End of the Year Teacher Gifts

Summer is in full swing in my neck of the woods and I know the trickle effect has started around the country with kids, teachers, and parents excited to enjoy a slower pace for a few months. 
I'm an elementary teacher and the end of every year is bittersweet.  I LOVE my summers, but it's hard to say goodbye to the kiddos after a great year.
Here are a few cute and creative gift ideas from parents and teachers I snagged and thought I'd share.  Enjoy!

Summer Bucket List

This plastic bucket was  filled with fun things to check off for the teacher's relaxing summer bucket list. I guarantee if they do all of these things, they will have a perfect summer vacation! It was such a fun idea and could work as a gift for anyone.

Some of the bucket list items/gifts were to:

*Sit around a campfire (utility lighter)

*Watch a movie (DVD - Pride and Prejudice...one of my personal favorites)
*Soak up some sun (sunblock)
*Read a good book (Barnes & Noble gift card)
*Lay by the pool (sunglasses)
*Go out to lunch (restaurant gift certificate)
*Get some extra sleep (Extra gum)
*Take a bubble bath (loofah)
*Have a BBQ (BBQ sauce)
*Listen to your favorite music (iTunes gift card)
*Paint your toenails (nail polish)
*Get a manicure and pedicure (nail set)

This was such a thoughtful gift and completely appreciated by the teacher!  If it seems a little bit extravagant for your budget, here's a similar adorable idea in a different package.

Paper Bag Booklet

 This little book was made from a paper bag. 

 

Then this cute mom added some gift cards she knew her daughter's teacher would use and enjoy.

This was so thoughtful, and completely appreciated by the recipient! :)

You can watch a video on how to make a paper bag booklet (by pinkscrapper99)  HERE!

Thank you for "PITCHING" in!

Every teacher knows, we couldn't survive without AMAZING parents who volunteer their time and energy in the classroom.  One of my coworkers grabbed these cute pitchers and glammed them up to thank her parent helpers.  She put some silver filler in the bottom and added a wooden spoon and some lemonade mix.  She added her cute thank you card, and the parents got the thank you they deserved.  :)

Hopefully you can use some of these ideas to thank people in your life! 

Have a fun summer...I know I am!

~Cindy

Baby Announcement Pictures!

I was so excited when one of my good friends asked me to take baby announcement pictures for her first baby...a girl!  She wanted the photos to be simple and make a statement, and I was really happy with how they turned out.  Here's a little peek into some of my favorites! Enjoy!

First of all, don't you love her shoes?! This gal is know for her good fashion sense, and I loved her sassy high heels. 

I used PicMonkey to edit the photos.  It is so super easy to use and has fun bells and whistles that are a sinch to figure out. 

Here's the same black & white picture, but I used a focal softening technique so the baby shoes stood out (when I say "technique", I mean I pressed the button that said "focal soften".  I promise it's simple.)

The Mom and Dad signs were easy to make...black construction paper and chalk. 

And by the way...these two are going to be the best parents! :)

I liked this picture, but the stairs in the background spoiled it.  I lightened it and used the "clone" button to add the rock over the stairs.

Now it looks much better!

I used the "clone" button on the shoes too.  They had a brand name on the inside of both shoes that spoiled the shot.  :(  Luckily it was another easy fix!

Here's another version in black & white.

 These pictures were tons of fun to take and edit.  I can't wait to meet this cute little girl when she makes her debut in a few months!

Have fun!

~Cindy Jane

Liebster Blog Award

What a fun weekend full of surprises (the good kind)! When I checked in on the blog last night, I found we had been awarded the Liebster Blog Award from Heather over at Stringtown Home!  ElleBee and I were so surprised and honored!  Stringtown Home has tons of great ideas on home decor, yummy recipes, and organizing.  If you haven't checked it out yet, head on over to stringtownhome.blogspot.com.

But that wasn't the only surprise!  :)  This morning when I checked in, I discovered Roudi from C is for CRAFT had also left a message giving us the Liebster Blog Award!  So fun!  Roudi is a super crafty teenager who lives in Egypt!  Her blog has lots of DIY jewelry, art journaling, and snippets into her life.  This is also one you should check out at c-is-for-craft.blogspot.com. 

According to some research Roudi did, Liebster is German for "favorite" or "dearest" .  To follow the rules, we get to pick 5 fantastic and favorite small blogs, with less than 200 followers, and pass the award along.  We're really excited to give some other blogs a pat on the back for their creativity and craftiness!

~ Cindy Jane & ElleBee

Weekend Pajama Party: Paper Rosette Tutorial

 

Oh, Baby!  I got to help throw a baby shower for two of my friends at work this week who are both expecting boys.  We had the shower in the library at school so we had an owl theme...owls like to read books, right?  I love paper rosettes but had never made any.  Well...I'm kind of an expert now, and they are super easy and fun to make for any party.

What I Used:

12x12 paper (double sided is best)

Martha Stewart scoring board (If you don't already have one, get one!)

hot glue/glue gun

Give a Hoot Cricut cartridge (for the owls)

The proportions for this rosette will make a 10 inch diameter rosette...the medium sized one in the trio.  Sorry I didn't snap pictures of the owl rosettes as I made them...they were a true pajama craftin' project.  :)

Step 1: Using one piece of 12x12 paper, cut three 4x12 inch strips.

Step 2: Score each paper at 1/2 inch.

Step 3: Fold the strips accordion style.  It's the same technique I used when I was little and would fold papers into fans during church.  :)

Step 4: Line the papers up and glue them together (keeping the accordion pattern)....

....until they look like a lampshade.

Step 5: Press down in the center until it looks like this.  Don't be afraid to force it down. 

You can't break it!

Step 6: I cut out a flower shape on my Cricut and hot glued a flower to each side to keep it together.

If you get the double sided paper, it's a fun bonus if you hang them from the ceiling. 

Here's the view from the back.

See how fun and easy?!  I cut out some owls using the Give a Hoot Cricut cartridge for the baby shower ones and I glued them over the white flower.  This made them extra sturdy.

Here's a cheat sheet for the paper sizes I cut and the diameter of each paper rosette.

Aqua: Finished rosette = 14 inch diameter

Uses four 6x12 inch paper strips (2 12x12 papers)

Orange: Finished rosette = 10 inch diameter

Uses three 4x12 inch paper strips

Green: Finished rosette = 6 1/2 inch diameter

Uses two 3x6 inch paper strips

I kept the owl motif going and made some extra mini owls as cupcake toppers.  :)

I made the banner out of burlap, cloth, and paper letters.  The burlap blocks are 6 inches and the damask cloth blocks are 5 1/4 inches.  I used spray adhesive to stick it all together.  :)

If you haven't already made some of these paper rosettes, I hope you'll give them a try! 

They definitely make the world a cuter place!

Have fun!

~Cindy Jane

Paper Prize Boxes

Oh, my goodness!  What a CRAZY month I have had!  I've dropped off of the blog world for a few weeks, but I'm back.  It's been one project after another from 70+ hour work weeks, baby announcement photo shoots (don't get excited...I was the photographer, not the photographed), to planning baby showers, and producing an opera with 24 talented 2nd Graders...I've seen a little bit of everything the past four weeks.  Here's a little peek into the craziness of my life.

Every year, my group of creative 2nd graders writes an original opera thanks to the Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre's Opera by Children.  The entire process takes about 8 months, but it is completely worth it!  I always give my kiddos a special prize after they perform for their parents.  This year I made them these oh, so cute prize boxes.  The best part is they were basically free since I had all of the materials on hand.  I had to glitz them up with cute little creatures on the front that matched their characters in the opera. 

I used the Cricut cartridge Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More to make the boxes.  It's a fun cartridge, but I wish the box sizes were bigger.  This is the Gable Box cut.

Sticking with my free theme, I got bright colored copy paper and put it through the paper shredder for the "stuffing".  It added a fun, bright touch!

Here they are, all lined up.  The animals on the front were cut from the Cricut cartridge Create a Critter...one of my favorites!  I cut little name tags out of the Storybook cartridge and they were done!  One thing checked off the never ending to-do list!

The kids loved their little boxes and the keepsake inside of it!  I told ElleBee I would cry if they ripped into the boxes in front of me, but I was SO impressed, because I didn't find even one little piece of paper on the floor. :)

Even 8 year olds appreciate it when you

make the world a cuter place!

~Have fun!

Cindy Jane 

Weekend Pajama Party: Burlap Rose Lampshade

I have such a love/hate relationship with burlap!

I LOVE the look but HATE the mess!

I decided to "forgive-and-forget" for this lamp update and love, love, LOVE the way it all came together. I've had a set of lamps for about 7 years that I haven't used since I moved into my new house a few years ago and revamped my style. Anyway, I got ambitious on my 4 day weekend {the perks of being a teacher} and this is how it came together.

What I Used:
3 yards of natural colored burlap
hot glue/gun
repurposed lamp and shade
Krylon spray paint in Blue Ocean Breeze

Here's the "before" of the lamp. 

It's not too shabby, just a little too traditional for my house these days.

 First, I covered the cord and lamp structure with tin foil and spray painted it one of my favorite accent colors...Blue Ocean Breeze.

That was the easy part! 

Then, onto the burlap roses. 

I started by cutting 46-inch strips of burlap--this was the bolt width. 

{Click HERE for a tip on cutting burlap in straight lines.}

The strips varied in widths from 1 & 3/4 inches to about 2 & 1/2 inches.  I was able to make 3 roses out of each long strip of burlap. 

{Click HERE for directions on how to make the burlap roses.}

My lamp shade is about 11 inches tall and has a 36 inch diameter at its widest spot.  I made about 80 roses to cover it. 

If you want to make fewer roses {I recommend this!} I suggest cutting wider strips of burlap and making larger roses.

Gluing the roses on is the best part!

You'll need to cut off the "stems" of the roses so they will glue flat.

Another suggestion is to glue the roses around the top and bottom edges of the lampshade first. 

Then glue the remaining roses in.

I was so happy giddy when I glued in the last roses and put the lamp together. 

This project was totally worth the time and mess.  Plus, since I already had the lamp and spray paint, this project cost me less than 10 bucks! 

Even if you don't tackle burlap roses, I hope this project inspires you to repurpose something you love, but haven't used lately, to make your world a cuter place too!

Have fun!

~Cindy Jane

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Speckled Butterfly Easter Eggs

It's not too late to make these beautiful eggs for your Easter dinner place settings or as a spring decoration.  They were inspired by a Martha Stewart creation but she used oversized paper egg boxes and hollowed chicken eggs.  I couldn't find the boxes and the idea of hollowing out eggs sounded like a giant mess waiting to happen. 

Luckily, I found an easier and cleaner way for about 50 cents an egg. 

Thank you Dollar Store!

Materials:
jumbo sized plastic eggs
cream spray paint
brown craft paint/toothbrush
butterfly cardstock

I found these jumbo sized eggs at The Dollar Store and they were the perfect size. :)

 I was worried the color would be too bright to cover, but I primed the eggs, then added a few coats of spray paint and it did the trick. 

***Do not use a prime and paint spray paint combo or the paint will run down.***

I put some light brown craft paint on an old toothbrush and speckled the eggs.

 Then I cut out some butterflies and Mod Podged them on.

Here's another option instead of speckling the eggs with paint.  I used a brown ink pad and sponge on this one.  I like the aged look the ink gives it.

I think they look really cute in these bowls with Spanish moss as a make-shift bird's nest. I added some simple name cards and my Easter dinner place settings are done.

 Happy Easter!

~ Cindy Jane

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