Monday Made It - Paint Stirrers Part 1

Bet you didn't think you would be hearing from me this Monday Made It did you seeing as it is almost midnight? I almost posted a picture on Instagram last night saying go ahead and cry yourselves to sleep tonight because you won't get to read all about my crafting fails tomorrow. However, I refrained because I knew I couldn't let you all down! I know my fails turn into laughs which make your week!

I worked long and hard after work today to finish up my Monday Made It's so I could link up with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics! 

Last week, I posted this photo:

My goal was to transform these free paint stirrers into some amazing new creations. Well, after the jam packed 4th of July weekend, plans got changed. I was only able to accomplish part of what I had intended. Can you guess why? Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner! Craft fails! 

I really had the best intentions! I wanted to give spray paint another go, but this time around I wasn't going to lay them down on a tarp. I knew better! The wind would take over, blow the tarp, and smudge all the paint. I decided to hang them on the clothesline so I could paint both sides unharmed. 

Genius idea, right? Wrong!  This was the end result...

When I turned the clothespins around to paint the other side, the paint wasn't completely dry I guess. When I took them off the line, the clips chipped off chunks of paint. Looking good!

In addition, the paint got all weird on some of them and turned powdery, guessing from all the wind blowing around. I thought I would just brush off the excess powder with a napkin. However, instead of just removing powder on top, it took off all the paint. 

Simple fix for both right? Just re-paint them with some more spray paint. Well, painting 20 of them used up all the spray paint. When did I buy this paint, over a year ago. Do you think I could find the same color in the store? Nope! I swear you cannot make these things up!

However, despite these craft fails, I did still turn out with some great products! Keep on reading to see that I am not a complete failure this week!

My first inspiration was this pin from Hands on Bible Teacher.

I knew that I had to create something similar for school! My school-themed inspiration came from Cheryl from Primary Graffiti's Sub Tubs. 

I just love the Old Lady book series and they are perfect for sequencing! I also know that come Winter, I will be doing a lot of substitute teaching! This will be such a simple little task to carry around! Combine the sub tubs with these sequencing sticks and you have a match made in heaven!

These strips can be changed up for any book in the series or any book in the world! All the pieces are interchangeable with velcro. They make sequence writing a piece of cake! I can see these being a favorite center in the classroom!

Next up, some word work! 

Hilary from Rockin' Teacher Materials posted these paint stirrer letter sound activities.

For back to school in kindergarten, I thought I would stick with something basic: children's first names. I turned these free paint stirrers into magnet strips to practice spelling their names. 

Really simple to make! I bought some $2 magnetic sheets at Walmart and cut them into strips and stuck them onto the paint stirrers. Since I don't know the names of the children yet, I just did a demo using my name. Very simple yet very effective! Can't wait to put them to good use!

Finally, the ever fabulous Teri at A Cupcake for the Teacher posted some fabulous ideas using paint stirrers. One that I loved and could definitely see being a huge help in the classroom were her library sticks. 

I just had to create these in my color scheme! They were so very simple to make and will be a huge lifesaver! I don't know how many I need so I just created one in each color to model.

Of course nothing would be complete with out a little washi tape! That stripe makes the perfect accent! Don't you just love them! 

So that wasn't a total failure right? Feel free to pin any of these ideas if you want to make them in the future! I promise they are not as complicated as my efforts make them appear!

So this weekend, I will be headed back to home depot to pick up more free paint stirrers and try and find some matching spray paint to tackle the remaining creations that I had planned. Leave some more comments if you have any other guesses as to what I have left to create for your chance to win! Stay tuned for part 2 next week where I will announce the winners for parts 1&2! I really am keeping my fingers crossed that I won't have any craft fails to show you but now that wouldn't be any fun would it? Good night!

Favorite Pins Friday + Giveaway Donations

Be sure to read all the way to the bottom of this post! You can be a part of something big if you read on!

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Cara is hosting a new Friday linky while Kacey is taking a little Five for Friday vacation. 

I'm hoping this linky will get me back in action with the Pinterest game! Here are some of my favorite all around pins! 

Six Sisters' Stuff! If you haven't heard of them, where have you been? They have the most delicious and mouthwatering recipes I have ever seen! Their desserts are to die for! For those of you on a diet, I am just linking up a picture of the sisters themselves to save you from temptation. Go check out these ladies! You won't be sorry you did!

This past year I rekindled my love affair with scarves. I found this fabulous website, Scarves Dot Net, that features 40 ways to tie your scarf. It's perfect to make sure that scarf never looks old! Be sure to pin this for the fall! 

Obviously you all know my obsession with nail polish, especially if you follow me on instagram. I am in love with this mani from Chalkboard Nails. It's got a bit of everything! She has such great inspiration for nail art! It's a go to in my book! 

Speaking of "chalkboard nails", how about these chalkboard nails! When it comes to teaching, I love to link my nail art manicures to the lesson/theme of the week. For back to school, I clearly think these nails are in order! What more can I say?

Sticking with the back to school theme, I want to make this adorable wreath! It's too cute and just screams learning fun! Miss Lovie has more detailed pictures on her blog. Be sure to check it out!

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On a different note, next month my blog is turning one year old! Boy does the time just fly by! I posted a little giveaway poll on instagram and it was an overwhelming win for daily giveaways to celebrate. In order to make this grand giveaway happen like I envision, that's where you all come in! I had so many of my followers offer to donate a prize to help celebrate and I'm sure many more would like to help out as well. In order to keep things organized, I created a Google Form for you to fill out if you wish to donate a prize. Without you this giveaway wouldn't be possible! So thank you! The form is short and sweet. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions!

Monday Made It {Back to Basics}

Have you entered my 600 follower giveaway yet? Be sure to do so before time runs out!

  

The winners of my Bloglovin giveaway were...

How funny! Two ladies with the same last name! Congrats and enjoy those fonts!
 
Next, in typical Monday fashion, I am linking up with the always inspirational Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It! 

My Monday Made It life is quite the roller coaster ride. If only I was a clip artist I would doodle a representation of the ride. One minute I'm up on top of the world, the next minute I'm plummeting down down down to the depths of crafting despair. However, Happy July! I can just tell that July is going to be a great month of crafting! Wouldn't you agree?

This week I went back to basics and stuck with what works for me. Out with the Modge Podge mess, in with the Washi Tape success. The only material needed was washi tape. I was able to take this simple tool and completely transform a clipboard, wooden letter A, and giant clothespin. This was so simple that even the Queen of the Craft Fail couldn't mess up! I am telling you washi tape is foolproof! Take it from someone who knows!

I spent yesterday by myself watching TV and crafting away. It was truly a wonderful day! I got all caught up on my DVR and crafting projects! Here's what I churned out this weekend! 

Transformed Items:

1. Wooden Letter A

2. Giant clothespin

3. Clipboard

Wooden Letter A to use as a fun desk decoration

Materials Needed:

Blue chevron washi tape ($1.80 at Michaels)

Green polkadot washi tape ($1.80 at Michaels)

Wooden Letter A (50¢ at Michaels)

Giant clothespin to use on a "work to tweet about" bulletin board

Materials Needed: 

Blue chevron washi tape (same as above)

Birdie washi tape ($1.80 at Hobby Lobby)

Giant clothespin (50¢ at Michaels)

Custom clipboard because plain clipboards are a snooze fest
Remember how last week's clipboard turned out???
So much happier with this one! And it is one I can actually use! 

I plan on adding my name in stickers below the green line as well as an inspirational quote sticker on the back when I get around to finding one at the store.

Materials Needed: 

12x12 washi tape sheets ($5.99 for a pack of 5 sheets at Target)
Clipboard ($1.50 at Walmart)

Green chevron washi tape (same as above)

Blue chevron washi tape (same as above) 

Please Note: All washi tapes were previously owned and used on multiple projects before, as well as will be used on future projects. This tape lasts a looooong time! It is such a great investment! Seriously buy some right now!

This is what's on the agenda for next week! 

Have any ideas what it might turn into? Will it be a craft fail or craft success? Comment below and let me know! If you are correct, I will send you my font or doodle frame pack for free! 

Let's Get Acquainted Tic-Tac-Toe Style!

Latoya is back in action with her Let's Get Acquainted linky party and I couldn't be more excited! 

I will say it was definitely worth the wait! This week's linky party topic is just so much fun! One of my favorite games when I was little was tic-tac-toe! This week we are playing tic-tac-toe, kicked up a notch, blogger style! 

How it Works:  

Look at the graphic below.  It is a Tic Tac Toe board filled with different categories.  You will post about three of these categories but they have to make Tic Tac Toe.  For example, you can choose to write about 3 topics that go vertical, or 3 topics that go horizontal, or 3 topics that go diagonal.  

I have chosen to tackle the middle column for my tic-tac-toe! 

1. My favorite subject to teach and why...

If I was filling this out last year I without a doubt would have said math. I have loved math for as long as I can remember. It was always my favorite because it was straight forward, you were either right or wrong. Then I got into the classroom, and honestly it wasn't too fun with the school's math program. So math pretty much wasn't a fan favorite of mine to teach anymore.

Then, I took a class on teaching language arts and fell in love! I was able to work with kinders in the classroom on reading and writing each week. To be able to see their unique thinking processes and then that magical moment when it clicked was something I will never forget. I just love seeing the children fall in love with book characters and using kid spelling in their writing. It enables us all to get creative and just have fun in the classroom which I love! All throughout my later school years, language arts was like torture for me. I never would have imagined that language arts would be my favorite subject to teach but I am so glad that it is!

2. My favorite school memory as a kid...

All of my favorite school memories revolve around kindergarten. I had the best experience with the most amazing teacher. That's obviously why I want to teach kindergarten one day. I had a hard time choosing just one favorite memory from the year but I ultimately narrowed it down. 

My favorite memory was our class field trip to the beach the last month of school. It was like a final bonding experience for my classmates. We hopped on the bus and there was no turning back. The weather was horrible but you would never know with all the smiling and laughter that filled the air. We got to paint our own beachy themed t-shirts to wear the day of the trip. We had a scavenger hunt collecting items hidden all over the beach. We had a picnic on our beach towels. We competed to see who could build the biggest sand castle. We got to sit in a lifeguard boat. We got to play all kinds of games in the sand. It was one of those days that you couldn't forget if you tried!

3. Favorite clothes and shoes store...

I am a pretty basic girl. Drop me off in an Old Navy and I am good to go! Love their fun patterns and bright colors! They have the perfect essentials for layering clothing which is crucial when teaching! I love that their clothes are always so cheap and they have great sales all the time! 

For shoes, it's a different story! I want them all! Shoes every color of the rainbow. Shoes in every style imaginable! That's why DSW is shoe paradise! They have shoes as far as the eye can see and they are so easily accessible! I hate stores that you have to wait for the person to check the stock out back and then they bring back one shoe at a time for you to try on all while supervising every move you take. DSW has great sales and they send coupons in e-mail all the time! Luckily the store is a ways away or I would be buying shoes every 5 seconds! If you have never been, make a trip to DSW for back to school! Your feet will thank you! 

Thanks so much Latoya for hosting once again! I cannot wait for next week!

Don't forget to enter my 600 follower giveaway if you haven't done so already! There are some great prizes up for grabs!

 

600 Follower Giveaway! {2x the fun!}

I feels like I was just celebrating 500 followers, oh wait, I was! My followers are seriously the best! I have to keep pinching myself every day to make sure it's not a dream! I thank each and every one of you who took the time to click follow and care about what I have to share. With each milestone comes great new friendships and I am truly thankful for each and every one of you! You are much more than a number to me, you are a true friend! 

It's hard to believe that June was celebrating 500 followers, I will be celebrating 600 in July, and in August I will be celebrating with a HUGE 1 year bloggy birthday bash! Boy, I just love giveaway celebrations around here and I know you do too!

This time around, I'm celebrating 600+ in style with one of my blogging buddies Kelly from First Grade Fairytales! I have always wanted to do a milestone giveaway with a friend and it just so happened that Kelly and I hit 600 followers the same week! It was meant to be!

Without further ado, I will let you at the goodies!

But seriously, can I win my own giveaway? These prizes are awesome! I could buy so many laminating pouches from Amazon, or clip art from TPT, or washi tape from Hobby Lobby! I could get a great discount on another Erin Condren teacher planner which I just adore! I could also get some amazing common core aligned lessons from Kelly's store. I would be all set for back to school! 

Well since I can't win, why shouldn't it be you? Enter below using the Rafflecopter and we will select one winner on Friday to win it all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best of luck to all who enter! 

Thanks so much for helping us both reach 600! We are truly grateful!