Photoshop Clip Art Tip

I am still moving towards changing my blog from just teacher resources to photographer resources. I've been working really hard to create photo cards that pop. I want my products/freebies to be different. This is my first Photoshop post.
I did it and I'm super proud of myself. I created my first set of clip art using Photoshop. This is my first set and it's Valentine themed. I'm super excited about Valentine's day and I can't wait for it to get here! This blog post is going to teach you the simple way to make clip art using Photoshop. I'm going to try to post pictures as I go so hopefully that will help. Photoshop can be tricky so if you're not familiar with it, this may take a few rounds of practice.

Step 1: I started with my chalkboard paper I created when I first started learning how to use the program. The minibridge window in Photoshop is a dream, it allows you to see all your files in one simple window right next to your work. I double clicked on the chalkboard file so it would open my paper. I used this as a background because my plan was to make my chalkboard clip art stand out. Here's a sample image below.

Step 2: I'll bet you're wondering how this works. Let me explain. Each word is a separate layer in my document. I simply clicked "create new layer" in my layers tab at the bottom each time I was creating a new word/clip art. If I was creating a word, I went to my toolbar on the left and clicked the "T" which allows you to create text. See a future blog post on how to get the chalkboard effect.

Step 3: Save your work. Note: In photoshop: When you are inserting your chosen set of word/words into a card, etc., drag the word/picture to your project screen and drop. It may look huge. A little trick is to hold down "ctrl" and hit "t" on your keyboard. This will allow you to change the size of your image.

I've listed the 3 steps written in detail above in a simple list:
Step 1: Open your desired background. You may just choose for your background to be white.

Step 2: Click the "create new layer" button at the bottom of the layers tab each time you create a new piece of clip art. This will allow your art to stay separated and easily used in one file.

Step 3: Save your work and that's that!

If you don't have time to create your own chalkboard Valentine Themed clip art, visit my Teacher's Notebook store here: Valentine Clip art. I hope this helps. Thanks for reading!

It's the New Year!

OMGosh!!! I am so behind on my blogging it's unbelievable! I've been a super busy mom, daughter, and digital designer! Yes, that's right! I'm not completely sticking to my teacher product creations. I have slowly been moving myself into photography design. I love my Nikon camera and I love making things to make my pictures even better. I'm super excited as this year, I am working to create my very own product line of digital supplies for photographers as well as for stay at home mom's/dad's who enjoy working with their very own photo cards. I hope to start my very own website with this. Wish me luck!

I'm so in love with Photoshop right now, I can't put it down! I think of new ways to create things and I just dive in! I was very nervous when I first started using Photoshop two years ago. I would just like to recommend it to others. If you don't have it, you need to get it! It's great for being that digital designer/crafty person that you've always wanted to be.

BTW, this year is still going great! My students are wonderful and after this three week Christmas break I can really tell that they are growing up on me. It makes a me a little sad, but it also makes our days much more enjoyable learning wise.

Getting Ready Thanksgiving & Christmas!

It's that time of year again where families get together and houses start to look more like the Christmas season. I know we're just getting ready to start November, but I've been decorating for Christmas since early October!!! I'm super excited this year and wanted my baby to enjoy his 2nd Christmas to the fullest! I hope all you teachers out there are getting your classrooms ready for Thanksgiving, though! I wanted so badly to decorate for Christmas in my classroom, but I thought that would just be overdoing it a little. For now, my room is decorated for fall.
The year is flying by quickly. I've been searching for seasonal activities to use in my classroom. I decided to get a little creative and make a packet for all you 3rd and 4th grade reading teachers out there. This is a packet that includes assessments for each week in November. Just click on the THANKSGIVING ASSESSMENT PACKET link and you will be taken there to see a preview. Have a great day and a great week!

Make a List & Check It Twice...

This blog entry is meant to ask what you teacher's out there need to make your lives more organized or just easier? I'm working as hard as I can to make my own life as a teacher easier, but I'm not sure how to help others.
Off topic here: Life at work is going great! My class is great even though it's loaded with boy's. The paperwork we are required to do is somewhat overwhelming and many have no idea what a teacher goes through, but that's part of it. If your heart is not in teaching then all the paperwork and requirements will weed you out and you will leave the profession. Well, at least I think.
So back to the main reason for this entry, what are some resources that all you educator's out there need for the elementary level? I'm working on stocking up my Teacher's Pay Teacher store with different resources to keep your school year going great. Just let me know of anything you've dreamed about by sending me an email or stopping by my store and I'll see if I'm creative enough to help. Thank you!

Oh, How Time Flies...

It's been way to long since my last entry. School is going good and my students are great! My classroom is becoming a bit cluttered as I continue my year which is not supposed to happen, but it does so that's okay. Life is going fast and we are already into the seventh week of school! I have realized that my students eagerness to learn is not very high. Some care and most do not care. Is this normal at this age of fourth grade? I'm growing a little frustrated, but this shouldn't come as a surprise because I feel this way each year. I have motivated until I'm give out, nothing seems to work and I need some advice from all you teacher's out there. I know that motivation only goes so far and it seems to me that these groups have lost it. They just want to come and get it over with and go play video games.
I feel that our next generation (which is the generation that is going to take care of us) are going to end up being a bunch of technology oriented, lazy grown-ups that won't care about a thing in the world.
Forgive me for being blunt, but I'm just a little overwhelmed. I love teaching, but I feel that I can't enjoy it for thinking about all the paperwork I have to do and all the pressure to increase test scores. I feel that students across the country are hurting because their teacher that is a great teacher can't teach to their full potential. They are limited in the areas and content they can touch and there's no way around test scores. If your students show low scores at the end of a school year, yep, you might as well brace for the worse teaching year of your life for the upcoming school year. Thanks for reading.

Check out my store on Teachers Pay Teachers by clicking on the above banner for my biggest Back To School sale of the year! My entire store is on sale! If you are K-6th, my store will have something to meet your back to school needs! My interactive journals for 4th, 5th & 6th grades have been a huge favorite! 

4th Grade: Week 1

Wow! It's been a while! When school started, my life just got crazy! I hope everyone's year is going awesome! My first week has been perfect! My group of 13 students are a wonderful set and I am truly going to enjoy this year. I love small groups because you are able to work one-on-one more! We've started our interactive math journals as well as our first homework packet of the year just this week.
Teaching fourth grade for my fifth year in a row is going to be an eventful year as I have nine boys and four girls. I'm so used to dramatic girls (as I always had more girls than boys) that I never noticed boys could be dramatic until now!
I start out each day with one of my morning work sheets that connects with my Go Math! series just to add to what students learned the previous day during math. Check them out: Go Math! Morning Work
Well, I'll stop chattering for now. There's a lot of work to be done and the year is going to fly by. Testing will be here before we know it!

Storage

After five years of knowing the type of file box cart for my classroom that I really wanted to spend my own money on, I finally decided to buy it. My reluctance for the past five years has been the price. I got up on this lovely Saturday morning and decided baby and I would set out on an adventure to see if our local fabric store carried it. Yes! I found it on sale at Joann Fabrics along with a 25% off coupon! That's right ladies and gents! I found it for $31.00. We all know how much these are! I have wanted one of these for homework/assignment submission drawers since I started teaching! I can't wait to get it in my room! Of course, you can jump online and check, but to get the awesome sale price I found, you'd have to be in person. I hope everyone has a wonderful and organized year!