Teacher gift

Tomorrow is Andrew's preschool graduation and I was searching for a creative teacher gift. Something different than what everyone is doing and something inexpensive. I'm all about making my own gifts but I didn't have the supplies I needed and then I found this site. I plan on making more of these and not just for teachers so don't be surprised if you get one of these sometime for a gift! Here is the one that I made for Andrew's teacher. He has had her since he was 18 months old when we went to the Mommy and Me class and then I took Grace for a few months when Andrew was too old and now for Kinder Kids where he has learned a lot. He counts to 100, can write his whole alphabet (upper and lowercase) and his numbers to 25. He already knows most of the kindergarten sight words and can write his numbers to 25. He has really enjoyed going to school with some of his best friends but now it is time to move on and make new friends in kindergarten. Anyway, back to the gift.....
I originally found this here at Brassy Apple. If you want to make one of these you should definitely visit her site for all of her tips on how to make some words larger than others and how to link words together. I really like the one she made! I'll be back in a couple days to update my blog with graduation pictures.

Oops, I forgot to tell you guys that we got the referral to go to Loma Linda Hospital to see a specialist for Andrew's leg and he started running that same day. He hasn't ran in over 4 months so it is awesome to see. I know a lot of people have been praying for him and it's working. He still limps at times and at the end of the day I see it the most so we will still be going to see the specialist to make sure there is nothing wrong.

Father's Day Craft....Papa Rick don't read this!

PAPA RICK, IF YOU ARE READING THIS PLEASE STOP NOW! IF YOU HAVEN'T OPENED YOUR GIFT YET THEN YOU NEED TO READ THIS LATER! I DON'T WANT TO RUIN YOUR GIFT!

Ok, now that Papa Rick isn't reading this and ruining his surprise I guess I can continue!

I found this fun craft for Father's Day and made a couple for my dad! Click here to see the original site I found it on and see her instructions! The kids had fun making them and putting them together after! You only need a few items....popsicle sticks (I used the wide ones), glue, scotch tape, an exacto knife, and a cute picture!

First, line the popsicles sticks up in a straight line. (Of course I let him do it and then when I moved them over in front of me to tape together, I may or may not have fixed them in a straighter line)
Tape the sticks together with scotch tape and then flip over so you can glue the picture on the front!

I used Mod Podge instead of regular glue but it doesn't matter. Mod Podge is really just glue anyway and you can make your own with regular glue and water. Anyway, moving on!Apply glue to the back of the picture and then stick it to the wooden sticks. I also place a heavy book over it while it set. Doesn't take very long to be ready. I probably only waited 10-15 minutes to cut it but that's just because I was making others and also trying to keep the kids out of the glue!
When it's set, use an exacto knife to cut between each popsicle stick. I used an extra stick for this part (sorry, no pictures-it was hard to cut and hold the camera). Just lay the stick on top of each section as your guide for cutting. Makes it easier to cut straight! And there it is....a picture puzzle! When you are done, stack the pieces all together and tie with a ribbon. Sorry I don't have a picture of that either but it looked cute!

If you need a better explanation, head on over to Impress Your Kids and she did a great job of explaining it!

Scrappy Challenge

Here is a layout sketch I got from Sketches in Thyme, a new blog with scrapbook challenges based on sketches that she gives us. Kim is extremely talented and I've been following her other blog, Memories In Thyme, and saw that this one was starting so I decided to join in the fun! As soon as I saw the sketch for today I knew just the pictures to use and got right to it. So, here is the sketch that she gave us for this week and click HERE to go directly to the page where she shows what her design team came up with based on the sketch!

And here is the page that I came up with based on the sketch!

I'm going to try and do this with each challenge. Can't wait for the next one! I probably won't always get to complete them on the first day but the kids were playing nicely so I sat at the kitchen table and completed it! Always so nice to get to do an entire page with very little interruptions! Thanks Kim for a great layout!

I Was Featured!

Just wanted to show you where I was featured for the frugal bow holder that I made! Click here to visit One Pretty Thing. I love this website and find so many cute ideas on here and decided to send my own! Hope you like this site as much as I do! (If you click 'here' it takes you to the post where I was featured-among others and if you click One Pretty Thing it takes you to the most recent post!)

Frugal bow holder

I don't know about any of you but my house has a bunch of little girls hair bows in it. A dear friend made us a holder a few years ago but now it is too small for all the bows that we have. So, today I decided to get busy and make a new one using only items I had on hand.

You just need some card stock, glue, scissors, paper cutter, ribbon, embellishments, and stapler. I used card board as the base of the holder but you can use a board or something more sturdy. I wanted to do it right now and didn't want to wait until I could buy something else. It works just fine but doesn't lay flat against the wall b/c it is so light.

First, cut your card board to the size you want. Mine is 6"x12".

Cut the card stock you want to cover it with and glue it on. I used tacky glue.Next, cut your ribbons all the same length and tie knots at the bottom.
Then, staple the ribbons to the back of the board.
Finally, punch holes for the ribbon to make a hanger. Fix it to the length you want it to hang. Remember that the ribbon that you use for the hanger can also hold bows....bonus! After the ribbon, embellish! (I added the strip of pink paper to cover up the holes from the staples. Like I said I wanted this right now so I had to make it work but I think it turned out just fine.
Add your bows and you are done! Quick and easy and cute!
If you choose to use cardboard you may want to add weights and it may hang against the wall a little nicer. For me, it works and holds all the bows with room for a few more.