Some things are harder to make than they look....Monday Made It

Y'all...some things are way harder to make

than they look...true story.

I'm linkin' up with my sweet friend Tara from 

4th Grade Frolics for my favorite linky...

Monday Made It.
This is long...stick it out to the END.
It'll be worth it...I promise!
Hello...Amazon gift card!

Everyone stand up and curtsy...or bow

for Aris from Sailing into Second.

Last week she made the most ADORABLE

banner gif thingy for her TpT Store.

Look at it here before you read any further.

I'll wait for you to finish readin'...

Hers is just so precious and I decided the first time 

I saw it (love at first sight)...that I WANTED one too.

There is NO WAY (yes, I'm shoutin' this)

that mine could even compare to hers...ever...BUT

I was DETERMINED to have one...even

if it did take me a REALLY long time  

to make my own and it's nowhere as cute as Aris'.

ARE Y'ALL READY FOR THIS?

Cue rockin' roll music and air drum your fingers.

I DID IT!

The BEST advice I can give you...

READ Aris' post.

Here it is again if you missed it up there.

I followed her directions that lead me to 

Christi Fultz's tutorial.

*Read Christi's directions and then WATCH the video.

Don't be like ME and start workin' before you have

viewed that video...trust me.

When I was finished makin' the first image, I made 

a second and a third one.

I then dropped all three jpegs into 

www.makeagif.com

*Sign in with Facebook for free if you don't

want to use their watermark.  

After I had my gif saved, I then dropped 

the gif into 

www.photobucket.com

After I had my direct link from Photobucket, I 

then copied that and dropped it into 

http://tinyurl.com/

Final step, I used Christ Fultz's directions

again to input the TinyUrl code into TpT. 

*Aris...if by some magical chance you are readin' 

this, you seriously need to put up custom orders

for this flyin' banner thingy in your TpT store.

You will make billions.

I would like to be your first customer...please!

I'm not jokin'...have your people get with my people.

And by my people...I mean ME!  

I'm beggin' you!

I also made a banner thingy.

I'm a banner newbie,

so I will probably get tired of it in about three days

and want a new one.

I found a fun little tutorial on TpT...

and it was a freebie from Camping Store.

Some of you may be thinkin'...

"Whatevs Alison...

makin' banners

is SO last summer"

and guess what...

you would totally be right. 

I'm obviously late to the party.

In my defense...I DID take the past year

off from bloggin'...

just wanted to throw that back out there.

I need to give Stories by Storie a shout-out also.

She also wrote about changin' out your 

TpT store front last week and inspired

me to "just do it"!

Thank you!

I also made some "Pals" from Polka Dots and Pal's

Create-a-Pal Base Set

This was so F-U-N.  

It was like relivin' my childhood and playin' paper dolls.

I just couldn't decide which one suited me the best.

I wear my hair all of these different ways.

I'm horrible at makin' decisions.

I think everyone should make their own Pal!

Does anyone think these look like my favorite crazy pants?

I have a palazzo pant addiction...if you didn't already know.

Before we leave these two techy made-its...

Have y'all checked out the 

Technology Tribe Pinterest page?

You should think about followin'.

Lots of great technology pins have been added

from blogs and other sources 

in the past two weeks!

Thank you to Rachel Burden from 

180 Days to Happy for settin' it up.

I love butterflies.  

I'm pretty sure my classroom decor 

has an identity crisis every year.

The theme is supposed to be Rockstars,

but through the years I have added in pieces

of things I love...

butterflies & giraffes bein' the main additions.

I saw this outside of Kirkland's and I could NOT walk away.

It's wings were whisperin' my name.

Even better...it was on SALE with an additional 25% off.

I quickly ran inside and asked them if they would put it on hold for me.

After a little beggin' from me and the promise of a new fishin' reel,

Jerm took his truck back to pick it up and even put it

together for me.

So, I guess my "made it" is...I made Jerm

help me on his day off.

I'm lucky he loves me and my bossiness.

When I woke up on Saturday mornin' he was busy puttin' it
together for me and told me...
"You almost missed Monday Made It because you
were Sleepin' In On Saturday".
I love him!

I have no idea WHERE it's goin' to fit in my classroom.

I will have to make space....

 even if I have to put my desk...

on the ceilin'.

This was also on sale for $13....it had to come home with me too!

It will match my room...and might also have to go on

the ceilin'....yikes!

See if you can find a spot for it to fit...

See....I bet you didn't find a spot either...
no more room left to put anything except children.
*These are last year's beginnin' of the years pics.
I can't get in my room to work some magic until
Summer School is over and carpets are cleaned.

Everyone made such a big deal about 

Jerm's Corn Salsa & Key Lime Tart

from last week

that I had to get back 

into the kitchen with him...again.

You guys OWE me BIG time.

You know how much
I LOVE the kitchen.
*One day I'm goin' to get struck by lightnin'
as a punishment for my sarcasm.

Just look at all the love me bein' in the kitchen
got last week from my BBB's.

Ali from Teaching Powered by Caffeine

pretty much told me she loved me
(more than she already did)
 because she made Jerm's Corn Salsa...
minus the black beans

and jalapeno.
Her yummy creation made her happy...which
made me happy.

Erin from Miss Lifesaver
made Jerm's Corn Salsa too...
and some other yummies!
She even tagged me in a picture on FB.
I tagged Jerm and told him he is famous.
Miss Lifesaver KNOWS who the kitchen boss
is around here.
*Hint: It's not me.

Carol from Teachers are Terrific made the 

Key Lime Tart and sent me pictures.

She added toasted meringue to hers

and I'm goin' to be honest...her pictures

made me want to eat her tart...with a shovel.

She put mine to shame. 

Okay...focus Alison...

kitchen...cookin'...cute apron...torture.

Sandcastle Cake

Not sure where I got the pan...maybe T.J. Maxx

or Marshall's several years ago.

This past weekend was my mother-in-love's birthday

so we made this for her because she loves the beach.

The castle didn't want to come out of the pan, so 

we lost some of the towers, but that's okay...

we just added some candy for distractions.

(Swedish fish, seahorsies, and Sour Patch Kids)

The sand on the sandcastle is Vanilla Wafers.

I got chased out of the kitchen for tryin' to steal frostin'.

I didn't make y'all a cute recipe card this week

because we were in a hurry and used a cake mix.

You can just call us "Mr. and Mrs. Betty Crocker". 

I discovered somethin' while in the kitchen...

I still don't like bein' in there.

My friend Jamie from Life As I Know It... is havin' 

an awesome Back to School giveaway and 

asked me to join in the fun!

Make sure you head over to her blog for a chance

to win a $35 Amazon Gift Card and $15 to my TpT store.

I just put up a bundle of my best-seller Rockin' Behavior Beads.

Happy Monday, friends!

They say....Who is THEY? Monday Made It...

Well hello there...new and old friends.

 I'm linkin' up with my buddy Tara from 4th Grade Frolics 

for Monday Made It.

They say couples that cook together...stay together.

What I want to know is...

WHO IS THEY?

Source: Marriage & Laughter

This cartoon is extremely accurate...except in real life

I would be the husband's character.

I know HOW to cook...I just don't LIKE to cook.

If you follow my Instagram...you saw

this funny picture.

I decided to actually use my new apron and 

COOK with my hubby, Jerm.

I know...I know...

quit laughin'

He was just as surprised as you are!

First recipe up...Corn Salsa.

Jerm found an idea on Pinterest,

but he likes to make things his own...so

we shall call this Jerm's Corn Salsa.

Next up...Key Lime Tart.

I really should've posted dessert FIRST.

Somethin' to keep us cool in the Florida heat.

I could so make this all by myself and it was yumm-o.

The next thing I made is somethin' that I KNOW

my students are goin' to FLIP over.

No really...they are goin' to squeal when

I give this to them and aren't even goin' to complain

about doin' math.

I am in love, love, love with my 

Wizards, Witches, and Wands

a Multi-Digit Multiplication Task Cards game.

I didn't have any students with me this summer to show

this in action, so I begged bossed

my amazin' mommy and her sweet friend Pris

into playin' the game.

They whined about not bein' able to use

a calculator (sound familiar), 

but they finally agreed to do it 

the old school way.

This is up in my TpT store for 50% off all day Monday

until midnight.

Since I hit 1,000 followers on Instagram this week...

I also made some 

Wizards, Witches and Wands Labels-editable.

As a treat, I am puttin' them up on my TpT

for a FREEBIE until Monday at midnight.

Please be sure to leave some love 

if you enjoy this item.

When I hit 1,000 followers on Bloglovin'...

I will be doin' a BIG giveaway.

If you aren't followin' yet...please join me! 

Monday is my favorite day in summer

because I get to see all the wonderful

things everyone else is makin'.

When school starts back, all bets are off on

"Monday" even bein' a word in my vocabulary.

Happy Monday, friends!

Want to be friends? Check "yes" or "no"...

Hey friends...it's Monday.

Time for "Monday Made It" with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics.

I've been stalkin' nonchalantly scrollin' through

Instagram and every other Social Media outlet

known to mankind

to find out what I was missin' in Vegas.

I almost hopped in the car and drove

8 hours to stalk meet you in person.

My first made it is somethin' that I shared 

in a post last week. 

Read HERE.

Did you read it?

Do NOT 

go any further with this post unless

you clicked up there where it says HERE.

Not jokin'...

Now you need to load the app!

I already have a set of the paper blocks at home, but 

I wanted to make these for you guys to see.

I am seriously in love 

with this...like whoa!

I really hope you read about the blocks here or 

that picture above will make absolutely no sense.

If you're new here, you might not know that I teach

Talented and Gifted.

Can you hear me screamin'....

I LOVE NERDS?!

For real...talk nerdy to me.

I one thousand percent celebrate nerdiness.

The nerdier, the better.

In my classroom,

I make a super big deal out of nerdy 

bein' the new cool.

It's a fact...nerds ROCK

and I'm proud to be a 

"Nerd Herd Leader".

In honor of all of my nerds near and far...

I've made a cute little sign that I printed

and popped in a 5 X 7 frame.

Shh...don't tell Mommy Rose that I'm diggin'

the frame (that I bought for her one Christmas)

and already have it hidden in my suitcase to 

take back to Florida.

I've already got a spot picked out for this on my desk.

Are you a Nerd Herd leader too?

Go scoop this up for FREE by clickin' here.

I also finished somethin' for my TpT store.  

If you use behavior beads in the classroom, this is for you!

Under the Sea Behavior Beads-Special Edition.

I have them up as a FREEBIE until midnight Monday.

Be sure to scoop them up and please leave some love.

 Last, but certainly not least...Miss Nelson

(Run! Miss Nelson's Got the Camera!)

 and I made a vacation linky.

We both love to travel, but always

end up goin' to the same places...borin' creatures of habit.

We need some fresh ideas and spots to go.

We'd love to have you join in with us.

This doesn't have to be teacher related 

unless you want to link up

about your Vegas vacation.

It can even be a throwback post.

It's totally up to you.

This will be open for a month!

Read about this here.

I can't wait to read all the Monday Made Its and catch

up on all the rockin' Periscope videos.

I watched at least 40 broadcasts while writin' this post!

My username is: @butterflialisun

if you want to be friends.

Check "yes" or "no".

Kiddin'!

Happy Monday, friends!

When I say "Monday"...you say "Made It"..."MONDAY!"..."MADE IT!"

Hello...from California!

I'm visitin' my parentals for a few weeks.

It's been great gettin' to spend some time with them

and some of their dear friends. 

I've also spent some time with my pajamas...

on the couch...

readin' books.  

It feels good to not have to adult every now and again.

I did take some time out from my absolute laziness to 

link up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics

for Monday Made It.

I learned last summer that it's not so easy

to go out and buy stuff to make for your classroom

when you are 3,000 miles from home.

I see all this cutie-patootie stuff that you guys are makin',

and I grunt at you, frown and yell...

"That's not fair!

Why not me?

I want that!!!" 

I'm havin' to just pin stuff for when I get home (borin'!)

 because...

I only have SIX.FOUR pounds left to spare in my suitcase

and let's face it...if I happen to see a stellar pair of shoes

on my trip, they will get TOP priority over somethin'

for my classroom.

I'm sure you understand.

SO...I went through my weddin' pictures and decided

I would share a few things that I made for my weddin'.

I'm sorry that it's July and some of the stuff you are 

about to see is...

CHRISTMAS-y.

The craft stores already have Christmas decorations

out, so I think it's perfectly acceptable that I 

jibber jabber about it here.

Just start signin' "Weddin Bells" to the tune of "Jingle Bells"

in your head and bare with me.

I must first thank my sweet hubby, Jerm, he helped me 100%

of the way with plannin' and decoratin'. 

Our plan was "simple" and "sparkly" and

I think we nailed that. 

Plannin' wasn't all sunshine and roses and on more

than one occasion I tried to force him into elopin',

in my super bossy voice...

but at the end of the weddin' day...

everything turned out

PERFECT 

and we wouldn't have

changed a thing!

Our family and friends surroundin' us as we

said, "I do" was a dream come true!

Okay..maybe the weather could have been a teeny bit

warmer, but I'll let Mother Nature off the hook...

this time.

Did I ever tell you that I secretly like glitter?

No?

Look at this!

 I bought some 8" paper mache letters at Hobby Lobby.

I waited until they were 50% off and got them all at one time.

I then painted them with a metallic silver acrylic paint.

Jerm sprayed the letters with spray glue 

(because I can't be trusted not to get the driveway stuck to me)

 and then sprinkled

very fine silver glitter on top.

The glitter looked like tiny little diamonds everywhere

...a girl's very best friend!

The lights in the venue at Pineapple Willy's Live really caught 

the glitter and the letters SPARKLED!

Quick and easy!

 The next one was easy also...

and it was NOT hard to find willin' participants to empty some

bottles for me to paint with the same metallic paint 

that was used above.
(I won't even tell you how many bottles were
emptied in a short amount of time.)

The metallic paint actually dries pretty fast.

I threw some curly cues from Hobby Lobby in the bottles...

stuck a red glittery candle holder next to them and 

"ta-da"...simple decor.

I had to show off my girls...aren't they beautiful?

I had some wine glasses personalized for my besties

from MiabelDesign on Etsy...since they worked so hard

on bottle emptyin'.

I wore my Nitty and Papa Rose's wedding rings

("something old"),

my engagement ring ,

 and my mom's ring

("something borrowed") 

durin' the ceremony.

The wine cork is significant because my parents 

are in the wine business.

No...I did not make the cork...or the wine...

or the rings.  

Another decoration we used were various Christmas balls on 

black charger plates...

all purchased from Hobby Lobby for 50% off.

The lights really caught all the sparkles on this as well.

It looked much cuter in person than this picture.

We also used some round mirrors and placed Christmas trees, 

strings of pearls, and red glittery candle holders on top.

I chose to buy large packages of LED lights 

instead of usin' actual candles.

Safety first.

All items purchased at Hobby Lobby.

Imagine that.

I did not make the next thing, but I fell in love with the

light up letters.

A few years ago...I saw

someone had placed "Joy" on their mantel and

I was obsessed with findin' those letters. 

I seriously stalked the Patio & Garden shelves 

every week startin'

in about...I don't know...

maybe OCTOBER...

lookin' for these.

When I saw "LOVE"...I. Had. To. Have. Them.

It ended up helpin' with the whole "love" theme of our weddin'.

  We now have this displayed in our house on a 

4-shelf ladder bookshelf

and keep them out all year...
because I love my husband...
all year...
and maybe because I'm scared of the dark too.

I made these cups online at For Your Party. 

As in...I made some clicks and some decisions.

I just happened upon an amazin' sale via an email

(I think it was 40% off) 

and I scooped them up.  

The back says "All you need is love...

love is all you need."

We used these as our drink cups at the reception

and sent these home with guests as a souvenier.

I made Jerm's brother write this on the board
when you entered the reception.

I know I'm a teacher and all, but there is NO way that 

I could've written this neatly on that chalkboard...NO. WAY.

This was pin-spired.

I ordered the famous couples print on Jane.com, 

but I have seen them on Etsy also.

We tried to incorporate items from family also.  

The vase behind the picture frame was Jerm's grandmother's.

The bird cage was used in his brother's weddin' to collect cards, 

so we used it also as our card collector.

There was a beautiful Christmas tree set-up and it added to the

whole decor of the room.

Presents went under the tree.

I love presents!

We hung up pictures on the tree with little white clothespins

 from Michael's.

Pictures were from the past five years of us as a couple,

us with family,

and us with our friends. 

This was a neat and personal touch that we got

many compliments on. 

I originally saw this at our friends' reception

and knew it would be perfect for us also.

The tree was also a great back-drop for pictures.

(Can you tell how much my dad loves Jerm?)

We put out letters for our guests to sign.  

These wooden letters were purchased from Hobby Lobby
and Jerm painted them white for us.
Regular sized Sharpies worked great for writin'.
I'm thinkin' about sellin' some signatures on eBay.
Totally kiddin'!

I purchased paper lanterns to hang up in the ceilin' of the gazebo

for the ceremony.

I found them in different sizes and prints 

all over the place...Amazon, Hobby Lobby,

Oriental Trading, etc.

I just hunted for deals.

They looked great...when the wind

wasn't blowin' like crazy.

The antique table was the most meaningful part of our decor.

The table was refinished by my Papa Rose when he was alive.

I took it from my Nitty Rose's house and put it in my house after

she passed away last year.

At the bottom of the table we have four pictures for our family 

members that are no longer with us, but would've
been over the moon about us tyin' the knot.
They are a HUGE part of who we are...so
we wanted them with us on our special day.

(All four of my grandparents,
Jerm's grandmother 

and his step-dad)

The wonderful man in between us in the middle...
that's Jerm's grandfather

Rev. Virgil Vickers marryin' us.
How SPECIAL is that?!
He has married 3 out of his 5
grandchildren...so far!

What's a weddin' without sweets?

 We had a candy bar for the kiddies with little bags to fill up.

The rose frame says "Love is sweet...please take a treat"

The big glasses were borrowed from my sweet friend and caterer.
The gummy worms...because Jerm's nickname is "Worm".
They didn't match so much, but they were a must have.

 Our cake was THE YUM!  

I can't say enough about Fatty Patty's Cakes. 

(If you live anywhere near me...buy a cake from here...

for any occasion!)

The roses on top...because it my last day of bein' a "ROSE".

Now I'm officially...

Alison Rose Evans.

Fatty Patty's also made Jerm's groom's cake.

This is not MY team, but I'm learnin' to like them...

for his sake.

Marriage is all about compromise...right?

There were a lot more personal touches that we added, but I was

worried I might've put up too many pictures
and some of you might've fallen asleep readin' this.

I did make one school "made it".

I actually did an update to an oldie.

For several years I had S.T.E.M. Behavior Beads, but

I had a request for S.T.E.A.M. beads also, so I 

added some new beads.

S.T.E.M. or S.T.E.A.M. Behavior Beads

I am puttin' them on sale until next Monday.

If you already own them, scoop up the revision in your TpT purchases.

Happy Monday, friends!