Student Supply Caddies… and Some Coffee :)

I must be on some kind of school crafting roll– because today I completed another project! Celebration with a cup of coffee!

Our grade (actually our entire elementary school) is doing this thing where we charge supply fees– and then the classroom teacher shops for the ENTIRE class for school supplies. Yes, a huge headache, but also totally fun because I absolutely adore the school supply aisle. And when those back-to-school sales starts, my husband has to practically drag me away kicking and screaming  because I want to buy some of everything.

So a few days ago I went with my colleagues and we all purchased our school supplies in bulk (sorry to our poor cashiers!). And since all of the supplies will be school owned- I figured it’s ok for the kids to be sharing them. A lot of the other teachers said they were going to use group tubs, so I have been looking for (affordable) items such as this art caddy:

I almost always group my student desks in groups of 4-5, so I figured supply caddies would be the perfect thing. I checked online– but figured I could find better prices in stores. The first place I went to? Dollar Tree. They have some amazing deals! Sadly my Dollar Tree only had 3 caddies– and I wanted at least 6.

My next stop? Wal-Mart. As I was meandering down a seasonal aisle– I saw some supplies for college students. On the shelf was a giant bathroom caddy. I was a little dissapointed because it was basically what I needed– it was just much too large. Then my husband was quick to point out the mini bathroom caddies on the top shelf. I guess they put them up there because they’re so cheap ($0.97). And they had at least 4 different colors to choose from– so I picked up 6 black ones. Total cost? $6.

We then headed toward the craft area– where I picked out 6 different shades of ribbon. I have this thing for polka dots– so I gravitated toward those. Each spool cost $2 apiece (it really depends on the size of your ribbon and the design). So that cost $12.

I took it all home, and today I used hot glue (it works EVERY time!) to stick the ribbon on the caddy. Then, because sometimes I get really girly– I tied a little bow on the handle. I know that the bow won’t last a week with 3rd graders– but for the time being it made me happy. I almost glued on some table numbers (you could also use the ribbon to attach table numbers to the caddies), but I realized I always call table groups by their colors. So the numbers were superfluous to my plan.

Here are some pictures– because I know you want to see the finished product (for a grand total of close to $18):

I should’ve made one for my own desk!

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