Nail Polish Flowers.. Not a simple Pinterest Project!

I don't spend much time on Pinterest. I am too busy. However, while looking for something else, I saw "nail polish flowers" and really liked them. I have quite a few art 2 students that are not gifted drawing or painting students, so I am looking for ways to reach them using non-traditional means. I'm also looking for cheap and simple projects that can have a big wow factor. 

Nail polish flowers seemed like they might be a cool project that wasn't too hard and looked great.

Knowing that the way things look on pinterest and real life are often not even close, I looked up a couple of tutorials and found that tacky glue was a necessary, yet left out instruction on most of the pinterest pins.

I didn't have any tacky glue. So I tried Elmers. Don't. It doesn't work.

So I bought some tacky glue. I already had wire and nail polish.

I made a simple wire flower with petals that were about an inch long. This is not a big flower.

 I STRUGGLED. 

This was not easy. The center worked because it was rather small so the glue didn't have much space to span. But filling the petals was hard!

It wasn't impossible, but it took me almost 2 hours to get five petals filled with glue. Crazy.

After I finally got all of the petals filled, as they dried, the largest petal broke. I refilled it and left it a little thicker this time!

After giving the petals an hour or so to get mostly dry, I decided to go ahead and paint the petals before something happened to my flower!

I was surprised at how simple this step was.

And there you have it. One simple nail polish flower made from a little wire, some tacky glue and nail polish.

And is this a project for my students? 

Well... I haven't decided. Getting the glue to stick to the wire in one think film was hard. I don't know that I am ready to hear my name and help together that many times in one class period! But man I can see in my mind the incredible projects that could be made with this process!! 

Nevertheless, I learned something new today and ultimately, that is my goal. One new thing everyday! I'd say "who would have thought" my new thing would be making a nail polish flower, but really for me, it fits! Now I have to go finish my bouquet!

Taking the long-term approach to decorating

We have been in our new house a month.

We still have boxes in the living room.

We still have 1/4 of our stuff at the old house!

 

This is NOT ME.

My norm is to have EVERYTHING unpacked and put away within 3 days.

My norm is to have curtains made and rooms decorated withing a week or so.

 

This new me is taking the long-term approach.

When you plan to live somewhere for the next 30 years or so, you can do that.

 

That being said, I have no finished room pictures.

I have lots of messy rooms that you really don't need to see!

 

So, instead, I am showing you some of my wants.

Some are in progress.

Others are wishes waiting for funds.

 

 

1. Curtains for the living room. Doug bought them the other day. Now they are sitting on the floor waiting to be hung. I need to get another set as I want to continue the theme into the kitchen. Actually

I'd like a floral or circle pattern in the exact same color palette. No, I don't think that will be a problem on my budget... :)

 

2. A new fixture for the living room. We are changing out all of the hardware in the house from a gold, antique style to brushed nickel.

3. A fireplace screen. I LOVE this one!! But it is expensive!!!! I can dream.

This next one is okay, more budget friendly!

 

 

4. Doug bought one of these the other day at Target. It is PERFECT for my scrapbooks and the spot we have for it!! Thankfully the area we are putting it has room for another just like it as I have way more scrapbooks than one of these babies can hold!!

 



 

5. And my final item to show you today is the wall art I want for above the couch. Yes, I am aware I could paint something like this in a couple of minutes, but sometimes you just want to buy and enjoy!!

And that's it for today. For more of my wishes and loves, you can find me on pinterest :)





Life, 24/200, and Pinterest

I just realized how long it has been since I was last on here. One of these days I am going to feel like I have my feet under me and can do fun things again.  I'm not there yet.

So what's been going on in our world?

Well, to begin, Doug left his old investment company and started his own financial company!! Exciting times.  A little scary, but every risk comes with reward and it was time for him to be the guy that made the decisions about his future!!

Moving a financial services business is a lot of behind the scenes work and a quick move in the end, so we have been very focused on starting McLemore Financial Group.

If you need any financial advise, call Doug at 254-968-1020!!

What else is going on?  Just school and life.  Maddie was sick most of last week.  A little "innocent" 24 hour sore throat for most people becomes a week-long yucky time for Mad. After she had been sick for four days I took her to the doctor, but the doctor was booked solid, so they did a nurse visit to check her urine and do a strep test.  The strep test was negative and thankfully her urine looked good.  Then the nurse asked the regular questions and did the nice nurse talk. Thanks.  I really wanted to ask her if she had looked at Maddie's chart.  But I didn't, I just pointed out that the 24 hour virus she was talking about had passed long before. It gets old and tiring.  My sister is a WONDERFUL nurse, so I really try to be more patient with medical people because I truly know that they have the patients well-being in the forefront of their mind, however, there are times when I really just want to say... LOOK AT HER CHART!!!

Okay, sorry about the want. Maddie is well now :)

Next on the agenda, progress reports went out Thursday.  Lexi beat Maddie's grades!  Maddie did point out that 6th grade is much harder than 1st grade and Lexi pointed out that Maddie had missed almost a full week of school.  Nonetheless, Lexi was rather proud of her three 100's, a 99 and a 98.  Maddie didn't do to shabby either with two 100's and a lowest greade of a 96.  As a teacher, I couldn't help myself and told them to remember that this was just a progress report and that the official grade would come later and that I expected similar grades to show up there....

I am so thankful to have children that do so well in school. It is a huge blessing!

And how am I doing?  Well, thanks for asking.  I am doing okay.  I am still in the learning the new routine phase of the year.  My students are really good and my program is really off to a great start this year, but me, well, I'm struggling.

However, it is getting better and as I sat in a meeting on Thursday, I realized why.

Have you heard of the 24/200 concept?  Well, studies show that it takes doing something 24 times to do it proficiently.  But it takes doing something 200 times to make it routine.  So here I am with a new schedule and a new curriculum and feeling overwhelmed every day.  Of course I am! We are only on day.. well I don't know, but it's not day 24 yet.  So thinking about this has made me stop beating myself up for being exhausted and overwhelmed and given me hope.  It is getting better, and it will continue to be so.

I like this concept so much, that I think I'm going to make a 24/200 banner and put it up in my classroom.  Students are constantly asking why they have to draw something they have already drawn, explaining gets old.. but a banner, I could point to and say remember.... :)

 And lastly, in all the crazies of the days, I started using pinterest.  I wasn't going to as I knew it would be addicting.  I've looked at it a number of times and such, but this week a friend of mine was showing me what she was doing and I just couldn't resist any longer. 

For those of you that don't know what Pinterest is, well, it's a virtual pinboard.  It's like sticky notes to use in a catalog.  It makes looking at cool pictures way easier, becuase when you find something you love or want to use, you don't have to do the right click save to folder thing and then never find it again.  With pinterest, you pin it or like it and it puts it on your board and has the direct link for you! So when you want to go to the source, you double click you picture and it takes you to the website the picture was first posted at!

Isn't that SO COOL!!!!!  



Well, Kylie just came in throwing a 2 year old tantrum and Doug saying "YOU ARE DONE" (to Kylie, not me) so I better go!

Next installment: an update on our housing drama.