To Upcycle is a Continuous Work in Progress...

I love up-cycling! There. I said it. No turning back now. I am a budding 'green' person....and....loving every minute of it! While I may never own a rain barrel or start my own compost pile ( the husband is not on board for either one...hmmm) I can definitely do my part by teaching little children how to reduce, reuse, and recycle (especially reuse).

So....keeping this idea in mind...I requested some recyclable, yet reusable, items to be saved and delivered to my classroom via my preschoolers and their parents. The response was great! The problem was that after requesting some items I totally drew a blank on what I had requested them for....OOPS! Well, being the good budding 'green' person I am I added those items to my craft cupboard to be used in the future (or when I remembered what they were for).

Well, I am happy to say that the recycled items were either farmed out to fellow teachers who had a need/use for them or I found/remembered a use for them, well...most of them.

So, I was left with a gallon ziploc (reused, of course, from a past project) full of milk caps! Well, what do you do with a gallon of milk caps? That is to say, BESIDES storing them in the craft cupboard? Hmmm....

Well, if you are me, or think like me anyway, you......

Play BINGO!!!!

First I used some 12"x12" card stock (enough sheets to have one board per child in my room, plus a few extras-just in case) and some different colored shape cutouts. I glued the shapes (with the help of my wonderful associates) to the card stock in three rows of three shapes.

Then, I took an additional sheet of card stock and some crayons and drew the shapes in the various colors onto the sheet to cut into small squares and use as calling cards. I took an old sugar-free flavored drink mix container and cut a slit into the lid to store/dispense the calling cards. The kids love shaking this container to get the calling cards to fall out. They do tend to fall out a few at a time, but that is okay. The kids love the game! Plus, as an added bonus, the game helps to teach them shapes and colors! I think I will do the same with other concepts in the future! Don't you just love when you can make learning LOTS of fun?!

Tada!!!!

Ready for the tada moment.........

Today's work of art!

The pink and white one is for my friend/co-worker's daughter. Her coat is pink and white, so I think this will look really sweet with it.

The blue one is for one of the little boys in my class. I think he will be thrilled! He has asked me a few times if I could make him a hat because he likes when I bring my work for show and tell time at school (I do this whenever the kiddos need a re-fresher on how to do show and tell and they love it). I think these little hats are going to be a wonderful Christmas suprise!

A Little Birdie Told Me...

I made a little birdie like this awhile back and hung it on my bedside lamp. Every time I go to turn my lamp on or off (which is often with two little kiddos) I smile. If you would like to make one of your own, go to http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/  I absolutely love her site! The colors she uses are amazing! THe above picture is one of the little birdies she made.

Here is the one I made.

The close up...

Isn't it just darling? I love it! Seriously thinking I may have to make some of these for the Christmas tree!

What do you think? Maybe in blues and whites with a touch of silver?

A Work In Progress

So.....for those who would like to see my work of the day....

This one has about three reounds left of the pink, then I will add a white sparkly brim and pompom.

Ok, here we have a few I finished yesterday....

Attention! (Sorry, couldn't resist. :) Heehee)

At ease...

My little elfkin model...

naked as he prefers. He just learned how to dress and (unfortunately) undress himself!

The two little mischievious elves.

HUG!!!!!

So what do you think? The blue and green one is for one of my preschoolers and the red and white 'Santa' one is for a co-workers niece. I personally just love them....the kids too!

One Day at a Time

This is my first blog post and as I sit here writing it I am both thrilled and terrified! Over the thoughts forming in my head the chaos breaks through....my son has just started screaming for my attention because he wants me to see that he is eating the food on his plate (this is a BIG deal as his idea of a balanced diet is muffins and milk), the cat paws at my leg (begging to get onto my lap), and the buzzer on the dryer just sounded! With all this going on, it is suprising that I can think at all!
As you may have guessed, I thrive on CHAOS! The more going on in my life, the more I seem to magically get done.
So.....what exactly am I trying to get done today?
Well, the project that tops my list is HATS! I am attempting to make a hat for each child in my classroom. Not just any hats mind you, but elongated cone hats with pompom tops. All done in each child's favorite color! Crazy, I know, but I have completed five so far and (as I am expecting a new student before Christmas) I have six to go! Plus, just to add to the chaos, I have four more to complete for family and friends! It has been hatapoluza in this crafter's house! I love it!

This is my pug Frank sitting in my favorite chair in front of the first afghan I ever made.