If you and I know each other in real life and you’ve worked on a crafty project, chances are I’ve hounded you to write a blurb for my blog. Sometimes I beg to no avail and just write a blog for you (ah-hem, Krafty Katie). But for the FIRST TIME EVER, one of my friends has actually given in to this peer pressure.

I’d like to think this is a form of “positive peer pressure” — you know, the kind you learn about in D.A.R.E. class… kind of like this:

Anyway, remember my good friend Joe? I made him a Mickey Mouse “man bag” for his birthday. Joe is a fifth grade teacher and he’s been going crazy on the Pinterest for the past week or so, preparing ideas for his classroom. When he sent me a picture of pencil bunting he made for his classroom (you know how much I love bunting), I begged him to send me a write-up and photos!

So here you go, in the words of Joe!

It’s that time of year again. Seeing all the school supplies in the stores lets me know that back to school is right around the corner. And I want to start this year fresh with some new ideas I have been eyeing for awhile. During the school year, we teachers only have time to grade and assess, so I decided to start some crafting before I go back. I have been lectured by many (Lindsay) to check Pinterest for some ideas to help liven my room.

One thing that has always bothered me was the headline for each of my subject boards. I found this great idea to make headlines that are more permanent. I found this banner for sale on etsy but since I’m working on a teacher’ budget, I decided to make my own!

I headed to JoAnn Fabrics and bought some paints, string and burlap. I got all the materials for this project for just $5. Then I used paper to make a template of a pencil and cut out my design.

After I had all the shapes cut out, I painted them yellow and let them dry. Once they were dry, I started to paint the letters on top. Instead of using a stencil, I just Googled fonts and tried to copy them the best I could freehand. I painted the black tip of the pencil and let everything dry overnight.

The next day I folded the top part of the pencil just a little bit and glued it to the back. This created a loop so I could slide string through to connect the letters. That is pretty much it!

I made headlines for all the subjects including reading, math, science, social studies, writing and a welcome sign. I used less then a yard of burlap with a little leftover. It was quite surprising how easy the project was. Now I will have a sign for each of my subjects and not have to worry about it tearing or fading throughout the year!

So there you have it! Pencil Bunting 101, a la Joe – fifth grade teacher extraordinaire. I’d say this tutorial was a pretty good excuse for positive peer pressure. 😉

Is anyone else out there starting back-to-school preparations?