Uncategorized

watermelon caddy teacher gift


another summer is upon us and as usual i’m feeling nostalgic
i’m not sure if it’s just that my girls are so big now or that it feels like time is slipping away really fast or both, but when summer comes around it always seems bittersweet …anyone else with me? anyways i saw these watermelon caddies at michaels last month and knew i wanted to use them for teacher gifts. 


caddy gifts (see here & here for instance) tend to be my go-to thing when i have to come up with gift ideas, i don’t know why except all i can figure is that to get a gift that’s filled with lots of little gifts just sounds like the best thing ever to me 🙂 it’s like the gift that keeps on giving … and it’s organized and compartmentalized #ocdprobs


if you hit that “make” tab up in the navigation bar, you’ll find a bunch of gift ideas
 i’ve done over the years and most of them are the same ha!


these two tins were for my youngest daughter’s 5th grade teacher and our bus driver
(we’ve had the same bus driver since the kids started school! we love her so much. 
i have her number in my phone on speed dial haha)


i filled it with mostly fun things for summer that i picked up in my shopping travels
sunscreen, candy, notepads, straws and an insulated cup from target


filled it with crystal light packets and put the cup in one of the back sections of the caddy 🙂


threw some tags together in my design program and tied them on, that’s it! fun right?



there are so many gift fillers to be found at the dollar store or in the target dollar spot!
just think outside the box a little 😉


these patriotic pencils were in the target dollar bins and i couldn’t pass them up
there’s just something about the red white & blue during summer time


my daughter plays flute in the school band and wanted to bring a little something extra in for her band teacher – simple ideas for a few dollars make for cute gifts and smiling faces


who doesn’t love to feel appreciated? it’s so easy to go about our day to day without recognizing what so many people do for us or for our kids. don’t underestimate the power of giving guys! 
it feels so good to give – and doesn’t have to be material or expensive it can be your time or a particular skill set to lend a favor that can be given as well


i feel like most days out society is so focused on what we can get for ourselves that to teach our kids to put others first has become even more challenging! since it’s become so counter culture – so don’t underestimate the power of giving and involve your kids!

speaking of … when did my kids get so big?
last day of 5th grade right here folks


hard to believe they were this little when i started this blog (sniff sniff)
thanks for following along with me here over the years, you really are loved & appreciated ♥


Uncategorized

a yardstick flag tutorial… ♥

i’m really excited to share this project with you!
it’s really neat, and something new…



this came to me late at night a couple weeks ago
(probably when i ate too many whales)
(i’m addicted to these things guys)
(thanks to my cousin 🙂


this is super easy to make
the only thing my hubby did for me, was cut the yardsticks in half
and he drilled the holes too
(even though he has taught me to do both of those things myself)
(i just don’t jump at the chance to use “big man” tools)
(i’ll stick with a glue gun & corner rounder 🙂
(thanks)
but girls! i know the guys at Home Depot will cut stuff for you…just ask!
the rest is cake …

i just have a special place in my ♥ for yardsticks
i built these crates last year 


and ever since then, i’m sweet on yardsticks …
so i know my yardsticks guys…
i know Home Depots are orange (blah)
Lowe’s are navy blue (yay!) 
(these are the ones i like to buy at 69 cents each)
and Walmart’s are a really pretty light blue (cuteness)
but beware, they are much thinner and not always straight …
(right? a crooked yardstick is not really a good thing)

for this project i stuck with my fav’s ~ Lowe’s since they are the thickest
and since the numbers & lines printed on the sticks are a little indented
helping them have that “whitewashed” look 

nuf talkin’  …  come on! let’s make stuff ♥

what you need
♥ 3 yardsticks
♥ small screw eyes (see picture below)
♥ white acrylic paint
♥ Mod Podge
♥ pretty scrapbook paper
♥ fabric strips, lace, twine, ribbon 
♥ mini clothespins
(or whatever your heart fancies 🙂 


we used the chop saw to cut the yardsticks in half ~ right at 18 inches


mark the point where you will screw all the eyes in …
they should be all in the same place on every yardstick
ours were about a 1/3 of the way in from each side


drill the holes carefully! hubs used his very teeny smallest drill bit
don’t forget on each end … top & bottom


using white acrylic paint, i brushed it on moderately
then with a rag i wiped it off
(the left side is after i wiped off the excess)


last thing before the pretty part
is to screw those eyes into the holes you drilled 


now the pretty part ♥
cut strips from your scrapbook paper just wide enough to cover the bottom half of the yardstick … 
we don’t wanna hide those cute numbers & lines
use the Mod Podge to adhere them in the sections where the “stars & stripes” would be

i used strips of white muslin, lace and more lace ♥
… thread them through the holes of the screw eyes
attaching all the yardsticks one underneath the other



last thing was to punch small stars out of brown kraft paper ~ clip them inside of the tiny clothespins, stuck on with hot glue 


so pretty … no?!?!
i love this so much ♥
it’s hanging right inside my foyer 
with this little vignette shelf i got at a garage sale last weekend for $5 
(chipper chicken … any FOTB fans out there? heehee:)



Happy 4th of July all !!
i’m going to enjoy my family and be thankful for our freedom and our country

Image 1
much loves ♥
sweet parties … ♥