This year I was at a bit of a loss for teacher gifts. I once went to a garage sale of a retired teacher who had approximately 500 apple mugs for sale. As I spoke to her she said "Ironically, I don't even drink coffee". LOL That left an impression so I vowed I would never give a gift with an apple or a mug. This year the time go away from me and the gift card is always a safe route but I like to dress it up a bit.
So the night before I got "my glue on" (Helmar of course!) and dressed up these tea pots I had purchased from Kmart along with Starbuck gift cards…..
BEFORE (as purchased):
Supply List:
- Helmar Acid Free Glue, 450 Quick Dry & Liquid Scrap Dots
- Helmar Glue Spreader or foam brush
- Distressing Ink
- Ribbon (Maya Road)
- Stapler (Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher)
- Twine/Ribbon/Fibers
- Patterned Paper (Nikki Sivils Happy Holly-Days was PERFECT)
- (4) Coasters (from your local restaurant works great and are FREE)
- Flowers (bought those from Michael's and plucked them off the stem)
- Rubber Stamp with Sentiment (Inkadinkado "Thank You")
- Crop-O-Dile Hole Punch
- Buttons
- Binder Ring
Instructions (with photos):
- Spread Helmar Acid Free glue evenly on front face of coaster (use Helmar glue spreader or a foam paint brush).
- Adhere patterned paper and cut to fit. Sand edges and distress as desired. Do this to the front & back face of all four coasters
- Staple (1) tea bag to each coaster (with Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher)
- Stamp "Thank You" on matching patterned paper and adhere to cover.
- Embellish each page with buttons, flowers, ribbon, knotted/bowed twine, etc with Helmar 450 Quick Dry & Liquid Scrap Dots.
- Punch Hole in upper left of coasters & Starbucks Gift Card and bind book with Binder ring
- Attach to Tea Pot and finish off by knotting ribbon, twine & fibers to binder ring
The final project:
They were fun, easy and super affordable! And both the twins teachers loved them. What more could you ask for? And one more share….I made 55 personalized tags to attach to candy canes for the twins classes:
Merry Christmas everyone and thanks for taking a peek!
The artist's world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep. ~Paul Strand