Monday, March 19, 2012

Journal covers

I made these Wildcat composition book covers by trial and error.


 I like how they turned out, and they were definitely worth the time and energy it took to make them.



  Personal and fun accessories like these help make any task more bearable - even enjoyable!   They've been used for:  gifts (choreography journals for the dance team leaders), Important Info "bible" for my kidlet when they first moved out, my own monthly budget record, and recently for one or two of my lucky students for their composition or journals.

More detailed examples of the process for both a larger, spiral bound journal and the smaller, composition type of booklet (this one has several pockets and is by far my favorite):








   
        


Composition book covers:










Hmmm....  maybe I should turn this picture right-side-up?

SMART visual


Bright and eye-catching:  I played around with these paper mache letters picked up from JoAnn's for .99 each to make my S.M.A.R.T. acryonym to post in my classroom.   Under $10 total, under 2 hours total, fun to do, and makes me smile when I'm pointing to the "A" for action for the 100th time this year  =)



 Supplies:  letters, water-based paint (I chose the green in honor of the eye-popping green ready to burst forth any minute this spring!) (plus I bought it on sale for $1.00 over a year ago...), brushes, paper towels, water, and a cool sunny day to play outside for an hour or two =)





First I primed in white, then I painted a few coats on the front surface only.  The paper mache soaks up the paint quickly, so FAST drying time!
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Next I painted the green on some paper to play around with designs and pick the color scheme  (I always have to have an actual visual to try out... even with fabric, yarn, clothes, make up, etc.)  











Then I gathered the materials and tools needed for the job:  the Stampin' Up craft pad works so great, and on every surface I've ever used it on.  Float medium helped me get the paint to the right consistency to use with the sponges, stamps, etc.

I almost stopped here - I loved the pink dots on the green!

But wanted to keep the "Wildcat" pride and theme going in the room:

  You can see why I'm trying to liven up this end of the room...   plain and boring!!  Curtains and the reading corner are next...   will be looking to pin some great ideas!