Best Year Ever Sale

What are you doing August 1st and 2nd?

If you said, "Why....I am shopping on TPT during the BEST YEAR EVER sale!"

Then you, my friend, are a genius! :)

Most stores are 20% off.......BUT if you enter code "BestYear" at check out you receive an additional 8% off!  Yay!!!

So.....fill those shopping carts now and happy shopping!

DIY Chalkboard Sign--Freehand!

Apparently I was feeling crafty this week because I learned to "french braid" my hair. I would post pictures.....but my husband informed me that I needed A LOT more practice.  Thanks babe. :(

 Although I am not too proud of my hair.....I am proud of my VERY FIRST chalkboard sign!  I did this baby freehand, without using printables. I know....I am crazy, right?

A friend of ours was going to throw out this chalkboard....but (luckily) we snatched it up before it made it to the trash.

I am not going to lie---it hung on our wall blank for about two months.  I was actually scared to make a sign---because I wanted it to be PERFECT.  Uhhhh hello........chalk is able to erase.  What  dummy I am.

Anyway...once I got up the courage to attempt a chalk design, I did my research first.  Also known as: Pinterest.  That is the modern day encyclopedia, right?

Check out my Chalk Talk board---that is where I pinned a lot of ideas, tips and tricks.


I started the process by finding a quote I wanted to use.  This sign is in my kitchen, so I knew this quote would be perfect.


Next I planned out how I was going write my text using paper and pencil.  This is where Pinterest became my best friend.  There are tons of pins on font ideas, lettering, shading, best font combos,etc. Once I had down my design I practiced, practiced, practiced.

Next I measured the size of my chalk canvas .  I had 26 inches to work with, which I divided into seven rows for my seven rows of text.

It is difficult to see....but that is why I used the blue painter's tape.  On the painter's tape, I measured and drew seven sections, that way I would know if I was making some text too large...which would make me run out of room at the end.

When I had my spacing down, I knew (eek!) I was ready to start.  I taped all of my practice drawings around the outside of the chalkboard.....easy to see and remind me what I was going to do.

Then.....I just went for it!

Here are my tips on creating a successful chalkboard sign:

• Mix fonts (bold with skinny, scripts with serif, tall with short, thick with skinny, etc.)  Having contrasting fonts makes your eyes happy!
• Embellish--this means add doodles---like arrows, banners, symbols, dividers, etc.   Again--this adds visual appeal. 
• Research--hit up pinterest or google and get ideas.  There are a TON out there!
• Plan ahead--this might not be the best for everyone, but it saved me time.  Grab a piece of paper and plan your fonts, your doodles, spacing, etc.
• Practice--again not for everyone--but saved me time because I knew what I was doing once I started with my chalk.  
• Have fun--be artistic and creative!  If you make a mistake---erase it, or turn it into something great!

If you want to become a professional ....check out this book:  The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering .  A friend of mine read it, and apparently it is amazing!  

  

Did you know you can also sign up for online classes?  Another friend of mine (I guess I have a lot of friends that chalk art) took a class from Hand Lettered Design. 

Check out their website.....they have free downloads, tips and tricks!

 

Monday Made It

Happy Fourth of July!  I do hope everyone is enjoying the holiday and PARTYING LIKE IT IS 1776! :)

Partying like it is 1776....get it?  haha.....I would love to take ownership over that little gem, but I found it on Pinterest.

Today I am linking up with 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made It linky party!

I am slowly but surely adding more variations of my Slap Words game.  Today, I finished the consonant blend variety.....

This game includes practice with two-sound consonant blends and three sound blends. The two sound consonant blend game cards include: bl, br, cl, cr, dr, fr, ft, gl, gr, ld, lf, lk, lm, lp, lt, mp, nd, nk, nt, pl, pr, sc, sk, sl, sm, sn, sp, st, sw, tr, and tw.  The three-sound blend game cards include: scr, shr, spl, spr, squ, str and thr.

An example of the game cards are pictured below.  For each blend there are four cards, totaling 150 cards in the game pack.  This means lots of time having fun reading words with two-sound or three-sound blends!

 

Slap Words Blend Edition is super easy to set up and very engaging for students!  Directions for the game are listed below---it is as simple as that!!

I hope everyone enjoys their day!

July's Pinterest Pick 3

One can always find something on Pinterest!  I seriously don't know what the world did PP (Pre-Pinterest).

How did parents create cool birthday parties?

How did we find delicious recipes?

How did brides to be plan their weddings?

How did I ever style my hair and dress myself?

I don't know....it is a mystery.

Anyway.....check out these cool ideas for Literacy Without Worksheet's July's Pinterest Pick 3 linky.

My first pick is a seemingly delicious and healthy (can those two words go together?) recipe.  I have been ***trying*** to lose weight this summer, yet I just can't seem to shed my extra chub.  Many of my friends have had success with Weight Watchers, so I signed up for a two month plan yesterday.  So far I really like it!  Anyway.....here is the pin!

The recipe is a ground chicken-avocado burger from California Avocado.  This burger even won some awards....which means it has to be good!

With this next pin....you may be seeing a theme develop.  You see this pin is about exercise.  Yes, people, I am trying to lose weight.

I've actually completed this particular circuit several times, and I love it.  This workout is from Spotebi, which specializes in at home workouts for women.  If you have time--check out their website as they have some great workouts!

I suppose my third pick should be something school related, huh?

I mean I have been thinking about school this summer (wink, wink).

I love this idea form Reading Mama that works with word families!  Recognizing phonograms, chucks or the rimes in words is an extremely important skill in reading development.  I love how this practice is also multisensory!  Fun!