A Blog Make-Over....

Goooooood Friday Morning, Friends...

I wanted to post a little note to let you know that I will be working on my Blog this weekend.  I am changing some content around and adding some new items. I may even change the "decor" around a bit.

I've spent most of the summer creating and filling custom orders for classroom decor and learning centers! Yep, that's what I do! :)   I am still taking orders, if you have something in mind, let me know.

My 43rd birthday is Monday.  I ducked and winced a little bit when I said that.(:  Yes, folks, I am a VIRGO!   I also cannot believe where the time has gone.  It seems like only yesterday I was learning how to drive, and graduating from High School. Speaking of which, my 25th High School Reunion was a few weeks ago.  (No, I didn't go....too long of a commute back to Washington!) GO Panthers!   It was nice to see all the photos, and see that I am not the only one that has a little tinsel in the hair. :)  I graduated with a great group of people, in many instances friendships are stronger now than they were back in school.  I have a lot of great memories from back home.

As you all head back to school, and even your children are going to school... Make each day count!!. Learning is a wonderful thing, so is making memories.  I'll touch more on this subject when my Blog make-over is finished.  This year is going to be about focusing on positives, setting goals, and making memories!!!

Have a great weekend!

Monday Made It - Back to School Style

Back to School Bus Key Ring!

Click Photo to Download Free Bus Template!

Materials Needed:

• Binder Ring
• Cardstock
• Lamination film
• Felt (permanent ink) Marker
• Hole punch

As summer draws to an end, students will be heading back to school. The Bus Key Ring is designed to put the important information for each student in one location in the event the student becomes lost, or forgets what bus they need to get on, or who their emergency contact is.

The Bus Key Ring was designed with safety of young children in mind. Most children carry backpacks or some sort of bag to carry their books and papers back and forth. The Bus Key Ring template does not put the child's name on the outside of the key ring. The purpose of the name being placed on the inside of the key ring is so that persons coming up along side the child will not be able to call their name. (The same principle applies to not putting the name of the child on the back of shirts/sweatshirts).

The 4 page template includes a yellow bus cover, blank bus covers with lines to write information on, and a blank bus template for you to add your own information.

Directions:

1. Print the bus templates onto cardstock.
2. Use a permanent ink felt marker (non-bleed) to write the specific information for each child.
3. Cut out the individual bus pieces.
4. Laminate using a heat seal laminator. (Hint: cutting out the pieces before lamination provides a better seal around the individual pieces.)
5. Use a hole punch to punch out the ring hole in each bus piece.
6. Add binder ring and secure on student's bag or backpack.

Back to School Bag

Materials Included:

• Blank Fabric, Canvas, or Denim Bag
• Iron on Applique
• Fabric Paint (optional)
• Grosgrain Ribbon
• Iron
• Scissors

Kids will be returning to school soon. What better way to get them started right with a colorful, unique school bag? This is a project that your children can work with you on to create a book bag that they are not only proud of, but they can use to carry their books to and from school. There are a lot of possibilities and variations to this project.

For my example, I used iron on appliques.

Directions:

1. Select a blank fabric, canvas or denim bag.
2. Iron the bag (if applying appliques) prior to placing the appliques. This not only preps the fabric for the appliques, it also warms the fabric so that they stick in place before you set them.
3. Iron appliques in place. Make sure you leave the iron on long enough to melt all of the glue. Let cool completely before attempting to test the edges of the appliques. If any of the edges lift up, you can re-iron them. Optional: Hand sew around the edges to ensure that the appliques don't come off with extended use.
4. Add ribbons for embellishment.

Variations: Fabric paint to add names or other designs, buttons, Bedazzle, ribbons/shoe laces, handprints.

Be sure to stop by 4th Grade Frolics Blog to see all of the wonderful "Monday Made It" projects.  I spent a few hours just looking through Blogs. :)  I love to see such creativity!

Have you entered "My Favorite Things" Giveaway?   The drawing for this awesome giveaway is on Thursday, August 8th.  Click HERE to learn details about how you can win!

Time for Back to School....

In preparation for Back to School time,  I have created this "Telling Time" freebie!   (Featured on page 12 of the Back to School Common Core Math Ebook.   If you haven't had a chance to download it yet, hop on over to TPT to download my freebie.  

Does it feel like this summer flew by?   I spent most of my summer working on new materials.  Some days though it doesn't really seem like work.  I spend a lot of time illustrating, and working on new ideas.  

Did you know...

All Crayonbox Learning materials feature original artwork that I have illustrated?  It's one of the features that makes Crayonbox Learning resources unique.  I begin with small sketches, and then I develop the theme on paper.  The images are hand drawn with special non-bleed, acid free, pens.  I then scan them in at a high DPI and alter and enhance them on the computer.

ALL of the pages in products are assembled from templates that I also draw out. Each page is put together individually rather than using a program that slaps it all together. :)   The process takes a little bit longer time, but the end result is that the pages are crisp, with clean lines.

August Currently...

Happy first day of August!    This is my birthday month.  Yep, you might have already guessed that I am indeed A VIRGO!!! :)  My birthday is the 26th,  and yes, I think there will be some sort of celebratory fun here on my Blog.  :)    

Be sure to hop on over to Farley's page (click link above) to show her some Bloggy love. I enjoy reading her Blog and seeing her project pictures. :)

What a day this has been already.  It actually started last night. I was up late because my Mom called me about 8pm to let me know her mare was going to foal.  She is a big mare, and was having a little trouble breaking her water.  TMI?  I am normally called in because my Mom isn't always strong enough to pull the babies by herself, and so I am the muscle. :)    As soon as I made it up the hill to their farm,  the mare had laid down and had her foal.  See pics below. He was quite a big baby.

His name is Zeus.  He's a registered Missouri Foxtrotter.

This morning,  I was given the O'dark 30 wake up call (I went to bed at 3am) to go run some errands and go to the store.  So I hopped in the truck and went on my way.  Um.. yea, road construction!  Both directions, resurfacing the roads.  Here in the south, instead of using asphalt, they use gravel mixed with this oily glue mixture.  After the vehicles drive over it enough, it makes it hard like asphalt, only grittier.  I guess it's cheaper, but it's something they do about every year or so.

So there were 2 delays there about 20 minutes.    I pull into the gas station, thankfully it wasn't too far from where I was. HA!   Gas station computer is broken, I can't use my card. HA!  No checks. I use just my cards so I had to get back in the truck and head to Walmart.  Did I mention, I am not a fan of Walmart?

Went to Walmart, realized that the list of things my Mom gave me to pick up for her was for items for a store clear across the county. :)  HA! Nice.   So after I toodled through the store, helped a nice ol' couple that couldn't find sheet protectors....I was out the door.  Oops.  Not. so. FAST!   The girl at the check out didn't scan my dog and cat food.  I was the 4th person in line that had to have a re-do.   The poor gal says to me... I don't think I'm having a very good day. :)  I laugh and say, oh girl, you don't even know the half of it. :)  I told her it would be alright, and to keep smiling. :)

I get to the truck... PHONE ... My Mom wants to know where I am and why it's taking me so long.  I laughed and said can I call you back.   Road construction again.  

After I got back, unloaded groceries, poured a nice tall glass of sweet tea and sat here under the whirring of the air conditioning I realized....  It's really not so bad.  I am blessed to have a home to come to, air conditioning, post it notes and other misc. school supplies in my bags,  and a smile on my face.  There are so many people out there that don't have a home, and stresses on their shoulders that are unimaginable.  The whole time I was driving I was thinking to myself my Mom says..."Patience dear.... "    lol   I don't know who Patience is, but I didn't think she was with me in the truck today. :)

LOVING:  I am loving the teal, purple, and pink colors featured in the B2S section at Walmart.  I couldn't help myself but purchase another handful of post it notes.  Surely there is a support group for that. :)

THINKING: I have been blessed this summer with a lot of custom illustration/design jobs.  Custom work is a little different than what I normally do in that generally a customer has specifications for color and design.  This year though, my customers have put it in my hands to create what I wanted to, and it's been nice to be a part of their classroom decor this year. :)

WANTING: Hahaha...  My first thought was to write down, "A hug!"  but then I thought about how nice it would be to have sand between my toes, a smoothie made by Gordon Ramsay, and not really have a care in the world. :) A girl can dream.... 

NEEDING:   Refer to wanting.  A. cabana. boy! :)    Applications are being accepted now.    I know that I have mentioned a cabana boy before, but I heard somewhere that if you say it enough, it's bound to come true. :)

B2S MUST HAVES:  On my list is more ink for my printer, a new Tablet, and more colorful binders.  Ink is a must have so I can print out some examples of projects.  A tablet, so I can try my hand at making some fonts, and colorful binders.........well because I want them, silly! LOL   No really,  I use binders for putting my illustrations and designs in, and I also use them for projects. 

Have you had a chance to sign up for "MY FAVORITE THINGS" Giveaway?  Yep,  it's going through August 8th.  Every day I put a *NEW* super cool free item (school related) in a box.  The winner will be drawn on August 8th.  To find out more about it, click HERE.