Navigation Bar

Home              About Me              Contact

Monday, July 30, 2012

Monday Made It #4

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!

I'm really excited to announce that I hit 50 followers yesterday!  Woot!  I really wish I had something to giveaway, but I haven't made anything really cool and can't afford to do a gift card or something like that!  Maybe if/when I hit 100 I can do a giveaway.  Until then, thanks for reading and following! :)
I've made lots since last Monday!  I'm pretty excited with everything I have to show!! :)

Item #1: Magazine Rack for Homework

Before
On my way back to NC last Monday, I stopped at Ikea and bought this wall-mounted magazine rack ($14.99).  I figured I could use it for turning in homework, etc.  There was one problem... it was ugly.  How do you fix ugly?  Spray paint! :)


After: I think it turned out pretty nice!  I'm loving the orange and blue together! :)  I'm thinking of using Ladybug's Teacher Files' labels with a binder clip... Maybe?

Item #2: Ron Clark Test Buttons
I posted on Friday about finding these buttons at the Dollar Spot.  Well, this is how they turned out!  I think they're cute.  I did go back and get 5 more packs (all that they had left), so I have enough in the (hopeful) chance the whole class will make a 100% on a test! :)  I had to print these out twice before getting the diameter correct.  If anyone else wants to make these, 2.30" is a perfect size.

Item #3: Tissue Paper Pom Poms
I made these plus 3 more on Saturday.  My tissue paper was 20x20.  The first one I made was the green one.  With this one, I used 10 sheets of tissue paper.  I decided that it was a little bigger than what I was wanting, so for the others, I just used 5 sheets and cut the tissue paper in half (which gave me 10 sheets).  I think they're the perfect size.  I'm going to hang these from the ceiling in my classroom.  That reminds me... I found a great find while I was home!  
I don't know why I'm surprised by this, but they make clips and hooks to hang things from suspended ceilings!  This makes me really happy.  I'm going to use these to hang the pom poms, as well as, the curtain rod/curtains.  (The blinds make it impossible to hang the curtains any other way.  A pack of 4 was only about $2 at Lowe's Hardware.

Item #4: Teacher Supply Organizer
I finally broke down and made one of these this week, and I'm so glad I did!  I think it turned out really cute.  I have to say that if it were not for Elizabeth's (Fun in Room 4b) template, it would not have been nearly as easy!  I borrowed chevron images from a google image search and set the shapes with backgrounds in Word.  It was very simple, and it looks good! :)


Item #5: Globe Stress Balls
I didn't actually make anything here.  I just printed the sign from Mrs. Plum's post, laminated them, and used a spray adhesive to glue it on the tote that I found at the Dollar Spot.  By the way, my Target didn't have the light bulb or globe stress balls, but on Amazon I found 12 globes for $9.99, and since I had a trial amazon prime membership, I was able to get 2-day FREE SHIPPING!!  Not a bad deal, right!  They should arrive today, so I'll update the picture if they do!  :) Update: I've added the picture with the stress balls.  They're smaller than I imagined, but the perfect size for 5th grade hands!

Item #6 Felt Chair Footies
Have y'all seen this picture floating around Pinterest the last few days?  The Tennessee Elementary Art Teacher of the Year posted this great idea of using felt to keep chairs from scraping the floor instead of expensive tennis balls.  Why didn't I think of that??  Anywho, I had some felt left over from a project my senior year of high school... Yes, I have had it for almost 10 years...  So, I decided to cut it up to make footies.  They don't all match - half are brown and half are red - but who cares, right?  It was basically a free solution for that awful screeching noise!

Item #7 Box Top Bucket
I was still at my parents when I saw Antonia's Monday Made It where she made a box top container out of an almond can.  I turned to my mom and said, "Do y'all have an old cashew can?"  My mom looked but all she could find was an old, small Folgers coffee container.  Perfect!  I spray painted the can pink, cut a hole in the lid, and used The 3AM Teacher's frame for the label.  I made copies of box tops I already had and then glued them to the front.

Item #8: Monday Made It Redo
Y'all remember the pencil cans I made?  Well, the more I looked at them, the more my handwriting really started to bother me.  After seeing these labels at Peace Love & Learning, I decided that my cans could definitely look better, so I printed, laminated, and glued them on! :)
Much better, wouldn't you say?

I know y'all are going to say that I've been busy, but really most of these didn't take that long, and I could watch TV while making them.  The only things that took time and prevented me from watching TV were the magazine rack and organizer.

I hope you've enjoyed my creations and can take some inspiration! :)
post signature

Friday, July 27, 2012

Fabulous Finds Friday

Is it seriously already Friday??  Good gracious!  I have a few finds to share this week that I meant to share last week, as well as a few new finds from this week.

These are the finds I meant to share last week.  All of this came from Big Lots when they were having 20% off your entire purchase.  The baskets are boring, but I'm really excited about the dry erase "boards" and my new rug!  I plan to use the white dry erase board on my back door to take attendance/lunch count with my bottle cap numbers.  I'm not sure how I will use the blue circles, yet.

I found these bright flowers at Michael's.  They were on sale and I was able to use my 25% off coupon!  I thought they would look great with my "bright colors" theme.

After seeing a few bloggers post about purchasing laminators, I decided I would give it a try.  I have wanted one, but I've been somewhat skeptical.  I'm so excited that I bought this thing!  Here, I am laminating Kristen's (Ladybug Teacher Files) CRAFT and VOICES headers.

1. Another find I saw all over blogger world last week was this rolling cart.  I have been eyeing it for about a month, but WOULD NOT spend $60 on it.  I saw on a few blogs that it was 50% off and there was a 25% off coupon floating around.  I  looked through my email and found it, so I couldn't resist! :)
2. Lamp: I'm going to use this lamp in my library.  It's going to be in a dark corner of the room, so we'll need the extra light.
3. Mainstay Shelves @ Walmart:  I bought two of these cheap shelves to use around my guided reading table.  We are not allowed to have teacher desks, so my GR table is my desk (without storage).  It will come in handy.

And last but not least, my Dollar Spot finds!
1. 5 2-packs of "Award Buttons."I saw this idea on Pinterest.  (Have you ever seen a great idea on Pinterest and thought you pinned it, but when you go back to look at it, you discover that you never actually did pin it?  Frustrating.)  Click here for the original blog post.  Whenever a student makes a 100% on a test, they get to wear a button for everyone to see!  It's supposed to be a Ron Clark idea...  I'm thinking I might go back and get more.  I'd hate for everyone to make a 100 and only have 10 buttons! :)
2. Great Work!  Stamp
3. Chalk Board: Have y'all seen this on Pinterest?  I would like to do a collage like this with my class this year.  I think it would be sweet to have up on the wall. :)

Those are all my finds for now.  I have more, but I'm going to share those on Monday! :)



One last thing... Did anyone watch CBS's new show, 3, last night?  I thought it was the cutest thing ever!  What did y'all think?
post signature

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Light bulbs

There is nothing more disappointing than getting up and out early to beat the crowds in hopes of finding something you've been looking for... everywhere.  I have been to three Target stores over the last few days looking for the light bulb stress balls!  Has anyone been able to find them?

PS I definitely did not stick to just
getting lighting at Ikea.  It's next to
impossible to not get a cart full!
Also, I have a picture for your viewing pleasure.  When I got home yesterday, I had so much stuff to unload from my car.  It was ridiculous.  I decided to put most (but not all) of the stuff in one spot in my apartment.  (It looked like a tornado had gone through my apartment when everything was inside.)  I took a picture of 2/3 of the school stuff I brought home.  I woke up with the worst aches and pains.  I don't know what I'm going to do in a couple weeks when I have to move from my current apartment to a new one AND get my classroom ready the very next day!  EEEK!!

One last thing... where is the best place to buy fun colors of spray paint?  I went to Wal-mart and all they had was boring, dull colors.
post signature

Monday, July 23, 2012

Monday Made It #3

I have done more shopping than crafting while home in SC.  I'm driving back to NC today and will have plenty of finds to share on Friday!  I'm planning to stop by Ikea on my way up.  Woot woot!  I love that place!  I think I'm just going to look at lighting, but there is no telling what I'll come out with...  So, like I said, I haven't done much crafting this week, but I do have one thing to show you.

Pillows!!
Do you remember the brightly colored shirts I showed you in my Fabulous Finds post on Friday?  Well, here they are - Pillows!!  The idea just hit me last week.  I knew I wanted floor pills for my library, and I knew I wanted them to be bright colors.  Then I realized that if I use a t-shirt, two sides would already have a seam, and I'd just have to sew up the other two sides.  I didn't even bother trying to do the last seam "properly."  I just sewed along the bottom hem.  SO SIMPLE!!  Aren't they great?  What do you think?

I almost forgot!  I did make something else this week!!  I made a "Where Are We?" sign for outside my classroom.  I made it in PowerPoint (make sure you adjust the page size to 8.5" x 11" if you want to make sure it prints correctly), converted it to a PDF, and then used Staples Printing Services to print it on a thick card stock.  It looks great!
post signature

Friday, July 20, 2012

Fabulous Find Friday: Shopping in SC

Coming home this week was the best idea I've had in a while!  I'm not going to bore you with all the school supplies my MOM bought me...  She is awesome and has saved me so much money!  Unfortunately, I will still need to buy more supplies.  We are SO underpaid, but y'all already know this...
I'll start with my biggest purchase and the one that makes me the happiest:
I'm so excited about my new Clemson Rocker.  This is going to be my chair for the meeting/smartboard area of my classroom.  It was NOT cheap, but I have wanted one for several years.  Might as well, right? :)  The students love to sit in the teacher's rocker, so it can be an incentive during their reading time.

I accidentally stumbled upon a theme for my room.  It's nothing like "jungle" or "hollywood", but it's a bright colors theme!!  Works for me.
Let's see:
1. Tissue Paper: I'm going to try to make those Pom-Pom Puff Balls to hang from the ceiling. (1.99 each at Party City)
2. Flower Hole Punch: I needed a special hole punch for the punch cards I'll be using. (40% off at Hobby Lobby)
3. Green Totes: Each pod will store their book baggies in these totes.  Also, I'll label these totes with these numbers I found at "technology rocks. seriously."  I wish I could afford the money and space to use individual magazine boxes, but it's not happening. (Dollar Tree)
4. Magnetic Locker Basket: I'm going to use this to keep my Expo markers in. ($2.99 at Target)
5. Funny Ball: Will be used for silent ball or to call on students. (Target Dollar Bin)
6. 4-Pack Purple Basket: I don't know what I'll use these for... (Target Dollar Bin - $2.50)
7. Supply Caddies: Each pod will use these to house their Expos, erasers, highlighters, etc. ($2.50? each at Hobby Lobby)
8. Mr. Sketch Scented Markers: These are the best markers for anchor charts! (6.97 at Wal-mart)
9. Colorful T-Shirts: You'll see what these are for next Monday! :)

I *THINK* I'm going to use all of this to hang my curtains.  The walls, blinds, windows are a little weird from what I can remember, so I'm not sure this will work out.  I'll have to wait until I get back in the school to see.  I just got the regular Command hooks, a light weight curtain rod, and my little secret... Bathroom Command Strips!  These strips hold up to heat and humidity!  I don't know how your room is, but at my school, it gets hot and all the papers curl from the humidity.  Hopefully these strips will help keep things on the walls.

My last Fabulous Find is Staples Printing Services!!  The other day, I printed about 30 color pages on 110 lb. card stock for about $25.  It sounds expensive, but when I consider the cost of ink cartridges and quality, I'm actually saving money.  I printed Kristen's (at Ladybug's Teacher Files) CRAFT and VOICES headers, along with a few other things you'll see when I move into my classroom.  If you need something printed with a lot of color and want it to look great, use Staples!!

Alrighty, that's all of my Fabulous Finds for this week!  Do you think the "bright colors" theme works? :)  I can't wait to see what everyone else has found!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Thank you!

I want to thank everyone for the sweet comments about my Monday Made It items!!  Yes, I was busy, but I'm also a single girl, so I have the extra time on my hands! :)  Yesterday afternoon, I decided to drive home to South Carolina, so I haven't even had the chance to check out everyone else's Monday Made It posts!  The internet at my parents' seems to work when it wants to, so it might have to wait until I get back to NC.  The cell service here is quite aggravating, too.  I guess that's what happens when you live on the border of the country!  :)

Anywho, Amanda, one of my favorite bloggers from SC is having a very nice giveaway - $50 Amazon gift card!  If you would like to enter, visit Amanda's blog!  Whether you enter or not, visit her blog. She has lots of great ideas!

One last thing... I'm just going to whine for a second.  I am so jealous of the number of you all that get to work in your classroom during the summer.  We are not allowed in the school until AUGUST 15TH (school starts the 23rd)!!!  I'm moving on August 14th, so needless to say I'm stressing a bit.  Ok, I'm done whining.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Monday Made It #2

I'm so excited to be participating in another Monday Made it!!  I'm going to try to be a little less wordy and keep my random thoughts inside my head.  I can't make any promises that it will happen, but I'll try!  If you want to link up, head over to Tara's blog at 4th Grade Frolics.

Monday Made It Item #1: Dr. Seuss Quote Poster (and you can have it, too!)
This is a poster I made for my reading area.  I just printed it out like normal and used the poster-maker at school to enlarge it.  It turned out great!  One of the first grade teachers asked if she could have one, too!  If you would like a copy, I've uploaded it to google docs.  Just click here.  Enjoy! :)

Monday Made It Item #2: Binder Covers!

I just realized... I know my OCD is a bit extreme, but I did a really good job of eye-balling those labels... I didn't even compare them as I was gluing them on.  Huh, I'm impressed. :)
I'm in love with these.  I got the frame from Michelle at The 3AM Teacher.  They were not fun to cut out but I think it was worth the effort!  For the spine, I just played with the length and width making sure not to distort it too much.  I used my paper slicer to cut 1" off the top of the scrapbook paper (so it will not hang out) and then I cut 2" off the side to use for the spine.  I slapped on a little rubber cement on both labels, and voilà!  I think the colors are bright and fun!  What do you think?
P.S. If you have a Sam's Membership or know anyone who does, go there for your binders.  I got an 4-pack of 2-inch binders for $11!

Monday Made It Item #3: Hall Pass Sign and Tags!

I'm sure I've said this before, but I have a big need for instant gratification when it comes to some things.  Pinterest and blogs feed that need.  I've had Tara's (at 4th Grade Frolics) hall pass sign pinned for months knowing that I would eventually get around to it.  Then, last Monday, I saw THE CUTEST hall passes on Rie's blog (Hip, Hop, Hooray!).  They are genius!  It absolutely grosses me out that students have to carry hall passes to the bathroom.  And when they come back wet.... BARF!!!  With these, the kids can clip the hall pass to their shirts no matter where they're going!!  Again, genius!  So, I got up from my couch, found my keys and wallet, and headed to Walmart for a wood sign ($6?), paint (bottles and paint pens - $6), ribbon ($3), badge clips and holders ($1.88 for a 12 pack of each - so a little less than $4).  Aww, man, I wish I hadn't put those prices down... I didn't realize how much I'd spent! Poo!  I'm not going to go into detail about how I painted the board... You can figure it out, but I will mention that the green and gold paint are metallic! It looks pretty neat!  And I did put a coat of varnish on top.  I, also, got this frame for the hall passes from The 3AM Teacher.  I'm not sure if you can read the hall passes, but they include: Boy's Pass, Girl's Pass, Office Pass, Nurse Pass, Counselor Pass, Library Pass, and 2 Hall Passes.  These Hall Passes are available at my TpT Store.

Monday Made It Item #4: Hallway Clip Board

Why:   To keep kids accountable for meeting hallway expectations, a student (different student every day) monitors behavior and gives classmates either a check (meets expectations) or dot (does not meet expectations).  The number of dots will determine how much time is spent walking laps at recess (no worries, they still have time to play).  At the end of the day, the number of checks will determine if a student gets to clip-up (behavior chart).  It's amazing how well this seems to work.  I saw the quote on Pinterest (from Technology Rocks. Seriously.  Also, if you have trouble downloading her posters, she is very nice about emailing them to you.) and I just thought it was perfect!

How:  I'm going to go into a little more detail on this one.  The first picture shows my first TWO attempts...  Complete Failure.  What I did was use a spray adhesive to adhere the scrapbook paper to the back of the clipboard. Then, I printed this "poster" on translucent scrapbook paper.  The first time, I used more of the adhesive to stick the translucent paper to the other and then used Mod Podge on top... It bubbled.  The second time, I used Mod Podge to stick the two together... It bubbled. AHHHH!!!  So, I went and bought another clipboard and had the BRIGHT idea to just forget the translucent paper and print directly on the scrapbook paper.  SUCCESS!!  I still used the spray adhesive to stick the scrapbook paper to the clipboard.  I made sure to get all the bubbles out (using my drivers license), and put two coats of Mod Podge on top.  I'm in love with it, personally.

Monday Made It Item #5: Pencil Cans

I found these cans in the Target dollar bins.  They aren't spectacular.  My handwriting and paint pens were not at their best!  It will work, though!

That's all for this week!
post signature

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Early or Late?

Well, folks, it looks like it's going to be a sleepless night for me!  I knew I shouldn't have had that iced coffee, this evening, from Cinnabon... and it wasn't even that good! Phooey!!

Anywho, Sara at Fourth Grade Fanatics is having a 100 follower giveaway!  If you like Thirty-one, you should definitely take a peek at her blog!  Her's is one of my faves! :)

Mmmk... it's nearing 5:30, so I'm going to try, again, to fall to sleep.  Although, I'm not confident it will happen.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Fabulous Find Friday: Birchbox

Ok, ladies, if you love make up or any professional products, I'm about to rock your world!  Birchbox is one of my favorite little secrets!  Let me explain what it is...  Two Harvard grads realized that women (and now men) would probably buy professional products more often if they were able to "try before they buy"... Kind of like a test drive.  So, they built this company, Birchbox, that will send you a box full of deluxe size professional products for $10 a month, and you usually get 5-6 samples and sometimes bonuses.  Does that seem like a lot of money to you?  Well, think about, the times you have gone into Ulta or Sephora.  They always have samples close to the register of professional products.  How many of those samples are $5 or $10 each?!  Two months ago, I received a Stila liquid eye liner... I'm still using it today.  MOST of the samples are not 1-time uses.  Also, I haven't bought perfume in months.  My regular perfume ran out shortly before my first Birchbox, but I've been using the samples I've been receiving ever since.  It's a really great!!  I received my, I think, 4th box yesterday.  Check out everything that was inside (and please click on the picture!)!!

Yes, those are earbuds...
they were a bonus this month!
Now, let me get to the really cool part.  Birchbox really and truly wants your feedback on these products.  To make you more likely to give feedback, they will give 10 points for every item you give feedback.  10 points.... great, right?  YES!!  100 points = $10 that you can spend in their online store!!  Basically, they're paying you to provide feedback!  I haven't given feedback on the new items yet, but currently, I have 280 points.  When I get to 300 points, that's $30 towards a purchase!  Think about it... If their is a product you really love, you could get it FREE!!  

Anywho, that's my product pitch of the day.  If you decide to check out Birchbox, please follow the links I've strategically placed throughout this blog post.  For every person you refer, you get points!  So, please!  Help me get more points! :)

Oh, really important!!  When you go to sign up, it will only ask for your email address right now.  You've missed the Box for July; however, before their next box is available, they will send you an email and allow you to sign up and get your info!  YOU CAN CANCEL AT ANY TIME (but you won't).  ;)

Let me know if you have any questions!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...