Classroom Management Tools

Today I'm sharing some things that I have created to help me manage my classroom. If you are an elementary teacher, you may have seen something called the Yacker Tracker. You may have also seen it's pricey price tag too!! I decided that I did not want to spend $50 on a noise meter! Yes, it comes with a remote and lights up, but to me, I couldn't spend that much money for that!! The solution..........Create you OWN!!! (that's what crafters do anyway right???)


This is my version. I created this using the Going Places cricut cartridge (the traffic light), George and Basic Shapes (the colored lights), poster board, cardstock, and Velcro.

I cut the yellow traffic light first and then sized the colored circles to fit. The black outline is free handed. You can cut poster board with your cricut as long as it is not the premium, thick stuff. I laminated everything for durability and then added Velcro squares to the backs of the colored circles.

Now when students are not allowed to talk, I put up just the red light. When they are allowed to use whisper voices, I put up just the yellow light. When students can use inside voices, I put up just the green light. This is on my white board in the front of the room so it's always visible!!

The next thing that I created I used various cricut cartridges for. I created my own center chart.


I place each students name onto a card and place it behind the center square. I also created matching signs that hang from to ceiling to indicate where each center is located around the room. The images and words match exactly on the hanging signs. I placed these in a pocket chart that I bought at Target for a whole $1 a piece.

Birthday Cupcakes

Last year I used a cheesy birthday chart for displaying student birthdays in my classroom. This year I decided that I wanted to create something better! I was inspired by a fellow crafter at http://scrappychicteacher.blogspot.com/ to create monthly cupcakes for student birthdays.


I used the Doodlecharms cricut cartridge to creat the cupcakes. I used some Stampin' Up! retired and not retired papers for the icing. I ran them through the cuttlebug with the swirls embossing folder to add dimension to the icing. I used the Designer's Calendar cartridge for the month labels (these were perfect b/c they were already welded together and I could size them to fit onto the base of my cupcake perfectly!)


I used the candle from the Wild Card cartridge and cut it out on the colored paper and then again on the yellow. I cut off the bottom of the candle on the yellow paper and then layered it onto the colored candle. (I know the Gypsy has the hide/contour feature, but this candle image is one cut, not separate, so that's how I solved that problem).

They look so cute on the wall!! If you have any questions, please let me know!! Thanks for looking!!!

Classroom Decorations

I have seen many people make paper flower bouquets. I decided to try my own version and use it as a classroom decoration. I made 6 of these and they add a nice touch to the classroom.


I used the cricut cartridge George and Basic Shapes. It has a slotted feature and I cut the flowers using that feature. I cut two flowers for each flower in the bouquet. (I think I cut 8 flowers/bouquet) I sandwiched a skewer between two flowers and tied them with the yellow ribbon. I placed a bit of the green crinkle basket filler into the bottom of the bucket, and then glued the round Styrofoam piece into the bucket. After it cooled, I started to place the skewers into the bucket making an arrangement. I added green crinkle basket filler on top to mimic grass. I then tied the multi-color wide ribbon around the bucket to hide the styrofoam piece. (The buckets were a bit see through). I cut 1 larger slotted flower and tied the ribbon through it. These really were easy to make. I made these before I had the gypsy, so if you have that, it would be even easier to lay all your cuts onto your mat and just change the paper to cut.

Supplies:
1 sand bucket (I purchased mine from the dollar store)
1 piece of round Styrofoam
1 pkg of bamboo skewers
cardstock
ribbon thin and large
crinkle basket filler
hot glue gun

If you have any questions, please let me know!! Thanks for looking!!!

Door Decoration

This year I wanted to say that First Grade Rocks somewhere. I decided to make that my door decoration!


I used Everyday Paper Dolls cricut cartridge for the guitar, Plantin Schoolbook for the letters, and A Child's Year for the stars. I wrote each child's name on a star.

This is one of the greatest tools that I have ever seen. If you are a teacher, you know that students will always come to school with a note about their after school transportation. If you don't have a designated spot for those notes, you may forget! I have a place for all those notes!!!


This is a yard stick that has been painted with acrylic paint. I took 5 clothes pins apart and also painted them. I found some acrylic paint that had glitter in it at Wal-Mart. It turned out so pretty. I hot glued the clothes pins to the yardstick and then hot glued the yardstick to the concrete wall. Now when students bring those notes, I can place them right by the door so that we won't forget!! **I didn't come up with this idea on my own! I borrowed it from another teacher whose student's parent made one for her!!! This is a great teacher gift!!!

If you have any questions please let me know!! Thanks for looking!!!

Bulletin Boards

Well, teacher back-to-school week is over and come Monday, it's official "Back to School!" I am so exhausted from getting ready the last few weeks!! I decided to move into the classroom next door because it had windows. I didn't realize how much work it would really be!! It was worth it though and I am ready for the students on Monday!!

Our school has a meet the teacher night the Thursday before school starts. It's great because the students and their families can come to the school, meet their teacher, drop off there supplies, and release some of the first day anxiety that they may have! As a teacher, I enjoy it because sometimes it's the only time I may meet some of my students parents face to face! Our first grade team decided that we were going to do a Luau theme for Round-Up (that's what we call meet the teacher night). Here is the bulletin board that I completed using the Life is a Beach cricut cartridge. It was the last thing for me to do, so it's not as nice as I would have liked!


I used core'dinations paper for the letters. I then used my Tim Holtz wood embossing folder and then sanded the letters with my Stampin' Up! sanding block (item #103301) to show the core color. I loved how the letters looked! I also used other core'dinations papers for the crabs, fish, and sea shells.

Our school mascot is the Wildcat and our school colors are red, black, and white. I was so excited when Cricut came out with the Varsity cartridge! It is a bit confusing at first to use, but I eventually figured it out.


I cut the base with regular white cardstock and then inked the edges with Riding Hood Red classic stampin' ink (item # 111836) to give it a bit more contrast against the black fabric.

Bulletin Board Tip: fabric is the best background for your bulletin boards. It does not fade and can be used all year. I put black fabric up on my bulletin board just like this one last year and I left it up all year! It gives great contrast and provides a fade resistant back. The fabric also has a true black paper where the bulletin board paper is more muted and less dramatic.

If you have any questions, let me know!! Check back next week for more creative ideas! Thanks for looking

FYI

If you love Stampin' Up!'s chocolate chip ribbon, you only have a few weeks left to order some. As you may already know, in the new 2010-2011 catalog, there is NO chocolate chip ribbon. (I know, I was very disappointed too!). Until August 31, you can order the chocolate chip 5/8" satin ribbon item number 117287.
The satin ribbon is gorgeous and will make an nice addition to anyone's project. If you want to grab a few rolls before your time is up, click HERE!! Thanks for stopping by!!

Medallion Card

Well, I needed to get some swaps together before my stamp night tomorrow. This is what I came up with. I pulled out my SU! chalks (that I haven't used in forever!!) and got after it.

After I inked up the image with Versamark, I stamped it onto the whisper white cs and then chalked it using sponge daubers. Then I stamped my greeting and sprayed the entire white piece with champagne shimmer spray. It's made from rubbing alcohol and the shimmer paint that SU! sells (see below for item numbers). Here is a picture of the shimmer. (it's not the best picture, but if you click on it it will enlarge and you will be able to see the detail better)


If you have any questions, please let me know! Thanks for looking!

Supplies: (all products are Stampin' Up!)
Paper: Bermuda Bay (retired), Basic Gray (121044), Pretty in Pink (100459), Whisper White (100730)
Stamps: Medallion background stamp (115223), Warm Words (retired)
Ink: Versamark (102283), Regal Rose (105211)
Accessories: Stampin' Pastels (120962), mini glue dots (103683), Snail adhesive (104332), Champagne Shimmer Spray (made from Champagne shimmer paint) (116806), Sponge Daubers (102892), Basic Gray Taffeta ribbon (retired)

Teacher Back-To-School Kits

I love to make little gifts and I usually try to do something for the teachers I work with. We will be heading back to our classrooms this week to do some work, so I thought I would put together something for them to get the year started. If you are looking for gift ideas for your child's teachers, here are a few things they might enjoy.


I find myself sometimes needing a quick card to send to a parent or teacher who has helped me do something or for a birthday I forgot about. Something that any teacher would love is a set of note cards. I made these from Stampin' Up! whisper white cardstock, various SU! designer papers, stamp sets, and SU! cardstock. Each card set is the same, just the colors are changed. I included envelopes and the cards are blank inside. I also put some coordinating paper inside the pen tube to match!





















I made this cute drink power holder using the TBBM cricut cartridge. I got the idea HERE from Tammy. I also used SU! supplies to complete the project.


A teacher can NEVER have too much hand sanitizer (in my opinion)! I bought each teacher their own bottle and holder from Bath & Body (I think these are the best invention yet)!


I made a fabric tag with each teacher's initials on it. I used the Stampin' Up! top note die to create the tag. I used heat-n-bond on the back of each top note and on the letters. I cut the fabric first, applied the heat-n-bond, then die cut. I did the same with the letters, but used the cricut and gypsy to cut them. I sandwiched a piece of batting between the two pieces of fabric, sealed them up, and ta-da....a tag. I puched a hole with the crop-a-dile (punched like butter through all the layers) set an eyelet and put some ribbon through it.


And last but not least.....candy!! Many teachers need a little pick-me-up in the afternoon and chocolate always hits the spot for me. I used the pillow box die from Stampin' Up!, ran it through various embossing folders, sealed one end with sticky tape, added embellishments, m&ms, and tied with a ribbon!

If you have any questions about specific products or items, please let me know! If you would like to order the Stampin' Up! products to complete these projects, click HERE! Thanks for looking!

Update

Well I know it's been a while since I posted anything to my blog, but getting ready to go back to school has kept me very busy these last few weeks. I teach first grade and I have been getting many things ready for my classroom and I will be showing some great projects/ideas the next few weeks. Don't forget to come back and check them out!

Up, Up, and Away

This is a card that I made to send to a friend of mine along with a little gift. I've been wanting to use the sweet treat cups again and this is what I came up with. Thanks for looking!!


To order, click HERE!!

Supply List:
**All supplies are Stampin' Up!**
Inks: Bashful Blue (105209), Regal Rose (105211), StazOn Jet Black (101406)
Paper: Whisper White (100730), Pretty in Pink (100459), Pear Pizzaz (119795)
Stamps: Really Retro (retired), Sweet Centers (116521), Loads of Love Accessories (115024)
Accessories: Watercolor Pencils (101879), stamping sponges (101610), glitter (Fine Cosmo), Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon (117289), corner rounder punch (119871), circle punch extra-large (119850), sweet treat cups (116802)

Coloring with Re-Inkers & a Blender Pen

Here is a card that I put together this afternoon. I wanted to play with this set and try some coloring with re-inkers and blender pens. Coloring the image on watercolor paper made a huge difference. Here is the image on SU! Whisper White cardstock:

It looks decent right? Look below.....

Here is the image on the SU! Watercolor paper:



The colors are much richer on the watercolor paper. I used the SU! hostess set Because I Care. The only way you can get this set is by hosting a workshop totaling $150 or more and choosing this gift as a hostess set, or by placing an order with me HERE of $150 or more.

To see all the supplies used in this project, click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Thinking of You Card

Here is a quick card that I put together for my stash. I don't have many Thinking of You cards and I wanted to use the background stamp. For supplies, click the link: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/dwest/distPages/projectDetail.soa?easyTemplatePages.id=173054&doNotShowFlag=&easyTemplatePageType=1&listPageNumber=1&url=

Thanks for looking!

Classroom Crayon Wreath

So I picked up this crayon wreath flyer at Hobby Lobby about a year ago. http://www.hobbylobby.com/assets/pdf/project_inspiration/projects/HL-209.pdf I bought the supplies then, but I'm just now getting to making it. It will be a cute addition to my classroom. For starters, I had to get rid of the ribbon slip knot thing! I figured out how to make the ribbon slip knot, but could not figure out how to apply it to the hoop. The directions do not give any indication on how to either, so I just glued my crayons down with hot glue.

Supplies:

• 1 -8" embroidery hoop
• 1 -12" embroidery hoop
• 3 boxes of 24 ct. crayons
• 1 roll of 3/8" craft ribbon
• 1 wide ribbon piece for the hanger I used SU! 1 1/4" stripped grosgrain ribbon in Old Olive (item # 115618)
• various die cuts (I used all SU! paper and the Cricut Locker Talk & Doodlecharm cartridge)
• acrylic paint (to paint the hoops) and a sponge brush
• hot glue gun (I used high temp) and glue sticks
• Wooden apple cut out
• paint pens (for name)

Steps:

1. unscrew the screw from both hoops and hot glue the ends together
2. paint the hoops desired color
3. lay all crayons on the hoop in the desired color order. This helps with placement when you begin to glue them all down.
4. glue down each crayon. If you are a perfectionist like me, make sure that all crayons are facing the same way.
5. Thread craft ribbon in and out at the top of crayons and again at the bottom. I tied my knot behind the crayon to keep the ribbon tight.
6. Attach die cuts with hot glue. I laminated mine first to help them last longer.
7. Tie large bow at the top making sure you leave a long enough loop to hang the wreath. You can add hot glue for reinforcement on the hoop.

If you have any questions, please let me know! Thanks for looking!

Stamp Pad Holder

So, I've been looking for a stamp pad holder so that all my Stampin' Up! stamp pads are in one place. I came across this site (link below) and directions for a stamp pad holder made out of foam core board. Yes! It's really out of foam core board!

It was a lot of work and I had to enlist Jon's help, but I'm very happy with how it turned out. Thanks to Karen of Syzygy of Me and her directions. To view her directions, click this link http://syzygyofme.blogspot.com/2010/06/foam-board-project-dimensions.html
I made mine out of black foam core board so it would match my room. Her directions state that you need 2 sheets of 20X30 foam core board, but that is wrong!! You really need 4. You also need to cut your vertical supports at 14" and not at 13 3/4" as stated. I added pink die cut labels to the top to reference the SU! core colors, retired colors, and in colors. The die is from Lot of Tags SU! sizzlit die (item # 114508) If you have any questions, please let me know! Thanks for looking!

Tip for the Day!!!

Ok, so my husband put up some new shelves in my scrap room and I decided to hang all my SU! ribbon from dowel rods below the shelf. I started loading all my many spools of ribbon on. I quickly learned that when you put satin ribbon onto a dowel rod, this is what happens......

yes...that is a big mess of ribbon (there was 3 more spools completely unwound before I took the picture). So after several minutes of winding up ribbon I decided that I didn't need to put my SU! satin ribbon on the dowel rod after all! So the tip for the day...*****don't put satin ribbon onto a dowel rod! It's won't work!!******
and here is the after.......

The New Catalog is here!

The new Stampin' Up! catalog is here today!! You can begin browsing and shopping at 12 noon. Just click the catalog picture in the side bar to the right. Send me a message if you have any questions! Happy Stamping! :)

Back from Vacation

I am a bit sad this morning that I did not wake up in a beautiful cabin for two in Bismark, Arkansas. My husband and I spent the week there and it was beautiful and very relaxing! We spent our honeymoon in Hot Springs 7 1/2 years ago, so it was fun to revisit some of the places and talk about how much it has changed. We are back home now so that means it's back to the crafting world for me!

Baby Gifts

A woman in my church is having a baby girl next month. Here is a couple of goodies that I put together for her. I used washcloths and baby spoons/forks for the lollipop vase and Stampin' Up!'s Bigz die Beautiful Butterflies. It cut the fabric very nice. Thanks for looking!

Weekend Fun

Jon and I had lots of fun re-exploring something that we haven't done in years! His nephews birthday party was at a skating rink and we braved the skates and tried it ourselves. Good news.....we didn't get hurt and I didn't even fall one time! I was impressed!!

First Post.....

Well, not exactly my first post. I started this blog last year, but never really did anything with it! Now that school is out, I guess that I have some extra time to play around with it. This is really just a place for me to share my creativity with friends and family. Thanks for stopping by and please continue to check back to see new goodies! Thanks again!!!