TpT Makeover Challenge: Make your Masterpiece

I am excited to link up this week with all the lovely ladies that are hosting the #tptsellerchallenge.

This week's challenge finally kicked my hiney into gear to finish my latest product. It was a labor of love (and sometimes hate because it was so much research), but I'm so thankful it's done. I think you'll love it! 

Check it out! 

There are 3 reproducible worksheets for each article. One is context based, one is about Asking & Answering Questions and one is a close reading comprehension worksheet. 

AND if you've made it through this whole post, the first *3* people to comment with how they would use this in their classroom will win a copy to use in the upcoming school year! (Make sure to comment with your e-mail address, also!!)

Until then,

TpT Seller Challenge Week 2: Dare to Dream

Last week's "Makeover Madness" was so fun and it was really inspirational to see how everyone made-over their products! I love a good cover photo!

I'm excited to link up with Third in Hollywood and the other gals that organized this seller challenge for this week's "Dare to Dream" blog post.

This week, I'm excited to share my dreams with you as I continue on this TpT journey!

First and foremost, Teachers Pay Teachers has been the biggest blessing to my family. We were able to fund 85% of our adoption fees with my earnings from TpT. Secondly, I am able to be a "Work at Home Mom" while taking care of my sweet baby boy, finishing up my Master's Degree and working on TpT. Also, this frees up time to help my husband more in Youth Ministry.

Still, I have dreams for my little store.

1) Second Adoption - We have already started saving for our second adoption. Noah is only 9 months old, but we want to prepared for when God calls us to meet our next little muffin. <3

2) Cash for a Car - We are praying that this fall, we can pay cash for a new(ish) car. 

3) Adoption Fund - My hope and dream is to set up an adoption fund for families that are long to adopt. I'd love to help families at the beginning or during the end stages of finalizing adoptions. During those times, huge chunks of money are due for legal fees and such. 

Have you linked up yet?

What are your dreams for TpT?

Until then,

TpT Seller Challenge Week #1: Makeover Madness

Hi, friends!

It's funny that the first week's challenge is makeover themed. I've been in a makeover state of mind lately.

1) I got new glasses, which were much needed. My husband says I look like a teacher in these specs. Ummmm. Well.... *crickets*

{My husband and I on our *SECOND* date of the month...watch out, now!}

2) I'm redoing my bathroom. It needs a major makeover like whoa! Here are two of my purchases from last night at TJ Maxx. Don't you LOVE these?!

3) Last Friday, I decided two of my products -- Pocket, Pocket: Whose Pocket is Whose?: INFERENCE LESSON & TEXT STRUCTURE -- needed new cover pages so I fixed those little bad boys up for a little Friday face lift action...I mean, who COULDN'T use a face lift every now and then?!

4) AND...I updated my cover pages on Pinterest which took fo-evah-EVAH but it's done. Hallelujah.

Now, onto this week's Makeover Madness Challenge hosted by 3rd in Hollywood, Sparkling in Second, Teach.Create.Motivate, and Peppy, Zesty, Teacherista.

I decided to makeover one of my VERY FIRST products I ever posted waaaaaaaaayyy back in the summer of 2012 on TpT. I was super proud of this unit. I had zero percent idea of what the Geminy Crickets I was doing, but I bought some clipart, some frames and downloaded fonts like my life depended on it.

Since I've posted this item, Asking SUPER Questions, it's been one of my top sellers. After reviewing it today for the first time in years (*hangs head in shame*), I have mixed feelings about this product for several reasons.

First of all, it was ugly. Like U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi ugly. 

Secondly, the fonts I originally chose were horribly matched in the product. They made no sense. It was dumb. And shameful. And if there were font bullies in the world of TpT products, my fonts would be the victim. (Dramatic, much?!)

Finally, I just didn't like one of the activities originally added in this product. I never used it in my classroom, even with the best of intentions. So, I removed it. 

Let's take a look at the evolution of this product, Asking SUPER Questions.

Oh, man. This product was made in Word. Before I had knowledge of products being made in Powerpoint.

Night-to-the-mare. Ya hear? (It makes me shutter just thinking about all the time I spent making products in Word...thankfully, it was just a few months. But daaaaaaaaaang, girl!)

Also, this product is SO OLD that when I opened it up on this computer in Word, notice the FUNKYTOWN fonts that are all janky. I literally had ZERO of these fonts on my computer now. Thank the Lord for that, though.

 No words. Just. No words.

SOOOOOO....not only did I update with all new fonts, clipart and edited the content of the product, I had to transfer the content ssssssslllllllooooowwwllllyy over to Powerpoint.

That was fun...like watching-paint-dry kinda fun.

BUT...it was TOTALLY worth it.

I love how it turned out.

{I actually had this on my to-do list for the summer...transferring other files over to PPT to update...but one at a time, I can't only pull out so much hair in one day.}

 Here's what I L.O.V.E. about the *NEW* cover page that I HATED about the OLD cover page:

{A} The fonts are fun, easy to read and not too complicated.

{B} The preview files of what's actually inside of this file you are purchasing.

{C} One singular awesome piece of Melonheadz clipart that makes my heart sing.

And...here's what I love about the NEWLY updated content in the file.

{A} The passages are cleaner and neater looking. Not so jumbled up, AND the kids can actually write on the lines provided in words that have letters larger than an ant's toenail.

{B} The graphic organizers are cleaner, and the font is more uniform. FONT, people. FONT is so important.

{C} The directions to one of my activity *actually* make sense and are in logical order according to the pack. The other directions - umm...not so much.

{D} Again, clear. Concise. Easy to read font if these are hanging on the wall. Just *enough* color to make them pop.

OH! And since I deleted one whole activity that was kinda dumb (I mean, if we are being honest, it was reallll dumb), the price of the packet is now $2 cheaper!

And in honor of this super fun MAKEOVER MADNESS WEEK, all THREE of my newly updated products are 50% off until Friday, June 19th at 10:00 pm EST!

{Click on the cover pages to link back to the products in my TpT store and get yo savings ON!!}

What product did YOU update?! 

Until then,