Hey Everybody…it’s Kari from Ucreate and I’m thrilled to be a part of Skip to My Lou’s Teacher Appreciation series!

I have to start by telling you how fabulous I think Cindy is! I’ve been following her blog for a few years now (even before I started blogging) and consider her a “blogging pioneer” in the creative industry! She’s just as fabulous in person and I’m thrilled to be here today sharing a budget-friendly teacher idea that your child’s teacher is sure to love!

“Planting the Seeds” Teacher Gift

Supplies

Tin Buckets (bought set of three at IKEA for $1.99)

Twine

2 packages of seeds

garden gloves

paper bag

silk flower

Chalkboard label

Making the teacher gift

1. Grab some twine and tie around the top. Attach flower and leaves with glue gun.

3. Next, cut up a paper bag and print the saying “Teachers plant the seeds of knowledge that will grow forever!” onto it in any font you’d like. Yes, you can insert it right into your printer…crinkle and iron to give it that distressed look!

4. Staple seed packets on the back of paper and place everything into the bucket!

Teachers can use this bucket all year long and label it whatever they’d like with the chalk label! Perfect gift for any teacher!

Thanks for having me Cindy!

I was trying to wrack my brain to think of something different and unique…not sure I achieved it, but I did come up with something that I think is cute and still practical for a teacher…a STAMP set! Teachers grade and go through so much paperwork that I thought it would be fun to give them something they could use. The stamps could be anything from a smiley face, keep up the good work, or you could even order them a customized stamp with their name.

Since I have five kids, I have to be a bit more frugal about my teacher gifts and sometimes I feel like I am limited in what I can get a teacher that will still be nice…ya know? I just happened upon several BRAND NEW stamps the other day while I was browsing the thrift store for 50 cents each. I know…score! But you can buy stamps at the dollar stores or craft stores for fairly inexpensively especially if you go with a coupon.

Then I took a craft box that was made out of Basswood. I forgot to take a picture of it while it was still in the wrapper and before I had covered it with decorative paper…but alas…I forgot. So I dug the wrapper out of the garbage {you’re welcome} and snapped a picture of it so you would know what to look for if you are interested in making one similar to mine…I’m nice like that !

First I painted the inside of the box with an antique white acrylic craft paint. Then I simply covered the box with scrapbook paper when the paint had dried. I cut into the edges {corners} of the box with scissors so that the paper would wrap around the box nicely. I pasted it onto the box with a couple of layers Mod Podge on bottom and the top of the paper and let it dry completely between coats.

Then I purchased a brand new stamping ink pad and placed it inside the box. I was happy to see that the ink pad and stamps fit pretty nicely inside.

Inside the box lid I had typed up a little saying and attached it.

It says…”Thanks for being such a great teacher. You have earned our STAMP of approval!”

Then below it you could add your child’s name and year or leave it blank. I also thought it would be fun to add the teacher’s last name to the top of the box so she could keep in out on her desk to look at it. I also thought it was a fun way to personalize it. I simply printed out her last name letters onto some white cardstock and stuck them onto the box with some glue dots.

That’s all there is too it. A quick and easy project that your kid’s teacher will hopefully enjoy and get some good use out of it!

Thanks Cindy for sharing your blog readers with me today! You are always welcome to come and visit me over at The Idea Room any time!

See more teacher gift ideas in the gallery!

Hi Skip to My Lou readers! I am Beckie from Infarrantly Creative and Knock Off Décor. I love reusing materials many people throw away to make fun and unique gifts and décor.

Today I am going to show you a way to upcycle those Crystal Lite containers you’ve been hoarding with a sweet printable for your child’s teacher.

Inside the Crystal Lite containers are Whoopie Cookies…aka Mini Whoopie Pies. So take your Crystal Lite containers and remove the label with an Exacto knife.

Print out the Whoopie Cookie printable in the color of your choice. I have pink, yellow, light purple and blue. Each of the printables is customizable so you can type in the name you want and then print it out. Print out the Whoopie Cookie Circle printable as well.

After you print it out trim it to fit and wrap it around the container securing it with double sided adhesive.

The circles are meant to be cut out with a 2” circle punch. If you don’t have one scissors will work just fine. Secure that to the lid with double sided adhesive.

Whoopie Cookie Recipe

1/2 cup Crisco

1 cup sugar

2 egg yolks (save whites for filling)

5 tablespoons cocoa

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup milk

Cream Crisco and sugar together. Add other ingredients. Use a piping bag to squeeze out the batter into about 2” circles.

Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Filling:

1 cup Crisco

4 cups confectioners sugar

4 egg whites

pinch of salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat all ingredients until creamy about 2-3 minutes.

Spoon a dollop of frosting on cooled cookies. Add another cookie to the top.

Refrigerate the cookies. Once the frosting hardens a bit then gently place them into the container. Keep these cookies in the refrigerator until you are ready to give them to your teachers.

Thanks for having me Cindy. If you love craft projects, tutorials, DIY projects and knock offs galore come check me out!

Teacher Appreciation is the perfect chance to say “Thank You!” to our favorite teachers, librarians, and school staff.

I owe my kid’s teachers so much. They spend hours each day with them, care about them, and give them essential tools to help them succeed in life.

Every year when Teacher Appreciation rolls around I look for a gift that shows how much that means to me. I know it’s not the expense of the gift that matters, but the thoughtfulness.

A small cake, cupcake or mini bundt cake is a perfect gift. Cake is the way to my heart after all. For Teacher Appreciation I love mini bundt cakes because the recipe is easy enough for the kids to help… always a bonus. It’s a treat that seems special and fun. Here’s how to make them:

Chocolate Bundt Cake

1 box Devil’s Food Cake (I prefer Betty Crocker)
1 1/3 cup oil
4 eggs
1 small box chocolate pudding
½ cup warm water
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix ingredients together, adding the chocolate chips last. Pour into greased mini bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 18 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Recipe will make 12 mini bundt cakes. Cool completely before frosting. Place frosting in a pastry bag using a medium smooth tip (mine was a Wilton tip #12) and pipe back and forth in loops like shown:

Easy Butter Frosting

1/3 cup softened butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 – 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2-3 Tbsp. milk depending on desired consistency (a little stiffer is better for the bundts)

Mix together til smooth. Add coloring if desired.

I love to give the mini bundts in a small gift box, just to make it feel a little fancy. And speaking of fancy how about flowers on top? Is that too much? Not for me.

And since no gift would be complete with out a tag. I’ve created a sweet little printable just for you.

Click here for the downloadable PDF.

Don’t miss more awesome teacher appreciation ideas

]]> http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/04/24/chocolate-bundt-cake-with-darling-printable-teacher-appreciation/feed/ 13 http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/04/23/whimsical-totebag-teacher-appreciation/ http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/04/23/whimsical-totebag-teacher-appreciation/#comments Sat, 23 Apr 2011 22:44:06 +0000 cindylouh http://www.skiptomylou.org/?p=17652

saying “thank you” can be quick, easy, creative & (best of all) cheap. this year we are thanking our teachers for being the “apple of my eye” with supplies from around our home. & the best part? the kids can help make this fun project!

step one:

gather your supplies… a paper bag, red paint, green paper (or even green fabric), raffia (ribbon or even string), & something yummy to fill your “apple” with.

step two:

paint your bag red. i happen to be a spray paint junkie (it’s quick, easy, & dries super quick), but you can use any red paint. you just want to remember to leave the top two inches of the bag au natural (or rather brown) for the “stem.”

step three:

cut out two leaves from your green paper or fabric, then tape or glue the leaves together at a cute angle to give it a little more “flair.” & finally punch a hole through your leaves for “stringing purposes.”

step four:

fill your “apple” with something yummy. fresh baked cookies, snack sized candies, or my favorite filling… homemade candy coated, almond crunching multi-chocolate drizzled popcorn. can you say yum-o?!

step five:

string your leaves on your chosen raffia, ribbon or string, cinch the paper bag, & tie a bow near (or as close as possible) to the bottom of the “steam.”

step six:

& finally, if you’re feeling really fancy… print out THIS free “you’ve been the apple of my eye” printable & attach.

Don’t miss all these wonderful teacher appreciation ideas.

Cindy & Cheryl

I just had to share this picture of me and Cindy ……..you see we talk ALL the time, but had never met, even though we live just 4 hours apart. So last month Cindy and her sweet family came to St. Louis for spring break and we got to meet up for lunch! It was like meeting an old friend, no small talk, you just jump right in like you had just seen each other yesterday………Cindy is every bit as sweet in person as she is online!

Ok…….back to business!

Nothing says appreciation like a cupcake!!…….no wait, maybe that’s my hips! lol Well, they appreciate cupcakes, and I’m pretty sure teachers do to- it’s usually in the handbook, right next to apples. So I though, why not apple cupcakes!!

These cupcakes in a jar are super easy and are sure to be all the envy in the teacher’s lounge.

For the cupcakes and frosting

• Duncan Hines Apple Caramel Cake mix, follow directions right on the box for making cupcakes. (You can either spray your pans and bake with out liners, or remove liners later .)
• Cinnamon Butter Cream (recipe below)

Cinnamon Buttercream

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 2 Tablespoons whipping cream (you can you milk, I just like whipping cream)
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste (you can use vanilla extract, I just like fleck of vanilla in my frosting)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup

1. In a large bowl, beat butter, milk and vanilla on medium low until smooth and combined (about 1-2 min), scrapping sides of bowl as necessary.
2. Add cinnamon, then slowly add powdered sugar one cup at a time on low until combined, scrape sides of bowl.
3. Increase speed to medium, and beat for 1 min.
4. Add corn syrup and beat on med high for about 30 seconds, then increase speed to medium high and beat for about 1 minute.

How to Make Cupcakes in a Jar

What you need:

• 1 pint jar
• 3 Apple Caramel cupcakes (only 2 shown in picture, but you will need 3)
• Cinnamon Buttercream
• 16″ disposable icing bag and large french tip
• 7/8″ grosgrain ribbon
• curly ribbon
• plastic fork
• 4.5″ square of fabric
• hot glue
• foam adhesive dots
• 2″ scalloped punch
• FREE Thank You Teacher Appreciation Gift Tag Printable (thank you Cindy!)

Lets get started:

start with dropping one cupcake inside the jar, then using your icing bag and tip, squeeze buttercream on top of cupcake………repeat until you have 3 layers. * I sprinkled a little cinnamon and sugar on the last layer of buttercream.

Now your ready to make it all look pretty!

• add the fabric to the lid
• wrap grosgrain ribbon around jar, and glue with hot glue
• punch out Free Printable Thank You Tag, and attach to ribbon with foam adhesive dots.
• tie fork on with curly ribbon

That’s it ! You’re all set!

Don’t Forget to Thank a Teacher for all that they do!

TidyMom blog, on Twitter and on Facebook

I love flowers, especially flowers that you can plant outside. Here is a fun way to spice up a pretty potted flower. I love making these paper medallions or as I like to call “lollies” because they look like a big lollipop. You could keep this gift as simple as this, or add in a few gardening supplies and a gift card, if you’d like.

Along with this printable reading “Thank you for helping me “GROW” up great!”, you can top the flower with this lollie.

Here is what you’ll need:

- a circle cutter of some sort (I used my epic – a die cutting tool)
- a paper lollie that you have made out of a heavy card stock (Here’s the How-To)
- the printable for the center
- a glue stick
- a wooden skewer
- the potted flower
- a roll of crepe paper streamers (I used white and yellow…one for each side of the lollie.)
- a hot glue gun to adhere the lollie to the wooden skewer

Once the printable is cut out, adhere it to a heavier card stock circle of the same size.

To make a lollie this size, start with a 4 inch wide x 12 inch long strip of cardstock. I shared the full Paper Lollie How-To right here.

Now turn the printable over and roll a glue stick over the outside rim and adhere the paper streamer all around the edge pinching it as you go making pleats.

Now you can hot glue the center onto the skewer and the lollie.

And… you are done!

If you’d like, you can do this to both sides of the lollie…or, you could add a message on the backside to your teacher. Stick it in the potted flower, and you are done!

Don’t miss all these wonderful teacher appreciation ideas.

we are long time fans of Cindy’s awesome blog so it means the world to us to be able to guest post today. 

what you’ll need:

• 5×7 thanks a latte print found here (i had them printed out at Costco)
• a coffee sleeve
• white or kraft cardstock
• twine
• stapler and double sided tape (or other adhesive)
• gift card for starbucks (or other coffee house)

• attach the print to a 5.5″ x 7.5″ piece of cardstock
• trim the coffee sleeve to 4″ wide (cutting with the corrugated lines)
• place a piece of double sided tape to the very bottom of sleeve and attach to print
• staple sides of the sleeve and insert card
• tie some fun twine around your gift

**for extra fun, place the card inside of a paper pastry bag and hand out to all of those well-deserving teachers.