Monday Made It! {June 30, 2014}

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Yay!  It's time for another Monday Made It!  Be sure to head on over to Tara's blog, 4th Grade Frolics, to see all of the awesome things people have been making.

http://www.4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2014/06/monday-made-it-summer-week-5.html

This year, I am reusing the same classroom theme that I had last year.  I've never done this.  I have theme commitment issues- bwahaha.  Lame humor aside, it's the truth.  However, I really do love my rock star theme, so this summer I am planning to just add to my theme, rather than recreate everything from scratch.  Best.idea.ever.


I made this rockin' sign to hang on the wall space above my drinking fountain.


It is the perfect size for this wall space.  I found the frame on clearance at Michael's for $6!  How could I not buy it?  I made the picture and sent it to Costco for printing since I cannot print on 11x14 inch paper at home.  The colors are a bit off from the original, but I'm not that picky (despite popular belief).


The frame is super bling-tastic.  It was really hard to get pictures of it to show just how blingy it is, but here are a few close ups.  I love it!



If you teach second grade, and you think it rocks (um, it totally does), then you're in luck!  Click here for a copy of the "Second Grade Rocks" sign, if you can use it.  Simply download it to your computer and save it to your hard drive!

I also made more tissue poms. I have these hanging from my classroom ceiling, and I have a cluster on one of my classroom walls.  Of course, that's simply not enough pom pom action for this teacher lady!  They are so easy to make.  Every year, I use this tutorial from Schoolgirl Style.



I'm going to use this cluster of poms to accent the bling-tastic frame.




My last made it is a small cluster/collection of glittery stars.  Again, hard to photograph, and I don't know why the top right star looks like the edges are unpainted..they are!  Weird.


I got the wooden star shapes at Michael's and then painted them with two coats of solid acrylic paint.  Then, I put several (as in probably six) coats of the coordinating glitter paint on top of the solid.   


I initially thought I would hang these with the bling-tastic frame, but I didn't like them together.  Instead, I'm going to just place them wherever they fit once I go back in August to set up my room.  Trust me, I'll find them a home.  

And, those are my Monday Made Its!  Don't forget to head on over to Tara's to see more great made its!

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Weekend Warriors {The Sunday Edition}

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Hey everyone!  Welcome back to the Sunday edition of Weekend Warriors!



In yesterday's Weekend Warriors post, I shared some "pinspriational" school ideas.  Today, I'm going to share some pinspirational life ideas.  Yes, we are teachers, but we are also moms, wives, etc, so why not share some ideas that help each other in all facets of our lives?

Pin #1-Toddler Art!  My Little Peanut loves to make stuff.  She loves painting, drawing, scribbling, playdoh, stickers, and so on.  You name it, she's a fan.  Her go to medium, besides paint, are stickers.  Well, when I saw this idea on Pinterest from Here Come the Girls, I decided to give it a try!

Click here to see this pin.  Click here to visit the original source.

Here is our sticker mural.  Initially I attached it to the wall with painters tape, but that didn't last. I hesitantly ended up using push pins.  And, instead of using dot stickers, we went all out and used stickers from Little Peanut's stash.  It has been up for 2 weeks now (and is now covered in way more stickers than you see here) and she frequently goes to her sticker mural to add more stickers.



Pin #2-Everyone needs to deep clean their kitchen every once in a while.  When summer first started, I did just that. I scrubbed the tops of my cupboards, the oven, etc.  One more thing I cleaned was my microwave using a pin that I found from One Good Thing by Jillee.

Click here to see this pin.  Click here to visit the original source.

I hate cleaning my microwave, but this technique worked like a charm!  You simply use vinegar and hot water!  Put it in the microwave for 10 minutes and the gunk wipes right off.  Easy peasy. Here's my squeaky clean microwave.


Pin #3- Trying new, easy, and clean, recipes.  As I've mentioned, I've cut out high fructose corn syrup and artificial additives from my food.  But, a girl's gotta have dessert!  So, I've been making lots of these from PinTriedIt:

Click here to see the pin.  Sadly, the link to the original source resulted in a risk alert from my security software. 

Security issues aside, the recipe is so easy. You don't even need to read any directions.  Just buy some Naked juice (or any juice, really), pour it into a popsicle mold, and freeze! Even the hubs and Little Peanut love them!

Pin #4- Organized shoe storage! Thank you Better Homes and Gardens for sharing this one. I want to do this in my closet soooo badly!

 Click here to see this pin. Click here to visit the original source.

I have way too many shoes.  Half of them are on a rack (where they get dusty) and half are still in their original boxes but since I can't see what's in those boxes, and I'm too lazy to check, I don't wear them that often. Shh, do not tell the hubs that.

The Container Store has a great set of shoe boxes that you can buy in bulk (in store only) or individually.  They are on my wishlist!

Come follow me on Pinterest!  Click {here}, and happy pinning!

Don't forget to see what has "pinspired" these lovely ladies!


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Weekend Warriors: Pinspirational June {The Saturday Edition}

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Welcome back to another edition of Weekend Warriors!  This month's topic is all things inspired by Pinterest!


Raise your hand if you are addicted to pinning ideas.  My hand is raised!  I have a ton of pins, some of which I will likely never use, but hey, you just never know.  However, there are some ideas that I know I will use and I'd like to share them with you today.

I thought it would be fun to focus today's "pinspriational" finds on school ideas.  More specifically, back to school ideas.

Pin #1 is this cute use of bulletin board borders from Kinder Trips.  I love how she has used the borders to frame out sections of the board.  Brilliant!

Click {here} to see this pin.  Click {here} to see the original source.

I have a similar whiteboard set up (three sections). You can kind of see the board in the picture below.


I only use the middle portion of my board when teaching and the two boards that flank the center section are used to display our daily schedule and objectives, and to showcase art/notes from students.  My plan is to use border to frame the two end boards so they are a bit more attractive looking than they are now.

Pin #2 is this completely billiant idea from my blogger friend Sandy at Soaring Through Second. Sheer genius!
Click {here} to see this pin.  Click {here} to visit the original source.

I don't know about you, but I always hate how the crayon boxes end up falling apart at the bottom.  Well, I won't have to worry about that anymore!  Thanks, Sandy!

Pin #3 is this bottle of glitter germs from Little Miss Kindergarten which is used to demonstrate how germs spread.  I always cover this concept the first week of school because I don't like being sick.

Click {here} to see this pin.  Click {here} to visit the original source.

I used it last year and it was a huge success!  The kids were able to see just how quickly and easily germs are transferred from person to person. They will definitely make a reappearance in my classroom next year!

And, pin #4, my final pinspiration for next school year is this caddy turned organizer/storage for print trackers from Tales of Frogs and Cupcakes.

Click {here} to see this pin.  Click {here} to see the original source.

I have several different trackers that I use in my classroom, but right now, they are all shoved into a pencil box. This is clearly a much cuter, and much more functional way of storing these items!

Click {here} if you aren't already following me on Pinterest!  And, don't forget to see what these amazing ladies have found to be pinspirational.


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Monday Made It! {June 16, 2014}

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Another Monday means another Monday Made It! Don't forget to link up with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for this fun weekly summer linky!

http://www.4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2014/06/monday-made-it-summer-week-3.html

The past two summers, I have had multiple "made its" to share each week, but since I am keeping my current classroom theme (for the first time in 10 years), I don't have a whole lot that I have to make.  Instead, I'm making a few things that I want to make.  In other words, I'm adding to my theme.  And, can I just say that I love this!  I can craft at my leisure instead of feeling the pressure to redo everything.

As most of you know, my classroom is rock star themed, inspired by Schoolgirl Style.  My take is a bit different than hers, but she definitely inspired my choice.  The base colors (OK, prints) that I use are black and white polka dot and zebra stripe with pops of turquoise and pink.  I love my crazy polka dot and zebra combo and decided to decorate this to hang on the wall behind my teacher desk!

Sorry about the glare in this photo.

I love it!  It is so simple, but it will look great on the small bit of wall that I have behind my work area.

I started out by painting the letter with black acrylic paint (I sanded it first).  Then, I used the eraser end of a pencil (never been used so it was still nice and flat) to create the white polka dots (also used acrylic paint).


Then, I sprayed a clear sealant over the whole letter.  I love this sealant from Mod Podge.  Pricey, but it goes a long way (and, that's what coupons are for).


I plan to hang it on the wall using 3M velcro strips.


Don't forget to check out all the Monday Made It creations!

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