Summer Beginings; Year-End Projects

Sorry for the hiatus! I was working on finishing up one job, starting another, going on vacation, crafting like mad, moving, and job hunting for the fall.

On top of all that, my entire life plan changed in the course of a month.

But this is not the blog where I'll get into that.

So on to the year-end projects I crafted up for my coworkers I was leaving! After a year working closely with a staff of 10, we did become fairly close. It was bittersweet to leave them, but in the end I think I made the right decision. I've been provided with some new and exciting possibilities (more on that later) and three other coworkers have left the school as well. When you work that close with so few others, any changes would just stretch my already-stretched ability to deal with change. Might as well shake it all up and start from scratch!

...(if you know me only slightly, you'll think that doesn't make any sense with how I really am... But if you know me really well, you will know that's how I deal with change. I start over)...

 The final product looked like this!:

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The Yearbook Experience

During my student teaching, I was able to help with a jr. high yearbook class who used HerfJones (who has a wonderful online program for the kids to utilize). While volunteering prior to my student teaching, I helped a teacher at a high school start up a journalism/yearbook combo class.
I majored in journalism, and was involved in yearbook class in jr. high; I was close friends with the yearbook editors at my high school. 

I thought I was fully prepared for teaching a yearbook journalism class.

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Definitely an Experience

My current school is a very interesting school, no doubt about it. Not only have we switched classrooms a total of six times this school year, we've also been located at three different sites, and have effectively built our school from the ground up.

We started the year out at two different sites. When I came for the interview, I saw where the school would be located. It was an old goat barn, and four portable buildings.

However, when I accepted the job and came out on the day before classes started, the directions I was given completely confused me ...until I realized that classes wouldn't be held at the school site.
Nope, we started the year out at the local Baptist church, who was kind enough to lend us rooms free of charge. And I say "we" meaning the high school and junior high school. We're a k-12 charter school in the middle of ranch country near the foothills. Our elementary school was located about 10 miles ago, back next to the school site, at the local home owners association building (who did charge us to be there).

And our principal? She was located at the office about 1.5 miles away from our high school, next to the local pizza shop.
That's right... You try having an irate parent, a troublesome kid, or an emergency when the principal is 1.5 miles down the road. Those first few months were FUN. *rolls eyes*

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Craft: Magnets!

I originally learned this at an Arts and Crafts Faire in run by one of my bosses and her friends in Niles, about 3 years ago. The exhibition of the craft used things like modge podge and UV lighting to dry it, and had a tool to bend the metal of the bottle caps to look cool. I've made some modifications, in the name of cheapness and laziness.

You'll notice that I'll do a lot of different types of crafting... but I don't modify metals, mess with glass, or cut wood. I prefer things that involve paper, cloth, or glue. I love glue. Like, seriously love glue. And stickers. And glitter.

...and this craft uses all three (glue, stickers, and glitter) !!!

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Craft!: May Day Flower Wreath

My favorite holiday is coming soon! May Day! I'm taking about the traditionally Celtic holiday, not the International Workers Day. I love this holiday for many reasons. Foremost of which coincides with my love of Elizabeth I, historically. Even she was known to enjoy going "Maying" (dropping bouquets of flowers on people's doorsteps) as a child. And of course, the absolute lack of Hallmark around this holiday continues to fuel my love of this holiday.

So in honor or May Day I decided to make a beautiful flower wreath out of paper!

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Purple Cupcake Fiasco!

So I went to make my friend Gabrielle some cupcakes. She really loves the Pink Champagne Cupcake recipe I found in a Betty Crocker cookbook. And her favorite color is purple.
So I set about making a batch of purple champagne cupcakes.

All was going well, until I went to put the second tray of cupcakes into the oven. My kitchen is fairly small, and so I only opened the oven door half-way. As I was putting the tray in, the oven door started to close. I let go of the tray to catch the falling door... The door closed anyway, my finger was slightly burnt, and, well... the cupcake tray went upside down into the oven.

  

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Craft: Wall Art!

Here are some easy and cheap ways to decorate your walls, and make them your own! It seems that art these days, even from places like Walmart and Target, is so expensive! And to top it off, it's unoriginal! They have at least 20 pieces exactly the same at the store you're in, and who knows how many people have them hanging on their walls already!
So... here are a couple of ways to remedy that!

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