Safari Snack Bouquet

I wanted to give my friend Katie a gift to say "Congratulations" on getting her own classroom...she's now a full-time 2nd grade teacher and we are all so excited for her. My first thought was "FOOD" and then the idea of a "bouquet" of food came to mind. Her classroom is set with a jungle/safari theme, so I went with that idea.

I headed to Michael's (where else? -- I can't help it....it's only 2 miles away) and picked up a medium-sized clay pot, along with some fun ribbon. I also had in my stash some rocks, floral foam, hot glue gun, black paper shred, skewers and large popsicle sticks. I also headed to the grocery store and picked up some tasty snacks including granola bars, trail mix, rice cakes and some chocolate....I was thinking "food" along the line of snacks to have when you get hungry and have a few minutes to spare (does that ever happen?) and I didn't want to totally junk her out.

Next, with hubby's help, we painted the pot using black exterior paint leftover from a project or two. Painting is definitely not my specialty, so his help was much appreciated. Next, I layered the inside of the pot with rocks (to give it some weight), floral foam cut to size and paper shreds adhered using my hot glue gun.

I made a bow with the ribbon I purchased and wired it to a large popsicle stick. To assemble the bouquet, I used my glue gun and attached the food items to popsicle sticks and wooden skewers. Then I began inserting everything to form a nice "arranged" look. I also found three wooden animals to complete the theme and attached them to skewers as well. (Here's a look from the back.) And here's the finished assembly!!! I thought it turned out great and I can't wait to give it to her. This project was very affordable and could be used for just about any theme.See you sooner than later....I've been busy working a few projects, but I promise to stay in touch!

Bits & Bits

I feel myself s-l-o-w-l-y catching up on bits and bits of little stuff that need to be done, you know, the kind of things that can keep you awake at night....anyways, I thought I would share some quick pics with you of some of the little things I've done lately. Nothing spectacular mind you, but just a few little "day brighteners" as I like to call them.

First up is a little candy box I decorated for the sweet gal who taught us how to make and roll the lumpias. I love these little clear plastic boxes and they make the perfect containers for sweet treats like chocolate kisses or, in this case, tangy flavored lifesavers. I don't remember where I picked up the bright colored ribbon, but it matched the theme. I also used my Spellbinder dies and a felt flower from Making Memories. The stamped flag is from Stampin' Up.
Next is one of two bags of Butterkrunch popcorn I made for Orientation at school yesterday. I thought the teachers might enjoy a light snack and it was too hot and steamy for chocolate. This recipe is soooo good (tx, Katie!) and it makes a ton. I was in a time "krunch" so I just went to my stash of school papers and grabbed a white tag. I also went to my sticker supply for the crayon. The "enjoy" sentiment is from PTI. Both of our teachers this year loved the gift and one even said, "Ooooh, you've got an A.....how did you know I could be bribed?"

Last is a quickie card I made using my new Hearts & Bracket die from Stampin' Up. I owed a card along with a baby gift to a friend I knew I would see yesterday at Orientation, so I whipped this "baby" up right before we left. I was afraid I would run out of time and not get a picture, but I managed to have an extra 10 minutes. I also used my Spellbinders scallop die and my SU spiral edge punch. The stamped sentiment is from PTI's Mixed Messages set as well as their simple alphabets. It's a little hard to see, but both of the hearts were embossed with the polka dot folder from Quickutz. Love the large dot sizes on that one.

And, that's it for today! Have a good one!