I need a HERO! & Giveaway Winners

This week I spent several hours working in my classroom preparing for my first teacher work week.  Even though we don't report until the 21st, I needed to go and work on some projects that are time-consuming.

It is a teacher fact that even though the first week back appears to provide time, it ends up that we work until 9pm and eat a pathetic dinner consisting of stale goldfish crackers (left over from last year's end-of-year class party) and an orange Capri Sun (because no kid drinks Orange).

To avoid said nutritional embarrassment, I decided to give myself a head start.

One project I worked on is a wall that I always have in my room - the writing wall.  Most teachers do pretty much the same thing - laminate construction paper, staple it all to the wall, and hang student writing on top of the paper throughout the year.  Some teachers put a cute picture of the student, too!  Notice the student work on the left hand side:

So before the year starts, I hang the construction paper.

My problem: How do I get these...

 
 onto this...

without it looking like this... 

It's always a pain in the neck - never straight, never lined up.  It. takes. for. ever.  Plus, I need a friend to help me ("down a little, up, now down, to the right, okay good.") Sigh. But not this year!!

Enter the Hanging Hero!

About a week ago, I ordered a Hanging Hero from Deana over at First Grade Chatter. It's a nifty little device she invented with her husband to help us hang work straight! Score!

There is a level in the middle - and it tells you when the Hanging Hero is straight. When the Hanging Hero is straight, your projects will be! (I swear that I thought the project was straight when it wasn't at least five times.) Thank goodness I didn't need to eyeball it!

The tool is pinned to your wall using the two tacks on each end (notice the blue dots).  It stays there all by itself!  After you've hung the papers, you just pull the Hanging Hero out of the wall.  Unfortunately, one of my blue tacks kept popping out when I pulled the Hanging Hero out, and kept falling on the ground.  It looked like the glue wasn't quite strong enough to keep the tack on there. (Note: only one fell out, the other stayed nicely).  I don't mind, though, because I can hubby can easily fix it with some super glue. 

Then you place your paper flush against the corner:

The only tricky part I experienced was that my papers were laminated, so I had to slide the plastic under the Hanging Hero in order for it to be flush. It was a little difficult to get it completely flush against all sides. But I worked it out.

And... Voila! Perfectly straight papers! (Unfortunately, the Hanging Hero does NOT help with photography skills).

When I changed my mind and wanted to hang my papers differently, I just used the two bottom sections of the Hanging Hero.

The result:

I don't think I've ever had a bulletin board look so tidy.

The worst part of the Hanging Hero is this:  Now that I CAN hang things straight, there isn't any reason not to.  No more complaining - "It's just SO HARD to get these straight!" - when really I just quickly slapped the pages up there.

With the Hanging Hero, I have no excuse for shoddy craftsmanship...  But I DO have beautiful boards!

Oh, and I'll probably start missing my teammates since I also don't have an excuse to make them come over and "help" me anymore.


What tricks do YOU have for hanging straight projects?

PS: Here are the WINNERS of my August giveaway!! Woo hoo! Congratulations to you - and THANK YOU to all who entered! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway