Well, today I'm going to be on the road traveling so my "Saturday Shares" will be pretty simple. I'm just going to share some of my new Monster-Themed stuff I've been working on! So, I told ya'll on Thursday that I was going to get my Mod Podge on for the first time. *Sigh* If only, I had read Megan's (from I Teach. What's Your Super Power?) comment first..."Practice with something you don't care about first." Too late. And, apparently Mod Podge (or crafting for that matter) is not my Super Power. You see, I planned to mod podge my classroom stool. This stool has been sitting in my garage for weeks now as I planned what to do with it. I had initially started painting it. The primer and base coat of turquoise...no problem. But then, I tried to pain a monster face on it using acrylic paint. AGH! The red was not "popping" on the turquoise and the paint was cracking. After SIX coats I had given up. Enter mod podge. I had heard everyone talking about this and thought, why not? So....I drew the monster face on cardstock, cut it out, used Elmer's spray glue and stuck that bad boy to the top of the stool. Adorable! Then I pulled out the mod podge (read every word on the bottle because that's how I roll). Sounds easy enough. I applied a generous coat using a paintbrush and stood back to admire. This was going better than I thought! Then, I went inside to begin on another craft (my monster clipchart...more on that in a moment) because I'm not patient. I can't "sit tight" or "kill time." After a few minutes, I couldn't wait to see the final result so I head back to the garage....AGH!!! My sweet little monster had all of these bubble rolls in him!! I quickly found a marker and used that to try to "roll" the bubbles flat but the mod podge had already become tacky and that just lifted some of the cardstock off with the marker. {insert major whining and pouty face} I got a cup of water, wet my fingers, and just tried to roll the bubbles flat with my hand. Not perfect, by any means, but better. I let this dry and then added another coat of mod podge. Looks pretty good from a distance. But, up close and in the right light, you can definitely see the wrinkles. :( I had initially wanted to paint the legs with polka dots and stripes and all sorts of wild designs/patterns. But, after my first attempt at painting on top of the turquoise, I knew I better go another route. So, I bought those little red circle stickers, stuck them all around, and mod podged right on top of those suckers! Easy peasy! I still have some finishing touches to put on it (think fur trim) but the main work is done. All in all I think it was a good first attempt at mod podge....I learned from it. I might even try another stool to see if I can perfect it, but this one will be good enough for the students....I think they'll think it's fun! :) Clip Chart Management System Last year I used the clip system and loved it, so I wanted to stick with that this year. However, last year I had one of those students who didn't know about personal space...you know the kind, right? And, well, every time he walked by our cute little guitar, he knocked off half of the clothespins...sometimes breaking them. So, this year I wanted to find another way to do this system (without using clothespins) while incorporating my monster theme. I saw a picture on pinterest of someone using a "big oil pan" as a magnet board and this gave me an idea! Why not create my clipchart on the oil pan and have magnets for the students to move up or down. So....that's what I did! I haven't decided if I should draw little mouths on them...what do you think? These magnets are for another board in my classroom, but this gives you an idea. I would love to find magnets that are a bit chubbier so they'd be easier to pick up and move, but I still want to be able to write numbers on them. Anyone seen any great magnets around that would be perfect for this? My plan is for Mr. Madden to make it so that it will hang on some of those great 3M hooks...right on the bathroom door in my classroom. While I was at Hobby Lobby (yes, AGAIN!) buying supplies for the above projects, I was SUPER excited that they had this sign I'd been wanting for my classroom. I saw it weeks ago, but didn't buy it because it was $40. Then Mr. Madden reminded me that I always have a "40% off one item" Hobby Lobby coupon with me (thanks to the GeoQpons app on my iphone). {smacking head...why didn't I think of that?} So, I went back to purchase it, but it was GONE!! :( Well, yesterday, they had them back in...I think it's just perfect for the classroom. Maybe somewhere near our clipchart or classroom rules. And, last but not least, I found a great deal at Barnes and Noble!! I always have a class mascot with a traveling bag and matching book (I use this with my Pet Pal Project...I'll do a post on that soon!) With my new monster theme, I thought this "Ugly Doll" stuffed animal and bag would be PERFECT (and 50% off!!) Of course, I had to snatch up another monster book to go with it! :) That's it for today! Headed to the SC coast to put my toes in the sand and a book in my hand! I'm sure I'll be playing LOTS of Song Pop, Words with Friends, and Scramble with Friends while in the car...hit me (AmandaMadden) up if you're on there!