temporary name tags.

Our school provides photo ID nametags for the kids but we're on our own for the first couple of months.  How many of these temporary nametags have you tried?

stickers - peel off

die cuts - disintegrate

cutesy store bought nameplates - rip

paint chips - too small

buttons - ridiculous trying to pin 85 times a day...

A couple years ago I was passed a tip at a summer institute.  And today I am sharing it with you!

{solo cups.}

Yes.  The plastic, college accessory.  Added bonus, they now come in a variety of sizes and colors!!  :)

Put them face down on a cookie sheet in the oven. 300-350. It's not an exact science.

They only take a few minutes to melt down so stay by the oven and watch closely.

{ew.  PLEASE excuse my grody oven.}

When they're almost flat, smoosh 'em down good with the bottom of a frying pan.  :)  Repeat as needed.

Take them out and immediately pop with a hole punch.  When they're cool, add student names, lunch numbers and whatever else you need!  Thread with yarn and ta-da!!  Simple, durable nametags.

bye-bye boring white.

I have a conspiracy theory against spray paint. I don't believe it covers half as much area as it says it does because I have yet to complete a project without running out of color half-way through. Also, sprays at any angle? Ha! True, it may actually come out of the nozzle upside down but the coverage is all different which results in drips and inconsistency. {huff!} Nevertheless I continue to attempt craft projects that involve the stuff. {although after the rubber-bands-on-the-glass-vase fiasco of 2011 that one is forever banned in our household.}

So many of your classrooms have themes that I've been thinking about which I want to incorporate. And to be honest, I just can't land on one. I love Dr. Seuss but don't want him up all year long. I am not all about birds and owls {no offense to my Anthro friends} and - though I love them - I think I'd get sick of seeing pirates, campers or farm animals up all year. The only ones I really love are the super girly pink & zebra themes but all I can envision are boys throwing tantrums and never wanting to come to school.

{disclaimer: that was only my personal opinion so please don't tattle on me to the principal if you chose one of the aforementioned themes.  I'm sure it is darling!}

What seems to work best for me is color. Bright ones.

{interjecting again.  please note: my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are living with us for the summer.  please excuse all of the "stuff" in the background that is generally not there.}

I started with this secondhand bookshelf & decided wood shouldn't be too hard to paint.

Adding the wrapping paper to the top with Modge Podge...a bit trickier.  Start with a piece that hangs over the edges a little more than you need.

I suggest rolling it down a little bit at a time to minimize the air bubbles underneath & keep it smoother.

After sticking the top down, go side to side & stick them down as well.  Once it's dry, use an exacto knife to cut off the excess.

{Another theory, people who smoothly cover things in Modge Podge with no bubbles are not real people. It requires some kind of magical touch to make that happen.}

Since I still had spray paint in multiple colors I decided to go ahead and try updating my sterlite drawers. Not too bad...until I ran out of my 2nd can of Mambo Pink. I chose these 4 colors because they're the colors of my guided reading groups.

I may attempt the cute scrapbook paper lining for the drawers...but I need a few non-crafting days first. ;)

If you have any tips or tricks {and have actually made it to the end of the post despite today's sassy attitude} I would LOVE to hear them.

And I promise to just listen, nod my head & smile.

easier anchor charts.

So many of you are in love with anchor charts. I see them on your blogs and all OVER Pinterest. But you have not see them on my blog because they are so intimidating!! I am not an artist and my attempts at being one are often thwarted.  You think I'm kidding?  Even in Draw Something I heart my stick people:

For real life. But there are so many amazing anchor charts out there that I have anchor envy!! Look at these...

{First Grade Wow}

{A Cupcake for the Teacher}

{The Inspired Apple}

{The First Grade Parade}

Now, if you're in my art-challenged boat, here are a few tips I've learned to make it somewhat easier: 

{use a transparency}
If you can't free hand, don't waste your time trying. Use a photocopy or print an image from the internet on a transparency. Then blow it up {doc cam, old-school overhead, whatever you have} to trace with a pencil and THEN color it in.

{print, cut, laminate}
Who says anchor charts have to be hand drawn?? Find an image that works, cut it out, laminate it & tape it to the chart.  Then draw & write your student responses around it.  When you're done displaying the chart, take off the image & save it for next year!

{use cutesy easier}
I loved Cara Carroll's readers & writers posters.  {ok, I love her everything.  She is the queen of cute stuff!}  But when I saw that these didn't require drawing, I decided to make an attempt. Mine are slightly different but I was able to make them AND be happy with the end result! Instead of great artistic skills, use lots of colors, little squiggles & an eye-catching shape to draw your kids in instead.

{See?  Huxtable doesn't care that there aren't any graphics!}

{make a poster}
If it's a skill that you really want your kids to grasp or you need it to stay up for a long time, save yourself the wall space & just make a poster. It'll stay on the wall with less tape, you can use super fun fonts & it won't have any mistakes {for you perfectionists out there, not me of course!!} Bonus, then you can share it with all of us! ;)

{Zeeks's Zoo}

{back it on scrapbook paper}

Thanks to Erica's example, I will be backing EVERYTHING on scrapbook paper this year.  Instant cuteness!

{Erica Bohrer}

{glitter it up}
When all else fails, add some sparkle. They won't be able to see the flaws with bling in their eyes! ;)

crate seats.

I've been on a DIY kick!  I guess that's what can happen when you're on summer vacation but actually stay in town.  :)

I love the thought of using crate seats at my guided reading table because a) more storage and b) no slouching and laying on the table!!  I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to store in them, but I'll deal with that when the time comes.  Once I start moving everything into my new room I have no doubt I'll need to find a place for something.

I love the box seats Erica has at her table {from Big Lots} but she said they haven't actually held up all that well so I figured it was worth the extra effort to make my own.  Miss Krantz has a great tutorial that I used.  And if I can do it...so can you.

I looked ev-er-y-where to find these stinkin crates.  Where did I eventually find them?  Target.  Of course!  I bought 6.

I got this plywood at Lowe's.  They'll cut the wood for you so I took my measurements in to get the pieces.  MISTAKE.  Take a crate with you to be sure they fit.  I had to borrow the hand saw from our neighbors to take an edge off of all of them.  I would also recommend slightly thicker board as I'm afraid if anyone bounces or sits hard, these might crack.

I got this roll of foam at Hobby Lobby.  The tutorial suggests using 2 pieces of foam but it was thick enough with one that I had some left over when I was done.  Let me tell you in advance...this was more expensive than I planned, about 30 bucks.

After following the steps, I got 6 of these!  I'm not quite sure if polka dots will be my theme or if I'll just keep sticking with bright colors but either way they're super cute.  {3 green & 3 orange.}  Gender neutral and happy, right?  ;)

I'm choosing the winner {winners?!} for my literacy game giveaway tomorrow {Friday} at 10pm Eastern time.

{click the game to comment on the correct post}

Leave a comment saying you follow my blog to enter.  Post about it on YOUR blog for a 2nd entry.  We're close to the 600 followers mark, which means 5 additional winners!  Tell your friends...the more entries, the more winners there will be!  :)

storage wars.

Yes, that's that show on TLC.  No, that's not at all what I'm dealing with.  But I do have a sense of fear creeping in...that I may be becoming a storage hoarder!!!

Granted, many of these empties have come from my parents {decaf coffee?  I don't think so} but still, I am the one holding on to them!  Ladies, when you don't know what to do, where do you turn?  Pinterest of course!  Here are some of the things I'm thinking of upcycling all of that junk...treasure...no, junk into:

Coffee Can: Organizers!  I only have 1 for now but wrapping it in pretty paper is super simple and it would be great for storing pointers or Morning Meeting supplies.

Pringles Cans:  I already have one in my art supplies that I use to hold my paintbrushes.  They never get smooshed and even if they get put a way a tiny bit damp, the water runs down & collects at the bottom. It's great.

I may have to save the rest of these for Christmas, though.  How adorable are they for holding cookies or homemade candy?!  And my hunt for the perfect kalidescope craft?  Over!  So cute.  {as is that sweet little munchkin!}

Cereal Boxes: I love the idea of these as magazine/file holders but I'm just not sure they're sturdy enough to stand up and hold it all without falling over.  Which makes this paper holder tutorial just genius.  I've already bought great wrapping paper to get started.  I also love the idea of turning them into notebooks.  But I would do it boring-side-out so the kids could decorate their own covers!  Perfect for taking outside as we explore this or that.  {technical content area names, obviously}

Egg Carton: I have more counting games than I know what to do with.  So...how about some crafting?!  The flower wreath is beautiful and I would've never thought those were cardboard.  But those apples!  How perfect for Back to School!

Plastic Jars: I think I'm definitely going to use the big ones to create Vocabulators {themed jars with words & toys to introduce a topic} because they are just too cool!  And if nothing else, I'll just modge podge some paper on them and use it for storage.  :)

I'd say that's a pretty good start.  And makes me feel better about my closet full of containers.  :)  I hope you find something to spark your creativity and let me know if you have an even better idea.  In the mean time, I better get a move on transforming it all!

And don't forget to enter my giveaway!  One of you will win my new literacy game just by following my blog & leaving a comment {on that post} that says you do so!  Super simple!