Posters, Crate Seats, Window Valance, and Room Preview!

Oh. My. Word.  Seriously.

I have been trying to put my room together and I'm just a mess.  It's mostly done, now it's all the teeny tiny little details that nobody really even sees.  You understand, right?  It's those things that drive me NUTS.

Anyways, I plan to go back and link up with the Applicious Teacher and write posts for all the weekly link-ups I've missed.  But for now, this post is a hodge-podge of everything.

First of all, I received a sweet message from a fellow blogger/TPTer/teacher who is using my reading comprehension posters.  I just use them on my focus board, but check out what she did with them!

Stacey used file folders and glued a poster on the inside of each one.  She's going to put a correlating activity in the folder to use for practice and reinforcement!  What a great idea!  Here's the link to her blog post about it to get more info:  http://teachingeverafter.blogspot.com/2013/07/reading-strategies-and-comprehension.html

If you're interested in the posters, I have them for sale in my TPT shop.  My Reading Comprehension Posters, Reading Strategy Posters, and Grammar Posters are my best sellers!

Ok, we've all seen the cute and adorable crate seats all over blogs and Pinterest.  I decided they'd be cute and functional in my classroom at my reading table.  I love the extra storage they provide!  And they're a great height, too.  I got the directions from Ginger Snaps.

I bought the crates for $3-something at Big Lots.  I bought a foam twin mattress from Meijer for $7.99. It was enough double up the padding for 6 seats.  I bought plywood from Lowe's for $16-something and had a ton left over.  I didn't have a staple gun, so I bought one at Lowe's for around $20.  The fabric was around $8 from Hobby Lobby.  I bought a spool of ribbon from Hobby Lobby for $1.50.

I'm in love with them!  Such a cute, functional, and easy project.  Lowe's cut the plywood for me to size, so it really took no time at all.

So I have to tell you about my UGLY window shade.  It's a very old yellow color.  I can't take it.  I had to leave it up, so I decided to cover it up!

Here's how I did it:

I bought 5 yards of fabric from Hobby Lobby.  I trimmed off the white edge that was on one of the sides.  Then I spaced out ribbon every 18 inches.

I cut a slit towards the top and fed the ribbon through.

There is a metal rod that is already on my ceiling for some reason.  I fed the ribbon over top of it and pulled it around.  I tied a double-knot on each piece of ribbon and voila!  A no-sew window valance!  How easy is that?!?!

Ok, now here's a quick preview of my new classroom!  I will post pics of the final product sometime this week.  But for now, here's a glimpse into the ever-popular theme of CHEVRON!

Beanbag:  Meijer - $25

FREE Chevron Behavior Chart from A Cupcake for the Teacher:

Mini-bulletin board from Hobby Lobby: $14.99

Pen/Pencil cup from Target: $1 in the Dollar Bins:

Bucket Filler Posters from Blair Turner:

Lamp from Meijer: I honestly can't remember if it was $15 or $25?

Chevron Rug from Big Lots that I bought last year:  I think $25?

Calendar Headers from part of my Bright Chevron Decor Pack:

FREE Daily 5 Posters from Ginger Snaps:

Small tin pail from Walmart: $2.50