Literature Inspired Ornaments

I had a classroom set of very old, falling apart To Kill a Mockingbird books. They were in too poor of condition to resell or donate (many were missing pages). Some of the pages we used for a blackout poetry project. But with 100+ of these books, I wanted to find another easy way to repurpose my favorite novel. 

BOOK QUOTE ORNAMENT (Glued on outside of ball)
I was inspired by images on Pinterest of so many book crafts; one that caught my eye that I knew I would be capable of making was an image of a holiday ornament made from pages of a book. I gathered up some old plastic colored balls and grabbed my Modge Podge glue and scissors and started cutting and gluing.

I quickly realized that my strips were too wide. If you are gluing the pages on the outside of the ball, cut the strips into two- or three-line strips. The skinnier the quotes, the easier they are to wrap around the ball. I found wrapping them vertically rather than horizontally worked best. 

But this way does take a long time. I also found out NOT to glue your favorite quotes first, because chances are, they will be covered up. The first layer of quotes will probably not show, so feel free to glue blank pages first, then your favorite quotes after.

It took me several hours just to complete one. The more I made, though, the faster I became. Picking out the quotes probably took the longest.

They were pretty but needed a little sparkle. I purchased some Diamond Dust, clear glitter, and clear "vase filler" baubles that looked like little ice pebbles and figured I would experiment with each and see what I liked best.

Make sure to let the ornaments dry completely overnight or for at least 12 hours before adding any embellishments.

I found my favorite look was to glue the ice pebbles near the top, then sprinkle the diamond dust on top and down the sides. I didn't want too much because I wanted to be able to read the quotes through the dust and glitter. 

You can experiment with the amount of bling you wish to add. 

BOOK QUOTE ORNAMENT (Filled clear balls or other shapes)
I really love the look of the glued strips on the balls, but not the amount of time they took. So I purchased some clear balls and present shapes and decided to fill them instead. (This ornament is FAST and so easy!)

I took the quotes and wrapped them around my pinky, then stuck them in the balls. Most of them retained their shapes. I experimented with wrapping them around skinnier objects like a colored pencil or just rolling them into a spiral helped keep their curls better.  

While just the book quotes looked nice, they tended to just roll up together into one big curl. So I realized I needed another element inside the shapes to keep them from doing that.

I added a mixture of the diamond dust, clear glitter, silver glitter, and some of the little ice pebbles. This worked well. Adding another paper element that wasn't rolled into a curl, however, worked the best. I had some crinkles--I don't know what you call these things, but they are like shredded paper folded in zig zags--left over from a gift, so I added some of those, and they worked. They kept the quote strips apart and added some color, too.

There are so many possibilities you can try with this type of ornament. As long as it fits in the ball, you could add charms, beads, and anything that fits inside relating to the novel.

I hope you enjoy this little craft and are able to repurpose your own old novel sets into beautiful ornaments.

Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments.  

Celebrate the Holidays in Your Classroom

Thanks so much for visiting my blog for Day 12 of the 12 Days of December Holiday Blog Hop! 

Incorporating comfort and joy into your classroom during the holiday season can be as easy as a lesson relating to the holidays or announcing a contest or challenge to your fellow staff members.

REGIFTING: YAY OR NAY?
Regifting: most of us are guilty of regifting something at least once in our lives. What do your students think about regifting? You can have some engaging arguments in your classroom on the topic.

My nonfiction argument lesson on regifting contains "pro" and "con" articles on regifting. Students read both sides, analyze both arguments, then decide which side of the debate they fall. It also includes a role-play activity, an infographic assignment where students collect their own data and create an infographic based on their findings, and a writing component in which students form their own arguments on regifting using the data and research they collected.

HOLIDAY COLORING PAGES
Coloring and doodling aren't just for children. CNN reported last year that coloring can "...reduce anxiety, create focus or bring about mindfulness." We all know students (and teachers) who can benefit from less tension and improved concentration and mindset. 

My Christmas and Holiday coloring pages are geared toward teens and are perfect for decorating your classroom for the holidays. The winter-themed pages can be used for the entire season.

Students who like to doodle will love the doodle pages included.

DOOR DECORATING CONTEST
Last year when some teachers at my high school decided to have a holiday door decorating contest, little did we know how much joy it would bring to not only the students but the entire staff.

The guidelines were very simple: decorate your door for the holidays and complete it within a week. You could do it yourself or have your students help you during our common 8th period study hall.

Since there weren't any stipulations, pretty much anything holiday-related was acceptable. Some teachers used their content area for inspiration, like my fellow English teacher's "Winter PoeTree," complete with poems written by students:

Or by our P.E. teachers on the locker room doors:

 

And by one of our math teachers:

Others made their doors warm and cozy with fireplaces:

Our computers/business teacher's door.

One of our science teacher's door. Names on the stockings are students from Physics class.

While others used iconic holiday characters like the Grinch, Snoopy, and Olaf:

A math teacher's door.

The special education room.

Another math teacher's door.

Even our principal and office staff got in on the fun:

Our principal's office door.
The student office workers and secretaries made the "Nice" list;
our principal and athletic director made the "Naughty" list.

The door to the main office.

For my door, I decided to go with one of my favorite holiday movies as inspiration: A Christmas Story. I debated on whether the leg lamp would be appropriate but thought I would take my chances. I decided I wanted the outside of the box on the outside of my door and the lamp on the inside of my door: 

 

I used large rolls of printed paper in woodgrain patterns for the box and the window frame and stars for the sky. (Most of the supplies I used were leftover from Homecoming float-building and Prom decorating supplies or Christmas decorations I happened to have.)   

Our school has an excellent color photocopier with an enlargement feature that will print a giant image on several pieces of 11x14 in. paper (you just need to piece them together). I used this feature to print the leg lamp and the larger images of the characters. I made two copies of the lampshade so I could tape battery-operated fairy lights under the top layer of the lampshade. To add another three-dimensional feature, I taped real black fringe to the bottom of the top layer lamp shade. 

Then things got a little out of control...

    

 Once I started decorating around the door, I just couldn't stop. And there were so many parts of the movie I wanted to include! So I added the Bumpus dogs, Scut Farkus, the famous "You'll shoot your eye out" quote, Ralphie in his cowboy outfit, his C+ essay, the Little Orphan Annie Decoder and Ovaltine message, Ralphie in his pink bunny gift, Randy's zeppelin, the Old Man's bowling ball, the Red Ryder BB gun, the Old Man's "Fra-Gee-Lay" quote, Ralphie's mom correcting him, Ralphie dropping the lugnuts and saying "Oh Fudge," LifeBuoy soap, Randy in his snow suit "I can't move my arms," the triple-dog dare, Flick's tongue on the pole, and Scut and Grover Dill. (The "retweets" comment was because a student had recently said he would tackle a Christmas tree if his tweet got 150 retweets.)

Here's a video of my "A Christmas Story" door:


The total cost of this door was less than $3 (the black fringe was the only thing I purchased) because I was able to repurpose leftover decorating supplies and use holiday decorations I already had on hand. Of course, being able to use our school's photocopier helped keep costs down.  

I'll post pictures from this year's door decorating contest in a separate blog, so make sure to follow me to get updates. This year's theme is any holiday song; I'll be helping my husband with his social-studies classroom door. 

GIVEAWAY
Bringing comfort and joy into your classroom doesn't have to be complicated, of course. A simple string of lights, playing of a holiday song as students walk in the classroom, or wearing an "ugly" holiday sweater can be enough to bring a smile to your students' faces.

Make sure you check out Hello Teacher Lady and Write On with Miss G's blog posts, as well!

Thanks so much for stopping by AND don't forget to ENTER to win the final prize: a $200 Amazon Gift Card! You can enter to win here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Or by clicking here:  12 Days of December

I hope you obtained many great ideas from my fellow bloggers for bringing comfort and joy into your classroom!

In case you missed any, you can find all the blog posts here:

An InLinkz Link-up

Gifts for the Book Nerd, English Teacher, Bibliophile, Librarian, or Grammar Nazi

The problem with buying gifts for the book lover is that you never know which books they have already read and own or whether they will even like them. I'm offering suggestions because I am a verified 100% book nerd English teacher myself and my husband finds me incredibly hard to buy for. Hopefully this will help you find the perfect gift for your loved one! Click on each picture below to go to the website to purchase (most are on Amazon).

STOCKING STUFFERS

Who wouldn't love these literary-inspired stocking stuffers?
(Images courtesy of Amazon.com, unless otherwise noted)

This just seems completely appropriate for those of us who love words:
The Best Christmas Word Search Puzzle Book



Help your loved one keep their Kindle, iPad, smart phone, or other reading device's screen clean:


Scrabble Slam Cards: Taking your favorite board game to another level:



Inspire the book lover with a Magnetic Poetry Kit (Book Lover edition, of course!):

Every book nerd knows you can never have too many bookmarks. Get these cute punctuation magnetic i-clip bookmarks:

Or elegant Harry Potter Hogwarts Houses bookmarks:

Keep Calm and Read On:

Sometimes you just want one hand free while reading. These Thumb Things book holders come to the rescue! (Great for read-alouds or snacking while reading.):

As long as they don't think you are sending them a hint with this Edgar Allan Poe-inspired air freshener (perfect for their car, classroom, office, library, etc.):

Or perhaps they would like Jane Austen's better:

Every teacher should keep bandages in her drawer for those pesky paper cuts. Keep it real with Shakespeare's Insults Bandages kit:

These ultra-cute sticky notes are perfectly shaped for annotating books:

Or these "Sticky Fingers":

A teacher (or writer) can never have too many pens! These Pentel gel ink pens are my favorite for grading papers, writing notes, doodling, whatever. And they are reasonably priced:

Harry Potter candy is always a fun treat:





If your book nerd friend doesn't have a mockingjay pin yet, this would be a great stocking stuffer:

Gift cards are perfect stocking stuffers! Get cards from favorite book stores, coffee houses where your loved one likes to hang out, or teaching resources sites like TeachersPayTeachers:

Image courtesy of TeachersPayTeachers.com

GIFTS

The Complete Far Side by Gary Larson: Considering this book collection was just released November 25th, perhaps your loved one doesn't have it yet. Chances are, they will cherish this for years to come:

Book nerds will drool over this new release of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales. These are the original stories translated into American English:

A reading journal for the book lover: seems perfect, right?

I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar; for a great laugh, your Grammar Nazi will love this:

Any book by Grammar Girl is the perfect gift for the grammar lover. I love her website and her books are great to have on hand for easy reference:

TOTE IT

Big books are the best. "I Like Big Books and I Cannot Lie" tote:

Is that special someone you are buying for a Jane Austen fan? How about a Pride and Prejudice inspired tote:

Blue Q's bags are great for carrying books:




Or cover multiple books AND make a statement with this Banned Books tote:

How about a phone case inspired by the book? (This one is for the new iPhone 6, but they make them for many different brands/models - just click on the link):

How about a recycled book purse?

Image by Etsy.com

Gone With the Wind pouch:

WRITE ALL ABOUT IT

It's a black pen, a red pen, a pencil, and a stylus--all in an elegant shell:

Vintage card catalog-inspired notecards; they are straight from the Library of Congress:

These beautiful journals are sure to please anyone on your list who loves to write:

Tree of Life journal:

In spirals:

Cute vintage-looking roll-up pencil cases:

READING IN BED SOLUTIONS

This reading light is my all-time favorite. Make sure you get the LightWedge brand (the quality is far superior than other brands, though Verilux now makes one and I love their reading lights but haven't tried their book light):

Here's a classy-looking plush book stand (other colors available):

Does your loved one need a hands-free laptop stand for their nighttime reading or working?
This stand makes it easy:

Or how about a hands-free stand they can use for reading on their Kindle, iPad, or Nook? Did I mention they can lie on their back without fear of dropping their device on their face?

WEAR IT FAVORITES

How about a beautiful infinity scarf straight from a page of her favorite book? Check out Storiarts on Etsy:

Image: Storiarts on Etsy.com

While you are visiting Etsy, check out one of my favorite shops: the Boolady. Her To Kill a Mockingbird inspired jewelry is awesome (favorites of mine from last year!):

Image: Boolady on Etsy.com

Every bibliophile would appreciate these Book Lover Flip Flops for their trips to the beach...or anywhere:

Image: CafePress.com

More big books:

Just to keep going with the theme...

And for the book junkie:

Alice in Wonderland inspired necklace:



"So It Goes" Necklace, inspired by Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse V:


Thoreau-inspired t-shirt:


Or The Great Gatsby:

FOR THE HOME

I love the look of the card catalog cabinets! Here's a beautiful piece to add to give your loved one for home, office, or classroom (holds CDs, DVDs, etc.):

For the Harry Potter fan: a Marauder's Map blanket to keep your book nerd warm this winter:

The grammar nazi in your life will appreciate these dishes:




It's always time to read with these clocks:








Book ends are always useful:

Vintage typewriters:



Magnetic arrow book ends:


For the Doctor Who fan:

From A to Z or @ and & book ends:




Shakespeare book ends:



The only bad thing about this Hunger Games Mockingjay book end is that it only comes with one!

Because every book lover will continue to acquire new books, give them a place to keep them all:

Front view of swivel bookcase.

MISCELLANEOUS

Here's a beautiful and easy way for bibliophiles to label their books:



Because most book berds are creative themselves--because this game does take some creative-thinking--I offer up the Cards Against Humanity game. This is a game for horrible, terrible, rotten people who laugh at the expense of others. And it's highly addicting. Oh, the humanity:






Need more ideas? Check out my Pinterest pin board for more gift suggestions:

What are YOUR favorite gifts to receive? To give? Post them below with a link!

Happy Holidays from Mrs. Orman's Classroom