Backpack ID Tags Round Three

Every year I make new backpack ID tags for the girlies, and every year I try to come up with a way to make them more durable. I sure hope I have it this time.

Two years ago I used ID badges, but they got pretty beat up by the end of the year.

Last year I created them myself digitally, then laminated them with my laminator. They still got pretty beat up.

This year, I bought some little rectangular wood pieces at Michael's and turned them into the new and improved backpack ID tags for 2011-12.

First I painted the wood, then I Mod Podged my pictures right onto the wood. I added some ABC stickers for the names, and then Mod Podged the whole thing quite a few more times.

More Mod Podge means more strength, right? That's my theory.

Although I didn't take a picture of the backs, I put my contact information there in case the backpacks are lost.

Finally I used my trusty Crop-A-Dile to punch holes along the top for cute-ifying with ribbon. I put a 1-1/4" split key ring through the hole in the middle for attaching the tags onto the backpacks.

I'm really hoping that the third time's the charm, and that the Mod Podge did the trick.

Guess Where I'm Going . . .

It's hard to believe it, but I've been doing this blogging thing for three years now. When I started, I wanted to see how long I could keep it going with all the ideas I had swirling around in my head. There are times when I think "What on Earth am I going to post about to keep this going?" It's funny how it works out because something always comes up that I find I want to post about.

I told myself in the beginning that I was doing this for fun, and that I didn't want it to become another stress in my life. And that has been mostly true. When it's not fun anymore, when it becomes a chore, then I will know I am done.

And I am done.

I appreciate each and every one of you, and I thank you for stopping by and reading my yackity yack these past several years.

Just kidding. I'm really not done. I don't think I'll ever run out of yackity yack as long as people want to read it. What I really came on the internet for today is not to irritate you, but to tell you that I'm going to BlogHer 2011 in San Diego. Whoo hoo!

Why am I always the excited one here? You could at least fake it.

Never mind.

It's not like I'm that great or anything, going to the big blogging conference. I had to pay the full $203.94 conference fee to get in, and I promise you, nobody has a clue who I am. I'm like the little fish in the big pond. No forget the pond, the ocean.

Regardless, I designed these cutesy business cards to take with me. Aren't they yummy? Hopefully I'll get to rub elbows with some important people and maybe even give them one of my cards. 

Heck, I'd be satisfied just to be in the same room with the Pioneer Woman and breathe her recycled air.

This is a once in a lifetime chance for me to go to BlogHer, because the conferences are always in places that I would have to travel very far to get to. And that costs money. Money that is better spent on crafting.

Of course that's true this time as well, but this time it's in San Diego. And my Mama Llama lives in San Diego. So I have free room and board and a free babysitter. Score!

I feel like I'm just rationalizing here. 

Anyway, I'm off to find out what all this professional blogging business is about. If you're there and you see me looking dorky with my business cards, throw me a life jacket, will ya? I'll be your BFF.

Recycled Cans Turned Pencil Containers for School

I think I've mentioned before that I like to troll through other teachers' classrooms and lift their brilliant ideas. This is yet another example of that. I've seen a lot of teachers with two pencil cups, one with pencils needing to be sharpened, and one with pencils that are sharp.

This is a big deal in my world because I like my pencils sharp, and I don't like digging through my pencil cup trying to find the perfect pencil with the perfect point. Again, I have such enormous problems.

I have also seen cutesy decorated soup cans to house the writing utensils, and I'm in love with the idea.

So you know I had to make some for myself.

Of course.

I'm in love.

I spray painted my cans black, decorated them with pretty paper, Mod Podged them to within an inch of sanity. Okay, insanity.

I put a lot of Mod Podge on to protect them from the hazards of teaching. The kids. Then I hot-glued some buttons on and used my Crop-A-Dile to cute-ify them some more.

Oh yes I did. The eyelets serve absolutely no purpose other than to cute-ify the cans. The Crop-A-Dile is A-MAZE-ING. I could gauge my own ears with pretty eyelets if I wanted.

I don't want.

Okay, school can start now. I'm ready.

No I'm not. I'm not ready! I take that back! I have more things on Pinterest I must make.

Peace out.