Ever Hear of a Fringe Tree?

I hadn't either--until we happened upon this pretty little thing at a local nursery a couple of years ago. The fringe comes out during mid-spring, and it only lasts a couple of weeks. The fringe has a pleasant, sweet smell. LOVE IT!

Tutorial: How to Cover Alligator Clips with Ribbon

This is my first attempt at a tutorial. I like to call these "Cute Clippies".

First, you need to gather all needed items: alligator clips (mine are 1 and 7/8" X 3/8"), 3/8" wide ribbon (I prefer grosgrain), Fray Check, hot glue gun, buttons to match ribbon, button shank remover, small ruler, and scissors.

Next, cut two lengths of ribbon, each 5" long.

Put Fray Check on each end of the lengths of ribbon.

Put one end of each ribbon inside of alligator clip. Make sure the ribbon is centered.

Begin gluing ribbon to alligator clip. Do one section at a time, making sure along the way that the ribbon stays centered. Open the alligator clip and remove any excess glue after each section. You don't want to end up having your clip glued together!



The ribbon will not reach all the way to the end of the clip on the back.

To add a cute button, you first need to remove the shank from the back. The shank remover only works on plastic buttons, but it cuts through like butter!

Use the glue gun to hot glue a button to each clip. If you make a matching pair like I did, be sure to turn the clips so that you have a "lefty" and a "righty".

I plan to put mine in our craft show, so I made up a little card to attach them to. What do you think?

New Project

Here is my latest bead project. I saw this in a magazine and thought it was really pretty. I asked my daughter if she liked it, and she said that she would wear it if I made it. So I did!

I really like the glossy texture of the beads. And the geometrical design of the clasp looks perfect with the bead shapes.

I think I'll make another one (or two) just like it for our craft sale . . .

Oh. My. Word.

I think I still have my sanity. Managing 24 active, naughty, hyper 6 & 7 year-olds is not what I call a fun time. At last, at last they're gone! And they can all read. And they can all add and subtract. And they can all write a coherent sentence. And they all know the life-cycle of a butterfly. And they all know the difference between "needs" and "wants". And they all know they will be in 2nd grade next year. And I know that I only have one year left with this sometimes insane job.

Don't get me wrong. I still feel there is something special about teaching 1st grade, and it's been an extremely rewarding journey. Maybe it's because I'm older, or maybe it's because the children of today are so different . . . or maybe it's a little of both. But the intense pressure and fast pace of every day just plain wears me out. I'm looking forward to enjoying my days--not just surviving them!

And now this is what I can look forward to working with during the upcoming weeks. I think our roses are really pretty this year!