Monday Made It- June 27th

This past week flew by at my house! We are on the hunt for a new house since ours sold the first day it was on the market. I did manage to create a few things for this week's Monday Made It.  Thanks Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for hosting my favorite linky every week!

My first project this week is a baby gift for a sweet friend's daughter.  I made letters like this last summer that spelled out "BOOKS" for a display in my media center. You can read all about how to make these letters HERE. The directions are in the Made It #2.

Please excuse the wax paper...the letters were still drying and Mod Podge peels off of wax paper so easily! :)

My next project has been in the works for way too long! I started this project when we were still in school, but because I had to pack up the entire media center (read every book in the place touched at least 3 times as it was saran wrapped in a group, replaced on the shelf, and then moved to a cafeteria table after school ended) this project got pushed to the back burner. Without further ado, here is my calendar for 2016-2017. It is modeled after the ones I normally purchase at Target or Wal-Mart with the exception of the price. Mine only costs $1 and you can get an updated calendar next year at no additional cost to you! Take a look and let me know what you think.

There are 8 covers to choose from: 4 girls and 4 boys. It starts with an "All About Me" page that includes a section for passwords. The calendar has a 2 page spread with lines for you to write on. This is for all of my Type A friends out there who can't stand those empty boxes and slanted writing. I have also included 2 pages after each month for you to brainstorm, take notes at faculty or grade level meetings, create lists, etc.

There are inspirational quotes scattered throughout the calendar and plenty of space for To Do's and Material Lists needed for lessons. If you record all of your parent conferences in here, you'll have them all in one place for reference when working on TKES (or whatever teacher observation tool your state uses).

I love these pages because they allow you to keep all of your faculty meeting and grade level notes for each month in one handy dandy place. Sometimes you need to refer back to this information when people's recollections become hazy. ;)

You can check out my Teacher Calendar in my TpT store. Remember, it only costs $1 and you never need to buy another calendar!

It's time for me to head back over to Monday Made It and see what fabulous things I need to add to my to do list. Thanks for stopping by!

Monday Made It- June 20

Monday Made It is hands down my favorite summer linky party! I absolutely love being inspired by other teachers, and this linky does not disappoint. When you finish here, head on over to Tara's blog 4th Grade Frolics to see what everyone else has been creating this week.

My school is undergoing major renovations this summer. I have been brainstorming ways to re-energize the media center for students and teachers alike. After surfing the web (including many of your blogs) and visiting other elementary schools in my area, I decided to go with this outside of the media center.

I printed out the letter cards on card stock and took the photos outside against the brick of the building. I didn't print in black and white; rather, I used the "Color" option under "Format Picture" in PowerPoint to soften the colors of the t-shirts. I really like the way it turned out!

This was an easy project and very cost effective. The canvases came from Michael's. I got a 10 pack of 8x10 canvases 50% off which equaled $10. The photo paper was $1 for 8 sheets at The Dollar Tree. I also used black paint ($.79), a foam brush ($.59), and Mod Podge. I already had the Mod Podge (matte finish); I would suggest you use a coupon at one of the craft stores for this as it is a little on the expensive side.

Start by painting your edge and onto the canvas about an inch with the black paint (or any color of your choice). You will need to do 2-3 coats of paint.

While your canvases are drying, print out your pictures. I cropped mine first so that there wasn't a lot of extraneous brick on the edge. Apply an even layer of Mod Podge to the canvas and position your picture on top. Do not press it down as you go; it is very difficult to adjust the fit if you do that. Let the picture dry so it adheres to the canvas. Come back and add 1-2 layers of Mod Podge to the top of the picture to protect it. Let the Mod Podge dry completely between layers. You can also paint the black edges if you'd like. I opted not to.

Here is the YouTube video I used for the directions:

If you don't include the Mod Podge which I already had, the 9 canvases cost me $1.28 each for a total of $11.52. Add the Mod Podge and it was around $15 although I have a ton of Mod Podge left for other projects. I couldn't have even printed the pictures at Walgreen's for that amount! #winning #frugalteachersunite

As you are planning for next year, I hope you'll run over to my shop and check out some of my back to school must haves.

Click on any of the pictures to head to my TpT store to check out the products.  Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and prepare to find great projects over at 4th Grade Frolics Monday Made It!