Writer's Notebooks

Every year I make these fun notebooks. I took the idea from a coworker some time back and modified it slightly. I love the end result, but they are super time consuming to make and pretty expensive because of the fabric. 

I have been asked how to make them from several people over the years, so here it goes.

Materials 

Composition books

Fabric

Spray adhesive 

Tacky glue

Thin black ribbon

Colored cardstock

Duct tape 

Buy composition books. Make sure they aren't the ones with the flimsy covers.  I got these for 50 cents each at Staples, but I try to get them cheaper at Target after the school year has started. 

Then, you need fabric. A quarter yard makes two notebooks. But, you have to watch the way the fabric faces. Sometimes you need a third of a yard or it looks sideways in the end. I don't like any of my students to have the same fabric on their notebooks, so it takes a lot of different fabric. Luckily, my mom and I split out fabric every year :). I also make a lot of extras so the students have a lot of choice and don't feel stuck with a design. 

Quarter yard fabric 

Cut your quarter yard of fabric in half. 

Then, use spray adhesive to adhere the fabric to the front and back of the notebook. 

Make sure not to cover the spine of the composition book. Duct tape will go here. It should hang over on all sides except the spine. 

Open up the book and use tacky glue to glue the fabric to the inside of the notebooks. 

 Use colored cardstock that coordinates with the fabric. Cut to size to cover the inside of the book. 

Then, cut thin black ribbon to size to be used as a bookmark. 

Choose duct tape to coordinate with the fabric. 

Cut duct tape to the size of the book. Put your cut piece on the spine of the book covering only one side of the book. Put the ribbon on the other side so it sticks. 

Fold duct tape in and put the book mark inside the book. 

And that's all :). Repeat, until you have all you need. 

For students, I typically add a label on the inside that says their name. 

Here are my books from last year :)

Hope that was easy to follow. If not, let me know. 

Kelly 

Parent gift

I was super lucky this year to have such awesome parent help this year. I couldn't do it without them!

End of the year student gift

Unlike most of you, we are still in school. It's the last week of school, but being at a year round school means back to back school years. 

I really loved this group of kids. Luckily, I'll be teaching a lot of them next year, but there are many I'll miss :(. 

I found these at the Dollar Tree. There are 7 in a pack for a dollar. I love Fun Dips. Hopefully the students do too!

 

Hope you all had a great Monday!

Kelly

Stitch Fix Month 7

I'm crazy obsessed with Stitch Fix. They have the perfect teacher clothes! If you haven't signed up, you are truly missing out!! My daughters like to shop...but not for clothing for me. They like shopping for clothes and toys for THEMSELVES. Not me. I want to have stylish clothes, and Stitch Fix makes it so simple.

Here's how it works...

They pair me with a personal stylist. The stylist chooses 5 items specifically for me. For a $20 styling fee, you are matched with someone who hand picks the items. The items are delivered to your house and you have the comfort of trying them on at home and trying them on with the other items you already own in your closet (clothes, accessories, shoes).  You are not committed to purchasing anything. Shipping is free and you keep the items you want and ship back anything that you don't want. The $20 styling fee is deducted from the items you keep. The returns are free as well. You just put anything you don't want in the mailer they provide and drop it in the mail. It's that simple. If you decide to keep all 5 items, you save 25% off your entire order! It's absolutely amazing and you should definitely try it out. 

Click below to get started.
https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/4490279

Here is this months style card

Just seeing the box at my door is so exciting but on with my box!

Skies are Blue - Moraga Cut Out Detail Blouse $48

              And 

Margaret M - Emer Printed Straight Leg a Pant   $98

Oh my gosh those crop pants are so comfortable!! Here's a close up of the design. 

Verdict- kept both!

Brixon Ivy - Priya Abstract Floral Print Knit Back Tank $48

I think this will be perfect for the summer. 

Verdict- kept

Although it's summertime and a million degrees in California, I specifically asked for cardigans. I'm cold in the mornings, and my classroom is cold!!

Brixon Ivy - Pinson Drape Cardigan $54

Oh my gosh the light, airy feeling of this one I love so much!!!

 And finally...

Market & Spruce- Margarie Stripe & Dot Cardigan $68

This one was a bit heavier than I liked, but how can you do wrong with stripes AND polka dots. I'm sure it will get a lot of use in the fall. 

Verdict- kept

This is my third 5/5 fix. I got 25% off all the prices listed above and I am just so pleased with my fix. 

I can't wait for my next box! 

Please let me know if you have any questions about stitch fix. I know you'll love it too!!

My referral code again is
https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/4490279

Have a great week!

Kelly

Pencil dispenser

Something important to know about me...

I keep 348,654,1095 items in my Amazon and eBay carts at all times. I don't actually plan on buying the items. It's just in case one day I actually can afford to buy them all, or I change my mind and delete something because I don't like it anymore. I like looking at the items in my cart. It makes me happy. I know, I know, I'm crazy. 

So fast forward to a couple weeks ago. I hadn't slept well because there has been so much to do at school. And, my dog has been driving me crazy. So, I decided to sleep in my daughters room to get away from the dog. I set my phone next to me and went to sleep. 

The next day I got up and went to work as usual. I slept somewhat better and was happy. That night I sat down to delete some of my emails from the day. 

Delete, delete, delete...

Wait, what? I purchased something??????

Somehow I purchased a straw dispenser. 

I vaguely remember there being a notification for a price drop on an item in eBay that I was 'watching' during the night while I was sleeping. One would think I would just dismiss the notification. Nope apparently not. Somehow I was so delirious that I actually bought the item!!! 

Who does that?? Oh me. I had no idea until I was deleting my emails! 

So yes, I did like this item but I had not intended on actually purchasing it! And to make matters worse, my sister informed me that I didn't even get a good deal. It's way cheaper on Amazon. 

Sigh. 

Thus, I present you with my pencil dispenser for next year. 

Sleep shopping. Is that a real thing?

Beginning of the year treat

The past few years I gave the students Starburst on the first day of school with a cute saying. It's just a fun way to start the school year. I pinned my Starburst idea on Pinterest and thought it was so funny that it was repinned so many times. I even found my post on a few different teaching sites which I found funny. New ones were created looking way cuter than mine now though. :)-

This year I can't use this idea. For the very first time I'm looping with a lot of my students. I'm moving from fourth to fifth grade and will need all new ideas!

Teaching at a year round school has meant very little time to prepare for new students. I ran across flavored Tootsie Rolls (which my students love) and I decided to ROLL with it :). Hope my incoming fifth graders like it as well. 

First post!

I have wanted to start this blog for some time. Unfortunately I always had something else I needed to do too. But, the time has come! A new school year and a new grade level mean I'm ready to do this! This blog will be used to post my crafty confessions, teacher style, and much more. Get ready for some crafty teacher confessions!!