There are so many things I do and do well, but taking ideas off Pinterest and making them even resemble the original intent is certainly not one of them. I don’t really have a knack for being creative with food, my attempts at mimicking home decorating ideas fall short, and let’s not even talk about fashion or hair.
But this week I took a giant step out of my comfort zone and decided to take a couple of those Pinterest pins out for a test drive. I’d seen others do it successfully, so it couldn’t be that hard, right? And knowing what each teacher would be receiving as a gift would make my life a whole lot easier, right? And I’d come out looking like the awesome supermom everyone thinks I am, right? It’s a win-win!
It started with a series of tumblers, purchased on sale at – of all places – Kroger. Then bags and bags of candy. And for the record, no candy was consumed in the making of these gifts. Ok, not much candy was consumed in the making of these gifts. Hardly any at all, really.
I printed out the sentiments on cardstock and used my stash of scrap scrapbooking paper (try saying that three times fast) to make the cards. A little double-stick tape and voila! A semi-professional looking tag! I filled the tumblers with the candy, tied a wad of festive and colorful curling ribbon to the straw, and attached the tag with a little train of ribbon. The kids each wrote a note to the teacher on the back of the tag. Their words were so heartfelt, so personal. It made me realize what a dramatic impact these teachers had truly made on my children’s lives.
We made enough gifts for each of Crisana’s teachers to have one, and three of Trey’s favorite teachers this year. For the male teachers, and Trey’s science club sponsor (who has been nothing short of an angel in disguise, truly heaven-sent) we stuck with the familiar – and more appreciated – gift cards to favorite places: 7-11, Sonic, and Saxby’s. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the end of this year and show our appreciation to those who have nurtured our children along the way.
And now, for the finished products, click below the fold.
These two tumblers were filled with Hershey’s kisses. The card read, “It’s Time to “kiss” McGowen/Evans good-bye!”
This was a special jar for Crisana’s ELAR teacher, who is an avid Rangers fan. I found the mason jar at Kroger.
It was filled with lifesavers mints, and I used baseball paper for the tag and Rangers colors for the ribbons.
I also created a tumbler in this same style for one of Trey’s teachers.
This was for Crisana’s homeroom/SS teacher. The tumbler was filled with smarties.
When Trey gave his to his AVID teacher, the smarties were gone by the end of the day. I’d say it went over well.
Simple, but successful. Describes me pretty well, don’t you think?