This week is Teacher Appreciation Week at my kid’s school. Some of the moms coordinated a snack delivery for each day. I volunteered for yesterday and then reality hit…I am not a cook. I came across all kinds of cute snack ideas online. They would have each taken me a very long time and still probably would have come out wonky. So, I opted for cute packaging. I’m not sure Mint Lifesavers qualify as a snack, but at least the presentation looked good. Right?

These cute little sewn packages are not an original idea. My friend Angie has sent me a few gifts wrapped this way. The first time I opened a box from her to find one of these inside, I was giddy. I’ve seen lots of other ideas online now for how to use them too. Here’s my take for a teacher’s gift.

Supplies:

• Lifesavers
• 8.5×11 paper
• tulle
• decorative scrapbooking paper
• tags (printed on 8.5×11 paper) “Thank you for a wonderful year. You’ve been a lifesaver.”

Step 1: Cut your 8.5×11 paper in half. Trim your tags. Cut the scrapbooking paper into small uneven pieces.

Step 2: Using a straight stitch, sew the long side of the cut 8.5×11 paper. Instead of cutting the thread between each one, just keep going. When you are down, all you have to do is snip them apart. Saves a ton of time.

Step 3: Straight stitch down one open side. Fill with Lifesavers.

Step 4: Press the open end together (going the opposite direction of the bottom side. Layer tulle, tag, scrapbooking paper…stitch it closed. When you layer stuff, it can be a little bit of lots of random stuff…layering gives it that extra something.

And there you go. A snack? That depends on who you are I guess. Cute? Yes!

I grabbed a silly 2 year old and her handsome 4 year old big brother to walk the halls of the BIG school for delivery. Fun times.

Supplies:

• Craft Wood (got mine at Micheals)
• Checklist (you can download mine by clicking here, to download look under the “file” tab on the top right)
• Letter stickers (mine are by Amy Tangerine c/o American Crafts)
• Crafter’s Goop
• Mini clothes pins (mine are Story Teller c/o American Crafts)

Tools:

• Scissors or paper cutter
• Toothpick or small stick
• Sanding block or sandpaper

Step 1: Sand the edges of the wood so they are not so rough

Step 2: Add a little Crafter’s Goop or strong glue to the end of a stick or toothpick, smear it on the back of your clothes pin. Press the clothes pin firmly to the wood piece and let it dry.

Step 3: add your stickers (if you are making more than one and need to tell them apart)

I’ve always got little helpers around. Yes, she is on the work table. Don’t worry, I disinfect when the work table turns into the dinner table.

I need another table. Or I need to be a mom that keeps my kids off the table

I asked the boys if they’d hold theirs for a picture. They denied my request. She, however, is always one to pose for a camera.

Little notes about this project:

• I will laminate my paper and then let the kids use dry erase markers to check off their lists each day. This would save a lot of paper and ink from being wasted making a new sheet for each day. If you have a Mardels near you, I know they can laminate several feet of paper for $1.00.
• If I had a house full of girls, I would make these a lot more girly and cute. But, I have boys. They don’t go for girly and cute.
• I left blanks so I could change out items and make them more kid specific.

I’m hoping this helps a little with my regular morning and night listing of things for the kids to remember to do. Obviously, I help the two that are not avid readers yet. Their lists must be done before they get certain privileges…they get their stuff done and I don’t get so exhausted having to remind them. Win Win.

My blog has been a bit different in recent months. Not nearly as many diy projects or any type of project for that matter. Have you noticed? I just don’t feel very creative these days. I don’t have much motivation for projects, all I want is my WHOLE family together. We’ve had so much going on around here. It is a time of transition…before the real transition happens! I’m cutting back a lot of things. I even stepped down from my role as a regular diy contributor on Design*Sponge – which was a HUGE deal for me to ‘give up’. We are on day 62 waiting for our acceptance letter, once we receive it we still have around 10 weeks before we get to travel. Blah.

And while I am a little depleted these days…how about some fun links?

DIY mini crepe flowers by Buggie and Jellybean

What I want to do when I am 86 – A yahoo sports clip, so impressed

A beautiful post by Kelly Hampton

How to style a low bun by a Beautiful Mess – aka a much cuter way to fix my hair than the daily ponytail

Super easy.

Nothing fancy.

On one section of our stairwell, I tacked cork flooring tiles to the wall. I use thumbtacks to pin random things my kids say to that wall. I decided to dress up my thumbtacks a little bit. Nothing overboard, I wanted it to be very subtle. One craft supply I recommend to always have on hand is some decorative tape in colors and patterns you like. A year ago the only decorative tape I could find was pretty pricey. Now you can find it everywhere at much more affordable prices. A tiny bit of the tape goes a long way when you are crafting.

Supplies:

• thumbtacks
• decorative tape
• scissors

Place a small amount of tape on the tack. Press it down firmly. Trim with scissors.

I have never been very good at keeping baby books. I was feeling a bit bummed the other day that I won’t know the early milestone dates of our youngest daughter. Chris reminded me that since I never wrote it down with our last 3 (sure did with our firstborn), I don’t remember the dates of their milestones either. So true. In an effort to remember some of the things members or our family say, I jot those things down on scrap paper and pin it to the wall. I figure I could always go back and add it to books, but that will likely never happen. However, I am really good about keeping journals for the kids….

Happy Wednesday!