Tuesday, June 1, 2010

How do you like them apples?

Last Friday I headed out the door with my basket filled with gifts for teachers, secretaries, librarians, etc. I asked my kids which of their specialty teachers they would like to give a gift to and they both replied; music and librarian. It was settled. For my assortment of gifts, I used the motto" go with what you know" and I didn't reinvent the wheel, at all!!!! I kept all of the supplies the same, layouts, etc. It really makes it much easier when you are mass producing or creating a cohesive ensemble.


I knew that I would be using Teacher's Apple since it was one of my newly purchased stamps from Papertrey Ink. I paired it with Polka Dot Basics and Background Basics: Text Style, two of my "go-to" sets. My color palette was simple; Red, Olive, Kraft and White. If you have been around a while, you will remember that last year's gifts were done with the same theme and colors.
For the librarian and music teacher I made a simple basket box and filled it with "Hershey's Nuggets" in a cellophane bag. I punched each circle from Kraft cardstock & frosted them with white ink. I then stamped the Text style image using Vintage Photo Distress Ink by Ranger onto each circle. Then I was able to stamp the sentiments, etc. I thought that this quote worked nicely for the two teachers since there are musical masterpieces and well as literary masterpieces.







The two classroom teachers both got a nugget tin, card and of course I had to add an "Applebees" gift card with each one. I purchased a set of three $15 dollar gift cards at the grocery store, which made things super easy. I have one left over that I will be giving to the Principal at our June PTA meeting along with the third nugget tin.


I finally found my stash of Hinged Tins that came in super handy. I had "tucked" them away and I couldn't, for the life of me, find them. Yay! Nugget tins to the rescue. For the labels around the nuggets, I used the super fun Limitless Labels stamp set. I really need to use it more often since it has so many fun images for all kinds of occasions. For the belly band, I stamped the red cardstock using Polka Dot Basics and then added the circle image using foam squares. For these circles, I added a little zig-zag stitching for some extra detail. I colored the apples using copic markers. The white highlight on each apple was done with a white gel pen.

I was running out of time, so I needed to make the cards super simple. After I was done, I realized how similar Saturday's SFYTT was to my card. I guess it must have seeped into my subconcious when I saw it for the first time.

For the Secretaries, I got some apple soap, added a tag and called it good! I know that they aren't "official" teachers, but I am sure they do their fair share of "teaching", so I thought that this sentiment worked well for them.

As I dropped them off, one of the secretaries wanted to see what other goodies I had in my basket. She said, "oh...you are the papercrafty girl that leaves us things! " I had to laugh, because in years past, I have just left them on their desks without a note saying who they were from. I guess my good deeds have now been "discovered"! LOL!

Today is our first "official" day of summer vacation! Yay! We woke up to a steady rain fall, but it hasn't dampened our spirits. We will be heading to the library to sign up for the summer reading program. My kids brought home a calendar that has a suggestion of something to do each day and that is what today suggested. What a perfect idea for a rainy day. Rockwell booed the idea, but Emma was eager, which is a good sign! It is imperative that she keeps reading throughout the summer to keep her on track. I still haven't signed her up for summer school, but I think traditional school gets out this Friday, so I still have time.



Rowan had his four-month birthday on the 20th. I can't believe how fast time is flying by. I took a few photos to capture him at four months. I have been very diligent about taking them each week and on each month mark. The blanket that I was using as my backdrop had fallen by his face, but I think it turned out really cute. He had his mouth opened so perfectly, I snapped the picture. Well...speaking of Rowan, he has woken up from his nap, so I need to go! Thanks for fluttering by!

21 comments:

Diane Jaquay said...

What a beautiful assortment of teacher's gifts you've created here! And your baby, soooooo ADORABLE :)

Bernadette Bliss said...

Oh what wonderful gifts. And that Rowan, he is adorable!!!

Deborah Saaranen said...

Adorable school gifts! Working at a school, I KNOW that the recipients would absolutely love these!

What a cutie Rowan is!!! He surely is growing quick!

Kathy Martin said...

Oh my goodness...what a fabulous teacher gift set! :)

Susan G said...

What a terrific basket of gifts. As a retired teacher, I can tell you that they will be very much appreciated!

jen said...

well your gifts are awesome- but I mainly want to say how BEAUTIFUL Rowan is!!! What a sweet baby! :)

lisa808 said...

Fabulous assortment of teacher gifts!

Rowan is a little darling. What beautiful eyes!

Hannah | Cards Magazine said...

Oh my heavens. That apple soap is such a great idea. Your tags are so darling. Love it all!

Debra said...

I don't know what I like better - the teacher gifts or Rowan! He's SO adorable...and your teacher's gifts are just perfect!

Min M said...

that is one very pretty baby boy

Allison said...

What fabulous gifts! I'm sure they will all be loved!

Adriana Vanderhoeven said...

Hi!! Beautiful work!! I'm a teacher primary school!!! I love this teacher's gifts.
hugs
Adriana from Córdoba, Argentina

Anonymous said...

What a treat! These gifts are so fun. And the treat at the end!! Adorable Rowan. Hugs to you both. Naturegirl

Cindy Lyles said...

This has got to be the absolute sweetest photo~oh he is so adorable...and I can't believe he's four months already!!!

I'm in love with your teacher gifts - your colors are yummy as are the gift contents!

Deb C said...

These are some more fabulous projects! You really inspire me to pull out all of the stops for my projects. Everything you do is so detailed and over the top in such a great way.

Because you inspire me, I've nominated you for the "Kreative Blogger Award" on my blog. Visit my blog if you'd like to grab the graphic, and pass it along to seven people that inspire you. I know I'd love to see who you turn to when you're looking for inspiration! Thanks for making such lovely projects to share with us.

Diane McVey said...

Wow, great gifts you have created! Some people are going to be VERY happily surprised!!!
Rowan is THE most beautiful baby! And this coming from a Mom that also had pretty boys; but he truly IS just gorgeous!!! WOW, his beautiful face just makes me smile :-)

Alicia said...

Oh my word! Too freaking adorable! And very timely. :) Thanks for the idea.

Jessie/knightrone said...

Wonderful projects and GORGEOUS baby!!

Angie Tieman said...

These are awesome!! I would *flip* out if I received these from one of my students!!

Carol's Ink Spot said...

Such fabulous gifts! I love that set and I love that twill tape with the ruler stamped on it! Everything looked perfect for giving to the teachers.

Lisa Petrella said...

What a FABULOUS assortment of gifts!!! And so sweet of you to show such appreciation for the teachers and other staff members at your kiddos' school! Great job! And that little Rowan is adorable!!!