Creating a Desktop Organizer for your computer!

Hey hey, y'all! It's Ashley from Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd!

Sooooo, if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you know that I just got a brand new MacBook Pro!! If it's possible to be in love with a piece of technology, which, I, for the record believe to be true, I'd have to say that I AM IN LOVE WITH MY NEW MACBOOK PRO!! <3

So why am I shouting that from the rooftops on The Collaboration Connection? Well, the first thing I did on my new computer after getting my files transferred over to it was made a pretty desktop that I posted on Instagram and Facebook....

I got SO many questions about how to create a desktop background organizer, so I thought that today I would share a quick tutorial with you of how to do just that! It's really easy, and SO simple to customize to meet YOUR needs, AND.... IT KEEPS YOU ORGANIZED! Win!! :)

If you don't want nor need to learn how to create your own desk top organizer, but you still would like to organize your desktop files, you can snag my desk top organizer (which comes with a template with the categories filled in AND a blank template for you to fill in your own categories), you can click {HERE} or the image below to snag my FREE desktop organizer in my TPT store. :)

If you would like to learn how to create your own . . .

I've got a video tutorial for you! Click play below and you'll be able to follow right along with me to learn how to create a desktop background organizer for your computer!

Thanks so much for stopping by, today! I hope this helps to get your desktop organized in no time! :)

SUMMER TO DO LISTS! :)

HAPPY MONDAY MORNING FRIENDS!! I hope - oh how I hope, hope, hope - that you are ALLLL enjoying your summer breaks!! 

The weather this weekend in Northeastern Ohio was absolutely GORGEOUS! If you follow me on instagram - @schroedershenanigansin2nd - you may have seen that I've been spending some time outside, loving the sunshine and the beauty that is SUMMER<3

There's really nothing like a sunshine filled day at the park :) And, I've been a bit obsessed lately with taking pictures - I may need to take a photography class....and buy a camera #ilovemyiphone - and I snapped this gorgeous shot of these monstrous trees that were still kind enough to let the sunlight in. :)

And really - does anything say summer like iced coffee?!? Nope.  Definitely not. Journaling, reading and ice coffee-ing were my Saturday morning agenda, after Zumba of course, this weekend!

 Shameless selfie alert - - - I don't shop for myself.  Like....EVER. But I bought new sunglasses annnnd a new bag this weekend on a shopping date with my hubby. :) Soooo selfie it is to show them off.

As BLISSFUL as summer has been - I've been trying to stay in SOME sort of routine as far as keeping my school/TPT/organizational to-dos fresh in my mind.  SOOOO I've (been going to school regularly #don'tjudge annnnd) created a Summer Break To Do list pack! :) It's perfect to just keep track of those ideas that jump into our teacher brains WHILE sipping on a mai-tai or while binge watching ______ on Netflix?!? 

I've been semi-successful so far at staying productive in some way shape or form each day, and I've used my newest product, some cutesy summer break themed to-do lists to help me to prioritize and to keep track of the inevitable to dos, whether they be school related or projects to tackle around the house!! 

Click below to take a closer look at these TO DO LISTS IN MY TPT STORE! :)

You might like to plan your to-dos at a glance for the week . . .

Maybe you like to map out a few mini projects to tackle throughout the week either for home or for school! . . . Oh, and don't forget to check them off when you're done! I know y'all love to check things off of your list as much as I do!!

Or maybe you just want a good ol', adorably clip-arted (THANK YOU NIKKI @ MELONHEADZ) to do list to jot down your thoughts as they come to you!

SOOOO enjoy these blissful days of summer, but hopefully you can use these to do lists, too, to prioritize and not put off all of the things you've been waiting for summer to tackle! :) Summer's here! 

I'm off to tackle a few things at school and thennnn off to plan out outfits and to pack for a weekend of hosting parties with my mom at home followed immediately by a weekend in DISNEY! I'm headed to see Mickey next week! eek!

Thanks for stopping by, friends! :) :)

Saturdays in Spring - Week 3

Can you believe we are already in week 3 of our "Saturdays in Spring" series? We can't thank you all enough for stopping by, reading our blog, and grabbing our freebies. Please remember to share this with other friends!

Because we appreciate each of our followers, we wanted to add a little something more to this week and next week's post. Check it out:

At the end of this post, leave a comment about what kinds of posts you would like to see as we enter the summer months. Are there certain topics that would interest you for end of the school year activities, or maybe getting ready for a new school year? Leave us your thoughts and we will choose someone for yet another free product! Be sure to include your email address so we can send the winner some surprises!

Here are this week's freebies:

Carrie from Table Talk with C and C is sharing End of the Year QR Code Activities - a fun way to keep your students motivated and working hard at the end of the year.

Crystal from Once Upon a Classroom: The Tale of Two Teachers is sharing Scoopin Up Singular and Plural Possessives - a fantastic way to teach students about possessive nouns.

Alyssa from Just A Primary Girl is sharing 1st Grade Dolch Sight Word and Sentence Practice - Insectigating - a fun way for students to use context clues to pick out sight words.

Caitlin from Table Talk with C and C is sharing Money Flipbook - a great way to learn/review students' knowledge of coins.

Ashley from Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd is sharing Sandy Synonyms and Antonyms - a wonderful way to practice synonyms and antonyms.

Emily from I Love My Classroom is sharing Organizing Chaos - the perfect way for any teacher to get organized at the end of the school year.

Amanda from For His Glory is sharing Kindergarten Prep Handout - a great handout that provides parents with a list of early developmental skills their children need for success as they enter school.

Be sure to leave a comment about what kinds of posts you would like to see as we enter the summer months. Don't forget to include your email address so we can send the winner some surprises!

Addicted to TPT?? ME TOO!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! It's Ashley, here, from Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd! I'm here today to share a few more organizing ideas with you that I've found useful as I've become more and more addicted to and in LOVE with all of the fabulousness that TPT has provided me in the last several months!!!

 I hope you're ready to file that endless list of TPT purchases that you made! Are your files hidden in file folders somewhere on your desktop? Did you print the entire bundle that you bought and forget where you put it? Well, I hopefully have a perfect solution for you today!

It's amazing what posting a picture on instagram can spark!  

I posted this picture above a few weeks ago and it got so many views, questions, and comments about what I was doing and if I would share! Click {HERE} to read my post about my initial inspirations for this pack!

 So, naturally, I took your requests, ideas, and suggestions and I turned it into my latest organizing resource on TPT.   Honestly, I get SO much of my inspiration from YOU ALL, so THANK you for inspiring me to turn a measly little table into my TPT Purchase Organizer!

Here are a few snap shots of the product {you can click any one of them to link to the file on TPT}  before I dive into some details about the who, what, where, when, and how!

I wanted to share with you today a closer look at this organizing set to see if it might be "just what you are looking for" as several of my bloggy - - (like, super star bloggy status bloggy . . . like Mel-D?!?) AND non bloggy friends have told me that it is this week! :)

Who is it for?!
Um - do you love TPT?  Have you spent hours and {we won't say how much} LOTS of dollar signs snagging up resource after resource, emptying your cart and wish list time after time?!?!?  ME TOO!

Now, do you know whether or not you have a set of place value activities for 3 and 4 digit numbers?!? - Yeah, me neither....UNTIL I CREATED THIS SET!!

I have SOOO many awesome purchases from TPT, and I don't even know what all I own without forcing myself to go scroll through my purchases! And, let's face it, as teachers we don't have time like that to waste!! {Don't even get me started on the freebies that I've snagged or giveaways that I've won! Those files are endless, too!!}

 WELL if that sounds familiar - you may want to keep reading to take a closer look!

What is it?
It is an organizing set of cover photos and tables for you to insert thumbnails of the cover photos of your TPT purchases, clipart, borders, freebies, and any other resource you want to see at a glance! It's perfect for the visual learner like me to be able to SEE what you own! AND you get to see at glance with a page full of other great products that you own that fit the same category!

Below you can see an action shot of me adding the cover photo one of my newest purchases from my sweet friend Angie at Mrs. Olson's Lucky Little Learners! (you have to check out her interactive notebooks!) I'm adding her Fraction interactive notebook thumbnail image to my "math resources" page!

I decided to keep all of my thumbnails of her interactive notebooks all on one page so that I can see all of them at a glance together - - - and since the file is completely EDITABLE, I can move around the other images that I already added to be able do just that!

I have a separate section in my organizer for each "category" of products that I own on TPT.
The categories and sections of this binder include:

TPT Purchases

Fabulous Freebies

Clip Art

Borders

Paper

Fonts

Reading Resources

Math Resources

Writing Resources

Science Resources

SS Resources

Fall Resources

Winter Resources

Spring Resources

Summer Resources

**AND 6 Blank Covers and file page for you to add your own categories and titles to best meet your organizing needs! :)

**COMING SOON - matching spine labels :) I just haven't had a free minute second to even think about creating those!

Then - again because I'm a visual learner - once I think I'm "good" for a while as far as TPT purchases are concerned {HA!! I KID!}, I print my TPT Purchases and organizing pages and add them to my Schroeder Shenanigans resource binder that you can read much more about {HERE!}

Where is it?
You can take a closer look at my original post and ideas about this binder/organizing tool {HERE}.

Check it out on TPT {HERE}. . . . OR

if you like my organizing style, you may like to check out the discounted bundle that this pack is a part of {HERE}!

When should I use it?
There are certain things that I can "put off" or procrastinate on, but getting something like this taken care of was high on my priority list - - -THEN the secret is to keep up with it once you do get it all organized!

Even though I have my purchases pretty well organized and ready to go, now - EVERY TIME I check out at TPT, I download my new purchases into a folder called "FILE THESE PURCHASES"  that is on my desktop.  Then, when I have insomnia get the chance, I update my purchased files by putting them into my purchase organizer! I foresee SUMMER being the perfect time to get started on this, friends! Say - on the plane ride to Vegas, perhaps?! :) :)

HOW to do it!?
 The main reason that I decided to post about this this week is that I got a LOT of questions about how I insert the thumbnails into the file itself! So I wanted to take a few minutes and share that secret with you!

**Disclaimer - you may have or know a much fancier way to do this, but screen shots and I are like BFFs soooo I go the screen shot route! :)

1. Open up your purchases page and find the product(s) you want to insert.

again - a little Angie Olson fabulousness :)

2. Take a screen shot of the cover photo thumbnail!

I'm a MAC girl - - - so I hit and hold COMMAND+SHIFT+4.

This brings up a cross for me to drag over the image to take a shot or a picture of it!

3. The screen shot will be saved to your desktop...

Then, I open up the page in my TPT Purchaser that I want it to be on, choose to insert an image and then insert the screen shot that I took!

*I usually take screen shots of a whole bunch of covers that will go on the same page in my purchase organizer. Then you can insert several at once right into the page you want them on.  

You can also "drag" the screen shot thumbnail into your open TPT Purchase file, too! Whatever is easiest for you - go that route.  

I won't lie - it takes TIME!!! - but my sweet friend Allison said it best this week when she left me the best feedback ever on this pack . . . .

WHEW! Thanks for sticking with me, friends! I truly help that this helps you to organize your piles and purchases and more! :) Thanks for stopping by our blog, today!!

Blogger and TPT Organization!

Hello, friends! Ashley, here, from Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd !

Are you a TPT seller? Do you have a blog? Do you lose track of what giveaways you signed up for or what product you've donated to a bundle? Do you forget to blog?!?

 Well, I'm hoping that this post will help to keep you organized every step of the way whether you're a new seller, or if you've been at this blogging and TPT journey for a while now!

**cough cough** if you're not a TPT seller or blogger, stay with me, there's a freebie at the end :) :)

If you're anything like me, when you have an idea for a project, or when someone tells you a date, or when you want to remember to link up on Thursday, YOU MUST WRITE IT DOWN IMMEDIATELY, right?? If I don't, it's gone, never to be remembered again…

My list of endless to-dos usually looks like this . . .

and my sketch of unit/product ideas likes like THIS!

I'm just glad that  ^^ this mess eventually does end up turning into something that I can share with all of you!

SOOOO to tame the lists, to neaten up the madness, to keep all of my ideas blogging or TPT related in one place, I've created a blogging/TPT binder to help keep you organized as well as to hopefully make it impossible for you to forget an idea or the date you need to post on your collaborative blog (ah-em -  my binder reminded me that it was my turn to post today! ;))

Allow me to take you on a tour of my new blogging/TPT binder! I'm still a bit of a newbie on this journey, so I needed all the help that I could get - yet in a basic, simple, and user friendly way!

Here's what I came up with . . . 

First - what's an organizational binder without a cute cover ??!!

Then, and something I want to eventually make a bit more washi tape style, I have each section tabbed! . .

That way, you can see and get to which ever section of the binder you need to as SOON as the idea strikes!!

Then, the other sections look like this!

There are a variety of planning pages to map out your blog posts from their ideas to the day of the week to publish them, as well as a 2014 calendar to map them out by the month! 

I also always let the weeks get away from me without planning my Link Up posts! So I created a few organizational planning pages for link ups, too!

There is also a section to keep track of your current products and units  - have you given them away in a giveaway? How have you promoted them? Keep track of all of that information on the page pictured below! I've also included a page for you to map out your ideas/activities for each unit with a bit of room for you to "sketch" your thoughts, too! I know I love to attempt to draw chicken scratch a picture of my idea for a new game or center!

And lastly, there are a few miscellaneous pages for you to keep track of how you have connected with your followers each day! Never forget to pin a new product ever again! :) There's also just a place for you to jot your thoughts throughout the day until you're home from the craziness of teaching and have a chance to catch up your blogging and/or TPT jobs for the day!

If this looks like something that might help you organize the never ending blogging and TPT to dos, click the image below to take a closer look at it in my TPT store!

What makes me even more excited about this binder is that I've gotten pictures of my binder IN USE!!! 

This is Jameson Ivy's binder - from Lessons with Coffee -  put all together! 

She's putting her binder sections into page protectors! I love it!

And Kacie, one of my sweet friends on IG even got hers bound!! :) 

And look how awesome Elyse's - from Proud to be Primary - looks in her hot pink binder!! I just LOVE it!! :) Thank you so much for sharing your pictures with me, girls!!

Whew! What a post! But I can't leave you without my March Freebie! Again, an organizational tool for you to plan a few projects to get accomplished during Spring Break!

Click below to grab the FREEBIE! :)

I'd love to hear your thoughts!!  Comment below to share them!

Thanks so much for reading and for visiting the Collaboration Connection!