Progress is Progress

In total now I've spent about 12 hours in my room. From moving items in, to hanging things up on the wall.

Here's a few snap shots of the progress:
Before

I still have a looong way to go but it feels good to have some things on the walls :)

After:

Writer's Wall

Lunch Choice Window: Not sure if I want to keep it here! And the blue pocket is for storing things behind the board! 

For hanging student work, the word wall is up there too

I also made these paper flowers for birthdays! Complete with a pencil and homework pass :) Now I don't have to worry about missing anyones birthday!

Hot Air Balloon Lanterns

While the floors are still being cleaned at my school I've been forced to focus on the walls, and the ceiling!

I've known I wanted to have continent named desk clusters since I started with my traveling theme but wanted a cool way to hang them!

One day, while searching pinterest aimlessly I found these adorable lanterns made into hot air balloons. I was hooked! I loved the design and colors.

I ended up making my own baskets from paper (so they would be lighter) and got inspiration from these leather baskets.

Here's how the little baskets are put together: 

Materials:
Scrapbook paper (I used 12x12 sheets)
Exacto Knife
Tape
Stapler
Ruler
Cutting pad
Pencil

I started by cutting my 12x12 sheets of paper into 6x6 squares

I then measured out a 3x3 template square for the base part of the basket
To make sure the square base was in the middle, I measured 1.5 inches in on two sides and lined up the smaller base square.

After aligning the small square I scored the edges. This is for later folding as well (seen below)

Then, I used my ruler to cut from the outer square's corner to the inner and repeated 4 times:

Then, following the scored edges, opposite ends are folded upward and their points meet. At each intersection of points I taped and stapled. 

Now: Attaching the basket to the lantern

Materials: 

Twine

Scissors

Lantern

Basket (made above)

Exacto Knife

Ribbon

Make small holes in the corners of your baskets

Cut two pieces of twine that are around 50" each. Make them the same size, whatever size you choose.

Match the ends and find the middle of each piece.

Loop the middle parts onto the top metal piece in the lantern

Wrap the twine pieces evenly around the lantern, dividing each section into quarters (roughly)

Then, string one piece of twine into each corner and tie to each other inside the basket. Make the twine go from the outside to the inside so the ties are hidden.

Add a piece of ribbon or twine to tighten the strings above the basket. I stapled the ribbon to the twine so it wouldn't move about. 

And here's how it turned out! :) I also added the continent names for my table groups found for free here! 

Here's how they look in the room!

Silhouette Stenciling

Don't we all just love when our letters are perfectly spaced and on a straight line?

Well- I've explored two ways to make that happen with the Silhoutte Cameo
1. Using vinyl and transfer tape
2. Making stencils

Stencils can be really annoying at times, but if you give yourself enough time they will be worth it for sure!

Here are some projects I've completed using stenciling:

 

The main things I've learned are:
-Pick a thicker font
-Before cutting line things up evenly apart using the grid, especially if they are on two different lines
-Allow a lot of time for carefully peeling the letters off your cutting mat
-Use a re-stickable spray to adhere your stencil to your project
-Use a sponge brush and dab the letters from straight up and down, if you move the brush sideways you might force the paint into the space under the paper.
-Mix your colors of paint with white or do a white primer layer so the colors end up brighter.

Teacher's Chair

I've been on the hunt for a teacher's chair or stool for practically this whole summer. I've searched pinterest many times to find the perfect size, shape and material. My main inspiration came from this blog. She did a great job of showing all the different ways to make an awesome teacher's chair.

So here's how I made mine:

I bought this chair for $10 at goodwill. I've seen others like it but picked it because it was slightly raised but not too high, very sturdy (I wiggled around and moved it in all directions to be sure) and wasn't completely hideous!

After I planned how I wanted to paint it I picked up 2 cans of Valspar Spray Paint and a chair pad that *matched* (not perfectly)

I sanded the places that I wanted to paint, wiped down with a wet cloth and started the taping. This was the most tedious part of the process but I promise it's well worth it! I used trash bags to cover the parts that I didn't want to get sprayed. Keep in mind that spray paint gets EVERYWHERE, its fine mist is like a sneeze, just waiting for something to cling to. (Not excited about being sick for the first couple months of school, but mentally preparing)

After the sanding comes the spraying- the best part! I used several coats in a sweeping motion. It took about 10 minutes to spray all the surfaces.

I liked the painted back and legs but knew it needed more "oomph". All the other chairs I saw for inspiration with quotes and words and names on them were super cute but I wanted something a little more simple to match my theme.

So I came up with these little additions:

The pom back decoration is twine wrapped around and tied, with ripped fabric pieces that are just looped around it. I sewed a cover for the pad that I bought so that it would match :) And.. I painted "explore" at the top to incorporate my theme of traveling. Ta-dah! I'm so excited to see it in my room!

Cork Boards and Canvases

Another one of my favorite things about making things is REmaking things. I go through phases of painting alot and not painting at all. I'm no Van Gogh but I'm known to have a few extra canvases laying around.

The other day I found cork boards at Michaels on clearance for $3.98 and planned on making some kind of "love notes" board to hang pictures and things that students give me.

While I was student teaching I ended up with TONS of pictures because I expressed my love of drawing and art with my students all the time. The pictures I got were priceless :) After a long weekend one child brought in a stack for me because she "thought about me all weekend". Just one of the presents that teaching gives you- sweet and thoughtful children.

Back to the blog- So as I was thinking about making a board I really wanted to use some kind of frame without glass in it, but I always come across the issue that the push pins are too long and poke out the back or don't poke in at all. Then, while cleaning out some items in my craft room, I realized that I had some used canvases that were exactly 12 x 12- the same size as my cork board.

And now I'll explain how to make these cuties yourself :)

Materials
- 12x 12 Cork Boards
- 12 x 12 canvases
- Scissors
- Staple Gun
- Fabric
- Twine (optional)

I REused some old canvases that I had used for collages. :)


1. Cut your fabric about 2 inches larger on each side of the 12x12 canvas
2. I went ahead and stapled the cork board to the front of the canvases so it wouldn't slide
3. Place the fabric print down on a sturdy surface then place the cork side of the canvas down into the middle of the fabric square
4. Fold the fabric towards the back along the right side and staple in the middle, do this again on the left side.
5. Now things get a little more complicated- be sure to follow the pictures!
    a. on the top of the canvas fold the fabric in (like you would when wrapping a present) and staple

    b. with your thumb fold in the remaining fabric on the lower or back half in 

    c. then with your index fingers pull the top piece over and secure both pieces with a staple

    d. repeat for the other 3 corners

 

Now you're done! 

Unless you'd like to add some twine to hold pictures/ notes etc.