The Back to School Unpacking

It was back to school for me today! I finally moved all of my belongings over to my new classroom in my new building. This year I will be a Cheston Elementary School Cougar. I will be teaching ESL this year. From what I understand, the building primarily uses a pull-out approach. There are three ESL teachers in the building, me being one of them.

The building is pretty old so there is no air conditioning. My nephew Donavin and I sweated it out in a 90 degree room. While I have been pretty spoiled over the past couple of years in a building that was completely gutted and renovated with A/C, I am kind of excited to get back to my "roots". My "roots" are Scott School in Harrisburg, PA. It's the kinda school with hot, humid, heat and critters that crawl around and might surprise you from time to time. It's the building where you don't bring any food into the room for fear it might be gone or nibbled on overnight.

The two other teachers and I are sharing two classrooms. The two classrooms have a divider that can be opened and closed as needed. We will keep the divider open and share these two large classrooms. We are pretty lucky to have such a large space. I have never shared a classroom before, so I am excited to see the results once we have it all set up. Here are the BEFORE photos.

Now, don't panic.  That's not all my stuff.  Remember I am sharing the room with two other teachers!  There is so much we can do with this space.  Wait for the AFTER photos!

Today, I worked on unpacking and putting things away in my desk. I wanted a desktop organizer.  When I went to Target, everything was silver, black, or tan.  Since I don't work in a business office, I wanted something with a bit more flavor.  For some reason, I am really into the bright colors this year.  It really isn't like me, but it's fun.  I've been wanting to do a project with duct tape, but I wasn't sure what.  Finally, something!  Donavin picked out the bright pink duct tape, and I picked out the lamp.  The lamp was my splurge item this year.  It wasn't a good deal, but it was on sale!

Duct Tape Project

What can you do with duct tape?

I'm Addicted to Hobbies!

I am a hobbyaddict.  For those of you who know me well, know exactly what I am talking about. My parents can probably speak to this best.  Hobbyaddict is not a real word.  I already tried googling it. But it's a word that describes me very well.

I am known to try a new "hobby" and then a few months later, never talk about it again.  Let me list them for you.

• Vegetarian - yes, I considered this to be a hobby.  In high school, for a short time, I lived off of white rice until I crumpled at Wendy's for a cheeseburger.
• Guitar - I did this for a few months after college.  I had to get a guitar for Christmas.  The only thing I learned during my short days of playing was how to play a random string of notes that had my cat hiding underneath the couch.
• Witches and Witchcraft - This was interesting.  I also read a lot about psychics and mediums. I read so many books on the topic I thought I could predict my own future. 
• Cupcakes - Still a hobby that I love to do, but boy did I dedicate a lot of time and money into this one.  
• Running - So I might not have ever been a marathon runner, but I have many cute Nike running shorts to show that this was once a hobby.
• Clean Eating - This was a fad just this summer.  I was eating only raw food.  I once again couldn't hold out and treated myself to some Rita's Italian Ice.
• Photography - Still love taking pictures.  My camera is always at my side.  However, there was a time that I was entering photo contests and taking picture of random trees and calling it "art".
• Painting - I have no business being a painter, but I do have tons of paint and paint brushes stored at my apartment.

Ok, so maybe these aren't all hobbies.  Maybe the more appropriate term for these tasks are fads.  I once thought my parents weren't supportive of the new hobbies I had taken on.  I saw the eye rolls.  But, as an adult I now completely understand. They knew, just as I do now, that it will be my interest for a few months at most before I move onto the next thing.  And just in case they are reading this, my parents always supported my crazy hobbies.  I know that one day when I have children, I will be repaid.

The new hobby that I have recently taken on is one that I saw on Pinterest. It's called Mod Podging.  Have you ever used mod podge? It's by far, the best tool a crafter could have in their toolbox.  It's AMAZING!  

I have two of those Sterling drawer storage bins that I keep in my classroom and store all of my stickers, markers, and other random items.  It was pretty beat up after seven years.  I saw on Pinterest you can use mod podge to attach scrapbook paper to it and make it look pretty.  

I also have a box that was given as a gift.  The box wasn't the gift.  That would be silly.  The gift was the four bottles of wine in the box.  After the wine was gone, I couldn't decide what to do with the box.  So, just as I do with shoe boxes, I stored it in my closet in case I would ever need it.  Along came mod podge, and the box turned into a fantastic, stylish box that I can store my fancy, shiny bracelets in.  I'm currently using an old perfume box to store them in so this is a major upgrade.

What do you think of the before and after photos?

If you are like me, then you are a messy crafter.  I'm the teacher that leaves school every day with her hands covered in magic marker.  I wear a lot of black dress clothes which is great for showing chalk dust handprints.  I am not any neater when it comes to mod podging either. I was covered in the sticky glue.  To keep you cleaner and more patient, here are some tips:

• Cut all of the pieces you will need from the scrapbook paper first.
• You will need a credit card to smooth out the bubbles once you apply the mod podge.  Use an old gift card that has expired.  Mine was ruined from the glue.
• Have a paper towel handy to wipe your hands of mod podge.  Don't worry, it peels off of your skin once dry.
• Cover your work area with wax paper.  If your item gets glued to it, it easily peels off.
• Don't worry about making mistakes.  Mod podge dries clear.
• If it's your first time using the product, be patient and take your time.  Both of my projects took a lot of time. However, it's getting easier and quicker with each project.
• Foam brushes work really well for applying mod podge.  Bonus: they're inexpensive.

All three projects cost a total that was less than $10.  The Mod Podge can be bought at any craft store. I bought mine at Hobby Lobby for $4.99.  The entire jar lasted through all projects.  The cheapest scrapbook paper I have found was also at Hobby Lobby for $0.59 per sheet. Buy the large pieces of paper, and not the standard size.  Hobby Lobby also runs great sales that will help you save money.

The only real hobby I have ever stuck with is teaching.  I guess I'm pretty lucky to have turned a hobby into a career.  Teaching: My hobby, My Career, My Passion!

Happy Mod Podging!