Monday Made It: June 15

Wow! The last week flew by!  My boys were at camp so I was able to complete a lot of items on the "get the house ready to go on the market ASAP" list.  I also managed to squeeze in a few MMI projects. 

My first project was inspired by Laura over at Teach, Inspire, and Prepare Students.

I created one for my new paraprofessional as a gift, but I can definitely see making these little cuties for quick and easy volunteer gifts or anytime you need a lot of inexpensive gifts.  

This notepad holder is made from a 5x7 plastic frame from the Dollar Tree.  I printed out the background, slid it into the frame, and attached the sticky notes with a dab of hot glue.  I am thinking of putting one of these by my computers in the media center for when students are doing catalog searches and need to jot down the information.  One note of warning: the corners that prop the frame up are very sharp.  I have a nice scratch down my arm from not handling it with a little more care!

This second project is one I started on last week. I am trying to create inexpensive decor to help decorate my new media center. Obviously, it's a much larger space to decorate than a regular classroom!  

Last week, I managed to get all of the letter painted, the scrapbook paper Mod Podged on, and the whole letter sealed with Mod Podge.  I don't have all of my pots at home, but I created one so that you would get the idea of what I am going for here.

The letters will not be in matching colored pots (for example, the blue letter will be in the orange pot, etc.). The black part of the pot is actually chalkboard paint...that makes me happy!   I am going to line the pots up on top of the book shelf to spell "BOOKS." I bought the pots at Michaels for $1.49 each. The letters came from Hobby Lobby; they were on sale for $1.49. The scrapbook paper was $.59 each.  The dowels were $2 for the pack with the discount code (8/pack). The other supplies (Mod Podge, paint, wrapping paper leaves made from Party City wrapping paper, and tissue paper) were things I already had on hand...can you tell I teach much?  All in all, each letter costs approximately $3.12.   When I get them finished and in the library, I will post a photo.  

For less than $20 I have an attractive display that will take up quite a bit of space across the top of a shelf. It's not the cheapest MMI I've ever made, but it is one that will be on display all year. When you look at it that way, it's pennies a day. Does it sound like I've made this statement before? Yep..this is the logical, sound reasoning I use with my husband when he starts seeing the corner of the dining room taken over with school "stuff." Anybody else have that problem in the summer? You know, when a corner of your house looks like a department store after Black Friday?  Piles of stuff here, things sliding into the floor over there...you get the picture! It's hard to hide all that from the hubby...his vision is much better than mine!! ;)

My last MMI for the week involved creating table numbers. I got a little carried away and created too many options to choose from!  I need a little help in narrowing down the options to a clear winner.

Which style is your favorite? I'd love to hear what you think!