Monday, July 1, 2013

Monday Made It!

I haven't participated in Monday Made It in a looooooong time, so I am excited to link up today!



Remember these little cuties??



Well, I have been buying those little wooden, pre-painted shapes like crazy and finally decided to take the time to assemble some new pointers. If you notice in the photos above, my current pointers all have colored sticks. While I like the colored sticks, the dye tends to bleed a little in moist, little child hands (and kid hands ALWAYS seem to be moist!!). Well, I decided to use my friend Mod Podge and some scrapbook paper to give them a different look!!


That's right--I Mod Podged scrapbook paper onto the dowel sticks! It was a little tricky at first, but I ended up being able to crank out 14 of them last night! It took 3 episodes of Snapped to get them all finished.

DIY Pointers
Materials:
  • a surface able to get a little messy
  • dowel rods (any size)
  • scrapbook paper
  • X-Acto knife (or sharp scissors)
  • Mod Podge
  • hot glue gun
  • fun wooden shapes of your choice
Procedure:

1. Pick your paper. I recommend trimming one end of the paper so that it is slightly shorter than the rod so you are to wrap the stick a little easier (you can see how much I trimmed on the right side; and, don't worry, that part will not be seen.) Use a paintbrush to apply Mod Podge to the top of the paper. Lay the dowel rod on top of the Mod Podge on the paper, leaving a little edge exposed. 

2. Grab the edge that was exposed and press it onto the dowel rod. Roll/tuck it just like a burrito over all of the Mod Podge you painted on.

Be sure to apply enough pressure to get rid of air bubbles and tuck tightly!

3. Use an X-Acto knife (or scissor blade) to trim the excess paper. Trim slightly below the bottom of the stick.

4. Apply a little more Mod Podge to the flap and finish wrapping the stick.


Press it down!!

5. Apply Mod Podge to the paper to seal it.

6. Let it dry for 10-15 minutes.

7. Time to glue! Apply hot glue to the back of your chosen wooden shape.

8. Apply pressure to the stick for about 30 seconds. 

VOILA!!!! 


Here is the part of the stick I did not cover with paper. Leaving it exposed made wrapping SO much easier!


 Made some big ones for the number line at the top of the wall in my classroom.


This is to show you how ginormous these are!

I. LOVE. THEM. EVEN. MORE. I cannot wait to add these to my pointer collection!!


Cheap trash can + fun stickers equals.......

...pointer storage!!!




LOVE IT!! And it was so easy to make! :) Stickers from Hobby Lobby and trash can from Walmart.


The third and final project for me was this fun little tray!

The tray will hold various supplies for small groups and will sit on the small group table. I bought the tray from the party section at Hobby Lobby.

 Procedure:
1. Pick your favorite papers.

2. Cut the papers to fit the inside of the tray.

3. Apply Mod Podge to the tray where you will place the first paper.

4. Stick the paper on and press it down. 


5. Do the same for the rest of the papers. 

6. Apply a top coat of Mod Podge. Beware of air bubbles!

VOILA!!

This tray will house these fun pails and will be kept one of my small group tables.

Thanks for stopping by!! :)



49 comments:

  1. I love the pointers! Great job, I had to pin your idea too! :)

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  2. Super crafty..... Love the pointers! I may have to make a few of those for my number lines which are also pretty high up on my walls!

    Michele

    Coffee Cups and Lesson Plans

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    Replies
    1. I'm pretty excited to be able to count on the number line in style. ;)

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  3. What cute stuff! And how nice of you to show the process step-by-step, so that even non-crafties (like me!) can make these too!
    Thanks, Janaye!

    Kim
    Finding JOY in 6th Grade

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kim! With my busy schedule, I tend to only tackle easy projects and these three definitely were. You can do it! ;)

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  4. Love the pointers!!! I can envision lots of uses!!! Thanks!!

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  5. WOW everything looks fantastic. I would have NEVER thought of putting scrapbook paper on dowels but it makes it look so much cuter, great tutorial. . . PINNING!!!! See you on instagram.

    ✰ Stacy

    Simpson Superstars

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  6. You were on a roll!!! I love love love the pointers and their storage container. How absolutely adorable!!

    Amanda
    Reaching for the TOP!

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    Replies
    1. I was!!!! And now, I am spent. ;)

      Thanks for coming by!

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  7. I have some of those shapes, and I was going to make something with them like your pointers. I love that you used scrapbook paper to decorate the dowels! Such a great idea!

    Erica
    Blooming In First

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Erica! I have really loved the fun pointers and so do the kids!

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  8. Wow! You've been so busy! Love everything, especially the scrapbook paper on the dowels, genius! I am pretty sure the only thing mod-podged scrapbook paper can't do is clean the dishes. Great job, Janaye! :)
    ~Heather
    Loose Shoelaces

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    Replies
    1. Thanks!! And I am hoping someone, somewhere is out there working on how to get mod podge to work on dishes............ ;)

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  9. That tray is awesome! I love how you made it your own.

    Sara :)
    Smiling In Second Grade

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  10. Thanks for sharing all of these wonderful ideas! The pointers are wonderful and love those small group table caddies. Just found your blog and am a new follower with bloglovin...

    Smiles,
    Sarah @ Hoots N Hollers

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  11. I love all of your "made its." Everything is so fun and colorful. Your kidddos will love using those pointers!!

    Aimee
    Primarily Speaking

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  12. I love all the little characters on the pointers!

    Brenda
    You Might Be a First Grader….

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    Replies
    1. Aren't they fun?! I totally make them JUST for the kids and not for me to have fun... ;)

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  13. So cute! I may have to make some of those pointers with a surfer theme! Your tray is amazing as well!

    Aloha,
    Corinna

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    Replies
    1. Little surf boards would be wayyyy cute! :)

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  14. I absolutely love the pointers, thanks for sharing!!!

    Angela
    The Daily Alphabet

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  15. Great tutorial! Love all the pictures, it makes it so clear!

    The Math Maniac

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  16. Those pointers are just too cute! Thanks for linking them up:)

    4th Grade Frolics

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  17. Janaye the pointers are adorable!! Thanks for sharing. You've been on a mission. I've been following you on Instagram and didn't realize I wasn't following on blogger. I'm addicted to instagram I just love seeing people's posts. Proud to be your newest follower.

    ((Hugs))
    Tiffany

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    Replies
    1. Same here--I am now following your blog! Heading over now!

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  18. Love it!!
    Thanks for sharing!! :)

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  19. What a clever idea putting the scrapbook paper on the dowels. It really gives the pointers a finished look.

    Heather
    room 4 imagination

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Heather! I love how they turned out and wish I would have thought of it sooner. :)

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  20. Too cute!! I'll have to start doing that as I need some new and more exciting points. Love it!!
    Shibahn
    Mrs. Landry's Land of Learning

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  21. These decoration ideas are beautiful and easy to use for any party. So, I am thinking to use it for my next party at event space NYC. I am almost done with planning and just need to complete the decoration part.

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