Thanks for helping me grow!

I've been working on end of year teacher gifts for my son's classroom teacher and each of his specials teachers, and I'm really excited to share when they are finished. In the mean time, though, here are what we gave to his preschool teachers last year (life got busy after school and I never posted them!).

My son absolutely adored his preschool teachers last year and as I was thinking about what to give them I wanted it to 1) Be something they would actually want and 2) Reflect how special they were to our family by helping my son feel loved throughout the year. I came across this sentiment on Pinterest and it really resonated with me. He had grown physically of course, but also socially and academically, so it was perfect!

I purchased several succulents and repotted them in terra cotta pots. Then I created the sentiment on my computer and printed out a sheet of them. Once printed, I used a tag die to individually cut each sentiment out. Each pot had a different color ribbon, and I stamped a small spade image behind the sentiment in a matching ink. These were given to the teacher's assistants and music teacher.

I also had three lavender plants that were given to his classroom teachers. I left them in the plastic containers they came in, but to dress them up a bit I put them in brown paper lunch bags that I had trimmed down with a scallop edge punch.

I tied some delicate hemp twine into a bow around the hole in the tag, but stapled them to the actual brown bag. Each of the spade images were stamped in purple to match the lavender.

I was really pleased with how they turned out and I believe his teachers liked them too. :)

For a Special Teacher

With young kids in school I'm learning that May means end of year teacher gifts (and cards!). These are actually the cards I made for my son's preschool teachers at the end of last year but never posted. I still think they turned out cute and hope they'll provide some inspiration for others as well!

For my focal point I used Papertrey Ink's Enclosed: Apple die, along with their Keep it Simple: Teacher mini stamp set. The cards are all slightly different, mostly by changing the pattern paper in the background. Most of the red pattern paper is from an old Stampin' Up pad I have from ages ago. The gray paper is Smokey Shadow card stock, with the sentiment embossed in white. 

Here is what they all look like together. It was fun to mass produce them but have them each be unique as well. I remember letting my son decide which teacher received which card, and him being very excited about and giving great thought to.

I have a half done teacher card on my desk right now for my son's current teacher. When it is finished I'll share it, hopefully before a year goes by!


SUPPLIES:
Stamps: Keep it Simple: Teacher (PTI)
Ink: VersaMark
Paper: Stamper's Select White, Smokey Shadow (PTI), Old Olive, pattern paper (SU!)
Dies: Enclosed: Apple (PTI), Stitched Rectangles (SSS)
Other: button, baker's twine, white embossing powder

Hoppy Easter

I realize we are well past Easter but I wanted to share this card just the same. This is the card I made for my two boys. The original plan had been to make a different card for each of them, but since this wasn't made until the Saturday night before Easter they had to share!

I cut my card base with the Noted: A2 Scallop die from Stamper's Select White card stock. The little bunny image is from Papertrey Ink's Bunny Basket set. I picked out a pastel rainbow of inks and then used my stamp positioner to make sure my row would fit within the card. Simple and sweet!


Supplies:
Stamps: Bunny Basket (PTI)
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Marigold Morning (SU!), Lemon Tart, Vintage Jadeite, Spring Rain (PTI), VersaFine Onyx Black
Paper: Stamper's Select White (PTI)
Dies: Noted: A2 Scallop die collection (PTI)
Other: Stamparatus (SU!)

Happy May Day

Happy May Day! For the past couple of years I've wanted to revive the old tradition of leaving May Day flowers for neighbors with my kids. Again this year the idea had been percolating in my mind but I hadn't really done anything about it. Then this morning my youngest son and I were in Trader Joe's for a few groceries and right at the entrance they had the sweetest mini potted flowers on display. I decided that was serendipitous and bought two, one for each of our immediate next door neighbors.

I had my son, who is three, pick out which two flowers we were going to buy. It was actually very hard for me to let him pick because he didn't necessarily pick ones I would have chosen, but I really wanted him to be part of the process and help. He was very emphatic about which neighbors were going to get which flowers, he definitely had an opinion!

The flowers came in bright plastic pots, which were a bit tacky looking, so when we got home I went to work to make them into sweet little gifts. I took a regular brown lunch bag and opened it up flat. Then, using pinking shears, I trimmed it into two squares large enough to cover the pots. I wrapped the squares around each pot and tied them with regular white kitchen string.

I also made little banners so our neighbors would know why a potted plant was showing up on their doorstep! I used a banner die and alphabet stamp set to make the banners, then adhered them with glue dots to bamboo skewers I had trimmed down and stuck down in the dirt. I think they turned out very well!

We waited until my oldest son got home from school to deliver our May Day gifts. The boys were so cute running up to our neighbors' doors, leaving the flowers on the doorstep, ringing the doorbell and then high tailing it home as fast as they could! I hope our neighbors enjoy their little floral surprise!