Goodies Galore!!!

Hi everyone! Hope you are having a fabulous Friday! I sure did...:) I went shopping this morning and my sweet mom rode with me. Bless her heart....I drug her through Michael's and The Learning Path...neither of which she enjoys. She's a good sport though! Before I show you what I bought, I wanted to share the cutest book I bought at a thrift store the other day for my class library. I'll use it during Dental Health month. It was in perfect condition and is so adorable!

Next up are the items I bought at The Learning Path....the closest teacher store to my home! They carry lots of things and I always leave with a few items! First, I found some bright and fun borders. I needed some new ones. I really wanted the red and turquoise chevron but of course they are sold out...like everyone else! Oh well....there's always next year! I love the sunny yellow stripe and this cute little bird border!

I bought the coordinating bird cut-outs to use for something. Not sure what yet, but aren't they adorable?

I love the fun , bright colors!

I also bought name plates. These are self adhesive...I hope they work!

And, perhaps the most needed item I bought was two new rolls of Mavalus tape. This stuff is the bomb.....sticks when nothing else will and will restick several times. Best thing is, it doesn't leave sticky residue!

I ran by Sam's Club to pick up laminating sheets and walked out with a new set of grading pens and a new classroom rug. No picture of the rug yet because it is in my vehicle rolled up. I'll take pix next week in my classroom!

At Michael's, I found a few things on my list. First up were these cupcake liners. I need them for a sweet little project which I hope to share soon.

This little container is for a cute little idea for positive behavior management I found recently. If you want to know more....click here!

I got these letters for another sweet project that I will hopefully share for Made It Monday!

This doily will live somewhere on my desk.

I found several scrapbook papers for yet another sweet project! Stay tuned...:)

Love.....

At Target, I found this dry erase board in the $ spot.

I also found three more pocket charts! I was so excited to find the aqua blue one today...only one though! I bought two red a couple weeks ago, so I was happy to find these colors today!

I bought these two little chalkboard label pails to store something in!

When I arrived home, my World Market order was here waiting one me...:) I had a $10 off $30 coupon I didn't want to expire so I placed an order earlier this week. These things are for my classroom. 

These adorable bicycle clips had to be mine. I am planning to put magnets on the back and use them on my whiteboard.

The little notepad also jumped in my cart...too cute! I can use this for faculty meetings!

Cuteness...:)

And this tea towel will be getting a transformation...soon!

Now, I did purchase a couple things that are not for school. First up, these beautiful earrings for my Seminole girl...my daughter Miranda. She's an FSU grad and will love wearing these to Doak Campbell Stadium for the games this fall! I hope I can go watch one with her...:)

And last but not least is this little cutie...my new popcorn bowl! I love popcorn and I love words so this is perfect for my kitchen! I love the bright red too...:)

Also love the bottom of the bowl....:)

So....what have you been buying.....or making for your classrooms? I can finally get in mine Monday and will be there bright and early!!! I can't wait to see yours!

Thanks for stopping by and as always....be blessed!

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August Currently and SLANT!

So excited to be linking up with Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade for August Currently! It's been several months since I have done this and have I missed the fun...:) So, what have you all been up to this week? I have been to four days of Common Core training....this was my first time ever being trained on Common Core and boy do I have a LOT to learn. I will get it though...with lots of reading and studying I'm sure. I am new to kinder this year and we have a new reading series and this is the first year we are using the Common Core standards....so, I am feeling a little like a brand new teacher...lol!  

So....here's my

Most of this is self-explanatory, but I will quickly go over them!

So, I am listening to Pawn Stars which my hubby is watching and I am also listening to my 18 year old son snore on the couch. He has been working all week, outside in the Florida heat mowing and doing yard work. He is one tired boy...:)

I am loving that I can finally get into my new classroom Monday to start sorting (what the previous teacher left), organizing, rearranging, and decorating!

I am thinking about all the things I am planning to buy tomorrow when I go to Gainesville to pick up some classroom goodies! I am hoping to find a few things not on my list too...lol!

I am wanting to get my hair done before school starts...these roots are showing....BAD!

I am needing to go wash the dishes! Oh, how I wish I had a dishwasher!!!

And....as for the three B2s must haves .....I think we all enjoy getting at least one new outfit for back to school....right! I don't plan to buy too much since I just bought lots of new clothes for my cruise at the beginning of summer (you can read about my cruise here, here, here, & here  on my other blog if you're interested), but I do want at least one brand new one! 

I can't live without REAL post-it notes....seriously! 

And, I love making things for my classroom....being crafty is in my blood! See my last two Monday posts if you want to see...:)

I also wanted to mention this awesome opportunity I found out about today over at Amanda's blog...Teaching Maddeness. It is called the SLANT Box project.....Sending Love Across the Nation to Teachers. It sounds super duper fun....I signed up already and can't wait to do it! If you are curious, click on the picture below and go check it out! 

Well....I am off to do the dishes and then off to bed! Getting up early to go shopping!!! Woot...:)

Have a blessed Friday!

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Monday Made It's & I Won!!!

Happy Monday! Today I'm linking up with Tara for 

I am excited to be sharing a sweet little project I finished last week. I ended up painting this one in my kitchen since good old sunny Florida has been more like good old soggy Florida for weeks! I am happy to report that the sun has been shining a lot more these past few days! I have so many little projects I am working on for my classroom as well as my home and I am quickly running out of summer days to complete them! So....here goes! This homely lovely little poop chocolate brown colored shelf jumped out in my path while I was walking at the flea market weekend before last. I asked the seller what she wanted for it and she said $3, so I said....I'll take it! I know you're probably wondering why, but it is a solid wood shelf and the size is just perfect to hold lots of  read aloud books and a few other items in my reading corner in my new kindergarten classroom. I knew I could fix her right up and have her looking good in no time! Here she is, scratches, scrapes, seam filler, new feet, and all! 

Here's a little closer photo of her....isn't she cute in her pale aqua blue and red!

I painted her with a homemade chalk paint concoction. She is a very pale aqua which is not showing up too well in these photos. I had a terrible time trying to get good photos in the dreary light from all the rain! My hubby added the little feet for me. I had a basket full of wood shapes that I rescued from the trash pile at my old school. These little cubes worked well for her feet....at least I think they do. I would have preferred something a little taller and maybe a little curvy, but I'm working with what I have! The feet got a snazzy red paint job! I added the red and white polka dot gift wrap to the back for a pop of color and the red rick rack trim to the front for cuteness (is that a word). I also added buttons to the corners to cover the uneven edges of the rick rack. I already had all this in my craft room stash...:) So far....I still only have $3 in it. 

Close up of one of her sweet little feet...:)

While I was shopping for a few necessities at Wal Mart after the trip to the flea, I spotted these sweet little decals. I was looking for something else when I saw these and thought they were too cute. I love dandelions and this whole set was only $2.47. I thought they would be sweet on the sides of my little shelf, so into the cart they went! Now I am up to just under $6.00 if you include sales tax. Not too shabby in my opinion.....especially for a little darling like this! Here she is showing off her dandelions and dragonflies...:)

And here she is sitting by her reading corner partner....the chair I recently recovered. You can also see the buntings I shared last week. I love how it all works together! 

Makes me smile...:)

OK...so I know these were popular last year, but I never did make one and since I had a stash of left over pencils and all the supplies needed for this project, I decided to make a pencil vase to sit in my new classroom. I think it turned out super cute!

I had these red silk poppies left from my 4th of July decor and popped them in for now. What do you think?

I have been busy cleaning out, rearranging, and reorganizing my craft room. In doing so, I have been trying to use things I already had. You can read about that project here on my other blog if you're interested. Anywho, I came across this picture frame that a student gave me this year. Super cute, but browns are not really my color, so I gave it a quick little makeover. The three circles popped apart pretty easily and I painted them with leftover paint from the shelf project above.  Again, I had all the supplies already....paint, glitter, and glue. This will hold a picture of my kiddos on my desk...:)

Now....for a couple home made its! I love thrift shopping and bought this adorable little thingie a couple weeks ago. I paid $3 for it because I could see the potential in it! I'm calling it a thingie because I don't know what it's really called. Reminds me of a wagon wheel! Anywho...I was able to see past the ugly brown and picture her all dolled up and this is how she turned out! She got a good coat of white satin Krylon spray paint and when she dried, I knew she needed a little something, so I turned to my washi tape supply and jazzed her up a bit. She got a blue plaid around the edges and a little pink and yellow floral on the handle in the middle. I decided she should hold my salt and pepper glitter shakers and they all fit perfectly!

Another home made it was this cute little plate shelf I got the same day as the shelf above. I found it at the flea as well and paid $10 for it. I gave it a quick spray paint job with Krylon Jade. I love, love, love how it turned out. I needed this to house my white pitcher collection that had outgrown their previous home on top of my china cabinet. I also added a platter and some china plates. Every item except two pitchers on this shelf were thrifted items. The two I bought new came from TJ Maxx and Michael's (half price and with a teacher discount)! 

So, that's it for the made it's, but I wanted to share a bit of exciting news! I won a giveaway for a $25 Mastercard gift card last week from Hooty over at Hooty's Homeroom!!! Talk about thrilled! If you haven't visited Hooty's Homeroom, click on the button below and go pay her a visit. I just love her blog...too cute!

Can't wait to see what you all link up! I love looking at everyone's creativity...:) Have a blessed and productive week! 

...

My Monday Made It's!

Today I'm sharing over at 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It for the first time since last summer! I have been busy making buntings for my new kindergarten classroom as well as recovering a chair for my reading corner. I will soon be making valances to match, but have to get in my classroom to do some measuring first. 

I ordered five different Riley Blake fabrics from fabric.com to use for my decorating. I chose aqua and red as the two main colors but will be using all the colors to some extent. I am in love with these fabrics and can't wait to get in my room and start putting it all together. I made several buntings in different lengths to hang in different areas of the room. Here are the fabrics I chose.....

Here are some of the buntings hanging on my china cabinet...:) I think they look pretty sweet with my white pitcher collection!

I also recovered a chair I already had. I love the way it turned out! It will be so cute in my reading corner. I am working on a cute little bookshelf that will sit beside my chair in my reading corner and hope to share it next week. I got a great deal on it at $3! It is U.G.L.Y. right now but will be cute as a button when I'm finished with it!

For my home made it, I made these sweet little hanging solar lights using the $0.97 solar lights from Wal Mart and some old ceiling fan light shades. Here they are at night. They are so pretty hanging on my porch and in one of my trees. They are super cheap to make as well! If you want to see how I made these, you can see the tutorial on my home blog......Life On Willie Mae Lane. 

Sorry for the blurry photo, I took this one from a distance. They are really pretty hanging in my Red Leaf Maple!

If you haven't already, be sure to visit Hooty's Homeroom!

You can enter to win a $25 Master Card! Who couldn't use that right now...:) So, hop on over there right now and enter to win! Also be sure to check out her Monday Made It's...super cute!

Well, I'm off to see what wonderful things some of you made this week! Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings, 

...

Happy to Be Back!

Hi everyone! Long time since I posted....sorry about that! I'm back and hoping to try to keep up better this time. Life got crazy, busy in the spring and I have had a busy summer so far too, but I am back and happy to be here! Lots has changed since I last posted! I am changing grade levels and schools again. It is a good change though since I will be returning to my "home" school.  Anywho,  I have been busy thinking about how to decorate my new room! While I was on vacation last week, I was stuck inside the hotel room due to really bad weather, so I decided to visit fabric.com on my Kindle to see what I could find. Well, I was browsing through some collections and came across this adorable fabric and instantly fell in love! It is called Simply Sweet Alpha by Riley Blake. I think the name fits....how about you?

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I also picked out a few other Riley Blake fabrics to coordinate with it. Here they are...

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I love them all...:) 

So, I decided to order all of them to use for valances, buntings, and to recover a magnet board and a chair seat for my reading corner. They were all delivered yesterday and I love them even more in person!

Here they are all together!

I plan to cut the navy zig zag out of the chevron fabric when I use it which should work out well with what I have planned! I can't wait to get started sewing! I love the fact that these fabrics have virtually every color I love in them. Should be easy to tie everything together in my room. I am looking for some cupcake liners that coordinate with them as well for a special little project that I hope to share on Monday Made It soon!

I've also been doing a little shopping. While I was on vacation, I went to a few thrift stores as well as a store called Ollie's where I found some great deals on books! I also found a brand new pack of number flash cards. Just look at this stack.....

Yesterday I had to run over to Gainesville to the Dr and while I was there, I just had to stop by Target. They didn't have too much, but I did manage to find a few things to put in my cart!

Only two small pocket charts, but hopefully they will get some more in. I also bought one of the border storage pocket charts which I plan to use as a regular pocket chart.

I bought some stickers and file folders.

I bought a couple sets of these play dough cutters and tools and a couple little squishy caterpillars.

I also bought 8 sets of flash cards since they were really nice ones and only $1 per set!

And, I bought these cute magnets because I loved the arrow shape!

I also ran into the Dollar Tree a while back and found these letter sets and cute crayon border.

I am trying to get back in primary mode! It's coming easily though since I have spent more years in the lower grades that anywhere else! I'm really anxious to collect all my personal belongings from the school I'm leaving and take it over to my new classroom so I can check it out and take stock of what's there. I also want to map out a floor plan and need to see the room to do that. I already know what all of the kinder rooms look like, but I don't know which room I will be in, so I can't really plan yet. It's all good though and I am NOT going to get stressed about anything!

So...it's good to be back! I look forward to reconnecting with you guys! Remember.....if you know of any great kinder and even first grade blogs, please let me know! Thanks so much...:)

Until next time.....