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!

Markdown Monday: May 31

Kelly and Kim's Kindergarten Kreations is hosting their weekly Markdown Monday linky party. I'm a day late to the party, but we spent Memorial Day as a family with no work allowed! :)

I am joining the party with my most viewed item for the month of May....

You can read all about what this packet has to offer HERE.  Keep going past the "Lucky Teacher" bit and you'll see samples of the packet.

It is regularly $3.50 but will be on sale for $2.50 through Friday evening.  Happy shopping friends!  I hope you find something useful through the Markdown Monday linky party!!

Five for Fraturday: May 28

Hello  Summer! It is so good to see you my old friend!! For those of you still in school, don't hate me. Think of it this way- last summer when you were enjoying a late summer trip to the beach, I was already back in school. See? It evens out!

I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for her fabulous Five for Friday (or in this case Fraturday).  Aside from Monday Made It by Tara at 4th Grade Frolics, this is my absolute favorite linky party. I love to see what everyone has been up to!

After state testing, we had a week of reading in the library for pleasure (imagine that!). We decorated with some whimsical Truffula Trees and each kiddo got a beach towel. Some of them got creative with their comfort. They all loved getting to chill out and read a book of their choice. It made my librarian heart happy!!

My Little's school had an art show before the PTO. Each family was able to purchase their student's artwork already matted and framed. #yesplease

              

I have almost completed my Teacher Binder for 2016-2017!  I am absolutely loving all of the options this provides for everyone from homeroom teachers to specials teachers!

            

            

There is a yearlong calendar, classroom schedule, individual schedule page for your sub to list student pullouts, yearlong planning by subject and by grade levels, a general yearlong planner for special events (Polar Express Day, 100th Day, End of Year Party, etc.), and much more! Now, I just have to figure out how to make certain pages editable like the class list, and it will be ready to post!

Besides finishing multiple projects for next year such as the Teacher Binder, my mind has turned to what I'll be making this summer. Here are few of the items on my list:

Lucky me, Michael's had a canvas with newsprint already on it 70% off! Now all I need to do is crank up the Cricut and create the words.

I have 2 support poles in the media center. One I turned into Jack's Beanstalk last year. Next year, I will add this street sign to the other one.  I can't wait!

And, I have added new signs to my list since the old ones were stenciled on the walls and will be painted over this summer. I have my eyes on these....I love them so much! 

If you are interested in any of these projects, simply click on the picture and it will take you to the Pinterest post.  Speaking of Pinterest, I'd love to have you visit mine. I have two:

Storybook Endings which has a lot of media center/classroom inspired decorating ideas and my other Pinterest Account which has an eclectic mix of things including my TpT items.

I'm off to refill my coffee cup and check in to see what everyone else has been up to this week. Have a fantastic Saturday!

Five for Friday: April 8

I am linking up with Kacey over at Doodle Bugs Teaching for her Five for Friday linky! It's been a while since I have blogged and lots has been happening! Grab a cup of coffee and stay awhile; I'd love to share my recent adventures with you.

First up, I got a blog makeover!! I am so thrilled with the results! Jolene Ray over at Paisley n' Polkadots Blog Design was so easy to work with on the project! She was patient, creative, and willing to keep working until I was 110% satisfied. I truly can't say enough positive things about her or the experience. Jolene created watermarks for my pictures (which I hadn't even thought of needing) and also created a header for my FB page so that everything coordinates and is cohesive. She really helped me to create "the look" for my brand. Jolene is a TpT seller and blogger in her own right. As she builds her portfolio, she has been offering discounted packages. If you are looking for a blog redesign or thinking of starting a blog, I highly recommend you check out Jolene's work.

I presented at GAFE Southern Summit a few weekends ago with the technology teacher at my school. Sharon is ah,maz,ing!!  She really kind of roped me into presenting a project we'd been collaborating on with the 5th graders. We added a collaborative project I did with first and second, she threw in her 3rd and 4th collab projects, and before you knew it, we had Google Map presentation!  If you've thought about presenting at a conference, but aren't sure you have the nerves for it.....just.do.it!!  Speaking in front of complete strangers is 300% easier than speaking at your own faculty meeting. #thetruth #trustme

We celebrated Big's birthday with friends a few weekends after his actual birthday which fell on Easter weekend this year.  This is Little climbing the rock wall during the laser tag party. He has a blast, and I found out he's quite the little climber!

When you have a "staycation" for Spring Break, it requires a little imagination at the end to keep the natives from becoming too restless! One of my sweet colleagues had 3 left over owl pellets. The boys had a blast dissecting them to discover what was inside the massive hairball. Big got the smallest foil packet, but his had the coolest bones inside!  If you have a science or nature loving kiddo at home, you can order these online (or beg an upper grades teacher to let you place an order when she does hers). It was a big hit with all of my boys!

Another fun distraction.....roasting marshmallows around the fire pit!  Middle is pretending he has a light saber....a left over from creating tents in the house with blankets and chairs to watch Star Wars. We used to make "tents" when I was a kid and it makes the kid in me happy to see my kiddos enjoying it just as much as I did!

We only have 3 more days of break and then it's back to the salt mines. Sadly, my school reality and my home reality are lining up way too closely for my liking. We are getting the house ready to put on the market because we've outgrown it....which makes me incredibly sad! This is the house we brought all three of our boys home to from the hospital. In the meantime, I'm preparing for a summer renovation at school. Sorting, weeding, packing, and disposing are the words of the week (or is that month....or year)!!!

Wish me luck as I try to make all of my closets look like this! 

And if you have a minute, I'd love for you to check out my Hidden Pictures Numbers 1-30 January-June packet. You can read about it HERE. It's the number 2 item in the list.

It will be 50% off for the next 48 hours.

I hope that your weekend is relaxing and filled with fun!