Meet Trashy Crafter! {Sneak peek at my classroom too!}

Happy Friday - but really, is there such a thing when you are a teacher during the summer?  I was just thinking about that this morning.  It's all about perspective.  Give me a Friday in November, and I'm all about it.  TGIF! Give me a Friday in the summer - especially AUGUST - and I'm thinking "Fridays in the summer are reminders that another week has flown by..."  Alright, enough of that half empty garbage.  I *am* slightly geared up for the start of another great school year...see...

So, if you remember, I'm doing a little giveaway with Kim over at The Trashy Crafter. 

 You can enter {here} if you haven't already!

We thought we'd do a little Q & A to help you get to know her better. I was so tickled by her story and I'm sure you will be too!

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF

My name is Kim Franklin, and I am the person behind Trashy Crafter, along with my Mom Helen and my boyfriend Dave.  We create jewelry from damaged books and repurposed beads from broken necklaces. I have a full time job, and work on Trashy Crafter before and after work and on the weekends.  My goal is to pay off my student loan in the next two years. 

WHO OR WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO MAKE RECYCLED LIBRARY BOOK JEWELRY?

My Grandma taught me about crafts.  She, herself, was a crafter and passed down to me all I know.  It was my third grade teacher, Mrs. Bryant, that taught me how to roll paper beads.  We made magazine and newspaper beads. 

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE ONE PIECE OF JEWELRY?

It really depends on the type of paper; some books have really thick pages, these take much longer, some have thin pages, these take really long because we have to double or triple the paper for the bead.   On average a 3 piece bracelet set can take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. 

DO YOU THINK YOU AND YOUR "TRASHY CRAFTING" IS CHANGING THE WORLD?

I really do, my goal is to not only make people think differently about waste, but also to embrace the past and memories associated with it.  The world is so fixated on the future that it seems people forget to reflect and remember, and I think that my jewelry not only helps with the worlds waste, it also give people joy and happiness in a hectic world.  A person can remember a book their Mother or Grandmother read to them, or a book that changed their life, or a map from a road trip etc.  It's a huge honor to be the person bringing happiness and memories to the world :)

DO YOU ACCEPT DONATIONS? HOW WOULD PEOPLE DO THAT?

I do accept donations of popular children's books, novels or even maps. And also accept donations of broken bracelets and necklaces for repurposing in my jewelry.  If you would like to donate, shoot me an email at trashycrafter@gmail.com, often times if you have something I could really use I will give you a free thank you gift :)

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN MAKING JEWELRY?

Well, I have been crafty since I could hold scissors and not eat the Elmer's glue, and have made jewelry all my life.  I used to be more into the hemp making jewelry as a child and teenager, but love making recycled book beads.  What I love most about jewelry is the ability to be playful with the colors, textures and patterns of the beads, it's my favorite part of the process to pick out the used beads from the swap meet and created the jewelry when the book beads are finished. 

YOU MAKE JEWELRY FROM RECYCLED LIBRARY BOOKS, YOU MUST BE AN AVID READER, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME?  

That's really hard, I was always a weird kid in that I preferred to read history books and biographies about successful people, LOL.   I do love Dr. Seuss, my Grandma bought the monthly book club membership for me, and I LOVED getting a new one in the mail each week.  I would have to say Hop on Pop!   My favorite books now are all marketing and business books, I nerd out on stuff from Gary Vaynerchuck, Seth Godin and Napoleon Hill. 

Thanks so much, Kim, for sharing a little bit about yourself.  I hope my readers are just as touched with your story as I was.  I'm really looking forward to wearing my bracelets to school and sharing their meaning with my teacher friends!  You thought business was booming before...you just wait until my staff hears about you and your sweet, sweet bracelets!

If you haven't entered...take a few minutes to do that now. I made it really easy!!!  Just a few clicks and you're entered!  

Happy Friday! {Or is it....}

Trashy Crafter - Product Review & Giveaway!

Hi All!

I'm pretty sure it's a given that I love to read - have you met a teacher who doesn't? I started reading to my own boys from day one...when they were inside my belly.  Whenever I would read Dr. Seuss to my students BOTH my boys would start kicking like crazy...no kidding.  When Kim emailed me asking if I would be interested in reviewing her jewelry and shared the story behind her love for being a Trashy Crafter I honestly didn't even have to think about it and I knew EXACTLY which set I wanted because of its significance in my life.

This set was made from the story Fox in Socks
Photo Source: Trashy Crafter

This Dr. Seuss recycled bracelet set is made from damaged or outdated library or thrift store books, along with repurposed broken necklace beads. All of our bracelets are 100% recycled, and therefore are unique and one of a kind, once this set is sold it's gone forever. We hand cut, roll, coat and spray all of our book beads we use for our jewelry in sunny San Diego California.  ~Source:  Etsy

I couldn't wait for my order to arrive!

Seriously, could this packaging be any cuter?!?

There's just something about their mission that touches my heart.  I don't know about you, but I have a VERY hard time putting any books in the garbage.  No matter how torn or tattered they are - missing pages and everything - I just can't stand to place a book in the garbage can.  To think....this book and others are SAVED from the circular file!!!!

The silliest story - when I read this story to my own kids and my first grade students I tell them to keep track of how many times my tongue gets twisted.  I always try to beat my record... I've never been able to read that story without making at least one mistake...but I tell you, I'm FAST!!!!!!

I could just hug Kim and her mom for their creativity and love for books!

Kim and her mom do take custom orders if you have a certain book you love you can send it to them in the mail and they can make the jewelry for you from the book, map, sheet music, letter, children's drawing - anything as long as it's paper, really.  They also take custom orders if you don't have the book.  They order the most damaged book with that title from Amazon and use that to make their jewelry.  If you are interested please contact them at TrashyCrafter@gmail.com  

I can't wait to wear it to school and tell everybody the significance behind these bracelets {remember my babies who kicked like crazy in my belly when they heard a Dr. Seuss story?!?}.  

I slyly asked my bestest friend whose birthday was in March what her kids favorite books were...they loved and still love Kevin Henkes.  Guess what I'm going to order for a belated birthday present?  How special will that be?!?  I'm  also thinking end of the year teacher gift for my son's teacher...this just might be my "signature gift"... it's so unique and something I've never seen before.  I just love it and I bet you do too.

Lucky you...because Kim is giving away one 2 piece bracelet set to one of you!!!!  I'm hoping YOU win...but just in case your luck is like mine, she is also offering 15% off good for anything in her Etsy shop for the duration of the giveaway week. Just use this code:  tc2014

If you're wanting to check things out you can find the Trashy Crafter in lots of different places:

Blog

Shop

Facebook

Pinterest

Instagram: Trashy Crafter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!  Check back later to learn more about Kim and her Trashy Crafter story!  It'll touch your teacher heart!

Meet the Teacher {Linky}

Hey Guys,

I'm linking up with my bloggy buddy, Stephanie over at Falling Into First , to share a little about myself!  My husband calls me Mrs. Kravitz for good reason - I'm super nosy, so something like this gets me all giddy...if you go check out the party, you can get a sneak peek into other bloggers'  lives.

I'm Holly, and I'm a Momma {Zach, 12 & Brandon, 9 1/2}, Wife {Patrick - who is also a teacher} Teacher {This is my 16th year in First Grade} Friend {I'm blessed with some good ones} and Michigan teacher-blogger.  I wear lots of other hats, but these are some pretty important ones to me.  We are a sports family...baseball, basketball, football, soccer...you name it, and I'm washing the clothes for it!!!!

We love to be silly and have fun!

We spend a lot of time together as a family!  My boys are best friends {Although they like to tell you how much they argue...}.  We still eat family dinners every single night and talk A LOT.  Although we are very busy, we make every effort to stay connected that way...even if it means we have to eat dinner at 4:00 in the afternoon {My friends call us "geriatric"...I resemble that remark! HA!}.  We love exploring our wonderful state of Michigan and go up north every summer.  Mostly, we are homebodies....we could spend the day together doing a whole bunch of nothing and end the day with a smile on our faces!!!!

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS...

Public radio, my Fitbit, talking on the phone, Flair pens, cute planners, Target, Donut Shop Coffee, Netflix, Instagram, blog stalking!

IF YOU WEREN'T A TEACHER, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO BE?

Aside from always wanting to be a stay at home mom...honestly, there was nothing else I wanted to be...I've wanted to be a teacher since first grade and have never wanted to be anything else. Okay, I take that back, I'd love to invent something cool...

THREE LITTLE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE YOU.

Empathetic. Loyal. Funny.

FINISH THE SENTENCE, "________,  SAID NO TEACHER EVER!!"

I am ALL caught up...

Q: IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY AND YOU CAN INVITE ANYONE {DEAD OR ALIVE} TO THE PARTY. WHO ARE YOU INVITING?

Ellen

Q: IF SOMEONE WROTE A BOOK ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD BE THE TITLE?

~ Uneventful is Good ~ 

Life through the eyes of a small town mom

Q:YOU GET TO PICK ONE SUPERPOWER. WHAT IS IT?

Wiggle my nose like Sam on Bewitched

Q: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE OR SAYING?

"Be the change that you wish to see in the world..." ~Gandhi

Q: IF YOU HAD TO SING ONE SONG ON AMERICAN IDOL, WHAT WOULD IT BE? 

Trust me - you don't want me to sing...

Alright, fine - Love Shack

Q: ARE YOU A MORNING PERSON OR A NIGHT OWL?

Night owl - no doubt about it!

Q: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE RESOURCE THAT YOU'VE CREATED IN YOUR TPT SHOP?

By far my Nonfiction Writing unit...

Q: SHARE SOMETHING WE MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU!

 I'm a super intuitive kinda person - I totally vibe off people.  I can feel others happiness and pain sometimes so much that it feels like my own.  I kinda feel like Powder...

If you haven't seen this movie - it's an oldie but a GOODY...oh my goodness...LOVE!

If you want to link up or want to check out some other bloggers...head on over!

Wake Up!!!!

{Totally kidding - that was riveting, right?}

Celebrating Little Readers' Small Accomplishments *Freebie*

Hi All!

I just got back from a meeting with a colleague of mine and our principal.  Talk about diving right back into it! Being our School Improvement Chairs means we're right in the thick of it.  I have definitely had to leave my comfort zone - we handle a lot of our school's PD.  My friend and I used to affectionately refer to ourselves as "Dumb & Dumber" but after today's meeting, I tell you - I think she and I rock it out! HA! School is going to start really soon people, REALLY soon!

I did poke my head into my classroom before I left.  I don't know if that was such a good idea.  If you remember, I'm switching from desks to tables and that just has me all jittery inside.  The only furniture that looked the same was my trusty kidney bean shaped reading table.  

Which got me thinking about this new product I created for my classroom that I wanted to be sure to share with you.

It's on sale now for only $4!!! Can't beat that!

As teachers of the little ones we know just how fragile their little skills are.  Even those who come to us already reading have to rise to the challenge of bigger thinking {inferring, mental images, connections, finding evidence}.  I try to boost their egos as often as I can along the way.  I find myself reaching for a sticky note to jot down something one of my first graders did well at the reading table or during our conferring time and either they are someplace else or I can't find a marker.  So, my best of intentions always seem to be thwarted.

My plan is to have these mini rewards at my fingertips so that I can just pick one, use it to celebrate learning and to reinforce a specific skill.  I tried to include the littlest of accomplishments because it's these foundational skills that really impact a child's ability to read.

I made six on a page, they are pretty small and come in a boy version, girl version as well as black and white.  Super easy to print, cut and put in a cute container...keep 'em right at your reading table so they are there when you need 'em!

I'm putting mine in this pencil box

Handy dandy - at the ready!

So simple!!!! {Remember, they come in black and white too if you're conserving ink like me!}

Click to pick up your label!!!

Have fun celebrating your readers small accomplishments!

HUGE Firstie Friends Giveaway!

Hello friends! Are you ready for a HUGE giveaway? Some AMAZING teacher bloggers have put together a fantastic set of prizes for you. We have 42 bloggers participating, so we are giving away a prize pack of 14 products each to 3 winners! :) You can enter on the Firstie Friends Facebook Page, and you can earn a LOT of entries. Go to the tabs under the header picture and click the tab that says "Giveaway". The giveaway will end on Monday, August 4th at 8pm CST. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for reading! Good luck in the giveaway!

I'm Not an Interior Designer

Okay, I have a major confession. I'm not an interior designer.  I think I might just be the opposite of that. Sometimes I feel a little inferior for that, but most of the time I don't.  It usually hits me around back to school time when I'm bombarded {I say that with love in my heart} with classroom setup pictures on Instagram, Pinterest, Blogs, Facebook.  Of course, I could look the other way, but I don't.  I stare.  Sometimes I drool. Most of the time I just smile.

So, I'm pretty good at a lot of things.  I'm really good at others.  Some things I just stink at. Classroom decor I could use a little help with.  Setting up my classroom is just that; setting up a functional space.  I like to make it cute...but I mostly like to make it functional.  You can do both, you say?  No, really I can't...I'm just not capable of that kind of creativity and level of multitasking.

I think I have Decorator ADD.  Sometimes I think I might want to get all fancy, all "School Girl Style" but then I get overwhelmed by the whole thought of coordinating things.  I'm just too random and too practical when it comes to choosing what goes into my room.  Sometimes it all comes together and it looks like I coordinated...but when that happens, it's really just a happy accident. I'd like to say it's more than that but that would be a lie.

What I don't understand is how a classroom teacher changes their "theme" each year.  Do you have a money tree in the backyard?  Do you have endless amounts of creative energy?  Is there a pill for that?  I did finally succumb to this whole theme business a few years back and went with "colorful".  That's a theme, right?  So that bright blue bin I picked up ten years ago goes nicely with the bright red bin I picked up last year.  I think I might check out the Target dollar spot and pick up a green bin for this year's theme of...you guessed it...COLORFUL!

I'm still in full on summer mode.  Teachers go back at the end of August and school starts after Labor Day. I will be that friend that makes you feel REAL good about yourself.  I'll post pictures of my colorful classroom just as soon as it's all put together...promise!

I'm gonna guess it'll look a little something like this...

Happy Times!

My Personal/Professional Goals

Hey There!!!!

My goodness...it has been a while.  I'll be totally honest with you.  I'd hop on my blog and feel like Cindy Brady....

Just at a loss.  Didn't know what to say, where to go with it so I'd close her up...hoping for the mood to strike.  So here I am!  Finally.  Three months later.

I tried turning off my teacher brain for the summer - but really, why do I even try?  I'm constantly checking teacher blogs, Facebook, Instagram, school email, Target dollar spot, Pinterest and now the back to school ads are starting.  If you can't beat 'em you might as well join 'em.  This is the fun stuff, right? 

I've been thinking, lately, about the changes I'm going to make this coming school year.  {Thanking my lucky stars that each year I get to start fresh!!!}Some are a little riskier {livin' on the edge in Teacherville} than others, but changes nonetheless.  

As I look through my list, I may need to dial it down, but I'm excited to try at least some of the ideas.

First up:

I've definitely given the whole idea of alternative seating a thought or two, but I'm just not there.  Maybe one day.  For now, tables are about as risky as I'll go.  I've always been a desk girl.  One of my teacher partners has tables in her room and for some reason it makes things look and feel so SPACIOUS.  I've got a lot of kinks to work out, like where will I put all of their supplies?  Do I do table caddies, table bins, chair pockets?  So much to think about and it makes me pretty darn giddy.

And...

My teaching pal, Barb {the elusive Barb} and I have been talking about what we can do to supplement our district's math resource - Bridges Math.  We love so much of it but as we've spent some time using it have found some definite ways we'd like to supplement.  One part of Bridges that I love is called Workplaces.{Math centers}  As we've been talking we came to the conclusion that during these math centers would be a great time to pull some guided math groups.  I've purchased this book:

And have really learned a lot from reading Reagan's blog posts about it.  Click {here}, {here} and {here} for just a few.  I'm really excited about this because my biggest qualm about how I'm teaching math right now, using our current resource, is that I don't always feel like I know my kids as mathematicians like I would like to, and I feel as though I'm not differentiating as much as I used to, as well as there are some basic foundational skills that I feel need to be hit a little harder.  Guided math seems like the answer. We shall see...

Still more...

I had a pseudo-focus wall in my room a few years back.  It was nothing to look at but it served its purpose. For some reason it took a back seat...okay, let's be honest, it was given the all-out boot.  Then, last year I sort of happened upon it again.  I had an empty bulletin board mid-year {how the heck did that happen} and decided to slap up some sentence strips describing what we were focusing on at the time.  Just today I was playing around on Facebook and The First Grade Parade was highlighting this product:

What I like about this {aside from it's cute} is that it keeps everyone focused on the Learning Targets.  It can be referred to often and helps designate a space in my classroom for doing that.  Along with guided math being something I'd like to try was having a space for a math wall where I could introduce different math vocabulary.  This product has that vocabulary to use on your focus wall. Perfect!

This is an easy one!

When I first started teaching I had class helpers.  I was SO bad at keeping up with that whole shizzle. Kristen was so in my head when she wrote this.  For the last two years I reinstated class helpers.  I'm quite certain there were more than a few that never got a shot at trash collector.  Why this was the most coveted of class jobs, I'll never know - but I'm sure there's somebody out there who didn't get their stab at it and will forever be marred.  One class helper?  Sign me up!!!!!!

And...

I'm thinking about having just one rule in my classroom.  This blog post struck such a chord with me that I haven't stopped thinking about it since I read it. I can see myself saying "Be brave enough to make the right choice" "Be brave enough to be safe".  "Be brave enough to be kind". "Be brave enough to apologize so that you can be kind".  I really, really think I like the idea that it sometimes takes bravery to try hard to do the right thing and it can definitely take bravery to try hard at something that you feel you can't do {i.e. subtract, do fractions, read a story}.  It's so all encompassing but can be dialed down to the smallest of thinking. I really like it.  

And probably the riskiest of the risky ones...

I'm flopping this one around in my mind.  I'm pretty old school when it comes to choices and consequences.  I'm concerned that we've become complacent as a society and that we let too much slide. With that, I also think the heart of discipline is teaching children how to learn from their mistakes and how to self regulate.  I definitely think the clip chart does a good job of creating a visual and I've always talked to my students about their behavior when the need to "clip down".  I really don't think the heart of why my students do the right thing is so they don't "clip down"...but...well, let's say I'm still brewing this one.

So, what do you think?  I've bitten off more than I can chew?  Maybe I should choose a couple of them?What would you do if you were me?  What are some changes you plan to implement this new school year?