Teacher Appreciation Week

Hello my friends!  It's been quite a while since I've been able to write anything on this blog.  Between my son's sports teams and my 7 month old baby, things have been nuts in our household.  You would think that with all that craziness, I wouldn't be doing any crafting, but au contraire, mon frere!  I have been super crafty.  The only problem is that the stuff that I'm making is not necessarily anything that anyone would be interested in making.  For one thing, I've become obsessed with bows for my new baby girl.  I have also developed an obsession with the following: rhinestones, ruffles, ribbon.  I'm like a crack addict, but my pusher is Hobby Lobby.  As a result, I'm spending a lot of time with my mini bowdabra and my glue gun.  Lucy is looking very glamorous.

But that is not what I'm writing about today!  Today, I have Teacher Appreciation Week on my mind.  Mainly because that is part of my PTA job, so I have to get it together, but also because I figured a few of you are wrestling with the same stuff.  In case you don't know, or live under a rock, TAW falls this year on May 7th-11th.  That date is not set by me, but by the national PTA or something.  Super big stuff! 

Anyway, I lucked out because my predecessor set up a really cool week for the teachers and I just get to copy her.  My motto is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", so we are just going to continue this greatness at our school.  (Plus, I asked the teachers and they said that's what they wanted to do.)  My friend Hillary came up with this idea and I'd like to share it.  She has a whole week of fun stuff for the teachers, but each day is handled by a different grade.  That way, no one gets too bogged down with having to bring something every day.  In the past, I know some schools have you bring a little something every day, but it can get to be a real pain.  And I never understood what person would want so many random things.  One school we were at had us bring some seeds one day, a pudding cup, a flower and other stuff.  So each teacher ends up with 22 packets of seeds, 22 pudding cups, 22 flowers etc.  What on earth are they going to do with that?  Maybe they can eat the pudding while they start their summer gardening?  I have no idea! 

Long story short, I figure Hillary has the right idea.  Here is some information from the note that was sent to the teachers, along with instructions in italics for the parents:

Monday-Entire school goes to the Arboretum.  (To volunteer, please contact the school office.)

Tuesday (hosted by 1^st and 4th grade)  - Need an energy boost or just a snack?  Our snack cart will provide personal friendly service to your room with sweets and drinks. (Need snack donations brought to school the day before or that morning.)

Wednesday (hosted by 3^rd grade & a.m. PK)  – Spruce up those staff bathrooms. (Need donations of nice toilet paper, soap etc. and volunteers to put it in the bathrooms, please bring Monday or Tuesday)

Thursday (hosted by 2^nd grade & p.m. PK)  – You are all so sweet and deserve a treat.  Ice Cream Sundaes served after school from 3:00-4:00 in the lounge. (Need volunteers to help serve and donations of toppings. Let us know what you can bring)

Friday (hosted by 5^th grade & KN)  - Breakfast to end a special week!  Breakfast will be available in the lounge from 7:30-10:00. (Need volunteers to bring food/coffee and for set-up/clean up)

Teacher gifts from the teacher wish list.  (Teacher wish list is attached, please get your teacher items from this list.  If your teacher is not listed, we do not have their information.  Gift cards are always welcome!)

Isn't that great?  Then, the room reps for each class are responsible for coordinating the responsibilities so no one parent brings too much.  We also had the teachers fill out a "wish list" which is reference under Friday so people can get them classroom supplies that they really want so they don't have to spend their own money.

Last year, I was in charge of Tuesday (the snack cart) and I had so much fun decking it out with a tablecloth and fancy dishes.  Of course, the teachers didn't care, they were just happy for the food.

Usually, we do not have a field trip on the Monday of TAW, but this year since we did, I just moved the teacher breakfast to Friday instead.  Since we are going on a field trip and the entire school will be gone, I was a little concerned about what to do for the teachers to kick off the week.  So I came up with an idea, inspired by my friend Stasi, for a little treat that the teachers can take with them. 

This was very easy and inexpensive, but I hope it lets them know that we are thinking about them.  I simply bought water bottles, removed the labels, and then used printed duct tape to replace the label.  Then I tied on a tag that says "It's Crystal clear we are WILD about our teachers" to the bottle, along with a packet of Crystal Light. 

I hope these ideas help you in your own personal Teacher Appreciation Week quest for perfection!  Have a great week.

Wendi's Valentine Project

My friend Wendi Ellis recently posted these on her Facebook page and I begged her to let me share the steps with you on my blog.  Wendi is one of those super crafty moms, who doesn't necessarily admit that she's crafty.  However, give her a project and she can do it and, oftentimes, do it better!  I'm excited to say that she gave me permission to share these steps!

Supplies:

ModPodge

Paint Brushes

Various Colors of Glitter

Clean dry empty jars

Paint a design(stripes, heart, letters, polka dots) on inside of jar with ModPodge and then pour a bit of glitter inside and roll around to cover your design. Tap the jar upside down onto a plate a few times to remove excess glitter.

To use multiple colors on one jar, let the first color dry completely before adding the next color, this keeps them from mixing.

After you have finished the designs and glue has dried, coat the entire inside of jar with a thick layer of ModPodge and allow to dry for at least 24 hours. This will form a seal over the glitter to help with flaking(although you may still get a little).

Here is a picture of the finished project:

Wendi tells me her next plan is to paint a letter on each jar to spell out the word "LOVE".  This is an easy Valentine project that you can do with or without kids and what a cute decoration! 

Owl Picture

Have you noticed lately that everyone is obsessed with Owls?  I mean, everywhere you go, there are owls.  There are all sorts of Owl clothes, Owl housewares, Owl toilet paper, you name it!  If they come out with an Owl Tampon, I am done. 

Because of this popularity, I decided to capitalize on this trend and make an owl picture.  And, I confess, I saw one similar to this at a craft fair and thought, "I can make that myself!", so I'm shamelessly copying someone else's idea.  My apologies to this person, but since I don't personally know them, it doesn't count, right? 

Anyway, to start here's what you need:

Canvas any size (I used 11x16)
Coordinating scrap book papers, at least 4 different prints
Mod Podge
Black sharpie
Scissors
Tulle

I chose pink themed paper because I'm going to put it out around Valentine's Day. 

First paint your canvas in whatever background color you want.  I always opt for a "sky blue", but you can go with anything that suits your decor.

All you do is free hand draw the shapes of the owl above and then cut out of the scrapbook paper.  It was so simple.  Here is where I became thankful that the trend right now is Owls and not Praying Mantis' or something with too much detail.  As long as you don't feel the need to detail every feather, owls are easy.  And for the eyes, it helps to have a circle punch, but if you don't just use a quarter for the eyeball and a shot glass for the white part.  I'm sure everyone has that laying around their house, right? 

*Tip: make sure that the scrapbook paper you pick is not all too busy.  I found out the hard way that if I get all busy prints, the owl disappears, so get some with print and some that are more solid.  Then, just eyeball it to see what works for which cutout. 

Then, using your Mod Podge, glue the paper to the canvas as it's pictured here.  Once you are done, get out your trusty black sharpie and draw in the lines.  You can also leave the lines off, but your owl is a little vague...I wanted my owl sharp and defined.  I'm vague enough for both of us.  Once that is finished, you can spray a sealant on it if you want, but it's not required.  It'll still hold up fairly well without it, so if you are  too lazy or cheap to use a sealant, no worries. 

At the top of the canvas, take some scissors and poke two holes, evenly spaced, and thread tulle through.  I used a measuring tape and poked a hole at 4" and 7".  Then tie a bow on the front, while leaving enough in the back to hang it from a hook on the wall.  This way, you can either hang it or prop it up and the bow finishes it off in the front. 

That's it!  So easy and cute.  And, once you've done it once, you can experiment with adding more and more owls.  Here's the same concept with a little different spin:

Owl be seeing you!  Have a great day...

Easy Bow Holder

I have recently become obsessed with hair clips and bows.  With the birth of my 5th child (who is my first girl), I've become a little teensy bit OCD about accessories.  That being said, the hair accessories are about to take over my home.  When I first realized I was having a girl, I went all out decorating her room and made a bow holder to match. Here is a picture of Lucy's room with the original bow holder to the right of the picture. 

Now that it is full, it was time for Bow Holder #2.

Luckily, on my one trip to Goodwill (see earlier post) I had picked up a large wood frame.  Here it is:

It was an ugly wood frame, but it was only $4.  I spray painted it black like this:

I would recommend using Flat black spray paint. It seems that when you go to buy spray paint, there are 1,000 cans of laquer spray paint.  I'm not sure who is painting everything in their house so shiny, but when I meet them I'll be interested to see it.  Not sure I could be friends with those people.  haha!

Once the paint dried, and several days later, since I have to do all my crafts in 5 minute intervals between diaper changes.... I picked out some ribbon, got my staple gun and stapled the ribbon on.  I used a flower clip that I have to eyeball the spacing and then measured the rest to make the ribbons 3 inches apart.

These pictures are totally for your benefit, because I am definitely NOT a perfectionist!  In fact, toward the end of the ribbon row, I just eyeballed them so the spacing is not perfect.  The good thing about it, is that once you add the bows and flowers, no one can tell.

Once I had all the ribbon stapled on, I had to add a picture hanger to the back of my frame so that I could hang it on the wall.

Here is the finished project!

What do you think?  I have it propped on the crib for this picture, but plan to hang it on the wall soon.  As soon as I get done with the next diaper change....

White Trash Wine Glass

I have come across these wine glasses at a couple boutiques and I think they are Hilarious!  I use the term wine glass loosely, because they are really just a mason jar on top of a candlestick, but they are so cute.  I bought one at Kirklands, but you can make it yourself for about $2.50. 
Kirklands calls theirs a "Hillbilly Hi-ball", which is pretty funny, too.  I think that you can personalize the label for the drinker that you are gifting.  For my my more refined wine drinking friends, I call it the "White Trash Wine Glass".  And for my Texas and Arkansas friends, I call it the "Redneck Roadie".  Call it whatever you like, it makes a great gift for that special someone.  OR, make a set for yourself so that you can impress company.

Here's what you need:

1 candlestick (I found them for $1.00 at Dollar Tree)
1 Mason jar (Kroger has them year round)
Glue for glass

That's it!  Just glue the candlestick to the jar and then make yourself a cute tag.  I printed my labels out and then put them on Christmas themed scrapbook paper for a tag.  Then I tied it to the bottom with twine. 

If you want to get really fancy, you can buy some glass etching cream and etch an initial onto the jar.  You can also glue bling onto it for that super fancy white trash look we are all striving for. 

So, whether enjoying some fine wine or a stiff drink, these fancy glasses will definitely serve it up right!

Pumpkin Dessert

Years ago, my first stepmother made me this dessert.  (I say my first stepmother, because my father has graced me with 4 of them. I am very blessed, he has excellent taste in women!) 

This dessert was so good when she made it, I almost ate it all in one sitting.  I always think of it at this time of year so I wanted to share it with you.  It is so easy and so good and every time I take it somewhere, I am asked for the recipe.  I hope you like it!

Pumpkin Dessert

1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin

1 C. Sugar

4 Beaten eggs

1 can sweetened condensed milk

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp allspice

1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

1 box carrot cake

1 ¾ sticks butter (melted)

1-1   ½ cups pecans

Mix together pumpkin, sugar, eggs, spices and milk.  Pour into a 9x13 greased pan.  Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mix, then drizzle butter over dry mix.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Sprinkle chopped pecans over top and press lightly into the cake.  Bake for 15 minutes more.  Serve with whipped cream. 

Diva Christmas Ornament

I got an ornament last year at an ornament exchange that I just LOVE!  It is perfect for me, it has feathers and sparkles.  If I could wear feathers and sparkles every day, I would.  Somehow, even though I live in Texas, that is not acceptable.  I don't think that the people at McDonalds would understand if I came through the drive thru with feathers in my hair.  Although, come to think of it, they've probably seen worse. 

Anyway, this ornament was so cute and turned out to be easy to copy.  Here is the finished product:

It is even cuter in person.  Here's how you make it:

You need to have
Glass balls
Sparkly Tulle
Pearls
Feathers
Ribbon
Glue gun

First you take the silver top off the glass ball and set it aside. 

Then you put the tulle and the pearls inside the ball like this:

Once the ball is filled, replace the silver top on the ornament.  Then, measure a piece of feather boa around the top of the ball and cut it to size.  Using your hot glue gun, put glue around the top and press the feathers on. 

Next, get 2 types of coordinating ribbon. I used wired ribbon for one to add shape to the bow.  Make a bow using both ribbons layered.  (HINT:  If you are hopeless at making bows, get the "Bowdabra".  I got one at WalMart the other day and it was so much easier than making one without.  I can't believe I've wasted so much time trying to tie bows without it.)

Once your ribbon is tied into a bow, hot glue it onto your ornament.  I also hot glued an acrylic gem in the center of my bow for a little extra bling.  Add a hook and you are done!  It is so cute hanging on my tree.  I even tried this method with different color tulle and ribbon for a variety of diva ornaments that I'm going to give as gifts.  Check out my leapord one:

If you don't like the sparkly tulle, you can put experiment with putting other things inside the glass balls too!  I'd love to hear what other people have used to make ornaments with these glass balls, they are so easy and fun to use.