Labels with Pizzaz!

This year I am using journals for everything. Last year I got my feet wet with math journals and loved them! I like how interactive they can become. So, I was in desperate need of cute labels for my student's journals. After scouring the web I found some nifty FREE address labels that go with my color/design theme this year.

Check out World Label and make your own super cute labels. It was so easy! Initially, I was going to design my own, but I just don't have time for that right now.

I used Avery 5160 address labels. The site will tell you what kind of labels you can use. They have designs for oval labels, file folder labels, multi-purpose labels, round labels, etc. Just scroll down to the label you want and click the "Download Autofill" button and you are ready to go! I chose three different designs, but they have quite a few that are free.

I apologize for the yellow tint of the photos....this is what happens when I take photos at night under my dining room lighting. Sigh...

Cute Colleague Gift:::Monday Made It!

I can't believe my summer has ended! The past few weeks have been absolutely crazy! All last week was spent getting my new room together at my new school! Super excited to be starting this school year.

Linking up once again for Monday Made It with 4th Grade Frolics. There are lots of great ideas so make sure you head on over to her page and check out everyone's nifty DIY's!

I made my 5th grade colleague (who is also new to the school and is going into her 7th year of teaching too!) a cute little first week of school gift. We start tomorrow!! Wowsa!

I found the gift tag over at Miss Lovie's blog who got it from My Sister's Suitcase (a super cute blog with a lot of adorable free printables). Don't we all need a little chocolate and caffeine at the end of the first week...or daily for that matter!

I bought the water bottle (or should I say water mason jar) at Target for $10. Filled the mason jar up with chocolate. Tied two small soda bottles together with some ribbon and viola....adorable teacher colleague gift!

For those of you who are already back in school, I hope your first week is amazing!

Monday Made it on a Tuesday! DIY Student Whiteboard Erasers

 So, I am late on this post because I was visiting some friends in Portland. Super fun and the weather was amazing!

I use student whiteboards a lot in my class and after the first few years of teaching it finally dawned on me to use felt as a whiteboard eraser. I was tired of my students constantly getting up to grab paper towels, so I decided to cut up some felt so they could keep a whiteboard eraser at their desk. Super easy to do and very inexpensive. It is cost effective and doesn't waste instructional time for students to grab paper towels or tissue. I purchased the felt at Michaels Craft store. It was .33 for a 9in x 12in piece of felt. I was able to make four "erasers" out of one piece of felt. They will last the whole year (sometimes a little longer).

                     

Check out all the other wonderful Monday Made it posts over at 4th Grade Frolics!  

Crazy with the Washi Tape...Made It Monday!

It's Monday and that means linking up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for the Monday Made it link!

I've recently discovered washi tape and fell in love. I went a little washi tape crazy this past weekend.
I found some cute washi tape at Michaels, but their selection was pretty slim. I found a couple wonderful online sites (Freckled Fawn and Cute Tape) that have a lot of different styles to choose from at decent prices. Freckled Fawn has some cute tapes on sale right now. I'm patiently awaiting the arrival of my new tape!

What I love about washi tape is that you can decorate plain items, but you can also make things from scratch! So not only did I decorate things for my classroom, I made some bookmarks that I will be giving out to my 5th graders when school starts. It was super easy to do and pretty quick and Live a Little Wilder has a great step by step tutorial. However, instead of making the bookmarks 3 inches wide as she suggests, I made them 4 inches wide.

Washi Tape Bookmarks!

You will need washi tape, cardstock, and sticky magnets.

  ***I apologize for the yellow tint on the photos...that is what happens when I take photos without a flash in horrible lighting.***

Cut the card stock so it is 4 inches wide and then attach the washi tape on both sides of the cardstock: 

Next cut the sticky magnets and place on each end of the bookmark:

Now fold the bookmark in half:

You now have a super cute bookmark!

 Magnetic Pencil Holder
I bought this magnetic pencil cup a few years ago. I took it home and tried to take the sticker off the front, to no avail. I don't know why they would place the sticker their or make it to where it won't come off! So, I had it on my whiteboard, clearance tag and all! That all changed this past weekend!

Craft Sticks

I use craft sticks to call on my students randomly. My current craft sticks have animal prints on them (they matched my safari theme years ago). I found those premade, but I can't seem to find any that will go with my new theme. So I made my own. I still need to write the numbers on them, but I think they turned out cute.

Library Card Pockets

I found the colored library card pockets at the Dollar Tree (a pack of 20 for $1) and inherited the creme colored ones. I love how the washi tape makes them more appealing to the eye.  Once my new tape is delivered I plan on mix and matching the tapes on one item.

            

Clothesline Clips

Wooden Picture Frame
I bought the picture frame from Ikea (they come in packs of 3). I plan on using them in my classroom. 

            

Paper Clips
This is a cute idea for a few decorative paper clips. I think I am going to cut the washi tape so it is at  more of an angle. I think it will look a little cuter.

Mini Totes
I bought the totes at Michaels ($1.00 each).

I'm off to find more things to washi tape! :)      

And the classroom decorating begins...Chevron tags...

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!! I had such an amazing time yesterday with our friends and neighbors! We had a good 'ol block party! You can't go wrong with great food, friends, and fireworks! I took this photo during all the festivities. 

I'm linking up with 4th Grade Frolics, Monday Made it, but five days late...it was a hectic week. :)

Of course being on summer break doesn't stop me from thinking about work (like most of us!) and I've been contemplating what kind of theme I want for my room. When I taught 3rd grade we all had a Safari theme and it was super cute. When I moved to 5th last year, a theme was the last thing on my mind. I was trying to set up a classroom in 100 degree heat with a broken AC. I was tired of the safari theme and just used whatever I had. Now that I am moving school sites I'm excited to set up a new room. The only thing is I have no idea what my room will look like, so it makes it a little difficult to envision the set up.

I'm not really going for a set "theme" I am using certain colors (blue, gray, pink, green) and array patterns (specifically chevron). I thought I would jump on the chevron bandwagon! I went to my local teacher supply store and despite the popularity of chevron, they only had borders. So I grabbed the chevron borders and some rolls of fadeless paper. I LOVE fadeless paper...I can keep it up the whole school year and it still looks brand new at the end of the year. I've even left it up for two years and it still looked great. I know it is a little pricey, but since I don't have to take it down all the time, I feel it is worth the extra money. I still have rolls from 4 years ago!

I've decided to get creative and make things for my room. I went to Michaels Craft store and was in luck! They had a huge sale and I found a ton of nifty things for my room.

When I was at the teacher supply store I was looking for labels or cut outs to write my student's names on them for the writing wall, where I display their work. However, nothing struck my fancy. So while at Michaels I came across some chevron gift tags (in the scrapbooking area) that were the exact colors I'm using for my room!!! I then came across some patterned labels (in the clearance isle) in the same colors...SCORE! The gift tags were a little pricey, but I am thinking about scanning them onto my computer. That way I can use them again if need be. Teachers get a 15% discount at Michaels, even on sale items (at least at my store). 

Recollections Gift Tags (20 pieces): $4.99
Recollections Labels (100 pieces): clearance for .99

All I did was glue a patterned label on the gift tag (easier to see the name this way) and viola!
I think they turned out pretty cute...exactly what I wanted.

 

In the next few days I will be posting some more of my finds. :)