Five for Friday


This week I've been doing what lots of you are doing...trying to savor the last days of summer, buying school supplies, and working on my classroom!  This is my last "official" day of summer.  We go back next Monday for a week of Professional Development, meetings, etc.  Here is a peek at my week! 

1.  I bought a cute, new teacher's bag!  If you're like me, you have tons of bags, but when I saw this bag on Very Jane, I thought it'd make the cutest teacher bag.  Now, please come in the mail before August 19th!
2.  I bought some cute teaching shirts!  I found a website called teachershirts.com.  I bought this Peace Love 5th Grade shirt on clearance for $8.00!  It's actually a spider orange tie dye instead of the multi-colored, but I think it'll be really cute.
I bought this shirt for my mom for her birthday and ordered an extra for myself! :)  It is in the multi-colored tie dye, which I love. Can't wait to get it in the mail today!
3.  I finished my classroom museum display (for now).  I consider this to be a work in progress as I continue to collect items for it.  It's not exactly what I'd envisioned (although I'm not 100% sure what I envisioned), but I do think it's really neat.
4.  I bought lots of pocket charts for my room!  A few weeks ago I found turquoise pocket charts at Target for $1.00 and bought two and then wished I'd gotten more.  So, this week I loaded up because I really use them a lot in my room and I wanted to have a few extra's.  It seems like every time I buy "just enough" of something, I always wish I would've bought more.
At a Math meeting this week, I found out that we have to display Math "Power Words" in our classrooms this year and that they would be looking for them.  This Math Vocabulary Wall sign and the pocket charts will be PERFECT to display the words!  I also downloaded the Science Vocabulary Wall sign to keep track of important Science terms as well.  I downloaded the signs from That's So Second Grade's Teachers Pay Teachers Store (click the link to visit).  I love all of her designs!
5.  I created a few things for my classroom!  1) Number sticks to help keep tracking of the writing process (inspired by That's So Second Grade).  2) Student Helpers & Class Ambassador signs. 3) "FUN" banner to go above my Snapshots of the Year area.
Question for YOU:  A lot of people have asked me on Instagram if I have a TPT account.  I do not have one, at least for now.  I am completely new to creating things (like the numbers and signs above) and need some newbie advice!  

1) The rainbow chevron background (which I absolutely ADORE) was free on a blog.  Would I have the right to sell products using it since I didn't purchase it?
2) Where do you get your clip art from?  Is the rule "if you purchase it, you can sell it on your products?"  For example, if I use clip art from a free clip art website, can I sell a product using it?  

3) What are the unwritten rules of selling on TPT?  I've noticed on everything I buy, there's a page at the end telling where the font, clip art, and backgrounds are from. Any unwritten rules I'd need to know about?

4) Do you change everything to a PDF so that people cannot reproduce your work and use as their own?

5) Can you use free fonts to create products to sell?  All of the fonts I have are ones I've downloaded for free.  Could I use those or can you only use fonts you have purchased?

Another advice would be greatly appreciated!!  

8 comments

  1. There is a forum on TpT that answers these questions, and so many more. It is under the My TpT in top right corner. It is called sellers forum. This should help. You need to have an account.

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  2. Hi Lana,

    I jumped into selling on TpT this summer and it is pretty easy. I agree with Marcia that there is a ton of info in the seller's forum. I believe you can sign up for a free sellers account then upgrade to the higher profit one later. Many of your questions can be answered there.

    As for font & clip art, you want to check the Terms of Use from the designer. This is often included with the product. Many allow you to use their product, as long as you give them credit. (Hence, the last page in most products that lists where all the products are from.)

    And yes, you will need to secure your documents as a PDF to protect your ideas and the clip art/fonts of your designers. You will need to use a paid subscription of Adobe for this (the Adobe Reader which is free does not allow this safety feature). I haven't been able to find any other way to secure my documents, but if someone knows something else, I'd love to hear it!

    I hope you will begin selling! It's lots of fun and a great experience!

    Jennifer
    Mrs. Laffin's Laughings

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  3. I literally just opened a seller's account this summer as well, to upload a freebie from a blog post that a lot of readers were asking for...and I agree with the comments above. Read through the seller's forums for answers to any questions you have. They're really helpful. I bought some backgrounds/clipart/frames that I needed to pay for (small price), and some say you just need to give them credit, while some don't care. Same thing for fonts. I think that each "free" font is generally "free for personal use" only, so you'll need to check with the creator of the font to determine if you can use it in any products you sell. For example, I had to pay to get the rights to use a font that I put on my first product. I'm still learning all of this as well, but excited about the possibilities!

    One more (off topic) thing....that chevron bag is adorable! I went to the website and unfortunately it is already sold out. So bummed. I did end up buying two necklaces from the same site, so thanks for sharing that info!

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  4. I just opened a TpT shop this summer too {a little late to the game, I know}. Usually somewhere under the font or clipart it will tell you if you can use on products to resell. Be sure to read the fine print! Also, love the chevron tote.

    Jamie
    teachingtidbits.blogspot.com

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  5. Love your teacher bag! Super cute! And, I don't think you can ever have too many pocket charts, so you are safe there. :)

    Amanda
    The Teaching Thief

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  6. You don't need Adobe to secure your documents. If you use Word or PowerPoint, you can save them as a secured PDF document. I would be more than happy to walk you through it when you're ready. It's pretty easy. Just drop me a note :)

    Diane
    Fifth in the Middle

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  7. If your using clipart you should find out the terms and conditions of using it. A website that I often use for find public domain clipart or clipart that I can use without any restrictions is openclipart

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  8. Where did you order the chevron bag from? I have been looking for one just like that

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