Back to School Crafts

Who is ready to go back to school? Me! Me! Well, not totally, but in a some ways, I am really excited. Of course I love summer, but I am beginning a new leg of my education career and I am ready to begin. So, yes, I am ready in the emotional sense. But, I am not physically ready. I have barely been in my classroom and still have a lot of preparation to do!

In the meantime, I have been trying to get some things done around the house to make the school year a little smoother. So, I want to share some of my latest creations with you! Since Tara at 4th Grade Frolics keeps her Monday Made-It Linky open all week, I thought I would double up on this blog post, and make it fit for the linky, too. Score! 

My first made it is something I am super proud of.  (Well, I guess I am actually really proud of all my made-its...I guess that make me prideful? Eek! Taking a dose of humility now.) So, my little men started school this week.

I have never been the great mom who sends homemade goodies for the whole class, or spends hours creating some amazing Valentine's Day box...I'm just not. But, I try to make sure the boys' teachers know how much we appreciate their hard work and love they give to the boys. So, I usually send a Sonic or Starbucks gift card occasionally. But, this time I made something! And, the teachers loved them! Even though the boys still share the same teachers, I make separate gifts from them, because they are separate people and I would do that if they were different ages. (I also do it for birthday parties...each boy takes their friends separate gifts.) So, here are the creations!

My second Made-It is for my classroom. I am going with the Navy and Kelly Green Nautical theme and when I saw these Navy frames at Hobby Lobby, I had to have them.

So, I waited for them to go 50% off, and snatched up four of them. Then, I had to figure out what to do with them. After brainstorming, I landed upon inspirational, nautical quotes. Then, I went to work. Since the frames are 8x10 and I printed on 8.5x11 paper, I had to do some trimming. By the way, does anyone else hate those annoying prong things on the backs of frames? My stubby-little-chewed-on fingernails are no match.

So, all that was left was to put them in the frames. I LOVE the way they turned out! Dare I say I was proud?

EDIT! UPDATE! After several requests for these posters, I researched the quotes to make sure they were in the public domain, therefore making them okay for commercial use and found they are! Now, you can get your own by clicking this link: Nautical Quote Posters

I am so thankful for this Made-It. Back before I gave birth to those two blessings, I was very fashion conscious. My 3rd year of teaching 7th grade, I found out there was a group of girls that watched my outfit each day trying to find repeated outfits. I had no idea I hadn't already repeated and doubted I could keep it up for long, but once I discovered what they were doing, I thought it was worth a try. So, I organized my outfits and while I repeated articles of clothing, I paired them in new ways to make each outfit unique. They loved it and it helped me create an everlasting bond with those girls. Then, I had babies and there is no priority of looking cute, let alone not repeating outfits. It wasn't even on my radar. But, the desire to be organized, planned out, and put-together never left. So, out of necessity, I created a calendar and some organizers to help my keep inventory of what items I have. I posted it in my closet and can't wait to put it to use. I like having lists organized by type and color, because that's easier to scan than sorting through each article in my closet. 

Once I had created this for myself, I figured others might like to do the same. If you want the set, you can grab it in my store by clicking here: Teacher Style Outfit Planning Calendars

For my last Made-It, I had to recreate something I swooned over on Pinterest. Here is what I saw:

So, I went to the tutorial on the website to create my own. It looked simple enough. Use masking tape to make straight lines and then paint on the lines. Cool, but I thought I could make it easier by using Sharpies and  ruler. Mine may not look quite as great as hers, but I am okay with that. I LOVE mine!

There you have it! Four new Made-Its. Now, I feel a bit more prepared for my school year.