Summer Obsession

I'm baaaack!

My apologies for falling off the grid. As you can imagine, the end of the school year is chaotic. Finding time to blog seemed impossible.

I guess there is no other way to say this.... I'm Diana, and I'm an addict. A Pinterest addict! I know I am not alone here. This magical website has put a spell on me, and I'm loving every second of it. From classroom to kitchen, I have been pinning and making so many fabulous projects this summer.

Now although I am thrilled with my new found obsession, I don't think Tom is as appreciative of the art of Pinteresting. My plethora of projects has slowly taken over our 900 sq ft apartment. My kitchen table is currently covered in all sorts of gadgets including a laminator,  wrapping paper, wooden animals and ribbon. I'm sure if he hears, "OMG Babe, look at how cute this pin is!" one more time, he might lose it. Thanks for putting up with me, Thomas!

Here is a peek into some of the Pinterest inspired projects I've tinkered with so far this summer.

I am in the middle of  Operation Cute-sify My Classroom.

Exhibit A:  For the past two years I have used sentence strips to post I'm Done, Now What? It is a list of activities the early finishers can choose from. Sayonara, sentence strips. This is way more fun...

Exhibit B: This past school year I started implementing math groups. I created oodles of games and the kids rotated from station to station. The kids were in flexible groups based on their level. Each day they worked with me, played a math game and worked independently. This year I am going to add a math facts station. The kids need all the practice they can get. I LOVED teaching math this way. I got the idea from Beth Newingham's website. She is pretty much my idol. Since it was new this year, I didn't have a bulletin board to display the rotation schedule or grouping. This year I am stepping up my game.

 This year the groups will be animals...

and I will use these cute labels (made by yours truly- I was shocked I could do this) to create a Math Workshop rotation bulletin board. This way the kids will have a visual and always know where they should be during each rotation.

 Exhibit C: I started to store all of my math games in the Sterilite plastic drawer units. Boring and plain they are no more! Thanks, Pinterest! Why didn't I think of this?

Teachers Pay Teachers is another website that I'm utilizing via Pinterest. I found these adorable bookmarks there. I printed them, added scrapbook paper, laminated and voila!

Now I have a cute first day of school gift for the kids.

This was another, "Why didn't I think of that?" moment. So simple, so cute...

An old Pringles can, covered in scrapbook paper is my new ruler holder.

I've also dabbled in the home decor arena as well.

These adorable framed letters now have a home above our new bed. Tom actually likes them, success!

My next big project is making the adorable crate seats that have been all over Pinterest. My mom and I picked out the fabric for the cushions. It was on sale at JoAnn Fabric, 50% off.

 Can you tell I love polka dots and stripes?

We are hoping to find a deal on the crates and padding before we can start working on our masterpiece.

Now that I've written this long awaited post, I must go make dinner. I think this is the first time in months that I haven't had dinner ready for Tom when he got home. Like I said, I've been obsessed!