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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 ♥


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little basket of lunch packing supplies ♥


we have just a few weeks of summer hoorah left here
but i’m seeing so many littles on social media that are headed back to school already … so i thought i’d share a few pictures of a little basket i keep in our snack drawer, that is full of fun things i use to pack lunch for the girls during the school year.


grab a basket, raid your cupboards & craft stash (since most of this stuff you might already have)
grab a basket, bin or container and fill it up with the following goodies to keep handy in the kitchen where you or your kiddos usually pack lunch


when i make wraps or tortillas in wax paper i use washi tape to keep it tightly rolled


ya know all those birthday party napkins you always have left over and are hanging around somewhere in a drawer? use them in your kids lunches! sometimes i find some fun ones at yard sales (still in the package) and add those to the stash


cupcake molds from the craft store are great for grapes, carrots and berries
or even goldfish or little pieces of candy


this picture is from my instagram feed … this was the lunch i made my girls for valentines day ♥
just to give you an idea of how i used the molds


 find a little tin or container to store lunch box notes in …
i find these metal recipe boxes at thrift stores all the time


i have a small laminator that i use to laminate the jokes once they’re print & cut
 … they survive the sticky applesauce and leaky juice boxes that way
… keeping them around for a while longer


i have a whole board on pinterest just for lunch ideas & links to free printable lunch box jokes
go get some! … and here’s another picture from instagram of my laminator



and of course a variety of containers (especially heart ones) are great for packing pretty much anything you can think of … these were from target last year


at the beginning of  the last school year i purchased some re-usable snack & sandwich bags from one of my favortie handmade shops … and Shannon (who is the hustlemama) is super sweet & hard-working!
she’s always coming up with new products and everyone i know who has ordered eco-friendly goods from her, has been so pleased. even my mother-in-law couldn’t resist after she saw mine! 


i just got a few new things from her shop … 
washable lunch napkins (in rainbow colors. or course.)


washable sandwich wraps 

which of course my littlest little was over the moon about

Shannon has offered my readers a 15% discount on any purchase
just use the coupon code RUBIES when you place your order





she said this almost makes her want to start school right away. 
almost.
🙂





happy nutella sandwiches with sprinkles 
(lots of sprinkles)

what do you guys do to make your kiddos lunches extra special? do tell ♥

linking up here!

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an oldie but goodie … back to school pom pom garland ♥


i’ve gotten a bunch of questions about this apple pompom garland
mainly about where it is on the blog … well it’s here… again 🙂
just in time for the back to school hustle bustle that will fill our days & weeks ahead
i posted this last year, and still love this project … 
i have ideas to change it up to suit other seasons as well 
enjoy! … again!

a few things you need …


pom pom makers are the funnest (not a word i know) things to have
oh i know you don’t need them to make pom poms 
but they make it a little easier 🙂
the medium size was used for these pom poms
they’re made by Clover and we got ours at Joanns and i’ve seen them at Walmart too
they have a few different sizes, one of them is huge
and would make an apple pom pom the size of … well … an apple 🙂
there’s even a heart shaped pom pom maker! can you imagine??
(not ’cause i like hearts or anything)
(♥)

since the instructions on the back of the package are basic
i thought i’d give you a few pictures of the process

first wind the yarn of your choice around both sections of the pom pom device 🙂
don’t worry about the ends, they will blend in when you trim at the end

close both ends together and then cut with sharp pointed scissors 
through the thickness of the yarn
take a separate piece of yarn and wrap it around the groove that is now exposed
loop the ends through each other a few times to make sure the pom pom doesn’t get loose
open both ends and open up the pom pom maker
pom poms! make lots now 🙂
they will need some trimming to give them a round shape
don’t worry, it’s hard to mess this up 
(unless you’re blind folded 🙂
all done … fun! now let’s make garland

to make the stems use wire snips to cut the pencils
(you can still use the bottom of the pencils
you just can’t make any mistakes when you write with them 🙂

cut some leaves out of green felt
hot glue the pencil tops & the leaves inside the pom pom 
pressing the yarn around it to hide the base
to string them, i used jute that was a more on the stiff side 
(from the jewlery section at the craft store)
just so the apples wouldn’t be top heavy and slouch over
hot glue the jute onto the backside of the pencil more towards the base
you want the apple to hang from the pencil not the pom pom
you can cut strips of felt or material to tie between the apples
these polka dot scraps were leftover from the pony houses i made here 🙂

hang it somewhere and enjoy the cuteness ♥

linking up here ♥ :

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