So if you’ve been following my recent posts, you know that I’ve made an executive decision to transform my new classroom into some sort of “Travel Haven”. If you haven’t, check out these two posts to catch yourself up 😉
My “Travel Themed Classroom” Adventure
DIY: Name Decoupaged on Wooden Letters
The inspiration for a “Travel Themed Classroom” came from reading a myriad of books (classic and modern) and feeling like I was in a new place while I was reading. To say that I LOVE to read would be an understatement.

ANYHOO – don’t let me get off on a tangent – today I went to Michael’s and the ONLY thing I was going to purchase was some “burlap-ish” string/twine/ribbon so that I could put the finishing touches on my “Reading Will Take YOU Places” bunting extravaganza. Yes, I promise, I was just going to get some “twine” and boogie right on home!

As I walked in the door, I basically ran into a rack with about 10 boxes (like the one pictured below) and a sign taped to it that read “GRAB BAG $2″… WHAT?!? I thought to myself, “What does that even mean?” I felt like I was at an 8 year-old’s backyard birthday party…. I think that was the last time that I heard the term “Grab Bag!”

Curiosity got the best of me and so, naturally, I peeked into one of the boxes. They were filled with about a dozen 12 x 12 photo albums…. and here is the kicker… Are you ready for it? THE PHOTO ALBUM COVERS WERE DRESSED IN “TRAVEL” GARB! Take a look at the pictures below:

Now, I must admit… I was a little “theme”-shocked when I saw these. When I say “theme-shocked,” I am referring to this new mindset I have that tells me I think I NEED anything I see that is adorned with anything half-way related to “travel.” It’s a borderline sickness… I decided that I would get one of each style because I didn’t even know what I would use them for. I don’t “scrapbook” and I surely don’t have time to start at this point in the summer. In that very moment, a clerk passed and said, “You know you have to take the entire box, right?” I gave him a puzzled look and he replied, “You can mix and match the styles but you have to take 12 albums because that’s the “special” for $2.00!”

As I was experiencing my SECOND “WHAT?!?! moment” in a 10 minute time span, he just started laughing and walked away! And you probably know what I did next – YEP – grabbed the entire box and threw it in the closest cart I could find! SCORE!

It wasn’t long until I had grabbed my “twine” and was ready to checkout. I walked down a random “home decor” aisle and saw a 70% off sign and here we go again…. Antique-y, leather-y suitcase-style boxes caught my eye!! I have been wondering how I was going to “create” psuedo-suitcases to display as props in my classroom because buying real suitcases isn’t really “feasible” or “economical.”

Yep…. If a picture is worth a 1000 words, then….it will do the rest of the story justice 🙂

Oh, how could I forget? There were also these neat, boxes that looked like vintage books! Yes, I’ll take those too – with a 70% price tag!

$43.83 later… I was the happiest camper in the campground and headed home to embark on my “bunting” adventure!

BUT HERE LIES THE PROBLEM… WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH THESE 12 “TRAVEL” PHOTO ALBUMS???? I feel like my creativity “bank” is near depleted and I am counting one someone – ANYONE – to throw an idea at me… I know there is SOMETHING that I can do with them to further enhance the aesthetics of my “learning lounge.

I plan to share my “bunting” adventure as soon as it’s dry enough to photograph! Stay tuned…