Happy Birthday, America!

Well, as a birthday tribute to our great nation...I have assembled a Birthday Balloon Decor Pack--free for you to download through the 4th only--so don't wait!  Last year I went with the Birthday Balloons from http://onceuponafirstgradeadventure.blogspot.com/.  You can see them in one of my earlier posts HERE.  And I loved them.  I made them up before school started, and never had to think about it again!  Who doesn't like simple?!

Well, I wanted to make new ones this year to match my decor...so I started designing a bunch of different ones...hence this pack!  My plan for this year...is to find a place in my classroom to do the gift bags I've been seeing on Pinterest...like these:

or smaller bags like this: 

Then I will put the smaller labels that I made for this pack on each bag.  I will use the large label on a cup/can/container that I will place all the Birthday Balloons in.  THEN...at our Open House, I will have each student choose the Birthday Balloon they want, and they will place it in the proper gift bag--so it is all ready for them when their birthday rolls around!  Birthdays made simple! 

Here are some pics of the Birthday Balloon sets included in this pack:

This pack will only be free through the end of July 4th--so don't wait to download it!  Click any of the preview pics above to download!  Please share the love and drop me a comment at TPT when you download--we teachers need to support each other!  :)  Happy Fourth Everyone!

The New Face of Frenzy

     Okay, so I will not even bother making excuses for my lack of posts...I can only say I spent much time this morning revamping my blog...you see, I had a great debate over whether I should start a new, separate blog for my teaching, or just combine it all into one...and I finally decided to do just that.  I have a hard enough time keeping up with ONE blog, let alone two.  And...practically everyone I know is a teacher...so why should it matter?  I guess if people stop by to read about my random life, they will have to skim over my teaching stuff, and vice versa!  With that said...I have to share the classroom stuff I have been working on...

This was my first project this last week...I have been seeing milk crate seats all over on Pinterest, and I just had to try it out!  So...out to my garage for a discarded crate...which just happened to be the perfect color for my classroom theme I'm working on...and into my fabric bin for something fun...and down to the farm for a piece of plywood...add an old discarded pillow...and VOILA!  I had forgotten how I am seriously in love with my staple gun...which brings me to my next project...

I know I already posted this on facebook...but I had to share everywhere!  I went to Good Will the other day and saw this bar stool.  It had a horrific, dirty, badly done pleather seat...it was on clearance for $4.99...but Neil and the kids were in the van...and I can't make decisions...so I left it.  The NEXT day we were back in Marshfield and this time I insisted on stopping and checking if it was still there...it was...hormonal tantrum averted!  Picked out a quick scrap of fabric from Walmart next door and took it home to meet my staple gun.  Now, if they kids don't destroy it before I can get it to school, it will move in next to my projector cart!

I know this is a bad picture...but I am too lazy to retake one, and transfer it to my computer and such.  But you can get the general idea.  Once again, this is TOTALLY taken from Pinterest, but I had to make them for my classroom!  It will stay in the room all year, and each student will pick out a silly straw balloon to keep on their birthday/half birthday.  Ooooo...a silly straw you say--exciting stuff!  This was the thought of my 17 year old step-daughter...but, hey, when you are nine...little things like this are HUGE...and sometimes...even when you are 35...