Bunting Project

I have two small consignment corners in two different shops in a nearby town.  Yes- CORNERS! One is a simple 4 shelf bookcase in a new shop that opened about 3 months ago on main street and the other is an 8 x 8- give or take a foot-  corner in an established marketplace with more restrictions than one can imagine.

I am always trying to find unique, yet simple items for each space. Presentation is key in both establishments. I have to "draw" in the customers you know. My ultimate goal is to make rent each month and hopefully come out with a little extra to make and buy more items for the booths for the next month.

I usually make or buy things that I would like to have for myself in case they don't happen to sell in either space.  I just hope that means I have good taste.  So I thought I would try my hand at some bunting.

Bunting is all the rage now.  It's everywhere- hanging at the top of your blog pages, draped across a mantle for Valentine's Day, and even on a cute birthday card.  Here's a tutorial on a simple bunting I made to put on a bulletin board in one of my shops.

You will need:

• cute scrapbook paper
• bias tape
• sewing machine with thread of choice
• laminating machine (optional)

I used my Cricut and cut out about 10 pennants using the Locker Talk cartridge.

 

After cutting out the pennants, I used my paper cutter to cut off the wings at the end of each pennant.  This made it easier to tuck in the bias tape to sew.

 

Next, I laminated the pieces for durability and cut them out.

 

 

 

Then, I stitched a seam down the back.  I flipped the bunting over and sewed another zigzag line.

 

 

 

 

The finished product.

 

 

I added it to this bulletin board and placed it in my shop.  This board lasted only a few days in the shop.

 

 

 



Thanks for stopping by~

Paper Bag Valentines

Earlier in the week, the Capital City once again was forecasted to have yet another Winter Storm.  Read about last Friday's weather threat {here}. 

It was a crazy, CrAzY, CRAZY day at school.  To be proactive in anticipation of the storm,yesterday,  the school system I work for decided to release school 3 hours early today. Sounds great, right? Well after the start of the school day, we received yet another memo stating that school would now be released 4 hours earlier, no longer the 3 hours mentioned the previous day.  That meant our school would be released at 11:45 a.m.

So the mad dash was on-music, math, lunch, and dismissal. Once all the kiddos were on a bus, in a car, or headed to an afterschool program of some sort, I headed home.  The drive home that usually takes less than 10 minutes, took over 30 minutes due to a thin blanket of ice on the roads.

So now I'm perched on the bed in my comfy clothes, peering out the window, listening to Roseanne in the background, and sharing with you a fun, simple valentine treat.

Materials needed:

• paper grocery bag

• Hershey kisses

• sewing machine

• sentiment stamp of choice

Directions:

First, I cut out two heart shapes using my Cricut from a leftover paperbag.  You can definitely cut these out by hand. Kraft paper works well, too.

Next, I stamped a sentiment on the nonprinted side of each heart shape. An alternative to the stamp would be to write a handwritten message or sentiment.  My handwriting is not the best, so if I can find a stamp, I go with it.

Then, I sewed about 3/4 around the heart with red thread using my sewing machine.  I stuffed 3 Hershey kisses inside and finished sewing around the remaining 1/4 of the shape.

Finally, Share with a special person. (Tear to open.)

Super Easy and takes less than 5 minutes.

Another alternative would be to use decorative paper bags or scrapbook paper. The possibilities are endless. I personally love the look of the paperbag.  Be creative and have fun~

Now off to make some hot chocolate, load another episode of Rosanne, and enjoy the remaining extra time at home with my family! They're all home.

Thanks for stopping by~

Promoting Socialization and Togetherness in the Workplace

On Friday, the social committee of our school hosted a Pie-Fest.  Our committee is always brainstorming ways to bring the staff together to socialize and build camaraderie (comradery) and possibly talk about something other than "school stuff."  I'm not sure how it is in your workplace, but our lounge is hardly utilized for "lounging."  No resting here. It's usually just a quick stop to refrigerate your lunch, or heat your lunch in the microwave, or take a two second bathroom break.  I'm serious about the two seconds. You may pass someone coming or going, but hardly anyone ever sits at the table to enjoy the company of their coworkers.

The Pie-Fest was a success.  Staff members actually took a wide variety of pie samples, sat down at the tables and couches and enjoyed "non school related" conversation.  I heard conversations about football, spouses and kids going to college, and the upcoming holidays.  I actually heard laughing and saw lots of smiling faces.

Mission Accomplished.

Enjoy these photos of the various pies.  No drooling please-lol.

We had five categories: store bought, homemade, meat, veggie, and surprise.  I entered the store bought category.  I have a valid excuse.  I made the ribbons  for each category so my energies were diverted in a different direction.

The Homemade Pie Table

 

This pie was absolutely delicious- apple and cranberry! It got my vote.

 

Very creative apple and worm.  We hated to cut it.

Disappointed that it only received a third place ribbon.

 

Pecan

Peach Cobbler

 

 

My entry- I love lemon meringue pie!

 

This pie won third place in the store bought category.

 

This store bought pecan pie deserved best presentation in its' category.

 

 

Chicken Pot Pie- This didn't last long at all.

 

These were the ribbons I made using my Cricut (Locker Talk and Paper Doll Dress Up.)  I personally think the ribbons turned out GREAT~

 

 

 

 

What are some activities or events that seem to be a success in your workplace in promoting motivation, socialization, and togetherness?

 

Just a few more hours to enter the Halloween Bookmark Giveaway. Super Duper Easy!

Click {HERE} to enter.



Cricut Fun with Star Blends

My TA cut stars from the Cricut.  I printed a variety of consonant blends in the center of each.  Each student brainstormed and recorded five words on the front and more on the back if their brain was on a roll containing the blend.  This is the result and displayed proudly in the hallway.

It's an Etsy Thing

For the last few months I have been debating whether or not to open an Etsy shop.  Once upon a time, years ago, I had an Etsy store, but closed it for reasons beyond mentioning.

So after a lot of thought, I decided to give it another go.  I love my Cricut. I love making things with my Cricut. Which you already knew.I now want  it to help me support my crafting habit.  Marketing is everything, I know.  However, the marketing ability is what I lack.  So if you have any ideas or suggestions please lead me in the right direction.

For now, visit my Etsy store named "Just Poppies." Etsy wouldn't let me name it Field of Poppies after my blog. Bummer!  Invite your friends over as well.  I'll continue to add some really cute items as well.  If you have any ideas for items to make, leave a comment- especially teacher related items.

I've added my store link in the upper left hand corner of my blog. Check it out...

 

Compound Words and a Cricut Craftivity

Compound Words was the name of the game last week~

My kids loved this video. We played it everyday.

We read these books and listed the compound words onto an anchor chart. The list grew with each book we read.

 

 

 

 

I downloaded this free game from Jen B.'s TPT store.  (She has tons of great products. Check her out.)

 

We played Find a Partner with the cards. To play this game, each student was given a card.  The goal was to find the matching compound word partner.  After each student found their partner, we shared the words orally and listed them onto our growing anchor chart. I've been totally inspired to create additional cards with my Cricut.  (That will be another post.)  This game with become a choice activity for Daily 5.

 

 

I downloaded this blog freebie from Christina at Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge. We also used it to practice fluency all week During Daily 5.



 



 

Our cricut craftivity was inspired by this post by Nancy at First Grade Wow.  Now that our school has a Cricut 2, I was able to cut out the pieces at school. Yay. ( I stayed after school everyday for four days, but it was well worth the time.)

 





 

 

I used the cupcake from Simply Charmed to cut the pieces. 

 





 

 The students assembled the pieces, then glued them in place.  Finally they recorded compound words not found on our anchor chart onto the top of the completed project. 

 

 

 

 

I created a Shaker from Sunny Days in Second Grade for my students to complete during Daily 5.  I tried the pencil pouch  "I Spy" approach. Of course, anything to make noise and shake draws a lot of attention.  I laminated the recording sheet so the kids can record with a dry erase pen.  To check, the students just flip it over where the answer key is attached. You can download the reproducibles {HERE}.

 

 

 

We went on a scavenger hunt through our reading textbook.  We recorded a word that fit into "I am a compound word" and "I am not a compound word."

 

 

 

 

 

Got a great activity for compound words.  Share it here:-)

 





 

 

 

Cloud Cover

Cloudy days change my mood.
I'm mellow, down, drained, and at times cranky.
I need my space.
I need sunshine.
And lots of it.
Lots and lots.

The sun makes me smile.
It gives me energy.
It's my happy juice.

Cloudy days are not always related to the weather.
Cloudy days in our lives can be brought on by various things in our life.
Overwhelmed with whatever.
Death.
Money issues.
Family issues.
And the list goes on.

It is on days like this we need a little, some, or a lot of sunshine.
Today I wanted to share a little sunshine with some of my teammates. 
I'm not a "touchy-feely" person with my teammates, but I love working with them.
We all play off the feelings of each other.
So, even though there was cloud cover inside the building and gray skies outside,
I wanted to brighten their day, even if it was momentary.

So last night I pulled out my handy, dandy Cricut, some yellow patterned paper,  and a Studio G stamp from the dollar bin at Michaels and created this.

I sealed it in an envelope and placed it in their mailboxes in the workroom early this morning. 

What are some things you do to brighten the "cloudy" days of those around you? 

The first two responses in my comment section will win a package of 10 sunshine flat note cards- sorry no envelopes.



One catch. Maybe two.  You must be a follower of my blog and promise to spread a little sunshine to others:-)