Anyways...seriously sticky hot in there... but I have pushed through the last few days and gotten lots and lots done in my classroom. (I always get way more done when there aren't many people there because I tend to talk...a lot.)
Unfortunately, I totally forgot to take pictures. We'll blame it on the heatstroke. I will probably take the day "off" from work tomorrow to spend with my two favorite boys.
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| Favorite Boys. |
But next week I will head back to the sauna and snap some pictures. I know most everyone else is putting the finishing touches on their rooms and getting ready for kids SOON....but I still have two weeks and a beach trip to squeeze in before my kiddos come after Labor Day!
Here are a few projects I've been working on at home.
-Organizing and labeling math games. (If you don't have Cara Carroll's Place Value Packet of Fun from over at The First Grade Parade... It is a must have!) I didn't realize just how many games were in that pack until I started putting them all in individual folders. Wow.
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| This is what Sawyer thinks about my math game project. Boooorrriinnggg. He kept sitting right on top of each stack I was working on. Stinker. |
And yes...if you are looking closely enough...that is indeed a nintendo in front of my TV. Original Nintendo. Andy unpacked a box and we both got giddy when we saw Super Mario 3 so we plugged it right in and stayed up way too late playing. I regret to inform you I am no better at it than I was when I was seven. Fun, random night!
-"Sewing" new curtains and panels to cover shelves, cubbies, etc. "Sewing" is in quotation marks because I don't own a sewing machine. I could totally borrow one or ask my grandma to sew these for me but that would require me leaving the house, possibly showering, and worst of all...WAITING. When I start getting crafty, I am super impatient and want everything done
Stitch Witch that is.
It is so so so easy. You just rip off sections, put it in between your fabric and steam with a hot iron. Nothing super fancy but it's pretty strong and you can't tell from far away that it is not stitched.
To date...a first grader has yet to call me out on my lack of sewing skills. So I continue to stitch with the witch.
You can find it at JoAnn Fabrics, Michaels, probably Hobby Lobby (I wouldn't KNOW because I don't have one near me. Grrr. Do you sense my bitterness about this subject?) and probably Walmart...because they have everything...but I try to avoid Walmart at all costs so I wouldn't know that either.
-And lastly, PAINTING. Remember...I am extremely impatient so this is a tough one for me. I usually just slop on a lot of paint, don't let the first coat completely dry and slop on some more. I had a ton of the cheapo "dorm room style" tables from target/walmart in my room that aren't real wood or anything resembling real wood. I also had some white "shoe shelves" made of that same slippery laminate materal. Everyone said it would not work to paint them. I decided to try it anyway. I had a ton of different colors going on and was trying to streamline my color scheme, get rid of the pukey green color of these, as well as get rid of the white against "off white but supposed to be white but they haven't painted in a long time cinder block walls of my classroom."
Zinsser brand cover stain primer. I got it at Lowe's. It's supposed to stick to EVERYTHING, even cheapo laminate. The only problem is it's oil based so it's really messy and doesn't come off of skin and other things very well. Luckily I don't care about the floor of the unifinished basement but I had to scrub it off my skin with fingernail polish remover. Yuck.
I don't know how well they will hold up but I love the vibrant colors. I forgot to take "after" pictures because I was too busy rubbing fingernail polish remover on myself. I will post pictures of these little beauties in my classroom next week.
I used a little foam roller to slap on the primer. Lucky for me...it dries quickly so basically by the time I primed everything I was ready to start putting the color on.
I used a different foam roller to apply two coats. The foam rollers are so cheap, I just tossed them and started fresh with each color. Not worth trying to wash and let them dry.
Then, I used an old brush to fill in the corners and things that I couldn't get with the foam roller. I really didn't sweat painting them perfectly. At all. I actually kind of like the texture that the imperfect brush strokes made. I think it made it look more like "real" wood.
BTW - The paint definitely would NOT have stuck to the laminate without the primer. There were a few places I missed and the paint just beaded up and slid off so....so the primer is a must.
I used a semigloss because the nice man at Lowe's told me it would be the best to wipe off sticky fingerprints and boogers. Well, he didn't say that, but I asked him what would be best for shelves in a first grade classroom and he said semigloss. I just assumed that was for its ability to repel sticky fingers and boogers. We shall see.
To date...a first grader has yet to call me out on my lack of sewing skills. So I continue to stitch with the witch.
You can find it at JoAnn Fabrics, Michaels, probably Hobby Lobby (I wouldn't KNOW because I don't have one near me. Grrr. Do you sense my bitterness about this subject?) and probably Walmart...because they have everything...but I try to avoid Walmart at all costs so I wouldn't know that either.
-And lastly, PAINTING. Remember...I am extremely impatient so this is a tough one for me. I usually just slop on a lot of paint, don't let the first coat completely dry and slop on some more. I had a ton of the cheapo "dorm room style" tables from target/walmart in my room that aren't real wood or anything resembling real wood. I also had some white "shoe shelves" made of that same slippery laminate materal. Everyone said it would not work to paint them. I decided to try it anyway. I had a ton of different colors going on and was trying to streamline my color scheme, get rid of the pukey green color of these, as well as get rid of the white against "off white but supposed to be white but they haven't painted in a long time cinder block walls of my classroom."
So far...so good. Thanks to this little gem.
I don't know how well they will hold up but I love the vibrant colors. I forgot to take "after" pictures because I was too busy rubbing fingernail polish remover on myself. I will post pictures of these little beauties in my classroom next week.
I used a little foam roller to slap on the primer. Lucky for me...it dries quickly so basically by the time I primed everything I was ready to start putting the color on.
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Then, I used an old brush to fill in the corners and things that I couldn't get with the foam roller. I really didn't sweat painting them perfectly. At all. I actually kind of like the texture that the imperfect brush strokes made. I think it made it look more like "real" wood.
BTW - The paint definitely would NOT have stuck to the laminate without the primer. There were a few places I missed and the paint just beaded up and slid off so....so the primer is a must.
I used a semigloss because the nice man at Lowe's told me it would be the best to wipe off sticky fingerprints and boogers. Well, he didn't say that, but I asked him what would be best for shelves in a first grade classroom and he said semigloss. I just assumed that was for its ability to repel sticky fingers and boogers. We shall see.
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