favorite pins and classroom library organizing part 1

I'm taking a break from cutting out library labels to link up with adorable Cara and share my favorite pins from this week!

first is a home with the boys pin. I love this idea from The Modern Teacher {she is ah-mazing btw} for the week before going back to school. My up and coming third grader loves school supplies almost as much as his momma! I have been hoarding away some cute notebooks and things for him!

I am planning on recovering my ugly burgundy office chair I use at school. I have the fabric to cover it {and those crate seats I was going to do LAST summer} I just need to figure out how to get it apart! and I cannot trace this pin back...

I adore this little video clip of Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. Looks like a match made in heaven!

and here's something I want to do at Open House! Do the math to find your seat, but I want to use it to find their "number" for cubbies and desks, etc. this is another pin that leads to nowhere though...


I love this sight word money from the Moffat Girls. Annie is a doll! and so is here stuff! These are on my B2S list!

and here's what I have spent every morning this week doing! I added contact paper to the back inside of my built-ins. If they weren't built in I'd spray paint those bad boys!

 I got all my craft supplies into 6 modular shelves from Walmart. I still have more organizing to do in this closet!

and here's my nonfiction section. I also need to recover that chair. It was a throw away I snagged. and those frames will frame something!

 I still have to attach all the labels to the book boxes. I ordered new boxes at the end of school, so I need to add my new ones. I used the editable Bright and Clear from Kristen. I really ended up using the blank template more than anything! I get a little specific with my labels! Luckily she thought about that ahead of time!
I wrote down each genre and box number so I could work on them at home.

and I got one on today. I sure didn't realize they were this big, but it'll work! I will not let it bother me. No.I.won't. The stickers are probably the only thing I still hand write in my classroom! I have 43 full boxes and I will not be tackling renumbering all those books. Never, Like ever!

aren't those labels cute! they are her best seller!

happy friday!

I will link up with Kristen and Elizabeth tomorrow to share more about our library!

and one more itty bitty thing...

check out this awesome giveaway at Farley's place!

I you could win $100 at School Outfitters!

favorite pins friday linky

rather than wallow in my sorrows about no more Five for Friday linkys for a month, I joined Cara for her favorite pins friday!

So here are mine from this week...
here's a product I want! If you have never bought anything from Linda, you are missing out! Her products are some of the most thorough I own! I love the math about me for the first week of school!

here's something I will be printing for our kitchen from over the big moon blog. These are so stinkin' cute! it took me awhile to find these from the pin. I hate when images are pinned from google images!

here's just a pretty awesome quote that I LOVE from a random blog! Couldn't be more me!

my favorite home pin of the week is from gardners 2 bergers. In fact, I pinned A LOT from this little blogger! She has a great knock off DIY project page! and many are from restoration hardware, which I love! 

and here's probably something I shoulda bought or at least had printed on my teacher planner! It's from  Niki and Jenna on etsy. 

and last but not least, here's my dream pin of the week. It's a dream because I am not sure Mr. Lamb would ever go for shiny floors! It's from pin your home which is a pretty cool site to check out! Who would've thought about putting shiny tile in your grout!

and there's my pins from the week!

and see what else I am pinning here!

We {love} Dad! care of Pinterest

Since everything else I can think of comes from Pinterest these days, why not our gift my my hubby, too?!

It turned out great! And I love the effects from Instagram! and I love the little feets even more. Of course they were supposed to stand in their "cell phone bar" formation, but little lamb couldn't hold up the DAD sign!
Happy Father's Day!

Here's what we did {this morning mind you...}

and here's the pin...

Source: mypigeonpair.com via Rachel on Pinterest

and don't forget my summer long sale!

Pinterest Projects Day 4 and a guided reading tip!

I felt pretty bad for my bloggy followers about yesterday’s post. It was a short and unfinished project! So to continue the Mod Podge theme with today’s craftivity.

Here’s what I pinned: It’s from Jodi at Clutter-Free Classrooms. Have you been following her redecoration summer? I do not do themes in my room, just color schemes. This year my focus colors are “wicked witch green”, teal, and accented with browns.

I picked up a throw away shelf my son’s kinder teacher used as a listening center. The top 2 shelves are open backed which is where I will store magazine boxes labeled with Fountas and Pinnell levels and fill with readers from Reading A to Z. The bottom 2 shelves are back with tile board. That had to be hidden!

What I did

Spray painted the whole thing green

Found a style of scrapbook paper with the same green in the design. Since it was double sided, I used one color on the top shelves and the alternate backside on the bottom shelves. This was the tricky part for me. I had to use an Xacto knife to trim off the bottom, I then used that piece as my guide. I used Elmer’s spray adhesive on the tile board backing then carefully lined up each piece. I am happy with the overall look I think. The group baskets will cover some uh-ohs I made.

Now for a little tip on labeling baskets for your guided reading groups. A few years ago I found adhesive floppy disc holders at Office Max. I planned to use them for labeling my library baskets, but I knew I would not need to ever change out those labels. That’s when it hit me! I slapped the label on sideways so the opening would be at the side and easy to change out. I added a piece of scrapbook paper to match the new shelves. Then I put my kiddos names and F&P level on cards that I can slide in and out as groups change! SO easy!

Here are the bottom 2 shelves I backed with paper. This is where my groups notebooks, resources, and books I have pulled for GR with be. On the top 2 open shelves that you cannot really see with be magazine files filled with leveled readers.

I think it will work nicely! I still have to pull out leveled readers from our basal series, our old basal series, and A to Z books I use!

Tomorrow: Pinteresting Bulletin Boards! Cause I am almost done with my versions!

Pinterest Project Day 2

Ok, I spent 7 hours in my room today and managed 1/2 of two bulletin boards, moving 3 tables and a chart stand to at least 4 different locations, separating my chapter books from my fiction books to make a new library section, and framing lots of happy thoughts…This is our Pinspiring Project #2.

If you are like me, you love words, quotes, and clipart and have a great appreciation for the people who put said loves into pictures! I have found and pinned so many great words lately. What to do with them? Print and frame them of course!

Here’s my Word Up board on Pinterest

If you like one, just follow the links back to the original, save to your computer, and there you go!

What you’ll need:
*quotes
*lots of ink
*frames of varying sizes and colors (I stocked up on the ones at Target in the home section-they are all 5.99 for the packs) You’ll get two 8x10’s, four 4x6 or three 5x7, and I picked up three 4x6 ones in the dollar spot for $2.50, too.

If you print using Microsoft Picture Manager which is probably preloaded on your PC, you can choose the size to match the frame no matter what size the original is.

I set a few up around the room today. The rest are awaiting a clean space! Enjoy and happy framing! Sorry, I used my Driod to take pics today!

 

A Week of Pinspiration

You may be tired of hearing about Pinterest, but that would only be because you are not addicted! This week I will be posting one project I’ve completed per day!

Today’s project: Crayon monograms

What I pinned…

{source}

What you’ll need: {I picked up everything at Walmart for myself and 2 friends for less than $35}

*8x8 shadow box frame (mine was 7.99 at Walmart)
*crayons-you’ll need to decide your color palate. I went with rainbow, but I was tempted to do shades of blues…
*Xacto knife
*craft glue
*paper and ink
*this tutorial! It is the best one I’ve found. This one has templates for each letter, too! {not to mention it uses my name!}

What we did:
I actually ran out of paper, so I printed our monograms on notebook paper my kids had lying around! They turned out awesome! I changed the templates to landscape and the letter printed right on the line…that’s my OCD kicking in!

Good to know:
*lay it out first! Glue it later
*scour the crayon then snap it-it breaks clean!
*We used a non-drip glue
*if you are like us, scared for permanence and decisions, you will change it a lot before gluing. I won’t judge!

Here’s my final artwork. I will be hanging it near my phone area. I think it turned out great! And to make it even better, I used my own crayons I’ve had since I was in 5th grade. I kept the box and just add to it as I get new ones… They may not be new crayons, but they are special!

Pay day, a little Target shopping, and a freebie

Finally payday; and that long awaited trip to Target was on! We first made a stop by Michael's to get a few supplies for a gift for each of my teammates. I’ll be mod-podged later on! Also found some rainbow ombre colored poster board! woo-hoo!
At Target I picked up a tub for my big books that came with our Reading Street series. I had to make a little signage too. Inspired by a Pinterest…shared with you!

Big Books Sign

I wish...

Really Roper is having a classroom wishlist Linky Party! Why not as I sit and pin all these ideas on my Pinterest!

1. A Smart Board-of any kind! This IS a wishlist! and this won't happen anytime soon I guess.

2. This book browsing shelf. I think we may try to build one!

 3. and last but not least, a big rug where all my kiddos can fit! I have a Donor's Choose up right now, but they are expensive!

There it is! Not too much to ask for!