Prom Dress by Margene

Now, I know this isn't a really professional picture, but since the dress hasn't been posted I guess I'll do it.  Melanie is SO HAPPY with this dress.  Of course, she finds a picture of a dress, shows it to Aunt Margene, goes to buy the material, and gets fabrics that are NOTHING like the picture and then takes it all and drops it off.  Aunt Margene, being the miracle worker that she is, makes a dream dress that Melanie is thrilled with.  So it is all good.  Thanks Sister for being so nice to us. 

Notepads

I had a teacher that works in my building if I could make some of those really cute notepads the PTO had given us at Christmas time. She is really into the Greek culture and it in charge of some kind of convention. I just had to use true blue---which is NOT an easy color to find. I think the flowers turned out pretty cute and she was really pleased with them.

Birthday Packaging

I had a couple birthday gifts I had to give today. I bought these really cute bags in Salt Lake during Spring Break. I added some cute tags. On one I made a fabric flower pin and attached it to the tag. I think it dressed the bags up. The gift may not have been that great---but the packaging was cute!!!

Rocket

Now--this is not my usual creative endeavor. This little project was more like---I had to do it. For our state testing to get kids revved up to do their best, we have a theme, Blast Off to Success. We had a lady that was in the teacher in space program come and talk to the kids---which she was really good. She told the kids they are like a space shuttle--and all the support they have--the base, boosters, etc. And that eventually, they have to shed all these extra things after they have been given all they can---they are the space shuttle--they are on their own. I was really impressed. Then---we went outside and launched rocket---which the teachers had to make. Me---a rocket---yeah---it was really interesting. I will say that I definitely had the most beautiful rocket and it went really high into the air--(I was surprised myself). The kids loved it!

Countdown to Summer

I saw this idea on eighteen25---and I needed a cute birthday gift for one of the ladies I teach with (who is really hard to buy for). And who isn't counting down to summer? It was really easy to make---I just copied theirs exactly--I put the vinyl on the turquoise one crooked--so I guess Merlynn gets that one. for the one I am giving away, I made my own numbers that are on just one card--for Merlynn's I printed out the ones they had made--which I think I like better. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Happy Easter

Yesterday there was no school and what do you do to keep your kids entertained and not drive you crazy. We made Easter baskets that we could take to families that we needed to visit. In the baskets I put a package to make S'meeps with the instructions. I think they turned out pretty cute.




I hope every one has a Happy Easter.

This has nothing to do with creativity---but at least it is a post. Last night I had the opportunity to attend our school district's Teacher of the Year banquet. In November I was chosen as the teacher of the year for our school. The Teacher of the Year from each school then has to fill out some paperwork and a District Teacher of the Year is chosen based on their merits and what they have written. I did not receive the District Teacher of the Year, it went to a well-deserving teacher I have taught with who has a lot more experience than I do. It was kind of neat to hear about all of the teachers and their accomplishments. I didn't enjoy having to stand in front of everyone and be talked about by my principal. But---I am very grateful to be a teacher 98% of the time and I love what I do. I love to learn and hope that I can pass that on to my students each year. I won't lie---it is a LOT of work and you invest a lot of money, mental, and emotional energy. Unfortunately, teachers don't get a lot of thanks or recognition. So---teacher appreciation week is the first week of May---do something for your teacher---maybe even a former teacher. You can't imagine how much a thank you means to a teacher---even if it is just a card.

A long time ago we painted our front room blue. Steve has never liked the color, and I haven't really done anything with it. Well like I said in the last post for some reason the easy three day project has ran through our entire house and the Front room is no exception.

I have never really know what to do with the brick walls but have finally done something with them. On one side I did a clock wall and on the other side a canvas wall.


In the picture of the canvas the paper is where they will go and the canvas are on a stand on the piano right now

We have added new curtains and art work that really adds to the room. In between two closets doors I had Ashley make a family rule sign. It turned out really good. I had an Ikea frame and really like how it looks


This came from Bed, Bath and Beyond, I love going in that store.

Hallway

So for the last month we have been working on our house. I had my dad come when he wasn't very busy and thought that we could do this really easy three day project. Well I was really wrong, we knocked out a wall and then we are going to add some cupboards which is really cool. Somehow this small space has seemed to run through our entire house.
During spring break we worked really hard and painted, the color we picked took about 2-3 weeks to decide on. We ended up going with grey, the question was which gray, after about 4 different samples we finally decided. I was really worried but it turned out really good.

This is the hall way by my kitchen. The picture on the cupboard doors where made by Ashley last year. On the other side we did vinyl subway art, it was a pain and took me almost an entire day to put on. I really like how it turned out though

Anna

This is a congratulation to Anna. She did super good at the Jr. Miss, and I can honestly say that I am very proud of her, I would have never done anything like it. She did a fantastic job. Here are some random pictures from the two nights. She won a Overall Scholastic and $800 scholarship.

Parent Teacher Conference Dinner

As part of Merlynn's duties on PTO, she does the dinner for April Parent Teacherr Conferences. We try to make it a little bit nicer and more fun--I promise--you need a pick-me-up after conferencing with 20 parents. We went with bright pink and orange this year. Aside from the food, the teachers will each get a little box that has a couple of candies. I took mailing labels, put digital paper on it, then added Thanks in a different language. In each box we added a small quote, then tied it up with a bow. Simple--but lets them know we care.

These are the decorations, just something a little extra to sit there.

This is done on a canvas, then I cut words out of vinyl. Adding a big pink daisy.

This is a vase that has words dealing with writing cut out of vinyl all over it. The flowers will have a pen attached to them. Note:  this thing is cute---but kind of a pain to make.

I'm gone.....

I am Indianapolis this week for a national math conference. I know...sounds pretty dorky--but I am really excited. This is why I haven't been doing much lately--it takes a LOT of work to be gone. I had to do my parent conferences early, lesson plans, clean all the junk up in my classroom. But---I am gone now. I doubt I'll get any sight-seeing in, but hopefully I'll learn something.

I knew that I would be gathering a lot of information and hopefully free samples. This meant I needed a cute bag to store it all in. I had seen this cute bag pattern on V&Co. I went to the Gathering Place and picked out this super cute material. Okay---I didn't make it, my mom did. But, I did buy the pattern and material!!! We ended up cutting down the pattern from the original because it was quite big. But---I really love it.

Annelise Jr. Miss

Annelise is doing the Junior Miss (which is not the name of it anymore). I helped pick out her clothes, except for her formal, which she borrowed from a friend. We thought it would be fun to take her pictures in everything. This is something she needs to remember for a long time because it has been a lot of work and taken up a lot of time.

This is the business suit. The first thing we bought. I love the
green shirt and told her if she doesn't want
to wear it after this, I will.

This picture cracks me up--it's like we were going for that wind-blown glamour look. No--just the Idaho wind blowing.

This is her formal, borrowed from a friend.



The black/silver. I had an idea with this one, but
 thenI went shopping with Steve--and we changed
the whole idea. Silver is not very easy to find either.
It probably took us at least an hour to piece together
this outfit. She wasn't even with us--she just got
what we picked out--but I think it turned
out quite cute.



I just had to put a vintage action on a picture,
it's been a while.

Merlynn--you did a great job on the pictures--crummy weather and all!!!

Fill a Bucket

This month in school, we are really working hard on showing kindness. Every teacher read the book, Have You Filled a Bucket Today? to their class. It is a really cute book about how we all have a bucket and when we do kind things for other people--we fill their buckets. When we do or say mean things, then we are dipping into others' buckets. We are encouraging our kids to be kinder (which they need  alot of reminders this time of the school year). We have slips of paper that they can write down when they see someone else do something kind---they can't write about themselves--and they aren't supposed to do it to receive recognition. Then they take their slip of paper and tack it to the board on the door. Every day, or couple days, I take them off and put them in our bigger pink bucket.  I have noticed a lot of kids are quicker to help someone else and I am more consciously watching to see kids who are doing good things. They are really into it right now--as someone dropped their pencil box today and their stuff went flying---several kids rushed in to help pick it all up.

I took a tin pail from the Target dollar bin, cut it in half, and then hot glued it to a cork board I found in the closet. I cut my letters from vinyl and my Silhouette. I just shoved some tissue paper in the pail to give it more color.

 A few of the notes they've been putting up.

 This is out collection bucket--again bucket from Target and then I just used some dimensional stickers I had. the frame sitting on it used to be on my classroom door, but i had to move it. It has chalkboard vinyl in it so I can change what it says--I'm putting quotes about being kind.

This is a really cute flower made from wood--Nope I didn't make it---I got it for my birthday. Love the polka dots.