A Passion For Pinterest

I'm not gonna lie...my Pinterest addiction is starting to get out of hand.  Ok, so I'm completely past the breaking point.  However, I have no intention of going back; I just surpassed 2,000 pins!  Not that this is exactly riveting news or even terribly impressive.  But, I figured it could be slightly therapeutic to comb through and share a few favorites:

This was one of my first pins and ended up being something that I actually attempted.  It turned out pretty well and has been hanging in the house for over a year now.  Perfect for Saturday!  Whoop whoop!

Chevron and studs.  My favorites.

I should dedicate an entire board to my monogram obsession.  I just love how delicate this ring looks.

And, again...This would be completely perfect for fall.

I knew nothing of Hunter rain boots, until Pinterest.  Where have these been all my life??

Fall is, hands down, my favorite time of year.  I love this classic outfit.

Nothing says crisp fall morning like a caramel apple spice.  L-O-V-E that I found this recipe!

This is just precious and super southern.

My best friend saw that I had pinned this and decided to make it as my Christmas gift.  Never has my jewelry been so accessible.  Excellent find!

Here's a link to my Pinterest.  Feel free to follow along!!

A Pinterest Project

I've been an avid "pinner" for a while now.  I'm currently pushing 2,000 pins on my account, and I'm proud to say that I've actually made, eaten, or attempted quite of few of the things I've found.  My biggest board is "Classroom Ideas."  It's extremely disorganized, and, lately, I've been wanting to break it apart into several different boards that focus on organization, lesson plans, crafts, etc.  BUT, that is a project for another day....

One of my most recently completed projects was something I had pinned a while ago....

Original instructions...

I was so excited when I found this project because it is far less complicated than using modge podge or other popular Pinterest descriptions.  The link above takes you directly to the original post, but, essentially, you are "faking" that stenciled look.  Here's my take on this awesome dupe...

I started out by measuring the space between each of the shelves and then cutting each of those individual measurements out of cardboard boxes.  Word to the wise:  Use a box cutter.  I was in a hurry and didn't exactly think this through.  It was not at all easy to do with a pair of scissors.  Yes, I said scissors.  Yikes!  Impossible?  No.  Stupid?  Perhaps.

Once I had all five of my cardboard pieces cut, I laid out my chosen fabric and got to work!

My little sister dropped by the school to help me.  :)

If I could re-do this project, I would have hot glued the fabric to the cardboard.  But, in an attempt to finish quickly and move on to another project, we stapled them on.  It worked out fine, except for a few staples poking through that had to be hammered down.  

Finished product!

One other bit of advise would be to make sure that when you're cutting your cardboard pieces, you either take exact measurements or slightly larger measurements.  One of the pieces I cut was about a centimeter too short, which means it doesn't fit very well into the back of the bookcase.  Oops...

Fail + Classroom project...

Well, needless to say, my 2011 summer venture to begin a blog ended up an epic failure.  Two posts (two posts!!) into it, the school year got started, and I just lost my once triumphant motivation.  However, I have since determined to not let it happen again and have decided to give it another try, beginning with a classroom project reveal...

This upcoming school year, I've been given the opportunity to wander into unknown territory for the first time...lower elementary.  I've taught 5th grade for two years and 4th grade for two years.  This should be interesting, but I am oh-so excited!!  Moving classrooms has taught me a lot about the importance of packing things well, which I certainly did not do.  I paid for it when I opened the door to my new room a few weeks ago and found this:

It has literally taken me two weeks to dig through this mess, sorting and organizing along the way.  I'm getting close but still have many hours to put in before I will finally be ready for August 20th, our first day of school.  In the meantime, I've also taken on quite a few at-home projects to hang up in my new room.  In my four years of teaching, I've never exactly chosen a classroom "theme," per se.  I've always just picked out a few colors and fabrics and worked from there.  Year five isn't much different, except for the fact that I've gone with an entirely new color scheme this year.  Here are a few pictures of last year's set-up:

Ignore the television and the mess.  This was pre first day of school...

My library area or "Novel Nook"

Moving to a new grade level and new classroom made me desperately want to switch up my decor, so I chose new fabrics and colors:

Gray chevron, golden-yellow, burlap, and lime green polka dot (not pictured)

I have an amazing best friend who is working tirelessly to make all of my curtains and tablecloths.  Seriously, she is my hero because this girl can't sew to save her life.  While those are being completed, I have, however, been able to tackle a few at-home projects that I'll be posting over the next few weeks.  My first project was creating a new name sign.  I had never painted in my life until last year.  My family's artistic talent skipped right over me and was passed down instead to my younger brother and sister.  Totally unfair.  But, I did manage to knock out a pretty decent sign for myself last summer.  So much so that I was able to run a "mini-business" for a few months making similar signs for other teachers.  

Last year's sign

This year, I'm obsessing with the chevron pattern, so I decided to go with a yellow chevron that complemented my new fabrics.  I had no idea how challenging it would be to draw out that pattern, but three hours and several headaches later, I finally had it drawn exactly nearly the way I wanted it.  I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out and plan to hang it outside my door pretty soon.

New classroom sign

Lots more to do and think about before school starts, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Many more projects to post soon, and here's to committing to actually keeping up this blog!!

The Not-So-Calm Before the Storm

Every year, it's always the same, which makes me wonder why I've found it so surprising this year.  All summer, I look forward to my inservice days (yes, I said look forward to) when I get to reunite with all of my teacher friends, set-up/decorate my classroom, and find out who my upcoming kiddos will be.  But, it never fails, when these days finally arrive, I am constantly shocked at the state of panic.  I think every school is probably the same.  It just comes with the territory, especially if you are attempting to be proactive.  

Of course, this year is no different.  Everyone is running around like crazy and trying to tie up all of the loose ends before supply drop-off and the first day of school.  In a few months, these days will all be forgotten and replaced with a comfortable routine and sense of unity (for the most part...).  From what I hear, it's similar to having a baby.  If you only remember the labor and delivery, you'd never do it again!  It's what comes after that makes you forget the negative and go for round two!!  And, next summer, I'm sure I'll repeat this pattern once again.  Until then, I am trying to focus on the positive and look forward to this school year.  It sounds like I've got an amazing class headed my way!

Day One

I had debated for some time whether or not I wanted to start a blog.  For a while, it just seemed like the thing to do, which made me not want to get started.  Now, it's not quite so en vogue, which makes me feel better about the whole thing.

I love to write, which I discovered my freshman year of college; however, as a teacher, I rarely get to write anything for myself.  Typically, apart from actually teaching writing curriculum and prose, my writing skills are exercised via parent/teacher emails and editing corrections.  Neither of these really satisfy my creative appetite, which is basically why I chose to get started.  

I titled my blog (or, rather, my brother titled my blog) Nothing In Particular because I didn't want to feel that my posts had to be tied down to a specific subject.  A lot of what I write will be about teaching and my experiences in the classroom.  However, I've also recently really gotten into craft projects (crazy, I know), so I will also share some of my attempts at domesticity.  And, for those of you who truly know me, you are aware that until this summer, I have never had an artistic bone in my body.  So, this is really big news.

Anyways, this seems like a decent introduction about nothing...in particular.