THE CREATIVE TEACHER GIVEAWAY--ONE FOR YOU AND ONE FOR ME!

Greetings Friends!

I am just tickled to be participating in another blog hop!  It is going to be a busy week!

This one is hosted by my friend Melissa over at 

TEACHER TREASURE HUNTER

and doesn't have anything to do with teaching practices, assessments, behavior management,

or parent/teacher conference tips!

Instead, it salutes the creative side of some of my best teacher buddies and

has allowed us to relax a bit and have some fun getting crafty!

 

It features items for your home and/or classroom found on Pinterest and made

with lots of TLC and ingenuity! Here is the story behind mine....

Long ago and far away, there used to be a long table next to the basement laundry room of my childhood home.  My father used it in the evening for small projects, paying bills, working at his typewriter, and completing accounting tasks.   During the day, my sisters and I painted by numbers, decoupaged, glued, cut, drew, and did all things creative.  Dad used to call it our table for "making messes."

That table was where my love for all things patterned, colorful, and pleasing was cultivated and encouraged.  When I got older, my mother made sure that I took sewing lessons from our neighbor who was a top-notch Home Economics major, and inspired a love of fabrics of all hues, textures, and styles that I still have today.  That table became a place for me to cut out patterns, pin, stitch, re-pin, and construct clothes, costumes, and quilts.

Sadly, the busy school year does not afford me much time to craft, but the good old summertime is a different story!  Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and JoAnn Fabrics sing their siren song and call to me during the months of June and July.  My spare room's bulging shelves attest to the fact that I am sort of a supply hoarder!  I can often be found filling my cart in the ribbon and scrapbook paper aisles while shopping at the above-mentioned stores!

I have quite a "stash" of both types of materials, and chose to feature them with this great project I found on Pinterest!  If you just don't have time to make your own, and aren't the lucky winner in my giveaway, then you can purchase one you like best on Etsy!

KUTE KLIPBOARDS BY AMY  

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/450360031460555820/

I am known as "the clipboard queen" at my school, and use them to keep my many lists close-at-hand and in good order.  My retired teaching friend, Pam, trained me to use them to help keep track of my bus list, parent contact sheet, lunch order slips, attendance cards, etc., and they are a lifesaver because they keep things from being lost in the piles and files that sometimes clutter my desk!

I am a big fan of using clipboards at home too!  A small one sits on my side table for those late night or early morning thoughts that inspire me but might get forgotten completely by my aging brain unless I write them down immediately!

The clipboards I made for this event feature my favorite colors--pink, green--and match some of my home decor.  Can you tell that I love coordinating colors, as well as gingham and polka dots?  I plan to make some in primary colors to match my classroom decor later this summer!  Just call me a Modge Podge maniac!

Steps to make your own colorful clipboards follow and I included a photo tutorial! 
I completed the one pictured above in less than an hour!  These would make a great gift for colleagues, parent volunteers, classroom paraprofessionals, student teachers, and principals!

I've pinned some other cute and easy craft ideas to my  Pinterest boards,
so feel free to follow me if you'd like!

If you would like to WIN a clipboard designed and made just for you, just complete the Rafflecopter below! Then be sure to  head over to my dear friend Alexis' blog to see what she made!  I seriously want a set for my own coffee table!

LAUGH.EAT.LEARN 

As always, thanks for stopping by to share my story!  I hope that you will find time this summer to "make some messes" and feed your need to be creative!  Until next time, keep calm, teach on, and hold a song in your heart!

a Rafflecopter giveaway