Five for Friday {6.19.15}

Love linking up for Five for Friday with Kacey! It's been too long...

here's what life looks like lately...

I've been enjoying my time with this Little Miss. If you follow me on Instagram, you saw my post on how much different this summer is compared to my last summer. Example: This summer I wait in the parking lot for Target to open at 8am. Last summer, I was rolling out of bed at or after 10am.

I took part in a little #makeovermadness this week. I gave one of my very first products quite the facelift. Not just the cover but the whole inside as well. Love the kick in the behind this TpT Seller's Challenge is giving me!

You can grab it for only $2 through Sunday! Click here to grab it!

When it comes to jewelry I like to stick to the classics. Items I don't have to change out with every outfit. Like, I'm pretty sure my diamond studs have been in my ear lobes since my husband bought them for me 2 years ago!

So...I thought the jewelry subscription Rocksbox wouldn't really be for me, but I was totally wrong. After I built my wishlist, they sent me the three most perfect "wear everyday, all day" pieces. Case in point, I've yet to take off this Kendra Scott necklace:

I'm seriously am so torn between sending it back for my next set of jewelry and keeping it forever.

Want to try Rocksbox free? Its the Stitchfix of jewelry!

 You can get a free month on me, just use the code below:

HALLEBFF2

I'm super-busy on the TpT front. I'm working on bundling my Main Idea resources right now. Be on the lookout for the growing bundle...you'll be able to grab them all at a pretty fantastic price!

Check them out ahead of time here.

 Did you know I have a personal blog? I'm pretty awful at posting there right now, but maybe if I had a few followers, I'd get on top of that. Visit me at Sweet Baby H by clicking my blog button below:

That's about it!

Now go link up so I can read all about your week!

Have a great weekend, friends!
~Halle

Makeover Madness with Sums of 10

About four years ago, I discovered Teachers Pay Teachers with my grade partner, Jenna. We were looking for a unit or two for Christmas Around the World. We found more than a few, and before we knew it, we were hooked on TpT.

Not long after, I stuck my toes in the water, and listed a few items for sale. One of my very first products was my "Best Friends" unit. Best Friends was a strategy I used to teach sums of 10 in my classroom for years. I hand-drew a couple of characters and buddied them up to make 10. The strategy was super succesful and my students got a kick out of their number friends, so I was determined to make a unit on it and sell it.

I was so super proud of it...but that was waaaaay back in early 2012. I'd like to think I've come a long way in terms of my units for TpT, but I still love the idea/concept of "Best Friends" and so I thought it would make the perfect candidate for the #tptsellerchallenge

Let's talk about what wasn't working, shall we?

Well, just about everything! Although I still love me some chevron, the cover on the old version was too busy and it didn't highlight what the product was all about.

I still love the Jessica Weible graphics I used but they didn't work in the product. They were too hard to cut out and because they're stick figures, it was hard to show the numbers.

I have new favorite fonts now, so I had to use those in place of the ones in the product.

Perhaps the biggest thing that wasn't working was the formatting and spacing. Fonts were too small, there was too much space between items on some pages, and not enough on others.

And, so now Best Friends is totally updated and a whole lot cuter and user-friendly!

Bigger, bolder pictures and fonts. That's important because this product functions as a classroom display. Plus, I just think bigger looks a whole lot better~

The Memory Game portion of the unit now comes with an ink saving version...important for teachers because our colored ink is so precious!

And perhaps most important? A new price! Pricing was something else I struggled with when I started on TpT. I read a VERY IMPORTANT thread on not devaluing our work and making sure we charge a fair price for our hard work and originality. And while I still think fair pricing is an invaluable took as a seller, I know now that the price I was charging wasn't fair. I've lowered the price a tad bit to reflect what I think the unit it worth, and knocked off another dollar for the remainder of Makeover Madness Week, so you can grab it for $2.00 through Sunday 6/21!!

Click the picture below to grab it.

And check out all of the other Makeover Madness products by visiting Third in Hollywood's blog:

Father's Day: a unit and a freebie

Maybe you're one of the {unlucky???} teachers still in school past Father's Day, or maybe you like to have your students complete something before you're done for the year, no matter when you get out. Either way, I have a really fun and easy idea for you for Father's Day...

...and if you're in a real pinch, I have a freebie for you at the bottom of the post!

I got the idea for DAD Manual when I read a quote about life not coming with a manual, but that's why we have mothers! But I got to thinking, what if we did have a manual for the special guy in our life??? Thus, DAD Manual was born!

DAD Manual comes with 12 different pages, so you can pick and choose which pages you want to use with your students {depending on age, ability, or time}!

Some of the pages require illustrations...

and every page needs maintenance instructions:

There are other pages included: dad at work, best dressed dad, genius dad, most valuable dad, and more.

There are also versions for uncles and grandpas!

You can grab DAD Manual by clicking the picture below:

And if you're in a REEEEAAAAAAL time-crunch, or are looking for a little something to add to a handmade Father's Day gift, I have a freebie for you.

A Guide to my Dad:

You can grab it here.

~Halle