Some school readiness & crafting

Mikayla picked out her new back pack and loved it so much she slept with it for days!!!  Isn't that awesome!!

 

 

One of the school supplies she needed was a seat sack, this is the same one from last year, it held up beautifully, but we can't just take it plain this year.... so we did a little cricut action.

 

 

One day she was up at work with me and was making her earbud holders (we bought and saved some mint holders) she picked out some papers then ended up not liking them so we printed some minions and she had a blast!!!

 

She told me "Mom, this ModgePodge is AWESOME"  ahhhhhh a crafty girl for sure!!! 

 

I saw her yesterday showing her container to her friends.  We had a hard time last year with our earbuds (lost, broken, stolen)...so this year hopefully having a holder for them will help.

Bulletin Board time!

I am so excited to help with these projects.  I can't do a lot of volunteering at school during the school days but this is totally something I can do!

I love it!!!  I'm so thankful that Mikayla enjoys doing it with me.  We did some Ocean themes! 

I made some jelly fish - aren't they AWESOME!

Sand Castles (the big one is made out of real sand paper)

 

I did have to cut some more stuff up at school, I ran out of time so I just brought it with me :)

 

Board number 1 almost done

 

and 2nd grade board is done!

 

The reading nook/class room library.

 

 

A few Welcome signs for 3rd grade

 

Mikayla decorated this treasure chest!  She's so proud of it.

I was asked if I could help one of the kindergarten teachers, her mom is really sick and she was out of town and unable to get her room ready, so they asked me if I could come do her boards.  YOU BET I CAN!!

I do have to say, the board below is one of my favorites, I used crepe paper for the first time :)  it's AWESOME!!!  I LOVE IT!

and her other board she added in some paint bubbles and stuff so it's REALLY super cute too.

So these projects were hours of prep work/shopping and cutting....but I SOOOOO enjoy it.  I do have to say that I need to add to my school paper bin - I have used it all between last year and this year.... whoops! 

I have started coming up with ideas for the fall boards too LOL - I can't help it.... as Mikayla would say "don't judge me"  HA

First day of Fourth Grade!!!

WOWWWWWW!!!!

I cannot believe how fast the time is going!  We have been crazy busy and I will share all of that stuff soon but today was the first day of school! 

Here is my baby this morning.

Just a quick look back, I can't seem to help myself.

 

 

 

Now I have to talk about her school just a little bit.  We went from 178 students last year to 312 students this year.... this was her first day at school last year.

Here was her school today at around the exact same time today.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!  I knew there were that many more people yet it still REALLY surprised me! I was wondering why all the cars were in the parking lots.

Here they go.

I officially have a 4th grader, I confess....I teared up several times this morning but it's because of how excited and proud I am of her school, yea that's it.... um hum.... nah, not really but what the heck, it's ok to have "mom" moments.  Wow....

Here they go!  Mikayla is ELATED to have her BFF McKenzie in her class this year.

Whew...... how much will she change and grow this year..... I dread it but at the same time I'm excited and look forward to it.  I definitely think I'm excited to see what projects we get to do this year.  I'm so sad my baby is getting so big and grown up too.... wow.... first day of school...it's kinda hard.....

A little tie dye action!

I have never tie dyed before.... it was insanely fun..... (yet another addiction I may or may not have....) 

 

We bought some big t-shirts from Joann's with the intent to tie dye them and then convert them into swim suit cover ups for our trip to Florida.

 

So we started out with the shirt, I washed it and took it wet from the washer straight to the dyeing process.

 

This is the "crumple tie dye pattern"  you literally crumple up the shirt (I cut open a trash bag to catch/hold/contain/store the shirt while the dye soaked in)

 

 

Pour the dye all over it in random spots.

 

 

After dying, wrap it up in a plastic bag for no less than 6 hours..... ours happened to be until the next day which was just fine.

 

 

24 hours later...we have a crumple die shirt!  You just rinse rinse rinse rinse until the water runs clear, then let it dry completely and then wash again to set the dye.

 

 

Then.... I got my scissors and went crazy.... ;)

 

 

cutting, clipping.....

 

 

And here we go... new straps... new shirt...equals total fun for me!!!

  

 

 

For our next shirt we did the following.  The Swirl tie dye.  Literally pick a spot you want the bulls eye to be, and swirl the shirt all around that spot.

 

 

add rubber bands, not only to hold it in the swirled shape but they also act as guidelines for dying

 

 

Let the fun begin

 

 

 

 

The end result - 24 hours later

 

 

There I go again with scissors, cutting, hacking.....

 

 

throw in a braid....

 

 

There we go....another swim suit cover up

 

 

 

 

SOOOOOOO satisfying these projects were. :)   (oh and being that it is tshirt material....no hemming required to stop it from fraying...)

 

 

 

 

Now I still have some dye left....what should I color next?