands...





As you can see, I had some fun playing around with my new camera!

Enjoy!!