Keep the Page with a Teacher's Appreciation Gift for Day #3

I racked my brain for yet another useful gift for the girls' teachers.  I know that I enjoy reading and for some reason, I am continually losing my bookmarks.  (Personally, I think my girls keep taking them for their own uses.)  At any rate, I figured a bookmark would be a nice, simple thing I could whip up.

I began by perusing my local Home Depot's paint department.  I grabbed a handful of different paint chips (while running into a former student....man am I old!)  and ran home before I was tempted to purchase something.

I first tried to glue two chips together, but they had issues. They bubbled in the center, despite being pressed under some heavy tiles.  I trimmed the edges with pinking shears and stamped them.  Unfortunately, the first two I made didn't turn out well.  I hadn't expected the stamps to stick, so that when I tried to lift it from the paint chip it stayed and ended up 'double' stamping the paper.  Needless to say, this happened twice.  So, I decided I needed to try this again, with a modification.



 

Outside Stitching



This time, I put two chips together, back sides facing each other and stitched around in a long rectangle.  I tried to get as little of the paint colors inside the stitching as possible.  Then, I cut around the outside of the stitching using pinking shears. 



Hole Punch with Ribbon



 Using a hole punch I put a hole near the top (leaving enough room between the hole and the edge so that the ribbon I added wouldn't rip through the paper.  I cut  a piece of ribbon and stuffed both ends through the hole and slid the cut ends through the center of the uncut side of the ribbon--forming a sort of tail.

Then, to joosh it up, I used my "Brilliance" ink pades and a nice stamp and inked it up well.  I carefully put the stamp to the chip, pushing down firmly, then with one hand I held down the paper and gripping the stamp tightly, lifted it.  This time, no "double stamping."  On the back, I put some 3-D stickers just so it wouldn't be bare, but also so my daughters could write their names after one of the heart stickers--like a card--so the teacher would always be able to remember from whom this sentiment came.

I paired a bookmark with a cheap, but adorable mini box of tissues. 

Cost Breakdown: $1.00 per gift

2 Paint Chips.......free from Home Depot (or any hardware store)
Ink Pad...............free, already had this
Stamp.................free, already had this
3-D Stickers.......free, already had this
Thread/Sewing Machine.....free, already had this
Ribbon...............free, recycled from a gift
Mini-Tissues.......$1.00 from Target's dollar section

Coasting Into A Teacher's Appreciation Gift for Day #2

Day One's gift went well.  If you didn't see it, you can find it here.  And to tie into the first gift, I decided that the next gift would be a handmade coaster for their glass.  Not only are these super simple to make, they are very inexpensive.  Two of my favorite things!!

First, I purchased some tumbled, natural stone tiles at Home Depot.  They sold for about .30 cents a tile.  When I got home, I rubbed the tops down with some alcohol and let them dry for an hour.  This is to make sure that there isn't any debris on the front of the tile that may interfere with the stamping that will happen next.

Next, I chose an ink called "Brilliance"--they have them in a multitude of colors.  I stamped two designs--one with Blue and the other with Coffee Bean.  You could use Staz On brand, but in my area I have a hard time finding them and they are very expensive, plus "Brilliance" works just as well, and usually costs less. 

Then, I chose my stamp and inked it well.  I centered the design on the tile and pushed down firmly.  (I actually stood up and put my weight down on the stamp so as to come in contact with as much of the tile as possible--since these tiles are uneven.)  I carefully lifted the stamp and voila!  A pretty design. 

I let these set for about half an hour or until dry.  Then, I placed them into a cold oven.  I "cooked" them at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, then turned off the oven, leaving the tile to cool down with the oven.  This will take a while, so it's best to do this part when you have a bit of time.

 

coaster with cork and felt bumpers



Last, I cut some felt (or you can use self adhesive felt bumpers) and glued it to the bottom of the tiles.  This keeps the coaster from scratching the surface they are on.

 

This seemed a little less then adequate, so I baked some cookies  from scratch from the refrigerator section and put them into a baggie.  I tied the cookies coaster with a bow and slipped a mint stick between the bow and top of the tile.  A nice simple and sweet gift for the girls' teachers.

Cost Breakdown: $ 1.13 per gift

Tile...... $  .30 each

Stamps...... free as I already had these

Stamp Pad (Ink).....free as I already had these

Ribbon.....free as I already had this

Cookie Dough.....$5.42 for 2lbs @ WalMart--but only used about half the container.

Baggies........free as I already had these (but you can get them for $1.00 at the Dollar Store

Stick Mints.......$1.00 for box of 12 at the Dollar Store.

Teacher Appreciation...Make Lemonade!

Today starts Teacher Appreciation Week.  Having been a teacher, I know that not much appreciation is sent to teachers.  I also know, that everyone, no matter what they do, enjoys receiving recognition for the work that they do. So, I decided that my daughters' teachers were going to be shown how important I feel their work is and that I (and my girls) think that they are doing a good job.

Now, I wondered, what can I do that wouldn't be the same old, same old teacher gift?  Something that would be different and useful.  Not the usual coffee mug or figurine? An item that would be used, not just acknowledged for the rememberance of Teacher Appreciation Week, but that would be enjoyed.

It just so happened, I was in the Dollar Store with my middle miss and she spied some tall glasses with lemons all over them.  They were very summery and were paired on a display with some boxes of individual lemonade packets. Then it came to me. A nice little gift that incorporated a fun glass from which to drink some nice, refreshing lemonade.

Since I was busy all weekend, I ran short of time Sunday night to get my little gifts together--as I have something planned for every day of this week. Thankfully, this was very easy and required no artsy-craftsy skill or drying time.  I simply filled each glass with lemonade packets, a plastic spoon (or straw) and some shred.

I tied a cute ribbon around the glass with a decorative tag. I also added a bottle of water, upside down in each glass--but that was an afterthought and I didn't take a picture of that.  Not bad for an inexpensive and quick put together gift!

Cost Breakdown:  $1.50 per gift

4 Glasses....$4.00

2 Lemonade Boxes (w/12 in box)....$2.00

Shred--free as I already had this

Plastic Spoon/Straw--free as I already had this

Ribbon--free as it was recycled from a gift

MakeTime for....Making Time!

Who says you can't make time?  Not me!  I fell into this idea when a friend of mine, with whom I also work, was in need of a clock.  Her office, while very small, didn't come with a wall clock. Since she is a social worker, it is imperative that she know what time it is as she has students and parents coming and going for meetings.  Plus, how annoying not to have a clock  when you really need one!?!

Dr. Seuss' Birthday Shirts

As often happens in my house, one of the little girls tells me that tomorrow is Dr. Seuss' birthday celebration at school and can't we run to the store to get a Seuss inspired shirt to wear? (If you have kids,  I'm guessing you've experienced this for yourself.) 

Knock-Off Painted Jeans

If you're anything like me, you hate to pay big time prices for things that you can make (or semi-make) for a lot less.  Well, today something very much like this happened to me. 

Adorable Hangers from Recycled Materials

These are the cutest little hangers and cost practically nothing to make (especially if you have children's hangers already that could use some sprucing up).

Jewelry As Art

I've always found jewelry to be a pain to tame. When I housed it in a jewelry box, my necklaces always seemed somehow to end up tangled and knotted. When I tired of having something so bulky take up precious space on my vanity, I placed a fabric lined box in one of my drawers. I thought this would be the perfect solution to my jewelry housing problem. Alas, it wasn't. I found that my necklaces and bracelets still seemed to inter-tangle themselves with my many earrings. I also often 'forgot' I had certain pieces because I couldn't find them and they weren't easily visable so I often went unaccessorized. Not only that, I found that drawer space was becoming an issue. That's when I decided there had to be a better way to store my jewelry.