CAKE STANDS

I have loved these cake stands for a long time. I finally got to the thrift store to look for candle stick holders and plates. I bought the white plate and the tall candle holder. It was brass and I spray panted it black. After I had bought the stuff I kind of dragged my feet and didn't get it together. Well a funny thing happened. My really awesome and talented Relief Society activity coordinator, Robbie, brought me the shorter one. It is so cute. Her plate is so much cuter. It has these little flowers on it. Well I finally got mine together and I really love how they go together so well.

Halloween is here

I am so ready for Halloween to be over. Anyone else feel that way? Yesterday after our Halloween parade at school, we went and got a few pumpkins and carved them. It's been years since I carved a pumpkin. I don't think they turned out too bad.

Reality

The reality to crafting and basically anything is sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I look at tons of different ideas and think that would be really cute, or that should be pretty easy. Well sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. This is an example of not so good.

I got this idea from eighteen 25 during their month long Halloween ideas. It seemed pretty simple and I thought I could do it for Megan's dance class. Well on Sunday I tried to do it. Simple fact, it was not easy. Fact two, it so was not worth doing 11 of.

On the brighter side of things I did do one project that turned out and was really cool and easy. I don't remember where this was from but Ashley sent me the idea. This week Megan is using them for her lunch bags and all the kids wanted to know where she got them.

My final project is a copy from what Ashley has posted. I did the mummy suckers and let Megan help with them. They were really easy and she was excited that she got to help with them. I printed of the box to put them in from How Does She.

Mummy Cans

You know how sometimes you find something that you just love and you never get tired of looking at it. Even after a few years, you get it out and you say to yourself...that is just CUTE?  Well, that is how I feel about my mummy can. When I taught 6th grade, I think I made it every year, then I switched to 4th grade---tried it once--and haven't made it since. Well, I have a really great class this year and I think they can handle it. So, this week we are making mummy cans. They are excited to do it because they thought it was cute too.

I have realized a hazard of having a REALLY well-behaved, polite and fun class.... They are going to drive me to the poor house because they are so fun to do things with. I think I have spent more than usual on things for my class this year. I guess it's been a while since I've had a good class. I might have to get another job!!!

Simple Cards

I saw some cards that were really cute on a blog the other day. But, of course, I didn't have everything she did to make them, so I searched through my stash and found some stuff that would come close. I LOVE polka dots. These are very simple and I opted not to put a sentiment on them for now. A lot of times when I send a card, I don't want it to say anything specific, just a note. I figured when I go to use it, I could always put a saying on it then.

........hmmm, so I'm sitting here typing this and thinking.... (usually not a good thing). One of my goals I set for my self-assessment at school this year was to send a positive note home to every student some time during the year. These cards would be very nice to send. Don't know if I'll do it, but it's something to think on.

Gratitude Journal

In November, our Relief Society night is on gratitude. We are going to be making the couple crafts I had on earlier. We are also going to have a couple speak on being grateful for the trials we have. Then, we are going to have a little five minute talk about gratitude journals from someone who has kept one before. So---we are going to give everyone a gratitude journal. Last week I came up with this cover and bookmark to make and give out.

More Oreo Suckers

So, I went visiting teaching this week---I know, it's only the 20th and I'm done!!! I go to a couple of sisters who have small kids, so I like to take them a little something fun, especially at holidays. So, I made some more of the dipped oreo suckers. I actually think it worked out a lot better the first time. I threw in some orange, just to give it color. Then, I put them in a wooden block. I think they turned out really cute. (sorry for the poor picture, I forgot to take one at home, so I had to use my camera at school). It was a good think I had them because at one of the houses, the little seven year old said...Hey, did you know yesterday was my birthday?....Um, of course I did, that's why I brought you this Halloween treat!!  She was really cute...and totally believed me. When I left she was trying to decide which one she was going to eat first.

Vinyl

I have to take a salad to a family dinner and really don't want to stick around until the end of the dinner so I went to the dollar store and bought these bowls. Because I thought I would be crafty, and also because I had seen a bunch of these done other places I thought I should try out vinyl. I really like how they turned out except there are a few spots that the vinyl did not lay down flat because the surface was not flat. I think they turned out really cute but if I were to give them away as a gift or use them for something different I would have to work on the laying flat issue.

Halloween Decorations

Ashley saw these on a blog and thought I should do them. They have been kind of a work in progress. We started them the last Saturday in September and I finished them today. They were a little bit of work but not too bad. I used a 2 1/2 inch ball and painted it orange, and painted my dowels white. Then we bought the candy, candy corns, jelly beans, and gum drops. You glue them on to the ball and I stuck them into a canning jar which has a piece of styrofoam inside. (glue the dowel into the ball and also the styrofoam in the jar) Added ribbon and then they were done. I don't remember what website she saw them off of.

Hair bows

I made these hair bows to go with the Halloween shirts that my girls have. They are corker screw bows, you wrap the ribbon around a dowel and then bake it on 250 for 20 minutes. Then I cute the ribbon to the size I want and tie it together. On these bows I bought some glittery spiders and added them. I think they turned out pretty cute.

My Fall Flowers

I know I'm a little late, but I just had time to do this yesterday.  I picked up these flowers at the Dollar Tree, and the vase and river pebbles.  I had the fabric for the bow and the raffia.  I think it turned out pretty and it is on our dining table.  Maybe I'll get orgaized and make an arrangement for each season/holiday. 

Thanks for looking.

The Witch is in

A couple of weeks ago, Merlynn and I went in Pier One, looking for some Halloween stuff.  They had the cutest little sign---it was a witch's hat and underneath a sign that said "the witch is in." I thought it was really cute--but not $20-$25 cute. So, of course I thought that would be really easy to make. Yeah....maybe not soo easy. Mom did the hat for me---it's a little interesting. I made the sign using my silhouette. I am hanging it on my classroom door.I don't want anyone to wonder about there being a witch in there;)

Oreo Cookies

I thought that the dipped oreo mummy cookies on How Does She were so stinkin' cute... I knew I wanted to make some to give out during October. Well, I decided I needed to do a test run. I definitely learned a few things. 1) between each step, wait about 15 minutes for the chocolate to set up 2) BE PATIENT

Once I decided I had to be patient, it went much better and they turned out cute. I used wiggly eyes---they website for the edible eyes says they are backorder until the 7th. Mom says she's going to try making me some (her idea--not mine). Then I'm having her cut some blocks so I can put the suckers in when I'm done, make them cute and deliver. I'm thinking I will make them about the middle of October.

Heritage Books

In fifth grade, our first unit is on Heritage. We read five stories that show heritage in different ways. We have a big idea which is, How has heritage influenced your life? At the end of the unit, we get to do a celebration or inquiry week. We take this week to complete a project related to the unit theme. So, for heritage, I have the kids interview someone in their family, asking questions about their heritage, memories, etc. In class, the kids also answer some of the same questions. So, on our inquiry week, they take the paragraphs they have written and the paragraphs from the person they interviewed and write them all in this little heritage book. We only have 3 days to get it done this year because it is a short week and I am going to be gone to a training on Wednesday. So, I decided I should put the books together before they started. So, on Sunday I spent about 3-4 hours glueing, rounding corners and binding their books. A lot of work at once, but they are totally worth it. I can't wait to read the stories and memories that they have written about.

Witch Words..part 2

I have had these laying on my table since the family reunion. I finally finished them up this weekend. I'm not sure if I really like them or not, but I think they turned out okay.

Fall Blog Challenge

Okay---this is probably so stupid, but I really thought they were cute (the idea is from eighteen25). And easy!!! They have been a real pain in the behind. I went to DI--bought three frames $3----slight problem, they didn't have the standy-up things on the back---which I discover after I spray painted them at 10 at night--in the dark. So, I go to Wal-Mart---buy three new frames---you can't take the back completely out, which is necessary to put the paper in front of the glass. Plan C---I scrounged around the house until I could find three frames---more spray painting.  I then glued the letters on, but when I put one of them down, I set it slightly on another one so when I came back an hour later---it had slid and was not on straight, so I had to rip it off, cut a new piece of paper, and glue it again. Yeah---could I have made such a simple craft any harder??? Really.

Fall

This all started out with a really cute idea that I saw I think off of How Does She. I knew that I wanted a fall wreath and thought that I could make it work. It is nothing like what they did but I think it turned out pretty cute. I used a straw wreath and then Halloween cupcake liners. I turned the liners inside out and the kind of smashed them into what looked like flowers and glued them on the wreath. I think that it worked pretty good.

After I was done I hung it on my outside door but it didn't look that great so I moved them to the table and hung it just above. I added the plate with a small pumpkin on it and it turned out really cute. I had the jars and they are filled with pumpkins, pinecones and the orange little pebbles. On the other side is a fall picture that I took last year with a couple of candles. The wreath really gave it the finished looked that I was looking for.



For other fall ideas check out Danelle's blog http://www.missdanishandful.blogspot.com/.