Apple 4 Teacher | less cake {more frosting}

An Apple a Day: Gift for Teacher

Authored By: ellie g Author/Writer
April 11, 2012 --4:20 PM

So. I have to be honest. I’m not a fan of “teacher gifts”. I know! Don’t shoot me! Let me explain. See, I love giving gifts to people I love. But I hate the guilt I feel when someone gives me something that just ends up cluttering my basement….long enough that I no longer feel bad….and then I chuck it.
So sad.

I worry that thousands of teachers all over the country are getting wooden apples, and dollar store frames, that they just can’t use.

So with “teacher appreciation” weeks popping up all over…..why not give your kids’ teacher something she can actually use?

Don’t be afraid to ask your kid’s teacher what they actually COULD use. Lots of teachers spend their own money on classroom supplies. And what’s better than helping out with things that will benefit everyone?

Now, granted, paper plates, Anti-Bacterial wipes, and baggies are never gonna be as cute as that wooden apple that you spent all day making. But I have a secret….

It’s all in the presentation.

I always have a roll of cellophane wrapping on hand. I swear it could make a moldy banana look like a million bucks! So find a fun (and useful) type of basket for your items.

Displaying the items in a super cute way is important too. Put taller, and bigger things in back. Smaller things in front. And you can even use tape to keep things in a cute order!

Then attach a length of cute ribbon. I didn’t even tie a bow. So anyone can do this! And you’ll need a cute tag….

Don’t worry! I’ve got you covered.

Just click on the arrow with the line under it to download your own copy. I backed my tag with some bright cardstock. It took about 5 minutes to complete. Now, that’s my kind of gift!

So don’t worry if you missed the chance to give a gift to your child’s teacher on the first day of school. Keep your eyes and ears open….and I bet you can find a gift that the Teacher will REALLY appreciate.

(and PS…if you’re really into wooden apples…I still like those…and I still like you!)

**This printable was offered on the blog Brown Paper Packages in the fall of 2011. But is brand new to LCMF! See? I’m totally into reduce, re-use, recycle. {tee hee}**

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Teacher Appreciation-Pencil Style

Authored By: ellie g Author/Writer
April 18, 2011 --6:50 PM

Last year, when my baby blog was BRAND NEW I shared a little pencil bouquet I made for my son’s teacher. I still love pencils. And all school supplies for that matter.

And he has a new teacher this year. (obviously.) So I thought “why mess with a good thing?”

So here’s this year’s take on a teacher appreciation, Pencil Bouquet.

You can see last year’s bouquet HERE

Easiest thing ever. I promise $5 or under, and 20 minutes….max.
I know! Please send thank you cards “Care of Ellie G” (you can tell I write sarcastically….right?)

Start with a little container. For all you Target lovers. This one is straight from the Target $1 section.
You’ll also need a wooden dowel. Not huge. But I tried it with a bamboo skewer, and it wasn’t substantial enough.

Here’s an Ellie G Tip: I try and always have some basics on hand. Floral foam and wooden dowels are 2 of those. I use them A LOT!

Then you’ll need a piece of styrofoam or floral foam.
An elastic (not pictured)
And any decorations you want to add.

Squeeze that foam down in there. You want a tight fit, and a fairly deep piece. Then put your dowel down inside. You COULD hot glue it if you want. I didn’t find it necessary. It may depend on the depth of your container.

I used 50 pencils. I found it easiest to put them into 2 equal piles and then wrap those piles around the dowel.

Wrap your pencils around the dowel, and secure them in place with an elastic. I did it by myself, but I admit that having a second person to wrap while you hold the pencils would have been easier.

Guess what? Almost done!
Not kidding.

I covered up the floral foam with pieces of graph paper. Very teacher-ee. Lined notebook paper would also work. As would moss, paper shreds, use whatever you have around to keep costs down.

I also added a big ribbon to cover up the elastic and a fun printable. Isn’t it fun how those pencils just look suspended over the pot. Love it!

Nothing like a quick “roses are red” poem to make me happy. (and to facilitate a quick rhyme!)

ROSES ARE RED
VIOLETS ARE BLUE
THIS PENCIL BOUQUET
IS JUST FOR YOU!

And just to help you with a last minute gift, I’ve even given you the printable. You can print this out and attach it and…..TAH DAH!

Your child’s teacher has been “appreciated”.

This printable is sized at 8.5×11. It won’t look optimal if printed at a larger size.  To use, click on image, enlarge to full size, right click & save to your desktop, and print as you’d like!  Super simple!

The same usual rules apply for LCMF prinatbles:

(Please….personal use only on the printables. Do not re-post without linking back to this blog. Do not alter, remove watermark, or claim as your own. Feel free to e-mail me or announced.greetings(at) gmail(dot) com with any use questions. Thanks!)

Now go out and appreciate a teacher in your life…..

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Filed Under: Apple 4 Teacher, print it

Recycle: a way to be cheap

Authored By: ellie g Author/Writer
August 20, 2010 --10:45 PM

Hi guys! Remember me? I know, I know….MIA! Can we still be friends? Are you tired of my excuses? Hmmmmm…..ME TOO!

I have just recovered from being in bed with a nasty migraine. NASTY. I get them quite frequently, and can usually control their severity with medicine. However, this time, aside from checking into the hospital…nothing was helping. It really was 4 days of unfortunate hell! But thankfully, I’m feeling much better and ready to get back to the grind.

I’ve had NUMEROUS requests….in fact down right begging….to see my son’s bedroom re-do. And I have most the photos edited and ready. Can we make a date to meet here on Tuesday and share?? I CAN’T WAIT to show you!

Why Tuesday, you might ask? Well, Monday is the first day of school….and I feel like I’ll probably be dancing and singing around the house in my unders. So I might not have time to blog.

{that’s probably not too much of an exaggeration…
try to clear that mental picture….sorry}

Until then…as a peace offering….I want to share what I’ve gotten ready today to send to my son’s new teacher…

{I’m not above bribery. I admit. I want her to like him. And just in case he’s not being likeable that day…I thought I could buy her affection with school supplies!}

While we’re outing all my nasty tendencies…let’s out a few more….
#1: I’m cheap. So when it comes to planning parties and gifts…I’ll save money where ever possible. (and then I’ll wrap it pretty and hope you don’t notice)

#2: I’m not green. (not envious “green”….I’m TOTALLY that! I mean environment “green”) I hate to recycle. It’s laziness. Please don’t hate me. I’m trying. I really am. Recently we even made a place for a “soda can” garbage under my sink, just so I wouldn’t have to take them to the garage. Yep. I’m that lazy. But, just so we can be friends again…I do have the swirly light bulbs. I hate them. But I buy them. That counts, right?

What I’m learning from all my “green” and way less lazy friends is: being green is a great way to be cheap. So I’m re-thinking my ability to recycle. Rather than throwing away containers, I’ve seen so many great ideas for re-using. And therefore saving money.

Like I loved Kristin’s idea for flatware holders @ {Striving to be More}

Mason jars?? Brilliant. I totally had those already. And my budget was wearing THIN. These turned out great. Thanks Kristin!

Next I found this BRILLIANT idea from Nikkala @ The Crafting Chicks! It’s so brilliant and darling….I’m pretending it’s NOT recycling. Just so I’m more apt to love it. (I can’t explain it. I just have an aversion. So sue me.)

The minute I saw it…I knew it had to be part of a teacher gift for the new school year. And while getting some Crystal Light (which we had for dinner last night….YUM!) I also found this Target knock-off Crystal Light in this awesome packaging as well! We will be drinking 5 calorie juice for years now!

I love giving school supplies to teachers. A lot of the gifts I see are cute, but sometimes not very practical. I hope to give things that they can use in their classrooms. (or food…because EVERYONE needs a treat now and then)

I’ve mentioned my love for labels. But this is less about labels…and more about how cool it is to write what’s contained in the box. Something about that makes me happy. (this took about 15 minutes. Measure scrapbook paper, glue, put on stickers. Done!)

And in keeping with a “cheap” cover up. You GOTTA wrap it up cute. I’m currently thinking of a creative way to ask tulle to marry me. I rarely use it, but had some left from the birthday party. I hope tulle says yes. I promise to make it eternally happy. (seriously….so cute!)