2014-2015 Classroom...

Well... 40 days into our school year & I'm just getting around to showing off my hard work! Better late than never, right!? 

Our district theme this year is super heroes. (Right up my alley & my fiance's alley!) So, I went full force with it... Put in a lot of hours & I am THRILLED with how it turned out! 

My classroom becomes my home for 10 months out of the year & I put a lot of effort into making it a place I enjoy being since I am there more than I am my own house that I pay a mortgage on! Oh, the life of a teacher! ;) 

So, please enjoy this photo walk! I am super excited to share it! :) 

 This is my bulletin board outside of my classroom. 

 So proud of this! Took an idea I saw on Pintrest & developed on it! 

 Love my teal backpack buckets! 

The superhero kid silhouettes I found on a Google search. The artist is Andy Fairhurst. I highly recommend you Google his work. It is so, so awesome! So, I took those silhouettes and drew the outlines the best I could & then painted inside the outlines to make the silhouettes pop. I am over the moon with how they came out. My kids love them too! Which is an added bonus!! I've always wanted a superhero theme in my room but hadn't quite figured out how to do it. So, with this having executed so spectacularly, I'm probably going to reuse this for a couple years! 

 Batman in the bathroom! 

 My reading table.

 Handmade banners! (Have to take them down this week for the fire inspection! Boooooo!!) Any of my other teacher friends in other states/districts have to do the same?? 

 My Olaf fridge! 

 Handmade name banner for my desk. 

 View from my classroom door. 

 My classroom door, color chart, and Baby Wonder Woman. 

 Paper drawers for each child & my quick attendance. 

 View from the front corner of my room. You can see my calendar area, my fantastic word wall that I saw on Kinder Kraze & made my own version of it. In fact, Maria at Kinder Kraze really inspired me with her classroom decor/theme. :) 

 Baby Thor & Hulk

 Baby Spiderman and Captain America

 Baby Flash... with his flash lights! 

 Part of my calendar area

 Another angle of my calendar

 My birthday board

 Baby Superman

 Another shot of my calendar area

 View from the back corner of my classroom

 Baby Ironman (my fave!) behind my desk

 My snazzy filing cabinet! Stencils & acrylic paint make all the difference in the world! 

 Baby Poison Ivy & Catwoman

 View from the back of my room

 View from the left side of my room

 Transportation circles. (Saw this on pintrest & made my own version.)

 Pintrest idea... again! Class rules & data wall

 Baby Wonder Woman

View from the bathroom door

So Much to Say...

I have been M.I.A. and I have so much to share! However, this past week has been a nightmare in and of itself. We lost my soon-to-be father-in-law last Saturday & are going to finally start the healing process tomorrow at his viewing & a burial following on Monday. 

It's strange how much the death of a parent changes the dynamics of things & how important it is to love those that are still around. Please keep my Bland family in your thoughts and prayers, as we open the wound again to begin healing. 

I am looking forward to sharing much happier news & happenings a little later on. On my to-do list... Set aside time to blog MORE!

You are missed and loved Fred!

Make-Over... Compliments of a Friend!

Am I lucky or WHAT!?!? 

Look at how snazzy my blog looks!!!! I almost don't recognize it! It's so fancy! 

I got a random text tonight from my friend Jenn K from Fabulous First Grade asking if she could bling my blog. Bling my blog!?!? Huh!? Well... if it has bling I am all in!!! 

The brainstorming and color picking began! With a few messages back and forth & her hard work, (while I played away in my craft room), my blog looks amazing!!!! 

She might even be playing around some more tomorrow. Which means NEW things to enjoy! Woo woo!!! 

I truly am surrounded by such wonderfully, generous, thoughtful, creative, and kind people! Which in return, makes my life richer! 

Thank you Jenn!!!! You are the bestest!!! :) 

Gaining My Bearings... Through Art...

The summer has flown by! It has been a whirlwind of a summer in the best possible way! Beginning with our engagement at the beginning of June, to a long trip up to CT to visit family for most of July!

I have been back to work unofficially since Saturday completing our incoming K student testing, and it's been a struggle to get my brain back in the swing of things. I have been feeling overwhelmed and anxiety-ridden. I went to my classroom for 30 minutes where all I accomplished was opening one box, unwrapping one shelf, and fighting a bookshelf to move all of 4 inches. I had to walk away after the power struggle with the bookshelf, due partly to the frustration, but mostly because the dust was on high & was attacking my sinuses. Hello clogged, gooey sinus cavities!!! I have not missed you! (I made sure I took my Zyrtec today though! But, I never made it to my room! Go figure!)

To relieve the stress yesterday, I played in my craft room with some new stuff I picked up on a recent craft spree my Auntie Karen took me on. We went to a place called Papercraft Clubhouse and Beautiful Impressions. They are both located in Westbrook, CT and boy were they spectacular! So much to look at! So much to buy! We had to keep each other in balance. We did a perimeter sweep first before we hit the center of the stores & found our treasures! :)

This is my Auntie Karen and Me! :) We are standing in front of Beautiful Impressions, which carries a ton of rubber stamps & other craft supplies. Beautiful Impressions is just a few store fronts up from Papercraft Clubhouse. This was definitely my kind of street! Lots of art & craft stuff all in walking distance! I liked the sign in the window & had my fiance take a picture. It's hard to see in this shot, but the sign reads "Art & Craft". Our craft store visits were followed by an afternoon of play at my Auntie's house with our new treasures.  My Auntie Karen has a blog & it is wonderful! She is also part of a design team for TCW. (The Crafter's Workshop) She has so many wonderful pieces that she's created! I was inspired by our day of play we had! Check out her blog! My Creative Endeavors

I bought my first ever art journal. It's a small one, as the thought of the journal intimidated me a little. It was in this art journal that I found my release! (After my second glass of sangria of course!) Here's what I accomplished...

This was my starting point. My sangria matches my color scheme! ;)

I found this perfect stamp at Beautiful Impressions. (It's the store my Auntie and I are standing in front of up above!) It looks just like my Doodle. So, he was my starting point yesterday! He's my best buddy! My Doodle Boy! My Moogie! 

This is just acrylics, over a stencil, with souffle gel pens, colored pencils, rubber stamps, and card stock. 

I am an avid Pandora Radio listener while I am in my craft room, and I happened to be listening to a Luke Bryan station, getting my country fix! I was playing with my new gelattos in the tropical color set & was looking for some inspiration. I love quotes and I love lyrics. So, as I was trying to brainstorm, Lee Brice's 'Love Like Crazy' came on. The lyrics spoke to my heart & that's what I used on this page. This is just the gelattos smeared with water, acrylic through another stencil, souffle gel pens for outlining & writing.

This is my first tag EVER! It's my favorite of the 3 pieces I completed yesterday. This stamp is from a line of doll stamps I saw at Papercraft Clubhouse. She was on a sample card & she was my favorite. I had to order her because she was not in stock, but she was waiting from me when I arrived home from CT. #anotherhappymailday

Her name is Betty & I adore her! I can't wait to make more outfits for her! This is just the rubber stamp of Betty stamped twice on different papers, washi tape, acrylic paints, worded stickers by Tim Holtz, glitter gel pens, colored pencils, crayons, and stickles. (I LOVE Stickles!) 

This afternoon of play yesterday really helped to center me. I felt a lot less stress as I went into work today & a lot less anxiety. I was able to come home today & start brainstorming classroom decor & set up ideas. I have about 5 different lists going for myself & DIY projects lining up. I am getting excited about returning to work. I tried a new craft for my room as well! Get ready! My room will be loaded with bright colors & LOTS of these! In an array of colors!!! :) 

SIDE NOTE: I got my 2nd StitchFix yesterday too! I loved, loved a couple pieces, but in trying them on... I didn't love, love them on me. So, they were sent back. Oh well, more money saved to put towards projects! Whether they be classroom, wedding, or play related! 

Thanks for sticking with me this long! I jumped all over on this post! Ahhhh... the brain of a teacher! SQUIRREL!!!! 

One of the Many Reasons...

...that I love my Freddy B! 

He uses Pintrest, first of all! (Score! A man after my own heart!)

He searches for nerdy & funny things, how to dress tips, and awesome science experiments. So, my days are usually filled with a plethora of pins sent my way courtesy of him! 

Well, I just received this one today & it made me laugh hysterically. :) Sometimes I am the spawn of Satan. My head spins around on top of my neck and I breath fire. Freddy B is usually an innocent bystander in all of it, but he handles it like a champ. I truly appreciate him on the regular for handling me with the utmost respect & grace. It is NOT an easy task. He is truly fantastic! 

One of the best things about my fiance is he can make me laugh! 

Love you mucho Freddy B! <3

Four Wedding Truths in Late Nights

I was up a lot later than I really should have been last night, however, I have a list of venues near us that we can go scope out. I  sent out some emails to get information on certain places. (Which was done on our wedding email account that I created! Eeeee!!!) So, my late hours were/are pretty productive! :) 

I made phone calls this afternoon to touch base with other venues I didn't hear from on email. Anyone who knows me knows that I am terrible about making phone calls. I always feel like I'm stumbling over myself and my words and feel like I'm extremely unintelligent. I bit the bullet today and made 4 or 5 phone calls. Go me! 

I have been reading my planning book on and off the last couple weeks, thumbing to different spots in the book and spot reading. I will say, this book is fantastic & has a lot of good insight & ideas. It was a good buy! Thanks Momma! :) 

Well, last night I started at the introduction. (Imagine that!) In this section the authors go into four truths about weddings that no one tells you. So, it's on those four truths that I'd like to give my thoughts & feelings on in my planning process. 

Truth #1 - The wedding is for you and your fiance. FALSE! 
I'm paraphrasing now, but it says that weddings tend to become less of a celebration of marriage & more of a large social torture test. Brides/Grooms/Parents are often guilty of making their weddings into spectacles to impress friends. 

I am somewhat guilty already in the ideas I have swirling about or pinned on Pintrest. However, I am doing my best to keep my feet on the floor & really add elements of Freddy & I to our day. We're both unique individuals who have our quirks. Though these quirks may be opposites, they complete the other person making them whole. That's what I want our wedding to be. Think... a glittery nerd! 

Truth #2 - Weddings end up twice as large as planned!
We made a preliminary guest list & did it much like the way we shop at Target. Put everyone in & before we checkout, we thin out our purchases saving our wallets some major damage. 

The thinning out has been difficult due to that feeling called guilt. I don't want anyone to feel left out, but the honest truth is -- we are paying for this on our own & limits need to be set. Pintrest has helped with how to thin out the guest list, along with removing my feelings & just keepin' it REAL!

Truth #3 - Perfect weddings don't exist in the free world. 
This is hard to swallow because I am a perfectionist. But my new mantra has to be... "Aim for fantastically wonderful!" (I love those words anyways!) I am putting that mantra on every mirror in the house starting NOW! :) 

Truth #4 - The 'wedding industry' isn't as innocent as it looks. 
Big Business + Novice Buyers = Disaster Waiting to Happen

The wedding business needs to make money, no doubt! The vendors have families to take care of & bills to pay. This is their livelihood. However, taking advantage is not cool! Fun Fact -- The wedding industry makes more than big breakfast cereal companies. I'm serving Lucky Charms at my wedding then! haha... I am nervous about scouting out venues & rental equipment. I have very specific ideas & I am not too willing to let them go. I am hoping to find a place that is going to be flexible & help make this day better than I could have dreamed. 

Oh please wedding gods, be with me!!! :) 

Summer of Color 4: Week 3

This is my first week taking part in this challenge. Better late than never! :) 
Twinkle, Twinkle, Sparkly Things - Summer of Color Challenge

I did this piece fairly quickly because the deadline was approaching to post. I am on the fence with how I feel about it. I love it in one look at it, and then the next look I'm like "Ehhhh..". 

My fiance told me it was dark. I am usually a bright colored girl, so this was a challenge for me. My mom loves everything purple, so this will probably go to her! :) 

I used an 8x10 stretched canvas, acrylic paint, rhinestones and Stickles as embellishments. My palms kind of remind me of truffula trees. I maybe should have written, "I speak for the trees." 

Happy Mail Day

I recently placed orders on Stitch Fix and Erin Condren, and coincidentally they both arrived on the same day! (The afternoon of my surgery, which make me feel a little better!) 

Stitch Fix is an affordable personal shopper kind of service. I saw it on a teacher blog that I follow and decided to give it a try. It was pretty fantastic! I am a gal who is frequently between sizes, and shopping can sometimes be downright frustrating! Searching through stores, finding something that I absolutely love on the hanger, rushing to the fitting room, only to find out that my boobs are too big, or that the piece is just a little too baggy in other areas, or finding I can't even get it on, causing me to triple check that I have grabbed the right size. All of that adds up to a lot of wasted time, and a very frustrated Aerin. So, I've been skipping the fitting room all together & spending a couple hundred to bring everything I like home, to have the let down of the whole "not fitting" issue in the comforts of my own home. Then, I have to make a return trip to the store to return the items. 

Stitch Fix has given me the freedom to not have to search through millions of racks & just go straight to the 'try on' step. Someone else does the searching & sends it to me in the mail. :) (In a super cute box, might I add!) You fill out a little style profile and give as much info as you'd like on the items & styles you like. Then, you schedule how often you'd like your "fixes". Simple as that! Here are some pics of my first fix. (Sorry they aren't the best!) 

I received 4 shirts and 1 dress, along with a cute bracelet. It is up to you what you'd like to keep, or send back. I sent back 2 shirts, the dress, and the bracelet. They pay for the return shipping and give you an easy to use mailing bag. I signed on to stitchfix.com and checked out. They asked for some feedback on the pieces I received to help style for my next fix, and I bought my 2 shirts and called it a day! :) If you'd like to try out Stitch Fix, you can check it out here! http://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3837853 

My other piece of mail that I received was from Erin Condren. I ordered a life planner from her. It is oh so cute & I'm obsessed already! It's a perfect size that I can carry it wherever I go & I was able to choose exactly what colors I wanted, so I will never tire of them! :) If you want to check out Erin Condren's products & see what she can design for you, you can check that out here! https://www.erincondren.com/referral/invite/aerinhector0205

The box was super cute as well, and I got a few extra goodies in my box that made me even happier! Here's some photos of that packaging & the goodies! 

I love happy mail days! What about you?