A while back I posted about how I get bored pretty easily. Well it's happened again, only this time it's a good thing. I have started a new blog where I focus on my redo's, home decorating and crafts. If you follow me, I'd love for you to join me over at What in the Craft. I'll be posting some fun things for back to school in the next couple of days, so go and check it out. Hope you like it!

Wow, how did that happen? We only have 18 more days of school. That's crazy! I have to admit that I am a little ready to be without a crazy schedule for a while. For the moment we are in hyperdrive. Tons of things going on this month, and it's a little stressful. So I am trying to find some easy things to do for the teachers to show them how thankful we are for everything they have done for us all year. Having been a teacher, I tend to go a little overboard sometimes because I know what a hard job it is.

So here are some ideas for some little "thank you's" you can give your teachers. Easy and inexpensive.

We made these for our teachers last year. You can never have enough pencils in the classroom.



Super simple... a glass candle holder from Target, about 4 packs of pencils, and vinyl letters (I used my Cricut to cut it all out). A little advice... sharpen the pencils before you give your teacher the gift. She'll love you forever.

I actually made these for our teachers for Valentine's day this year.



I bought some cute little containers at HomeGoods. Some were plain white and I added some red x's and o's, and then I found some red and white ramekins and a white, heart shaped container. I used these as cupcake containers and baked red velvet cake in each one. I then iced them and packaged them with a spoon in a cellophane bag for each teacher. They loved it!!





Then there are those fun, and super cute duck tape pens that the kids are making. My girls wanted to try to make them, but in the end... it was I that made them. Every day they were coming home saying... so and so wants one and so and so wants one. Well, they teachers also thought they were cute. So these pens with those super cute note pad stacks from HobLob would be a cute little gift for those teachers who like a little bling.



I've got some other ideas brewing... just need the time to put them together. With only 18 more days left... I better get a move on.

*ciao*
deb

We seriously had a hard weather week last week. We were iced in... and snowed in... and we really need to get out of here. Don't get me wrong, I love being at home, but seriously - we were going on our 4th day of being at home and not because we wanted to. We just weren't brave enough or maybe it's crazy enough to venture out on those crazy streets out there. Although the crazy was starting to set in at one point, and if we were forced to stay in another day we would have had to have found us a sled and some dogs somewhere.

I wish I could say I was super productive and cleaned my house from top to bottom and was just super crafty... but I wasn't. I spent WAY too much time on a little site called Facebook. Have you heard of it?? It's evil. Too bad Zuckerberg doesn't make money based on how much time people spend on Facebook, because he would be so much richer than he already is I tell you. (The Junie B. Jones hasn't worn off yet... sorry!)

Anyway, I figured that since I was at home I should at least attempt to do something creative. Hmm, what to do, what to do... when you can't run to Hobby Lobby because you might get stranded and the hubster would so not be happy about that.

Once again I was forced to use what I had on hand. I'm starting to realize that I have a lot on hand.

I used this...



and this...



and a template from this blog...

Then I used this...



and cut off this...



to make this...




and in the end I had made this....



I love it!! And it looks so pretty on my chair. I loved it so much that I had a little drawing on my FB page and gave one away. So now I'm thinking I need to make some more of these for other parts of my house...

I'm linked over at the Tip Junkie's Tip Me Tuesday party...


*ciao*
Deb

So often I see things in boutiques that I really, REALLY like, and I think, "I can totally make that." Then I think, "But will I make it?" and then I see the price and I know I will totally make it. This was one of those times. I recently saw some super cute frames with crosses in them. Of course this was during Neath the Wreath and I'm totally not shopping for myself, so I put it into my mental "I Can Do That" folder, and move on. So I've been collecting frames, and crosses and ribbon and... well if you could see my craft room you'd see I'm collecting a lot of stuff for future projects.

So a good friend of mine was having a birthday, and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make one of these super cute frames. I started out with a nice black frame.



Then I covered the glass with some cheetah fabric I had left over from my Christmas tree skirt I made this year.



I then forgot to take pictures of the next two steps. I hate when I do that. So you'll just have to imagine it. I made a double layered bow out of some pretty brownish ribbon that I had and I hot glued it to the top of the frame. Then I hot glued two different crosses to the center of the frame. I love this layered look. And if you have a good imagination, this is what you get...



Okay, now I have to make one for myself!

I have been so super busy the past month and really just haven't been all that crafty. Subbing for a first grade class will do that to you. So when you get that sudden "craft itch"... well, you've gotta scratch it. (Does that sound inappropriate... oh well)

So earlier this week, I noticed that my house just wasn't feeling so festive. I mean Vday is just around the corner for God sakes, and I didn't have a heart in sight. February is my birthday month, and I want to be surrounded by fun and beauty I tell you. (I've been reading a lot of Junie B. Jones this month, so "I tell you" has suddenly become part of my vocabulary. Go figure I would actually pick up something.) Well in an attempt to add some love to my house, I set out to make something with what I had on hand. The thought of going to Hobby Lobby at the end of the day with two very tired little ones, dinner to make and papers to grade was just honestly too much for me to attempt. So I searched and moved, and emptied and, well just basically made a huge mess of my craft room. But in the end I found what I needed and what I thought would work. I can honestly say, I am super proud of what came from the mess of a craft room. Who knew that MDF, scrapbook paper, modge podge and furniture tacks could look so cute?



Hmmm, well now I'm thinking there must be something else in that huge stash of stuff I can use to spread even more love. So guess what I'm doing today??

I'm linked to these parties...