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!

Forgive me readers...for I have sinned...

Forgive me readers...for I have sinned...

It's been 8 months since my last post.

I could sit here and list all of my excuses...

I planned a weddin'.

I moved.

I got married.

Photo credit: Caroline Brantley Photography

I went on a honeymoon.

My grade level had 4 state tests.

I took up a new hobby of cross-stitchin'.

I read books that didn't start with "Once Upon a Time".

 I watched a lot of Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.

I cut open and broke my finger.

I was tired.

Or...

I could just ask you for forgiveness.

Forgive me?

Pleeeeeeeaaaaassssseee!?!

I'm not goin' to make empty promises that I will be back full force

with bloggin' because I might be lyin' to both of us.

I will just have to take it one linky at a time.

I've missed you all though.

That should count for somethin'...right?

Lots of cool things happened in my classroom this past year.

You'll just have to take my word for it.

I thought the best way to ease myself back into bloggin' would be to 

link up with my friend Tara at 4th Grade Frolics for "Monday Made It".

Tara's post last week was an inspiration to me
because she made it a point

to state that it's okay to make stuff for home and not just school
...so I did.

(Disclaimer:  Jerm, my awesomeness husband, did all the dirty work...

I just bossed him on what to do...
because I still have a broken finger...
he's the best!)

Jerm and I have been watchin' HGTV's "Flea Market Flip" on Netflix.

It gave us the idea to browse some antique and second hand/thrift stores to find

some treasures to "flip".

We got this table for free.

We found these two chairs at a shop for $20 a piece.

We talked the lady into givin' them to us for $40...

instead of her askin' price of $50.

We got this outdoor fabric at Jo-Ann Fabrics for 50% off.

The sweet lady accidentally cut into our yard so we got an additional 30% off.

This cost about $7.50

We sprayed them with Rust-Oleum's Gloss Seaside.  

Three cans of this cost about $12.

Total project cost less than $60.

I'd say our table and chairs flip was a success!

I can't wait to read what everyone else has made.  

Happy Monday, friends!

Suspended pearls?....Tried It Tuesday

Well....HELLO there!

It's been one month since my last confession....

I mean...blog post!

Y'all...I didn't fall off the planet, 

but I did fall into some major 

lesson plannin' and weddin' plannin'.

I haven't taken any naps...SHOCKER!

I have been fallin' asleep readin' my Kindle app...early... 

just about every night 

since school started.

I'm not gonna lie...I needed a break.

I can't promise that I will be back on my

bloggin' routine, but I will pop in every now

and then in the next comin' months.

I'd ask for understandin', but I know I don't 

need to explain myself.

Y'all KNOW.

I did want to share a pretty neat-o "tried it", so...

I'm linkin' up with one of my BBB's Holly 

from Fourth Grade Flipper

for her Tried it Tuesday.

I saw this super awesome pin and I wanted to test

it out before the weddin'.

Source

Pearls suspended in water?  

Sign me up!

Except...they aren't really suspended in water.

They are suspended in clear gels...in water.

I wanted.

I NEEDED!

What did I do?  

I got on my trusty friend, Amazon,

 and found these to order...

Transparent Water Gel Vase Fillers 

and 

Unique Elegant Vase Fillers-Black and White Pearls

I did read the reviews and found out that the red

ones look more pink, so I didn't buy red.

My colors are black, red, and white, so I stuck with

just black and white.

I waited patiently for them to arrive to my mailbox.

You know I'm NOT very patient...at all.

They FINALLY came though and

I was so ecstatic when I opened the package.

I read the directions and they were pretty intense.

I made my bestie read them too...to tell me I wasn't crazy.

I ran up to Dollar Tree and got two clear vases.

I stopped at Winn Dixie and got a gallon of Distilled Water.

My supplies...

The little clear things on the left are the gels.

The assorted black and white pearls are on the right.

Distilled water and vases in the back.

I used 8 cups of water and filled up the two vases

with the gels and water.

It takes about 12 hours for them to expand.

Look...you can't even SEE the clear gels. 

It just looks like water.

Why didn't I invent this?

WHY?

You move the pearls wherever you want.

I was impatient and put them in before the gels

were finished expandin'.

This mornin' when I woke up,

I had more gels than fit the

two vases.  

I really could have used three.

Check the clear gels out. 

It's crazy to me that you can't see 

them when they are covered with water.

I still have pearls left to put in a third jar.

 Now all I need are some floatin' candles.

I'm doin' lots of different table decorations,

but I will definitely be purchasin' some 

more supplies on Amazon this week to 

make more of these vases.

These could be used in your house with flowers,

or candles, or whatever...not just for a weddin'.

I'm gettin' giddy because so many things are startin' 

to come together with plannin'.

I've missed you!

Happy Tuesday, friends!