Monday Made It: DIY Necklace Storage

It's Monday, so I'm linking up with 4th Grade Frolics to share a couple of Made It's.

I don't know about you, but my necklace collection has recently outgrown my jewelry box. They were taking over the entire dresser actually! (This is probably because of my Stitch Fix and Jane.com obsessions!) I searched Pinterest and found this adorable idea: Turn an old frame into a gorgeous necklace display. Instead of using one of the half-dozen frames we had lying around, though, I saw this one at Hobby Lobby, and had to have it! It matches our bedroom perfectly!

I can't wait to get it on the wall, but I'm going to have to, because this frame is HEAVY and I don't have any drywall anchors at the moment :(

If you want the how-to, keep reading. If not, scroll down, because there's one more made-it down there!

You're going to need...

* a frame (this one is 16x20)

* some cork (I used the 12x12 tiles, but you could also use the roll that they sell at Hob-Lob)

* hot glue

* burlap

* duct tape (of course!)

* nailheads or pushpins to hold your necklaces (I found aluminum push pins at Office Depot)

Here's what to do...

Take the backing out of the frame. Hot glue your cork onto it. Make sure you trim the edges close, because you'll need this to fit back into the frame!

Lay your frame back on top of your burlap, with the cork side down. Trim your burlap to 3-4 inches wider than your frame back. 

Cut diagonally across the corners of the burlap.

Duct tape one side of the burlap to your frame. Then pull very tightly and tape the opposite side.

Keep working around the frame until you have it all taped down. Don't worry if your duct tape doesn't match like mine happened to...no one is going to see this!

Put you burlap & cork covered backing back into the frame, without the glass.

Now, just use your necklaces as a guide to push in your nailheads or push pins. Hang it, and admire!

Made it #2 is kind of a cheat because I designed it, but technically Zazzle made it. If you haven't ever looked at their stuff you should...or maybe not...because I spent *too*  much money when I did :) You can upload your own images or search for ones that someone else has created and order them on tons of cool products. 

I decided I needed a custom printed vinyl binder to use for this year's Teacher Binder. It arrived last week, and I couldn't be happier! These are quality binders, y'all. with  my design and my name right on them! No more printing & trimming & never having the inserts fit quite right!

You might recognize that as the same pattern in my Perfect Teacher Planner from TPT. That's because I custom made it to match! I spent Friday getting pages printed and ready to go for the fall!

While I was at it, I also made one to match the Turquoise Dots planner, and Juliet has one on the way to her as we speak. I can't wait to see hers too!

Because I think these are awesome, and I want to give you a chance to try them...if you order a binder between now and midnight Thursday (7/3/14), I will give you the matching planner inserts for free! Just email me after you place your Zazzle order and let me know! (Link at the top of the page)

Happy Monday everyone! 

Best Pencil Sharpener EVER!!!

I know many of you have already heard of these, but just in case anyone's been avoiding teacher blogs lately, I'm throwing my whole-hearted endorsement for the Classroom Friendly Supplies pencil sharpener out there!

I know, I know...it's old school. It's not electric. It's AWESOME! This sharpener is quiet...and by quiet, I mean, I no longer bother with restricting pencil sharpening to morning and afternoon. The only rule is that they can't sharpen while I'm talking. And really, that's not because of the noise, it's because I want them listening to me.

It was a little tricky to learn to use, and I had to do a class demonstration, but once they saw the process, they caught on with no problems. You just squeeze those two black tabs at the top, and pull the front part out. Then you can put your pencil in, use one hand to hold the top still, and the other to turn the crank. Believe it or not, my students were so excited about it, they stopped using our noisy electric sharpener all on their own!

And then, there's THIS! I don't know about you, but there's something wonderfully beautiful about a perfectly sharpened pencil. That's what you get every. single. time with this sharpener. One of my concerns was that this super-sharp point would break easily. I don't know how they do it, but even though these are very sharp, they really don't break any sooner than the mildly sharp pencils my $50 electric sharpener churns out.

I know what you're thinking...that is a Ticonderoga pencil. They always sharpen well. What about those cheapo ones with the awful plastic wrap designs? Seriously...PERFECT. Even the cheap ones. I wish I had a picture for you, but I forgot to take pictures at school, and I'm a pencil snob. All I have at home are Ticonderogas :) 

If you want your own, head over to their website to order. A little tip for you - there's a  nice discount if you order in groups of three, so see if you can get your teammates on board to split a 3-pack!

*Disclaimer - I did receive this sharpener free to review, but that in NO way changed my opinion or this review!

Five for Friday-Last June Post

Once again, I am linking up with Doodle Bugs for the awesome Five for Friday linky party! Here is a peek at my week!

 

My dad and I have a yearly tradition of doing a race together, called the Scavenger Dash. To describe it as best as I can, think Amazing Race, on a much smaller scale. You are given 12 clues/tasks to find or complete. This is the third year my dad and I have been able to do it together. I love this tradition we have together. In July, we are also going to do The Color Run. This will be the first time completing this race and I have heard awesome things about it!

My husband is currently deployed and I found out this weekend that his deployment is being extended. It has been a very long year for us; he has been home only about 3 months. There is light at the end of the tunnel though, this should be his last deployment!

My niece turned 7 this year. We had her birthday party at a pool. My kiddos LOVED it. My son had an absolute blast going down the water slides and my daughter just loved splashing around! The day started off rainy, but by the time we got to the pool, it was a perfect day!

I am patiently waiting to hear if I will be moving from fifth grade to fourth grade. I DO NOT like being in limbo. I am a planner and I would love to start planning curriculum, but for now I am sticking with planning classroom management type stuff. I know that I will be using Class Dojo as a whole class management system. I love it and they have now added a new feature so that multiple teachers can share a classroom. This could really come in handy when the students go to their special/enrichment classes. They can still be held accountable for their behavior in those classes as well. One thing I am going to add to my behavior management system is this form: 

The form is free and can be found at my TPT store Lovely Little Classroom. 

My sister-in-law and her husband are currently on their way to Germany. Her husband is also in the army and they got stationed there for the next three years. I am very excited for them and I am a little jealous that they get to go on this once in a lifetime adventure. 

My sister-in-law, Mary, and my daughter Elle during our last visit! 

Free Font Friday!

Hi guys! I'm just popping in quickly to link up with The Teaching Tribune for Free Font Friday.

For who-knows-what-reason my husband said yes when I randomly asked if it was ok to buy an iPad mini this week. (We clear all purchases over $100 with each other...so good for our marriage!) I picked one up right away, and I've been playing around in iFontMaker! It is so much fun, and I have been completely unproductive in all other areas of my life this week :) It's a little rough around the edges, but here's my first font....

Click on it to download! There are two other fonts in my store already, and more are coming soon, I am sure! Happy Friday!

Tech Thursday: Microsoft Office Shortcuts

Technology Thursday is a weekly linky dedicated to all things technology related. Share reviews of websites or apps you've tried, tech tips that make your {teaching or personal} life easier, and helpful tutorials. Our hope is that this linky provides a place for teachers to share and learn new ways to use technology and engage students!

Be a rule follower!

Rule #1: You must include the image above and a link to our linky somewhere in your blog post.
Rule #2: Follow the Rule of Three...visit the two blogs who link up before you and the one immediately after you and leave some love on their pages!
Rule #3: This linky is not intended for product promotion. You may include products you've created in your posts, but they should not be the sole focus of the post. {Exception...freebies...because everybody loves a good freebie!}

This Week's Tech Tip:

If you have Microsoft Office 13, there are some new features that you should know about!

1. The eyedropper tool...this is my favorite new feature by far! I wanted my name to match my logo for my blog signature, but the standard colors in  Office don't match. All I had to do is highlight my name, click the arrow beside the text color, & select the eyedropper tool.

Then click in an area that's the color you want to use. It's that simple! If you want to use a color from a different page or file, you can hover over the color, and the RGB numbers will display along with the color name, so you can easily recreate it.

2. Clear Formatting - Make a mistake when you formatted your text? Make too many changes to just use undo? Click this handy button and your text goes back to Calibri (or whatever your default font is) so you can start over!

3. Change Case - Regardless of how you originally typed your text, this feature will automatically change whatever you've selected to all caps, all lowercase, capitalize every word, and more! So much easier than retyping everything!

I can't even imagine how much time these features have saved me! Don't forget to link up anything tech-related!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

What I'm Wearing Wednesday

I'm loving this fun linky Jivey has going on over the summer! It totally fuels my Stitch Fix & Jane.com addictions!

Since I'm at home, my weekday attire tends to be yoga pants and a tank top unless I'm going somewhere special, So instead of what I'm wearing today, here's a quick peek at what I was wearing Sunday :)

Top: from Jane.com
Capris: from StitchFix
Shoes: Target (from last year)
Necklace: This is really cool...My necklace was made by a group of women in Uganda. These women have the most beautiful stories of overcoming obstacles & working hard to support themselves. They sell hand made paper bead necklaces & bracelets and hand woven scarves to support their villages and provide medical care, etc.

You can read all about their ministry here and they sell bracelets, scarves, bags...everything except the necklaces on their site (I don't know what the deal is with that). My pastor is friends with a couple of Christian musicians who are involved with Watoto, and they sell the necklaces through their website if you're interested.

Two-for-Tried-it-Tuesday

I'm linking up with both of my favorite Tuesday posts today... Teaching Tribune's Two for Tuesday and Fourth Grade Flipper's Tried-it Tuesday.

     

Today's Two for Tuesdays are two of my Teacher Binders...

One is brand new, and the other has been given a total face-lift with a clean, fresh, & modern design! Both are editable and include editing/printing tips. They include organizational forms, calendars, planning pages, grade & attendance sheets, student information, parent contact info, a multitude of binder dividers, and more!

Here's a peek at what's inside... In the interest of keeping this short-ish, I'm just posting a little bit of each one. The overall binder is the same though, so if you see it in one set, it exists in the other one too. Download the previews on TPT to see a peek at every page!

Brand new: Rainbow Honeycomb Teacher Planner

Just updated: Turquoise Dots Teacher Planner

Both of these are on sale today only for just $5 each! Get a jump on next year's organization by grabbing one now!!

Here's my Tried-it for this week...

I am super excited about this one! I decided I wanted a custom printed binder for my teacher binder this year instead of just printing covers to slide into the sleeves of some plain binder. So I headed over to Zazzle to create one, and I found it was pretty easy really addicting, and I ended up making customizable binders to go with both of these Teacher Binder themes, and just for fun, I also made a spiral notebook too!

They are high-quality Avery binders custom printed to match the theme of the binders. These are printed directly onto the vinyl and are customized with your name. My Rainbow Honeycomb Binder is on its way to me as we speak, and I can't wait for the package to arrive!

Pop over to both of these great linkies to snag some more great deals and check out some Tried-it's!