Finishing Up

We are finishing up the school year down here in Florida. Only 1 1/2 days left until the girls are home again for the summer - the best!!

I had a kindergarten teacher summon me last week asking for some ideas for an end of the year treat for her little ones. We were going for simple and quick! She mentioned having sidewalk chalk in her closet so we decided to go with a theme of "Fun in the Sun" and activities the children could use on their summer break.

She was kind enough to go that night and purchase some of the supplies we needed, including Miracle Bubbles and CD envelopes in bright colors.

As I packaged everything up I decided to make some colorful pinwheels to use as a clip-on for the bag decoration. (No sticks on these pinwheels so the kids are less likely to poke their eyes out.)

Here's what my bags looked like....although you can't see the goodies inside - they were too cute!

I used the CD envelopes as the template for the pinwheel and followed the basic instructions for cutting and connecting the "flags" of the pinwheel together with a brad.

Here is the back of the treat bag showing the clothespin clip which attaches the pinwheel using a medium-sized glue dot:

These were really simple and quick - just like we wanted!! Happy Summer!

Printables Make it Fun

I have a few projects in the works for some of my teacher friends and classmates at school. I knew what I wanted to make, but I wasn't sure about the tagging....but then, I found some really awesome printables for FREE and they were just what I was looking for...

First up is a teacher's gift for my daughter's 3rd grade teacher:

This is a really simple gift using an eco-friendly drink cup and some yummy lemonade single to-go packets. I also used a little bit of scrapbook paper and a stamp set from Papertrey Ink.

I found the idea here and knew I had to make one. Lisa's idea and printable made it so easy to put together really quickly. I found my cup at Walmart and the to-go singles can be found just about anywhere. In fact, these were on sale, so I decided to get two boxes, one for now and one for later. I wrapped the second box up in a glassine bag and decorated it with a sewn on topper. 

Next is a simple end of the year gift for my daughter's 3rd grade classmates. It did involve a little pre-planning to purchase the cello bags from here. They are a 1x8 size and fit regular-sized gumballs perfectly. (Mine are Carousel brand.)

To top off the gumballs bags, I used my scalloped die with this printable. Amanda has some AMAZING printables and I've just recently found her blog....where have I been? It was the perfect topper for my treats.

 20 down and 16 more to go....this is definitely an easy, and enjoyable treat to put together.

As always, if you have any questions just give me a shout! I wish you all a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend! Have fun!

We're Going Nuts

We're going nuts over here celebrating our teachers this week! I have a few small things planned, including this:

I've had this idea in my notebook for a while now, I think the original idea was posted in "Papercrafts" magazine some time back....here's my interpretation:

Begin with some basic supplies, including cello bags, scrapbook paper, pencil, adhesive and peanuts.

Next, I cut my solid colored paper to fit the outside of my cello bag and then I used a square-shaped die to cut a "window" out of the front of the cardstock.

To apply some adhesive, I ran it through my Xyron. 

I applied the cardstock to the cello bag and began decorating it with die cut letters and alphabet stickers. I also used a die cut scallop strip and some fun glossy stickers.

I filled it with peanuts (after sampling a few) and stapled it shut using my Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher (love that tool). And, just for fun, I added a colorful paperclip and a snippet of ribbon.

These will be fun to pass out and hopefully will provide the teachers with a yummy, unpredictable treat. Who doesn't like peanuts?

ETA: I'm linking over at Skip to My Lou today - first time!

Valentine's Day Bubble Treats

I decided to go with something non-traditional for my 2nd grade classroom treats this Valentine's Day. I found these really cute heart bubbles at Michael's for only $4.00. I designed a card to incorporate the bubbles, keeping the workload to a minimum. (We still need to finish the inside of each card.)

Here's what the outside of each card looks like:

I used the three-heart punch from Stampin' Up, along with their word window punch. The red ribbon is leftover from a Christmas project. My corner chomper also came in handy for rounding the corners...it's a great tool to have.

Forgive my eensy-weensy collage up top, I'm in the process of learning a new photo-editing program and it's like baby steps each day.

Warning: Cute Overload

Aren't these the cutest things you've seen???? My friend, Katie, made these treats for her 2nd grade classes....the frogs are for her son's class to enjoy and the bags with the cute toppers are for Katie's own class to enjoy (she also teaches 2nd grade). I told her I was going to "borrow" this photo so that I could post it on my blog....I had to brag, they are just so darn cute!
What are you planning? From the looks of these, I need to get busy...

Holiday Classroom Treats

I've been working this afternoon on classroom treats for my 2nd and 4th grades. Here's what I decided to do....there are so many cute things out there, it was actually hard to narrow the choices down to two things:

Rudolph's Nose Repair Kit

I used a mini cello bag and filled it with ten sour cherry round-shaped candies I found at Hobby Lobby. I then topped it using some patterned Christmas paper cut with the Top Note Stampin' Up die. I also used my Cricut Doodlecharms cartridge to cut a 2 1/2 inch reindeer for the front.

On the reverse side I attached the "Repair Kit" poem which tells the children what to do with their spare noses. I thought this idea was really cute and may be something new they hadn't seen before.

Next up, for my 4th grade class, I used plain white computer CD envys stamped with a polka dot design in red and green, to hold individually wrapped krispie treats. To stamp the polka dots I used PTI's Polka Dot Basics and Stampin' Up ink in Real Red and Green Galore.

To save on time, I decided to top each envelope using an assortment of tags I found at Michael's. They were attached to the front using a glue dot. Easy, easy.

Here's the boxful before the tags were attached to the front. This class is large, 21 + the teacher.

My girls love having something to pass out and I have fun putting these sweet treats together! I'm off to "work" on something else. Have a good day!

Puttin' It All Together

I spent a little bit of time this morning working on some Halloween classroom goodies for my 2nd grade daughter to pass out tomorrow. She actually went through my craft idea notebook and picked out this craft.

We found the small containers at Michael's in their wedding department. The cost was $10 for 30 (with a coupon). Next, I bought some Halloween M&Ms and went to work...

First, I filled each container with a small amount of candy. I also applied a small glue dot to the side-center of each container (you can see it here).
Next, I used some of my favorite purple twill ribbon to wrap around the side of each container. My local rubber stamp store sells this twill (in all different colors) for only 20/cents a yard. I love it!

Lastly, I used my scrapbook adhesive to apply a Stampin' Up "Batty for You" image to the center of each top. These were prepared much earlier in the month to make everything a little bit easier during *crunch* time....which is now!!

And here is part of my stash of 18 stacked high in a pretty treat container!

Later gator!

Muffins & More

Between working part-time (but it feels more like full-time) and our neighborhood Halloween party this past Saturday, I've also been working on my daughter's 2nd grade storybook parade. This year her class is using the theme from the book, "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" and each classmate (and her teacher) will be dressed as a moose. There weren't too many options to go with, so this is what I put together....

Here's the book cover and a stack of [yummy] cardboard muffins:
I mounted the muffins and the book covers on large popsicle sticks so that the children could carry them while marching in the parade.

Next are the headbands I made using brown felt, black posterboard, black pipecleaners and hot glue. These were a bit tedious, but I wanted them to be secure and not floppy while the children walked.

And, here's a quick picture of my girls in their costumes for our neighborhood Halloween parade. I didn't get too many good pictures from the party because I was too busy running games, hosting and picking names for winners in our candy corn count contest and prize giveaways. It was a fun time!

Just in case you couldn't tell, this year's homemade costumes include a mime and a supermodel. See you later!

Shopping in the Wedding Aisle

My second grader wanted to get a jump start on this year's Halloween treats for her classroom so we went shopping at Michael's. We ended up in the wedding aisle and her mind was made up when she spotted these little favor tins. With a 50% off coupon they rang up at $10 for 30.
I decided to keep things really simple by using my "Batty for You" set from Stampin' Up along with a circle punch and my Spellbinders inverted scallops die.

We also added some bright purple seam binding to keep the tin closed along with some decorative googly eyes. When it gets a little closer to the holiday, I'll fill each one with M&Ms for a delicious little treat. It feels so good to get started early.

LOADS of fun

I was asked by my daughter's 3rd grade teacher to design a bulletin board for the incoming 3rd graders this year. This is a board that sits in the hallway for everyone to share. I had the design in my head and worked on it two separate times this summer.....working all by yourself on a bulletin board is a little tedious - and I won't even mention the fact that the hallway was sweltering hot because they don't turn the A/C on during the summer....sheesh!

Here's how it turned out:
My husband helped me by making a stencil for the little t-shirts, and my Mom helped me by finding the miniature soap boxes at a local laundromat - I guess you could call it upcycling, because they came from the trash. :) I used my Cricut to cut out the subjects in 6 different fonts. I also borrowed an idea to use green tissue paper for grass instead of using a ton of green paper or cutting blades of grass.

And here's a card I put together yesterday for my stash - no challenge, just for fun:

I love the "cartoon talk" stamps from Michael's and can't wait to use more on future projects. The notebook edge punch is from Stampin' Up and the star dies are from Sizzix.

And, here's the close up:

I'm waiting on a friend's decision for a new job....perhaps she will need a "WOW" card in her mailbox!

Celebrating our Teachers

The celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week is in full swing this week at my girls' elementary school. To begin the week, we had a small breakfast set up in the teacher's lounge. Here's a shot of my contribution: Funky Monkey Banana Bread (in front) and Amish Friendship Bread (in the back). Both were extremely well received and gobbled up quickly. I wish I had brought two trays instead of one.
Next up is a card using the scraps from the pencil holder I made last week. Remember this post? Well, here's the card I came up with:

I love my new Sizzix Stars #2 die which is where these stars came from. The patterned papers are from DCWV (apples) and American Crafts (stripes).

Pencil Holder #2

Here is the second pencil holder I made yesterday. As you can see, this one has a totally different look. I love this DCWV glittered apple paper I found while Shop Hopping last week. I also snagged a package of these mini chalkboards at a garage sale and I knew they would be perfect for this project!
Here's the close up shot:

I also added a heart shaped brad with a gem just to give it a little snazz. (I cut the prongs off of the brad before applying it with glue.) The monogrammed initials are American Crafts rub-ons. I think they add a very special "personalized" touch that, hopefully, will make for a memorable keepsake.

Supplies: Patterned paper: Apples- DCWV; Green- BoBunny, Chalkboard: Darice, Rub-ons: American Crafts, Red trim: Unknown, Gem & Brad: Unknown, Mod Podge

I Appreciate my Teachers

Teacher's Appreciation Week begins next week and today I worked on a simple gift for each one of my girls' teachers....today I will show you my first grader's gift.

I bought two of these Prima Craft pencil holders from a friend - a deal at $1.00/each. For this one, I had a pink/ivory theme in my head (this teacher loves the look of the Victorian style) so I began with a quick base of white craft paint. I didn't paint the entire holder, just the edges, top and bottom.
Next, I cut my Basic Grey scrapbook paper to fit the sides and adhered the paper using my trusty Mod Podge. A little goes a long way!

Once the holder was covered with the patterned paper I could move on to the next step, which is my favorite: embellishing. I went to my stash options and pulled items I thought would look good: ribbon, fabric brads, chipboard, lace trim, Prima flowers...sometimes I realize I have too much.

And here it is all fancied up and lookin' pretty. As you can see, I didn't use everything I pulled out (the gems didn't make it) but the elimination process is one of my favorite parts of creating anything. I love that I have options! Once I uploaded the pictures I thought, "Where are the pencils?" Don't worry, I'll have a fresh stash ready for next week.

And here's the close up (click on the picture to make it larger):

I hope she likes it. It isn't my usual style, and I even pulled out a lonely glitter bottle (two times in one week, what a record) to add a bit of shimmer to the flower petals, but I wanted something to reflect her style and look pretty in her classroom. She's one of the sweetest people I've ever met.

I'm also working on one for my third grade teacher and I'll share it later. Different style for a different gal!

Sources: Holder: Prima Craft, Patterned paper & Chipboard: Basic Grey, Solid pink paper: DCWV, Flowers: Prima, Lace Trim: Paper Studio, Border punch: Martha Stewart, Glitter: Making Memories, Rubber stamp: Kitchen Sink Stamps, Mod Podge