Monday Made It #2

This morning, I went to Michaels without a definite plan (BIG MISTAKE!), knowing that I wanted to do something small for Make it Monday.  In case you weren't aware, Michaels is really jumping on the teacher train this year and has a good variety of teacher supplies, many with a Dr. Seuss theme (so if you're doing that for your theme, you might want to head there!)  They also have a ton of jungle animal things, perfect for me since that's my classroom theme :)

After wandering aimlessly around the store, I thought about how I have a ton of stickers, and no where really to put them.  Sorry, I know it's not exactly the best thing I could have come up with, but I'm feeling rather yucky today so that's what I went with!

Sticker Box materials:

Pencil Box (cardboard)
Mod Podge and brush
Scissors
Scrapbook Paper
Whatever you want to decorate with!

Work space

Completed Project

  

Don't you just love that little lion? He's precious!

And, an added bonus to this post:  A patriotic cheesecake I made for the 4th of July.  It was super easy to make and super delicious but my family couldn't finish it. 

Patriotic Cheesecake - Thanks Pinterest!

Happy Monday! 

Productivity, My First Blog Award, and Some Questions

This little lady has been so productive recently that I haven't had time to sit down and write another post.  

Yesterday, I took my pup for a walk when we woke up.  We checked out the apartments where we'll soon be living (yay for independence!)  and I let her run all around the dog park 'til she was tuckered out.  After dropping her back at home, I got my oil changed and headed over to my grandma's old house, where I've been storing the teaching supplies I've built up over the years. I loaded my car with as much as poor little Franklin could handle and took it over to my classroom(!).   (And of course I took my teacher toolbox with me!!)

I also decided to organize all the notes and handouts I've accumulated at various professional development sessions in the past few years.  Now I have a notebook with 6 sections (will probably gain more as time goes on) totally dedicated to all that I've learned just in professional development sessions.  

Now for the fun news!  Lara over at Organized Teaching Addict has graciously given my blog its very first award, the Versatile Blogger Award!  Thanks Lara!  What an encouragement to someone who has just stuck her feet in the blogging world!

Here are the rules for award winners....

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.

2. Include a link to their site.

3. Include the award image in your post.

4. Give 7 random facts about yourself.

5. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award. --Sorry I'm breaking the rules, I'm only doing 4 right now! 

6. When nominating, include a link to their site.

7. Let the other bloggers know they've been nominated.

Here are my 7 Random Facts :)

1. My dog is considered a rescue dog, but I think she's the one who rescued me!  God sent us to each other at just the right time. 

2.  I'm ridiculously allergic to horses, which makes me sad because I really enjoy horseback riding.

3. My grandpa is part of a hiking club and I go with them every so often... It's a club full of retired people, but sometimes I have a hard time keeping up with their pace!

4. I will be teaching at the "rival" elementary school of where I student taught.  My heart is torn!

5. My dream is to one day own a motorcycle.

6. I could be a good cook...if I could just remember to lay out the meat... several hours in advance instead of right when I want to fix the meal!

7.  I like snowboarding, but am in no way good at it!  Same with singing... my students will just have to put up with it or sing louder than me :)

And my nominations are.....

1. I Love My Classroom
2. 4th Grade Frolics
3. Surviving the First Year
4. Kindertrips

Questions from the newbie blogger:: 

How do you post awards on your blog?

How do you insert files into your blog?

Monday Made It!

So, I saw this "teacher toolbox" on Pinterest a few months ago and pinned it, knowing that I would have time over the summer to actually do it.  I saw it again on some teaching blogs that I stalk and decided that today would be the big day!  I'm linking up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolicks (you should definitely check out her blog!)... she is hosting "Monday Made It." :)

Click here to go to 4th Grade Frolicks!

Anyway, on with the post!  My classroom is going to be jungle themed, so I decided to paint my toolbox green.  I quickly discovered that HEY, acrylic paint doesn't work so well on plastic!  It was too late to fix it though, so I ended up brushing in diagonal strokes and the effect is actually pretty neat!  I used a sponge to put a little bit of gold paint over the green and added some glitter paint to seal the deal.  I also painted the borders blue, then sprayed Mod Podge acrylic sealer over the entire box so that little fingers won't smudge it up! :)

I used Elizabeth's (Fun in Room 4B - Another blog you should definitely check out!) template to make the labels and printed them on scrapbook paper.
Here are a few pictures of the finished product!