Listening Station Organization & Curing the Classroom Blues

I have been getting so antsy for school to start (I will totally regret saying that in a few weeks when I can't sit outside with an iced coffee all morning).

I've been spending all of my spare time thinking about how I want my classroom to look and flow - brain draining! Wow!  But, I did come across a few great ideas that I just had to use.

My listening station has been in need of some serious reconstructive surgery.  I typically use plastic Ziploc gallon bags to store individual books and CD players (Yep, CD players... I'm stuck in the stone age). 

But after seeing a photo on this fabulous blog here, I knew I had found my inspiration!

I pulled out some plain bags that I'd found at the Dollar Tree last summer (for a poor project idea that was left to die in the craft closet), some scrap fabric, and fabric glue.

I cut out a number for each bag and came up with this...

But it looked sooo boring.  Cue more scrap fabric and polka dot cutting:

And the final project:

I'm not a HUGE fan.  I would love to go back and switch the fabrics that I used (the striped polka dots just aren't really doing it for me), but they're done.  If there's one thing that teaching has done, it's knocked the perfectionist right out of me.  So while they're not perfect, these are still much improved listening bags - they get *sprinkles!*

And about my classroom blues...  I am struggling with not being able to get into my classroom to set up for the new school year (I'm usually all set up by the beginning of August and can relaaaax till in-service), but no such luck this year!

So, I cured my blues with this (best purchase ever):

And I spent all evening in a crazy laminating coma while my fiance stared dumbfounded. (How could he not see the excitement in this?! Ha!)

Well, I'm sure there's much more to create AND LAMINATE around here - have a sprinklicious Sunday!