11.28.2011

OLD, VINTAGE DOOR




Andrew's been working to remodel this old house. As a result, I have been the lucky recipient of some of the old things being torn out and thrown away. 
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First, Andrew brought me home this door.






I was excited because, I bought this random thrifty item a long time ago, and wanted something to do with the old, vintage door knob. It fits perfectly on the door and will give it an even cooler old-fashioned look. 
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As for what to do with the door...I have a few ideas:





I can replace the glass with a mirror and add hooks...




I can spray paint it a fun, bright color and sand it down a bit for display...




I'd like Andrew to add wooden strips to make panes. Do you think it's too weird to just lean up against a wall in the front room?




It might look cool as the front on a bookcase or cabinet...




We could build a hall tree out of it for the front entryway...




Or it could decoration over/behind a desk. Anything is prettier with a wreath hanging on the front, don't you think? 

You'll have to tell me what you think. I've even seen people hang them sideways over beds or couches. Hhmmm.






11.26.2011

HOUSE UPDATE--wood floors and doors


I think it's about time for an update. A lot has happened, but pictures don't show the progress of plumbing and electrical so well. The inside and outside is going to change so drastically in just a few days time, I thought I'd hurry and document up to his point. 

This is what the house looked like about a month ago...right after our crazy October snowstorm. 




Exterior doors are installed. I love the vertical lines in the panels. They  look so country. 

Are you as in love with my backdoor view as I am?




Tubs are in. This is our master's JETTED TUB. 

We will be living the high life, folks. 




It was especially exciting to pick out and order our hard wood flooring. We got an amazing deal. Can you guess what kind of wood it is?
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Did anybody guess "bamboo"? It is supposed to be extremely durable. This scan of our sample doesn't even do the color justice. This beautiful stuff will be in the entryway, great room, kitchen, and all of the hallways. 
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I am so over having traffic paths worn into my hall carpet. 



This was our front door when it first arrived. 



This is after Andrew taped the windows and applied stain.




Ready to install...except for a little decorative piece that we paid for and didn't come until Andrew made a phone call and set the record straight. 




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This is what our door will look like with the decorative piece below the windows. 




And here is the house with a front door! I can't believe this picture is already out of date. Things are going to happen fast from here on out! 








11.23.2011

CODE

As usual, I was running around my classroom like a crazy person, trying to multi-task an insane number of tasks at once--straightening, copying, grading, sharpening pencils, arranging bulletin board displays, filing, answering questions, keeping an eye on the clock, monitoring students, planning, e-mailing, and applying band-aids...when I hit a roadblock trying to enter a grade into the computer. 

Ha. Ha. Ha. Very amusing. Like I have a spare second to sit and figure out whose paper this belongs to! 

Though to be quite honest, without doing any sort of number figuring, I knew EXACTLY who it belonged to:

That gal whose "creativity" will soon be the cause of my first gray hair. 

*smile*







11.21.2011

OUT MY KITCHEN WINDOW

Zoom lenses are fun...So's playing with textures. 

For some reason, this photo makes me feel all winter-y. Hope you're staying warmer than we are here in this corner of Idaho. I am officially done with the wind whipping through our valley lately. Brrrr...

And it's only November.






11.15.2011

AUTUMNISH CLASSROOM DOOR



A friend pointed this classroom decor idea out to me on Pinterest, and I thought I'd give it a try. It looked simple enough. 




After putting it together, I was thinking it didn't look exactly like my inspiration, but it was still cute. 

That is...until the students walked in the door that first morning. Their reactions deflated any improper pride I had over my creation. 

"...Creepy..."
"Whoa. What is THAT?"
"Is it a pilgrim?"
"No, it's a pioneer!"
"It's a CAT!"

We had an unplanned mini lesson on scarecrows, and I think we're now all squared away as to what the heck our door is supposed to be. 


A CAT???
Hmph.  



11.11.2011

NYC MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY





Very crowded, very loud, very big museum filled with dead animals and other stuff. It's free with a "suggested" donation of $20. I think it was worth seeing.

Here's the short version:



Tyrannosaurus Rex



More dinosaur bones




Brontosaurus
And Andrew. Looking exceptionally dashing.


Woolly Mammoth




Andrew's picture he wanted with the big moose.



Very large pterodactyl hanging from the ceiling



Very large sea turtle hanging from the ceiling



realistic, exotic animal display



realistic, non-exotic animal display








And really big, dead moose that look alive



There is Andrew looking innocent and...way too happy. And there is Mom reacting to whatever Andrew just did or said to tease her.

The End.



11.08.2011

CONSTRUCTION PAPER WREATH TUTORIAL

I was shocked to see my blogger stats the last few days skyrocket with over 70,000 hits to THIS post alone (about paper wreaths of all things). I figured that if that many people are interested in such a thing, I might as well provide guidance on how to make them. Maybe it will help to ease the stream of e-mailed inquiries I've been getting. 



You need:
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1.) one 9''x18'' sheet of green construction paper
2.) scrap paper of any color you'd like for bows, berries, etc. 



First, take the green paper and fold it in half...



...hot-dog style, like this.



Draw a line along the length that is open...NOT the side where the crease is...about 1-2 inches away from the edge. This marks your "NO CUTTING ZONE" for later. 



Then, draw tic marks every half-inch along the top and the bottom. You can make these marks one-inch apart for younger kids, but the narrower they are, the "lacier" your wreath will turn out in the end. 

I always tie this project in with the math lesson we have each December on measuring to the nearest half-inch.


Next, connect those tic marks with your ruler to make straight cutting lines. Notice my lines stop at the first line we drew earlier.



Then, cut along each line you drew, being careful not to go too far!



It will look like this when you've finished cutting. 



Now, open it up...



...And roll it in the opposite direction that the crease was folded to make a tube-like shape. It helps to have a second pair of hands for this step.



 I have the student hold one end together while I put staples in other side every couple of inches...as far in as my stapler will reach. Then we trade sides and I staple the other end the same way. 

I've found it just works better to have adults do the stapling part. Kids will only bunch it up, rip the "rings," and get frustrated. I always have a few teacher's aids on hand for this project.



I've also found that creasing the section that isn't cut, on either side a little bit helps to shape it for the next step. 



Now, join both ends of the "tube" you just made to create the wreath shape...


...and staple the ends together. At this point, you may need to finagle the stapler in through the "rings" to fix any bulges in the middle. After this, it should look like a wreath.



While students are waiting for an adult to help them with the stapler, they work on cutting out bows and berries. I've even had creative kids add pine cones and squirrels. I let the kids draw their own embellishments free-hand to allow for some individuality. If it's easier for you, copy off some clip-art bows for them to cut and paste instead.

Hang the final product in a window, on a door, or make a garland of them across the classroom ceiling.

Let me know if you have further questions. Become a follower to stay updated on future kids' crafts, activities, and other classroom helps. Enjoy your holidays! 







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