Table Numbers

My table numbers have morphed through the years. They have always been hot air balloons, but they started out as plain paper balloons like so:

They were cute enough...but a little abstract for me. The next school changed them into a combination of fabric and paper

Which I once again loved. Those paper numbers took over a half hour each to make. At the end of last year, I wanted a slight tweak. (Maybe it's only when I change schools that the balloons need to change. The last model stayed the same the whole time I was at my last school.)
My needs for table numbers are as follows:

• I wanted a sturdier basket. It is inevitable that at least two balloons will fall down during the year. This usually happens when I am hanging something else on my ceiling, forget that I have something wedged in that particular ceiling tile and down comes the balloon (followed by dramatic gasps from my students). The basket would be crushed.
• I want the basket to look more realistic. Last model's basket was cute, but I love the woven look of real hot air balloons.
• Although I adore the numbers I made, I was up for a change. Some of the paper I used was not nearly as cute as I would have liked. (One and six. And two. Basically I only liked three, four, and five.)

As most of you, I love the Target dollar spot. I spotted some adorable glitter numbers in both black and gold. My husband tried to distract me and get me to the checkout lines, but seven words made him turn around and frantically help me find numbers.
"I won't have to make 3D letters!"
He loves it when I do less work.
Alas, there was not a complete set of gold or black letters so that intelligent man pointed out we could do odds one color and evens the other. It's nice being married to someone intelligent.
I highlighted my new baskets a few weeks ago. This time, those were my time consumers. Over half an hour each for those, but I have a feeling that when inevitably the balloons get knocked from the ceiling, the baskets will look awesome.

And here are a couple numbers all put together

(Treadmills make the best backdrop!)

I was at a family reunion for most of last week, so I did not have time to make much. I did finish painting a little table I keep in my classroom. She's old (about as old as me) and beat up (my sister once painted the entire thing with puff paint-now that was hard to sand off), but she works just perfectly in my classroom. I just have to spray a protective coat and she will be ready to face a hoard of fifth graders.

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