pinwheels

I saw these cute pinwheels on a blog this week and thought it would be fun to make them....it was such a quick project and super fun! I started and by the time I was done folding my paper, I had 3 other helpers that wanted to make them too!

Here are the instructions....

Step 1: Get 12x12 sheets of scrapbook paper and cut into 3x12 strips....take one of the strips and cut it in half (3x6)...Step 2: Accordian fold the strips of paper and glue them end-to-end (glue dots work perfectly for this)...They will pop up like this....don't fret!Step 3: You need to figure out something to go over the center..I just grabbed my 3" scallop punch and punched out coordinating papers... I hot glued the shape over the center...that keeps the papers "flat"...Step 4: The centers....we cut letters out on the cricut and shapes, or you can just leave them blank...Step 5: How to display....I thought about hanging them in a swag...but then I thought I would glue them on sticks....Step 6: Enjoy your cute patriotic display!

end of the year teacher gifts

The end of the school year is here....no more papers to grade, report cards to do for 8 weeks....Byron made salsa last week and we canned it. I thought about how I could incorporate it into a teacher gift...

And, voila! Add some chips, some homemade fire-roasted salsa, and Martinelli's Prickly Pear-Passion fruit Lemonade....The tag is completely cheesy! I wanted to think of something quirky like "you are the cheese to my macaroni" but with chips and salsa....all I could think of was "You are the salsa of my life. Thank you for being such a spicy teacher."

I know...lame! But, here's to kicking off summer! Hope our teachers enjoy!

Teacher Appreciation Week

Warning: lots of pictures!!!

I have stolen a lot of cool ideas for this week and have come up with some on my own too...we absolutely love our teachers and love spoiling them every day of the week!

This year, I didn't make much, since I am going to be away...everything was done ahead of time and actually it is nice to think things are all wrapped up and ready to walk out the door each morning with the girls...

Monday...I am a room parent for one room. The PTA wanted the room mom's do write on these flowers and make a "thank you" card for the teachers...yeah....not going to work with me, so we decided to do this fun project instead to cover both days...I pulled the kids out in groups and I asked the kids some questions that I already had the answers to...favorite color, place to shop, vacation spot, etc....I wrote down everything the kids said...I mean everything - including what other group members interjected - it was pretty fun!
Since it was Teacher Trivia...we asked "Are you smarter than a 4th or 5th grader? We think so!"
For the other teacher that I am not the room parent for, I went with school supplies since state testing is just around the corner...I turned this...into this...."You're the write fit for me!"The rest of the week is just from our family...room parent responsibilities over...so, Tuesday is all about yummy root beer to share with their families...I turned this....into this....There were a couple of cute sayings that I saw for this one..."You're an AWesome teacher" for A&W root beer, or this one "I'm soda-lighted you're my teacher!" that you can use with any soda...Wednesday and Thursday are all about pampering...Love that Teacher Appreciation is right before Mother's Day so Bath and Body Works has lots of specials running...became this "I've got to hand it to you...I think you're great!"And a quick stop for Thursday....some bright, fun colors for summer...became this...."Thanks for adding color to my life!"With summer around the corner, Friday's gift couldn't be more perfect....who doesn't like s'mores in the summer?! So, with this....turned into "We need s'more teachers like you!"...Hope our teachers have a great week!

Queen Bee Market

Oh, I will be going...and looking...and gathering inspiration from these amazing women...who wants to come too?!

t-shirt tutorials

So, I made 2 different t-shirts and thought they would be fun to make with and for my girls....For both shirts, you need to have 2 t-shirts...one to cut up and one to sew on....buy one shirt in a much larger size so you have enough fabric to cut up....

Ruffle T-Shirt:
We'll start with the ruffle t-shirt.....you take the larger shirt and cut up the side and cut out the arms.Then you lay out the back (since there is more fabric) and cut 3 strips (2 1/2 inches wide) and 3 strips (1 3/4 inches wide)....you want to even out the ends, too....mine ended up being 21 inches long...Lay the thinner strips on top of the thicker ones....cut 2 strips down to a shorter length (I cut mine down to 16 inches)Sew (on your loosest tension) down the middle of the strips. Take one thread on one end and bunch the fabric down....be careful not to pull too hard because the thread might break....take your longest strip and pin it down the center of your shirt and sew down the center....pin each ruffle to the side, without leaving space (this will happen naturally after it is washed) and continue to sew....
And voila! A ruffle t-shirt - a project that cost me just $8!
Floral T-Shirt:
Take 2 t-shirts....one in a much larger size....Take the larger t-shirt and cut circles (3 different sizes of your choosing...I used a cup, a ribbon spool, and a thread spool)...cut anywhere from 12-18 "flowers" depending on how far down your shirt you want to go....layer...Next, there are a couple ways to make your flowers...I tacked the flowers folded in half, then did 3 stitches up and 3 stitches back to put them on the shirt....When you attach them to a shirt, you want to keep it tight and zig-zag the flowers for maximum fullness....And, you're done...again, another project that only cost me $6.....

teacher valentines

I love scrabble letters...I love words....I found this project here and thought it would be a perfect little something for our teachers....Both of them LOVED it! And, I loved it so much I made one for me, too! Now I need to order more scrabble letters.

scrapbook paper clothespins

I was originally going to make covered clothespins with ribbon, but decided that scrapbook paper would be that much more fun!

Step One: Get papers that you like and clothespins (found clothespins at Walmart)....
Step Two: Cut paper into strips 3/8" wide...Step Three: Mod Podge the clothespin with a sponge brush and put on a paper; let mod podge dry...Step Four: With an emory board or sandpaper, rough up the edges and distress with an ink pad....

Step 5: Mod Podge over the top again, letting it dry 15-20 minutes between layers...you can put up to 5 layers on...You're done! What a fun, inexpensive craft! Enjoy!

Jar of Joy

I originally saw a post similar to this for a Valentine gift for a teacher, but thought that this would be the perfect "ray of sunshine" for Mrs. Atkinson's birthday!

I had each of the kids in the class write a memory or something that makes their teacher special...each submitted 3 papers for the jar....
I added the instructions on the back....it was a perfect class gift!