End of Year Gift

Need a good end of year gift? Maybe something for a recent graduate? 

Hope this inspires you to give a little something fun, for a job well done!

        

First, poppers and a koozie to celebrate the end of the year!

     

Next,  a little something that will help with a future job!

 

And last, a little something just for them- something they can enjoy just because!

Blessings!

Cute Gift Tag

Am I the only one who loves Michaels' 'dollar' section? 

Didn't think so... although I realize the items are not always just a $1, but boy are they a good value! 

Here's one great idea to create a more personalized gift tag- use the small decorative clothespins to attach the card! No envelope needed! 

Cute, chic, and cheap! 

Blessings!!

Preschool Classroom Pics

Now that the year is over, I have time to share some of my classroom pictures from my Pre-K 3 classroom. Hopefully some of these ideas you can use to implement in your classroom! Or if you are having to share space, this will help spark your creativity.

 

First, it is important to note that our school is currently sharing space with the church, so there was not a calendar/board area other than the whiteboard (which is much too high for my little guys to use). Therefore I made this calendar board by taping together multiple poster-sized foam boards and covering it with a plastic table cloth. Clever right? I was too cheap to buy fabric and I new a bed sheet wouldn't hold things as well. Thus, I could easily hot glue and staple the plastic table cloth without worrying about it! 

I know everyone has a different way of doing calendar time, but we always would start with talking about God first. Therefore we would discuss our class verse (1 Cor. 16:13) and then the Bible story for the week. 

Then we would discuss jobs on Monday of every week and YES they ALL had a job! 

Our focus would shift to the season and weather followed by calendar and counting. We would then try and tie it all together that on this day October the 6th the weather is ______ and we can count all the way to ______....

For discipline/classroom management, because it is necessary, we used 'happy sticks'. The children tried to keep all of their happy sticks, happy and in their homes. When a student misbehaved they would first remove the red warning stick and then after another offense they would lose a happy stick which was very sad and had consequences.

 

Over by the reading nook I needed to add some color! So I took a hula-hoop and dangled colorful glitter tulle from it. Not only did it add some umph, but the kids enjoyed talking about the many different colors.

Another method of classroom management I used was 'Love Nuggets'. Love nuggets (pom poms) were given out at random when students behaved in a way that was loving and kind. Once they recieved 4 love nuggets they got an extra sticker for their reward sheet (that eventually leads to the treasure chest).

I'd LOVE to take credit for all these ideas, but I must admit that as any good teacher does, I stole the classroom management ideas from my mentor teacher. Yes I know, not so shocking!

Please enjoy your summer as you not only rest, but begin planning for next year!

Blessings!!

Sweet Summer Gift

Happy Summer (although I know technically we are still a few days away from the official start)! 

Just thought I'd share an idea for any of you needing a good summertime gift- maybe for a friend or teacher, or really for anyone who likes cookies or has kids!  

I put this together as a thank you for my room mom (awesome mother of 3 girls) so that they would have something fun to do together! I found the cut summertime cookie cutters at Michaels, picked up the "Life is Sweet" disposable placemats at Hobby Lobby, and grabbed the cookie dough and sprinkles from Target so they would most of the supplies they needed! 

As you have seen in my prior posts, I make these kitchen towels that are cute and functional (and easy to sew), so I added it to the gift so that the mom would still have something to cherish after the cookies are gone.

Hopefully this inspires you to think outside of the box and inside of the cookie jar! 

Blessings!!

$0.50 Wall Art part 1

 

I just couldn't wait to show off this work in progress. Above is 1 of 2 wall hangings I picked up from a garage sale. The grand total for this purchase was $1, that's right folks, only 50 cents a piece! 

 

As of now, all I have done is painted it with a primer based paint and sanded it a little. It's not finished yet but already looks 100x's better! Please check back later for the final outcome. But I think it's already safe to say it was worth the investment. ;)

Blessings!!

Burlap Heart

Here is a picture of some creative last minute decorating for a bridal shower! 

We really wanted to utilize the cute and rustic window, but didn't have a wreath. The solution? Make your own burlap and twine heart! The burlap ribbon was wired so it was able to maintain it's shape.

Not only did it look cute and rustic, but it added charm to the window! 

Many Blessings!!