Organize your business with the right planner

When you're a blogger, business owner, and teacher it can be hard to keep track of absolutely everything. I have spent countless hours searching for the perfect planner to meet ALL of my needs.

The Erin Condren Life Planner. If you haven't been introduced to this planner yet, please allow me to do so. This planner is durable and has a the ability to be broken up into sections that suit your life style. The Erin Condren Planner comes in both a vertical and horizontal layout, both are great but I prefer the vertical layout for my needs. I use planner stickers to change the morning, afternoon and evening headers to life, school and TeachersPayTeachers this helps me to see everything all in one place.

You can check try it at $10 off {here}. This is by far my favorite planner on the market. It fits perfectly into my purse or teacher bag {depending on the day}. I take it everywhere with me BUT I still needed more control and power over how my my planner looks and functions.

For a while I had both my Erin Condren Planner AND a separate binder for all of my TpT and blogging stuff. I quickly realized that this just didn't work for me. I need everything in one place or I just won't look at it. #Teachertruth. I needed to design pages that could be added to my existing life planner.

Enter, my TpT Business Planner {page inserts} that fit both Erin Condren and Plum Paper Planners. For those of you still wondering about size, these pages are 7x8.75 created to fit a 7x9 planner.

The TpT Business Planner was designed with TeachersPayTeacher sellers and bloggers in mind. Each page focuses on  a specific aspect of the TpT selling experience from social media stats to blog and product planning.

Who does this planner benefit? Everyone interested being a successful business owner or blogger. You're thinking to yourself but I don't blog that seriously, is this really for me. My answer, yes. It ia s never to late to take a serious look at your blog. If it's something that you love, build it up! This planner will help you to set goals for yourself and keep them.

I've printed the planner now what? 
Here comes the fun part. Chanel your inner crafter and lets get started. In just 5 easy steps you will be #tptplanninglikeaboss

What You'll Need:

• Exact Knife
• Small Hole Punch 
• 1inch Lamination Strips (or Washi Tape)
• Laminator

1. After selecting and printing your planner pages, use the trimming guide to cut the pages down to  size. An exacto knife works best for a clean cut.

2. Cut a 1inch laminating strip to place along the edge of your page. Running this through the laminator will give you extra durability when adding or removing pages from your planner. **You
can also do this with washi tape.**

3. Using your planner cover as a guide you are going to want to punch holes along the laminated edge using your small hole punch.

4. Next, cut a slit into each hole punch.

5. Carefully insert into your planner and your ready to start planning like a boss!


Share your TpT Business Planner and how you're using these easy to use planner pages on Instagram using the hastag #tptplanninglikeaboss. Happy Planning!

What You Need To Know About Image Format

As a designer, I understand the frustration that so many of my clients have when faced with choosing the right file type for their products. Let's get real, as a teacher and business owner, I want to have the confidence to know that I am posting the best images to showcase my brand every. single. time. I get on Instagram or Pinterest. I developed this quick guide as a cheat sheet for all you teachers, bloggers and avid Instagramer. This guide breaks image types down for you in terms you are sure to understand.

Images are a vital part of grabbing attention on the web or in print format. Choosing the right format is important. The quality of your images may be compromised if you choose to use the wrong file format.

Let's talk TeachersPayTeachers for a moment. The two most common file formats that you will see among sellers are .PNG and .PDF files. Most clipart artists like myself, will only offer .PNG formatted images to ensure that your are receiving the highest quality images possible. While many other sellers out there are choosing to use .PDF to secure images and guarantee a high quality product.

There are many different types of file formats. I have identified the 6 most commonly used file formats in the chart below. This guide will also give you a sense of what each file type is used for.

Click the image above to be taken to your free guide. Print it out, laminate it and place it in your planner for quick reference. The side by side comparison that you see below should serve as a visual aid to help you understand the differences between each file type. 

Intentional Goals & a Free Goal Setting Worksheet

Hello, hello. I'm a big fan of setting intentional goals for yourself. I know I've said it before but intentional goals are so important to staying on track and reaching your end goal. I find that setting goals for myself in my personal life is just as important as setting goals to keep my business on track and growing. By setting intentional goals in all areas of your life, we can be at ease, feel happier, and maintain control of what can otherwise feel like an overwhelming amount of responsibility as teachers and or teacherprenuers.

I created this {free} goal setting worksheet, after joining Kelli Alaina in her #GoalDigger Workshop, as a way to have all of my goals in one place. It's a great way to keep myself accountable and working towards my goals. We may have a lot on our teacher/teacherprenuer plates but we don't have to feel rushed or like there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done. Setting goals = getting rid of all of that mental clutter.

How do you set goals in your life? I would love to hear from you!

Have a creative day!

Setting Intentional Goals for your Business in 3 Easy Steps

Happy New Year Friends! I hope you all are having a wonderful start to the new year. First of all, thank you all for sticking with me through this very busy time in my life. For those of you who are not aware of where I've been, I have been busy learning the ins & outs of my new school, getting to know my students and their families & finding my way in the wonderful world of kindergarten..And let's not forget the holidays!  I am now officially an Art teacher turned Kindergarten teacher who still rocks out fun supplemental art projects with my kiddos.  It's been a crazy, great end to 2015 and now I'm ready to bring bigger and better to both my classroom & my TeacherPayTeachers store. This year, I resolve to be the best teacher, person & teacherprenuer/ TpT Author I can be.

My big focus for this year is living a life with INTENTION #olw. I am focusing on adding intention to my work/school life, my business and my personal well being. In this post, I am going to share with you a few of my tips for taking charge of your work and personal life while still finding time to be a rockstar teacherprenuer.  

Figure out what your goals are and work towards making them a reality.  Work on setting goals that take you outside of your comfort zone. An intentional goal is a goal that is focused, measurable & meaningful. 

Each day, record what you are working on today. Making these smaller steps will keep you from feeling overwhelmed by your end goal. 

My intentional goals for 2016 are:

• Focus on Laura (Me). This is a BIG one. I tend to always forget to take time for me. This year I am going to add a real focus to taking care of myself. I used to do yoga everyday...now I make excuses and say I'll do it later. NO MORE! Being a better version of myself starts today. 
• Focus on my business.  I'm really going to be paying attention to creating a lot more and building up my brand. My business has grown so much since my start in 2014 and I intend to keep growing, building, and getting better!
• Focus on being the best teacher I can be. I strive to bring my kiddos the best resources and activities that I can. I am constantly listening to podcasts from other educators and entrepreneurs, now it's time I do something with the wealth of information I have.
  

 

 

 I like to sit down at the start of a new week & plan out what I want to accomplish that week. I plan to do one or two things per day. This way I am more able to focus on the projects that I need to get done. I am beginning to take a look at when I am most productive and planning my intentional goals around this.

I have created this downloadable sheet To keep track of my work, TpT, fitness and life goals. By scheduling out when I do things, I hope to cut down on some of the feeling that there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done.

Organization = less stress and a happier life.  :)

My favorite way to create a monthly overview is to use Evernote. if you don't currently use Evernote as a planning too, you need to. It will change your life. I love having the ability to write out my plans while on the go, or in the classroom and have them later on my computer when I sit down to work.

Your overview can be as simple as making lists. For me, I have a grid set up into 4 categories; clipart & resources to design, marketing strategies, blog posts & membership clubs (tips & tricks). In each category, I list all of the things that I want to accomplish.

These lists will be your base for creating your weekly schedule. Choose no more than 2 things to work on per day & put them in order of importance. This will help you to focus & become more efficient in your weekly scheduling.

**Because of the delay in Membership Club product releases - each active membership has been extended by 1 month.**

Trick or Treat {A Blog Hop}

 

Hello friends! I am so excited that you decided to join us for the Trick or Treat Blog Hop hosted by Rachael over at The Classroom Game Nook!

What is the Trick or Treat blog hop you might ask? You will hop around from blog to blog collecting Tricks(Tips) & Treats (a freebie) from each participant. We have some great products for you, so make sure you check out every ones blog. There are over 50 of us which means LOTS of goodies are about to come your way. You can hop through as many or as few blogs as you like but I hope you stick around for all the goodies!

Now on to the good stuff.

 

I LOVE using different apps in the classroom and so do all of the kiddos that I teach! One of my all time favorite apps to use in the classroom is Goolge Art Project an app created by (you guessed it) Google. It allows students to go on virtual tours of just about every big art gallery & museum. You are really able to see size and detail with this app that you wouldn't be able to see from a photograph. (Clicking the image will take you to Google Art Project)

I use this app a lot when I am teaching The Story Behind Art . Kids can really search for details and clues to help them come up with the artists story. You know I love any lesson or app that helps students to develop and use their creative thinking skills. This is a lesson that teaches kids to use their imaginations and this app is a great tool for doing that.  

You can also watch this short TED Talk of Amit Sood, the app creator talking about a few of it's features and why he created the Google Art Project.

I'm so glad you stuck around for the "treat". I am really excited to be offering you my Roll a Haunted House drawing game.  My roll & draw activities are among my best sellers and you my friend get to test out the newest edition for free! #woopwoop. This freebie will end when the blog hop does, so you want to make sure to snatch it up now! Clicking the image below will take you to your download. 

Before you go, I also want to give you the opportunity to win a 1 Month Membership to the brand new Create Digital Clipart & Designs Membership Club. You will be among the first to explore & reap all of the benefits of having my clipart at your finger tips. 

This membership gives you exclusive access to all clipart created within your 1 month membership as it is being released in the store. You're not going to want to miss out!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Trick or Treat" to the next blog by clicking on the button below. When you get back to my blog, you'll know you've completed the hop! 

Let's Talk Membership Clubs

Are you a clipart addict? Are you constantly checking to see if I've posted new clipart sets to my store? If you've answered yes to both you are going to LOVE what I have in store for you!

I have been working hard and putting in long hours to bring you the best membership club I could. It's been a long time coming and I am so proud of what I've come up with! The membership clubs (That's right folks there are 3 different clubs to choose from!) give you access to ALL of my clipart as it is being released in my store with a worry free TOU. Check out my video intro below for a look into what the membership clubs have to offer! They will be released on TeachersPayTeachers on October 23rd.



Check out your options here or head over to my TpT store to download the preview pack.

I truly hope you'll join me on this amazing journey! Thanks SO much for stopping by. Don't forget to sign up for The Creative Art Teachers monthly newsletter to get a surprise set of clipart each month!

Pittsburgh Meetup in Review & a Giveaway!

 

Hello, hello. This week after tons of preparation and emailing just about every educational company on the planet(OK, that's a slight exaggeration!), I had the privilege of hosting our first Blogger/TpT meet up in the Pittsburgh area. Loved. It. I finally got the chance to meet these lovely ladies, Holly  @ City Limit Seconds, Amy @ 180 Days of Reading and Sara @ Lovin’ Little Learners. Each lady was so sweet! The best part: we are all like minded when it comes to teaching and TpT.  We had a great chat about selling on TpT, Social Media and teaching I can’t even tell you how amazing it was to finally MEET and talk with like minded women about our passion, teaching! Each of us are the only teacher in our buildings that are TeachersPayTeachers sellers and lets face it you need someone to talk to about this stuff that get’s it! I loved being able to bounce Ideas off of these lovely ladies! It’s no secret that you get to the top by hard work and who you have in your corner and collaborate with them for our back to school giveaway! (keep reading!)

Here’s a little peek into the planning of this event.  

No one thought of taking pictures until we were leaving. *Sigh* I don't even have out our Pittsburgh Meetup sign. Still an adorable picture of us all! *Side Note: I did not dress like my Pal on purpose! :)

A  great BIG thank you to our sponsors for donating some great products to our swag bags. Each lady got to take home a swag bag FULL of products for the classrooms. Our first Pittsburgh Meetup was a huge success and these companies & sellers have a lot to do with that. Many sellers sent extra goodies, making it possible to share a little piece of our day with you!

ClassDojo

SitSpots

Eureka School

The Pampered Teacher

Plum Paper Planners

Classroom Friendly Supplies

& Sheila Jane Teaching 

What was in our swag bags, you ask? The tote bag itself was donated to us by ClassDojo. It was full of reusable Scrabble letters, Mickey Mouse scratch stickers (2 sets), Dr. Seuss carbonless communication notes & Peanuts themed photo props from Eureka School, a SitSpot sample, Scentos markers from WeVeel, a double-sided pen & foot scrub recipe from The Pampered Teacher, 10% Off at Plum Paper Planner, & 1 free month at Sheila Jane Teaching! PLUS 1 set of your choosing from my store, The Creative Art Teacher!

Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win one of 5 swag bags and the chance to win our Grand Prize: a Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener & $25 SitSpots Gift Card. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  Don't forget to head over to the ladies blogs for their meetup reviews. Good luck!