Glass Etching and Stitch Fix ... Perfect Gifts!

I posted about glass etching casserole dishes on my Instagram page a few weeks ago and many people asked for a quick tutorial.

Doing the casserole dishes is my go-to gift... it's simple, practical, inexpensive, and thoughtful.  I usually throw a sheet of tissue paper in the bottom, toss in a box of brownie mix, and tie it up with a ribbon.  VOILA!  You do need some type of Silhouette or Cricut machine to make a stencil... unless you are just REALLY amazing at drawing and cutting precisely by hand.

1)  In my Silhouette software I type the last name that I need and usually change the font to some cute KG font.  The ones pictured are KG Lego House.  I usually make the name about 1.5 inches high and usually no more than 6-7 inches long (this depends on the size casserole dish you are etching).

2)  I send the file to be cut out on the Silhouette.  
3)  I peel out the "inside" of the name... leaving the rest of the vinyl behind... This creates a stencil.
4)  Using transfer paper, I position the vinyl onto the casserole dish and carefully remove the transfer paper.....  and smooth all pieces down to make sure nothing is lifting, etc.
5)  I use a sponge/foam brush to dab etching cream all over.  I don't actually rub the brush or swipe because I don't want it to lift the vinyl... so DAB it is!
6)  I ask Siri to set a timer for 10 minutes and sit patiently start the dishwasher, run to the bathroom, start the laundry, start dinner, etc.
7)  After 10 minutes, I take the dish to the sink and rinse off the etching cream and do a quick rinse with soap and then I take off the vinyl... dry my dish and think about how awesome I am.
I'm included a pic of the etching cream that I use.  I've read about other etching creams, but have never used those.  This bottle I bought from Amazon, but I'm sure they probably sell it in stores, too!  I'm just a sucker for free shipping and ease!  You do need to be very careful with the cream as it can burn your skin and will etch surfaces VERY quickly.  This is not a project that you want to rush through.

While I have you here, I wanted to share my latest luck with Stitch Fix.  I was really pumped to get my last box after taking some time off.  If you follow me on IG then you know that I have lost over 60 lbs this year {compliments of divorce/anxiety/stress}... and clothes just haven't fit right and I haven't really been interested in buying or even trying new clothes.  I was pleasantly surprised by my last box and kept 2 of the tops.  They are more form fitting than I normally wear, but sometimes it's good to branch out, right?  These are perfect for date night I think.

Did you know that you can buy your friends and family Stitch Fix gift cards?  I didn't know either, but I think it's the perfect gift for a busy mom or even as a teacher gift.  My next "fix" is scheduled for February and I'm so excited.  I know that I will have had time to recover financially and physically from the holidays by then!  {click the pic to head to their site}

So, there you have it... 2 easy gift ideas this Christmas season.  Time to get busy etching some glass or snag up some Stitch Fix gift cards for those hard to buy for peeps on your list.  I hope that y'all will have an amazing last week before break!  Talk to y'all soon!  

Bright Ideas Hop.... Numbering the Kiddos

I'm so excited you're here...  hope you've had oodles of fun so far gathering useful ideas for your classroom! These hops are the very best in my opinion.  I love to sit w/ my spiral notebook & jot down  cool ideas!  My post today is pretty short with lots of pictures of how I use numbers in my classroom.... as in numbering the kiddos.

Next up is Jennifer over at Herding Kats in Kindergarten with an awesome post on inexpensive manipulatives in the classroom... and how the heck to store them!  Just click on her cute button to keep hopping!  .....and thank you so much for stopping by!  Talk to y'all soon!

An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

A Crafty Giveaway

Remember how I wrote all about being crafty in my Currently post?  Well... that continued today.  I headed back to work today and on my lunch break I ran into Hobby Lobby to get supplies to make my monogrammed long sleeved tee!  I put the kidlets down tonight and got busy with my Silhouette machine.  Here's what my finished shirt looks like {insert proud self patting on back here}.

Soooo...  I decided to try a different kind of giveaway this time.  If you like my shirt and you want to have one... I'm going to give one away!  Just enter below...  it's going to end Sunday night so that I can have some time to make it and mail it out!  Good luck my peeps... may the force be with you :)

Talk to y'all soon!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hello January

It's January and a whole new year!  Hot dog!  I am optimistic about 2014.  I am hoping that it is a great year for me and my family.  I don't really do resolutions so much...  but this picture that I found on Pinterest made me smile.  I think that it's a great reminder of how I'm hoping my year will be!

Because it's a new month... it's time to link up for Farley's Currently!  So... here goes:

1) Listening to a silent house.  M1 had a sleepover at a friend's house last night.  M2 had a cousin over here last night, but he went home with a sore throat after midnight...  It's a temporary silence, but I'll take it!
2) Loving my time off for a multitude of reasons, but I actually had a chance to be "crafty" -ish!  I get frustrated with myself on Pinterest b/c I often lack follow through.  I pin tons of things but don't ever go back and make them or see them through.  Well this week I went back through my "For the Home" board and found 2 ideas that I wanted to try out.  I wanted to do a burlap bedskirt in my guest bedroom and also learn how to do monograms on my Silhouette.  Here are my 2 projects from this week... .what do you think?  If you don't follow me on Pinterest...  you can find me HERE!

3) Thinking that January will be a very hard month and I hope I handle it with grace.  January 5th will mark one year since I delivered Frances.  I must confess that I am much less angry now, but I am not 100% yet.  I don't know how long that will take, but I am a work in progress.  I am thankful that I had the chance to hold her and thankful that I can go to her grave when I need a place to get away.  So I am giving myself some grace this month... but also hoping that other mothers who may be hurting will find hope in my journey and struggle.

4) Wanting.... nothing at all that I can think of.  I am a minimalist anyways and I don't need much to be happy.  My list is quite short actually: my boys, my husband, coffee! :)  Santa was good to me though with gift cards for local shops and a day at the spa in Savannah!
5) Needing to lose some weight and start taking better care of myself.  I don't have a specific number really, but I definitely found solace in food and drinks this year.  I don't know if it was grief or the severe depression, but somewhere along the way ... I lost me!  We'll see, but hopefully the old me is still in there somewhere {and she has a bunch of clothes in the closet waiting, ahem}.
6)  Favorite January memory... a super nervous boyfriend asked me to marry him on New Years Eve 2001... and I promoted him to husband!  Golly... that was 12 years ago!

I hope that your January will be amazing.  I head back to work tomorrow {the mourning has already started}.  Happy New Year bloggy peeps... talk to y'all soon!

Home Sweet Home (errrr....Classroom)

Captain's log: the teachers here have survived 7 days of school.  There are 173 days of school left until summer break 2014 {that's approx 1,384 work hours).  There may be secret countdown calendars strategically placed around school to keep the teachers motivated!

Seriously... I am done with the first 7 days.  This is my 12th time doing back to school... so I can say with confidence... there ain't NO kind of tired like BACK TO SCHOOL tired.  Well, maybe except 1st trimester preggers tired... that can also kick your patootie.  I didn't have to change classrooms this year and when I left in May I felt really cocky good about back to school.  When I went back on July 25th... I was wondering what the heck I had been thinking in May.  I had SO stinkin' much to do before school started!  {sigh}  Lucky for me the hubs knows the drill.  He came home early almost everyday so that I could stay late in my room or go over the weekend(s).  He brought dallies (sp?) from work to help move bookcases and helped me put some of my IKEA purchases together.  Isn't it weird that no matter how many hours you put in... it still doesn't ever feel "finished"?!?!?  I didn't decorate with a specific theme this year, but I did try to go with a certain color scheme of sorts.  I realized that I had a lot of tealish blue and lime green in my room... then I found this picture and my brain EXPLODED!!!

So... armed with a picture, Pinterest, and a penchant for drama {but Eddie... I HAVE to go to IKEA or my classroom will suck!!!!!)... I set out on my mission!  I would like to apologize in advance for the long post, but I tried to capture all my favorite pieces and parts.  Hope you enjoy!!!

Easy enough... this is the burlap anchor hanging on my classroom door!  A very sweet co-worker (my school mom of sorts) made this for me the week that Frances was supposed to be born.  We aren't allowed to have biblical verses, etc. in our rooms... but this cross is a visual representation of my favorite verse! {Hebrews 6:19}  I go in and out of that door so often... what a comfort!

Also outside of my classroom door is my No Peanuts sign.  I downloaded it from The First Grade Parade, laminated it, then bordered it with chevron to make it more noticeable to any peeps coming in!  One of my little dudes has a SEVERE peanut allergy and I should be wearing a cape... because I am vigilant here people!!!

As soon as you come in...  I have a bulletin board that spans the whole entire wall.  I broke it into three pieces visually by doing red, black in middle, and red on the right!  The first one is our What's Goin' On board...where I post a calendar, breakfast/lunch menus, study guides for each one of my reading groups, invitations to community events, etc.

My numbered book boxes sit on top of the shelf.  Underneath the shelf is where the kiddos hang their book bags.  I found that I needed to be in charge of that space... otherwise it because a catch all for my stuff and all their stuff, too!

Here are the hooks under the bookshelf.  I used my Silhouette to cut numbers out of polka dot contact paper to number the hooks.  The first day of school I had like 3 girls all bring pink Hello Kitty book bags.  You get where I'm going with this?!?!  Yes, HUGE tears... "She STOLE my book bag!!!"  Problem solved.  Voila!

Here's a pic before I numbered the hooks.  Their nametags were hanging there during open house.  I bought the clear nametags and lanyards from Office Max and use my leftover pieces of chevron border inside.  Whenever I put up bulletin boards I always end up with crazy size pieces left over... so this was a definite WIN!!!

I think I may have an issue with numbering things that I haven't noticed until typing this post!  Hmmmmmm, making a mental note...  stop numbering ALL the things!  OK...  their desks obviously have nameplates, but I also used the polka dot contact paper to stick their student numbers on, too!  I tried this with black first and it didn't look that great!

Here's my behavior chart system for this school year.  I am using my nifty numbered magnets from Tea and Coffee.

Everyone starts on purple and tries to move towards the top... and down is obviously not where they want to go.  I found it HERE for free if you are looking for something colorful and new in your room!  My firsties are LOVING it so far!!!

Here is my computer table.  I have 4 computers in the back.  There is a lamp and picture on top.  Their login cards are also stored in the base of the lamp for when the poor things forget their login info again and again {and again}.  I scored the sweet computer backgrounds from Reagan Tunstall and you can find them HERE in tons of nifty colors!

Different view of same area...  our daily schedule hangs on left.  Spelling words are usually in the red pocket chart.  Our clock {obviously) and nifty punctuation posters.

Area back by sinks and back door.  I have always had this vinyl poster hanging, but this year I bordered it with chevron and I'm in LOVE!  Also the My First Day of 1st Grade frame that I made last year hanging/waiting patiently for the first day!!!

Front of classroom.  I have a giant whiteboard that stretches almost the length of my classroom.  The SMART Board is in the middle and then I have a right board and a left board to write on.  This side is where I sit for whole group on carpet, etc.  I post my I Can statements onto the laminated scrapbook paper.  My 2 large galvanized tubs hold pillows and clipboards.  This is also where my behavior system (the superheros from above) is housed... I just took this picture before I had it laminated and attached!

 Close up of the galvanized tub.  I had thought about spray painting them, but I ran out of summer!  Who do I need to talk to about making summer longer?

Bought 2 area rugs from Lowe's.  We have always had carpet, but they replaced it with tile this summer.  The thought of not having a soft surface somewhere made my skin CRAWL!  This was an inexpensive way to warm the room up some... and I can vouch for it's comfy-ness!  I may have taken a nap on this carpet {ahem}.

Covered the back of those nasty bookcases with contact paper and border.  I have used that contact paper for so many things it's unbelievable.  At only $3ish... what a great purchase!!!  I found mine at Wal-Mart {boo...hiss} near the college kids stuff that they put out every August.

Full disclosure is OK, right?  Because even though the other areas were starting to take shape... this is what it looked like behind the bookcases on the day of Open House.  My friend Tara and I moved all this stuff to my car so that it wouldn't look like my room should be on an classroom episode of Hoarders!  Yep... sometimes it's nice to see what someone elses's mess looks like... am I right... or am I right?

OK... on to Open House and then I'm gonna call this post a WIN.  Our open house was on Tuesday evening and school started on Thursday... so it was nice to know that I still had some time to rearrange, fix, unpack all this junk from my car, etc.  Here's the last part of my post:

Message for parents... on my UBER cool easel from IKEA.  It was only like $10-$15ish!  I kinda love it!!!  I wonder if it would look weird if I had maybe like 10 more of them?

Every year I lay out EXACTLY what supplies they will need.  I also take a picture and include the picture on the supply list.  This year I had my open house go in stations... and it was much easier to deal with all the traffic. I bought THIS PACK from Tunstall's Tidbits.  It was a life saver fo' sho'!!!  I had 4 stations (1-check in and get folders, 2-supplies, 3-transportation, and 4-meet the teacher and get treats!)

So... last stop for parents and kiddos was the treat table.  I had bags of Goldfish for the kidlets and individual bags of popcorn for the grown ups!  I think the parents were more excited about treats {purely an observation}.   O-fish-ally in 1st grade printable by First Grade Blue Skies.  Thanks for popping in by Magill's Mathletes!
I always print business card magnets from Vistaprint.. but this year I actually had plenty leftover from previous years and I didn't have to order... woohoo!!!

Our grade also handed out first grade website cards with QR codes.  Our principal was impressed!  Open house ended at 6 that night... and I don't even remember the drive home!

I hope that you are enjoying your weekend and that it will go by SUPER slowly.  I'm off to a family cook-out for some R&R.  Talk to y'all soon!!!

Vinyl ALL the Things!!!

I did it!  I bought a Silhouette Portrait!  2 months ago.  It sat in the box for awhile... a standoff of sorts.  I finally had this machine that I had coveted for years.  I may have entered every.  damn.  giveaway in the hopes of winning one.  {ahem}...  They have an amazing teacher discount by the way... you just send them a copy of your teaching license and VOILA!  Ok... back to the story.  So... the machine sat in the box for awhile... I was very overwhelmed with all the magical things that it could do... that I didn't know where to even start!  I finally opened that baby up in July and practiced cutting out letters on some scrapbook paper.  I think that I squealed with delight the first time it started cutting!  Once I got into back-to-school mode... I decided to upgrade my status to VINYL!!!  ...and let me just say that acceptance of your problem is the first step...  I am loving me some vinyl.  I am secretly thinking of all the different surfaces in my classroom that could use some sprucing up!  Well, maybe that's not a secret anymore.  Check out what I've done so far:

I vinyled (?) the corner of my desk with my Melonhead... and I'm kinda in love with it!!!

I made vinyl letters for the white board... that way all I have to do is write the date everyday...  it looks so crisp on the white!!!

More black vinyl on my white board... this is the area where I hang my I Can statements.  The best part about the Silhouette machines is that you can cut out letters using ANY font that you have on your computer!!!  (and I have a lot of favorite fonts)

I bought polka dot contact paper at Wal-Mart to cover the back of my bookshelves... and I had some left over.  Hmmmm, wonder if I could use the contact paper like vinyl with the same results.  I tried it and it totally WORKS... and it's a LOT cheaper!  I have a galvanized tub for my pillows (thank you Goodwill for pillows) and a galvanized tub for my clipboards.

I was so excited to get our class pet.  I did a grant through Petco and went to pick up Lulu the guinea pig last week.  I decorated her cage using white vinyl and a uber-cute guinea pig pic by Melonheadz!!!  Within about 5 minutes of having Lulu at our house, I had a severe allergic reaction... so no class guinea pig for us!  Lulu is now back with her family at Petco!  I will blog more about that later! {I know you can't wait!!}.

I have taken a TON of pictures while I've been working in my classroom.... but it will have to wait for another blog post.  Tomorrow is our 3rd day of school... and I need to hit the hay soon!  I hope that you guys have had a great weekend... talk to y'all soon!