Merry Cheery Cards to Make

I realize just about everyone has made cards before, but it's been a long time since I have, and I forgot how much fun it actually was! 

So...in celebration of my 101st post.... I encourage you to make these VERY simple and charming cards --by using one simple rubber stamp (for example, a snowflake design), one or two ink pads, a glitter pen, and a little ribbon. I don't know about you, but I get a little weary of red and green at Christmas time...so I opted more for the blues, silvers, and greens--Some of them had silver and red snowflakes. Also, we have friends of many faiths, so I wanted to make cards that would hopefully appeal to all.

Each card came out different...but quite pretty because they were such simple designs. The old saying..."More is less"...comes to mind. The ribbon was super cheap--on sale, and the stamp was something I came across a couple of years ago but never used. Considering how cards (really nice ones) cost so much these days, you may want to try it. You really can't go wrong.

I'm not selling or promoting any of the items you see in the picture below...but I just want to show you that this is what I started with: a pack of blank white cards which you can get at a craft store on sale (or use dark colored cards that look great with silver or white ink), stamp pads, narrow grosgrain ribbon, silver or gold glitter pen, and tacky glue (not shown) to attach the ribbon.

(Note: Washi tape (not shown) is an alternative to ribbon!)

It's a little late in the year to start making them as holiday cards. But why not start when you have free time and save them for next year? And it's so relaxing and fulfilling to make your own cards!

As I said, each one came out differently. This one (below) is just silver and green. I had extra ribbon so I just tied it on, rather than gluing it on the front. I drew some swirls for extra detail. I don't have any other cards to show you because I just had to hurry and send them off before it was too late!!

My Merry Cheery Holiday Card 

You cannot see the swirls that well, 

but you get the idea!!

(I forgot to add...yes, you could adapt this for kids, depending upon their skill level. But any cute stamp, and a little ribbon goes a long way...and will make the recipient smile!)

Snowpeople in First Grade

     We had a blast today in first grade. After seeing these cute toilet roll characters on Pinterest, I just had to have the kids make these. But I did not have enough toilet paper tubes for 20 kids, so I pre-made twenty 5 1/2 inch rolls out of white card stock. This way, we did not have to paint them either. They also came out a little larger than the regular tubes. 

But if you have plenty of toilet paper tubes, then you are recycling which is especially nice. By the way, what makes these little guys extra cute, is the way you can stuff the poly fiberfill inside to make cute, frizzy, snowy hairdos! This was such a quick and easy craft for any winter day. The kids were tickled with the results. I was, too! 

Did anyone say "snow"?

So, I'm not used to having 3 and 1/2 consecutive snow days--not in all my years of teaching have I had this happen! Our area has had about 4 days of power outages, with lines down, trees and limbs blocking secondary roads...and our plow guy even struggled to do our little driveway. I'll be glad to get back...but wait!...We have only one week before the holiday break! Hopefully, we'll get some work done (without too much craziness) before the week ends. What a December to remember!

Five Silver Bells Choral Poem, Book and Advent Craft

This is a little bell-shaped book that you'll find templates for inside my newest creation. I created Five Silver Bells with hopes that young readers will have fun practicing their fluency while reading this little poem ... just right for this time of year. It's a poem that is appropriate for a diverse classroom as there is no reference to a specific religion. Below is an example of the bell book with the poem text. But the packet has more patterns and ideas for making the most out of this choral poem. Hop on over to my store and take a peek at the preview.Thanks for checking this out!  Let me know what you think!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Five-Silver-Bells-Choral-Poem-Book-and-5-Day-Advent-Tree-1597785

Here are some sample pages of Five Silver Bells....

Liebster Award

Thank you, Jennifer at Mrs. Grisham's Little Lighthouse Learners  for nominating me for the Liebster Award! What a super cute blog she has, so if you haven't visited her, you should head over there to visit. Well, I am honored to be nominated for this award as I have only recently made a concerted effort to jump on the blogging wagon...even though I've actually been plugging away at this for a couple of years.

When I started my online store with Teachers Pay Teachers and met some very supportive teaching professionals, I have found more meaning and purpose in blogging. I have started to realize (well, I'm a late bloomer) that a blog is a truly authentic way of recording and sharing successes, in addition to reflecting those tough times we face each day. A blog is more than a journal...for me, it's a reflection of all that I'm doing to make a difference in my students' learning, as well as an opportunity for me to re-learn or learn a-new the things that I thought I was doing well. So truthfully, blogging is helping me become a better teacher--even though I've been at it for many years! Again I'm a late bloomer, and it's taken me this long to figure that out!!

So, here goes...I am nominating 11 other new bloggers out there who have fewer than 200 members.  I am honored to pass along the Leibster Award to these 11 people. Now, remember people, I have less than a handful, so this is a big deal for me! 

There are SO many wonderful bloggers out there, but these bloggers really have such interesting blogs...each one is different, yet professional, friendly and sincere...and are definitely worth checking out! I love the sharing of ideas and the honesty in these blogs. Many have a big dose of humor, too! See my list below. I'm hoping that these nominees below will be as excited about this as I am!

With all that said, I cordially nominate the following for the Liebster Award:

1. The Library Patch 
2. Kim's First Grade 
3. A Library and a Garden  
4. http://ritureddi.blogspot.in/ 
5. http://www.teachingdoodles.blogspot.com 
6. http://janielwagstaff.blogspot.com 
7. Growing Grade by Grade 
8. My Colorful Classroom 
9. If You Give a Teacher a Treat 
10. Creative Critters-Teaching Resources 
11. Patterson's Porch 

Nominees:

Please copy these questions into your own blog, so that your readers will learn more about you!

1. Why and how long ago did you start blogging?  

I started a few years ago as a tool for reflecting my teaching methods, approaches, successes and failures. But when I joined TpT, I realized I could add my online community and interests to my reflections. I really only want to blog when it's meaningful to me and hopefully to my "audience" out there...although I'm not sure who reads my posts! My blog will always be a work in progress!

2. What one word sums up the heart of your blog and why? Reflection! I'm finding that the more I write, the more I read blogs written by other teachers, the more I'm learning and reflecting...and the end result of that, of course...is FUN! Can I change this to two words now?!

3. Is there something you learned late in your blogging journey you wished you knew before?

Well, since I have been teaching for quite a number of years, and am of that age where you'd think maybe I'd be retiring....I can just say, I sure wish I had started this long ago...even if only for myself, as an outlet. But I used to do blogging the old-fashioned way...you know, those things called diaries. I do wish I had known about how to use Photo Shop and Illustrator in order to make clip art sooner!


4. What is your favorite past time other than blogging? I enjoy kayaking at our nearby lake, gardening in my woodland perennial garden, and painting. All of these are my most favorite activities...but I can't leave out how I enjoy creating language arts resources for teachers and parents. That's been a huge learning curve for me...and although extremely time-consuming...I would say it's turned out to be one of my favorite past times.

5. How many hours per week do you dedicate to your blog? 

Maybe about 1 hour a week, or every other week. I blog when I'm inspired, but I do not do it regularly. I don't want to just blog about anything...I want to blog when I think I have something to offer...Not quite as relaxing as a bubble bath, it's definitely a relaxing alternative to TV!

6. What category of blog posts do you enjoy the most?
I really enjoy those sites that are thoughtful (and attractive, not necessarily flashy, but pictures that mean something to them)...because I admire anyone who can create a blog like that. But mostly, I just love interesting people, and the interesting things they do~ and if they've got some even more interesting things to share...then I'm hooked. But to be honest, teacher blogs and parent-home-schooler blogs have the most interesting posts because of ALL the ideas they have to share and the creative resources they come up with!

7. Where does your blog inspiration come from? 
I would love to come up with the one inspirational blog/blogger here. But the truth is I am inspired by so many that I'm following right now--Each one has its own flavor and personality....and I'd say when you put them altogether, that's what inspires me. I want to emulate a little something from everyone.


8. Which post that you've written are you most proud of? I'm working on that.

9. Is there any post you have been planning to do, but have been postponing it for a while now?

I'd like to blog the advantages of the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading for strugglers, and other reading strategies and approaches that are effective for improving fluency.

10. What is your favorite aspect of blogging?

Sharing and writing to an authentic audience....which is so different from diary writing (from my teenage and early motherhood years). I am just starting to get into the collaborating and socializing aspects of blogging...all of which is pretty new to me. I'm not a big Facebook person, so blogging to me is more "me".

11. Which recipe, project, or idea on my blog would you be most likely to try yourself?

(Brain cramp here! I'm not sure if this question is asking me what idea I like on another blog or what I have that you, a nominee would most likely try. I'll have to take a rain check on this question .... come back to this!  But I think you nominees should revise this question!)

Congratulations, Nominees:

Now its your turn (nominated bloggers) to participate - here are the official "rules" for accepting:

1.)   In your post link back to the blogger who nominated you as a thank you and "shout out".

2.)  Answer the 11 questions given to you (the ones I answered above)

3.)  Nominate 11 blogs that have less than 200 followers each. Provide them with 11 questions (listed above) to have them answer.

4.)  Let your nominees know they've been nominated and provide them with a link back to your post so they can accept.

5.)  Send your nominator a link to your post so s/he can learn more about you as well. (You can just put your post link in the comments below.) 


Karen

Free! 2 Poems and a Craft

Here's one of my favorite creations for this season. Click on this link and get your copy of this holiday resource. It's just right for kids in first through second grade. Enjoy!

FREE! Eight Little Candles--2 Poems and a Craft

Free Stocking Writing Prompt

Here's a stocking you can save to your computer and print out. It's a writing prompt for some of those anxious little kids out there who just can't wait to let Santa know what they want for Christmas!