Grow a Succulent Garden and $250 Giveaway

*This post is a sponsored post with Miracle Gro.  I was given Miracle Gro products to use, however all opinions, statements and ideas are my own.

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With summer right around the corner, teachers and students are wrapping up the school year.  I am always looking for a fun and unique way to show my children’s teachers how much we appreciate all that they do for our kids all year long.  I like to give them something they will actually enjoy using in their classrooms and/or their homes.  A good teacher can make a huge difference in a child’s life.

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This season, Miracle Gro wants to inspire everyone to get out and Gro something. There is a way to incorporate “Gro-ing” into a myriad of different DIY projects—and you don’t have to be an avid gardener or live out in the country to accomplish it!  All you need is a little creativity and inspiration—and you can create a beautiful, living piece of art for just about any occasion/recipe/area of your home!

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So, with that in mind, I wanted to make a simple but lovely succulent table top garden that my children’s teachers could enjoy and continue to grow after my children move on.  If you want to make one, it is really so simple and you just need a few things.

Succulent Garden:

  • Pot or Container (I used a small pail)
  • Old Dictionary Pages (to cover the pail)
  • Mod Podge
  • Paint Brush
  • Miracle Gro Moisture Mix Potting Soil
  • Succulents
  • Miracle Gro Cactus and Succulent Plant Food

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Take some old dictionary (or other paper) and cover the pot with them.  Use a couple of layers of Mod Podge on the front and back of them and attach them to the container.  I specifically used the “teacher” and “grow” dictionary pages along with a couple of other words that remind me of a great teacher.

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Fill your container with Miracle Gro Moisture Mix Potting Soil and leave about 4 inches at the top.  Plant your succulents and then add more potting soil and fill in the soil to the top of the container.  Gently pack the plants into the potting soil. 

*For best results drill a couple of small holes in the bottom of the container and place some gravel in the bottom to ensure proper drainage.

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If you are giving this as a gift to a teacher you can print out this fun little label “Teachers plant seeds of knowledge that will grow forever!”

To print the label simply click on the image.

Teacher plant label

*If you are not a fan of The Idea Room on Facebook, you will need to click like first and become a fan. After you become a fan you will need to click on “Get your free gift” in the upper right hand corner of the Idea Room FB page and then click on “Previous Downloads”.

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Simply print out the label and cut it out.  Then paste it onto a piece of dictionary paper and then glue that onto a rectangle piece of black paper.

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For an extra touch, I added a little metal stake in the pot with the word “grow” on it.  It is simply an old spoon with some vinyl letter stickers on it.  Just stick it in the soil.  This is a pretty simple way to grow something beautiful as a gift or for your own home.

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The makers of Miracle Gro would like to get The Idea Room readers involved in their Gro something campaign by offering a $250 American Express cash card to help one lucky person jump start their own #GroSomething Spring/Summer Project.  This way you can go out and GroSomething as well.  If you would like to be entered for a chance to win simply follow the directions in the rafflecopter box below.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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*Fine Print: Giveaway ends at 11:59pm (MST) on May, 19 2013 . One winner will be chosen and mailed a $250 American Express Cash Card. Must be 18 years of age or older and a resident of the U.S.A. to enter. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with Facebook or Pinterest. Facebook and Pinterest will be completely released by each entrant. One entry per person. Entry includes filling out the Rafflecopter form above.  Winner will be chosen using random.org. and will be notified via email within 48 hours of the giveaway close. Winners will be announced on the post, not on Facebook. The winner must respond within 48 hours of receiving the email or a new winner will be chosen. No purchase necessary.

Valentine’s Day Crafts gift and milk bottles—Silhouette promotion

 I was recently sent some Double-Sided Adhesive paper from Silhouette and challenged to come up with a creative way to use it and make some Valentine’s Day Crafts.  I have never used this before and I have to tell you, I was really quite surprised with how much I enjoyed it.

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Before we get into my project and how I made it, let’s get the Silhouette February Promotion details out of the way.

This month Silhouette is offering a pretty good deal to The Idea Room readers…

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If you need a Silhouette Portrait, you can get it and the Double-sided Adhesive Starter Kit for a great deal.  Already have a Silhouette?  Then use the code IDEAROOMand get the starter kit for $12.99.  To take advantage of this deal simply click on the following link or the Silhouette Promotion image above and get started on your Valentine’s Day Crafts.

Order Silhouette February Promotion

Alright, now onto how I made these glittery milk and gift bottles.

Directions:

  1. I found some fun heart shapes in the Online Silhouette Store and downloaded them.
  2. Sized them in the Silhouette Software to 1.5 inches in width.
  3. Cut them out according to the directions on the Double-Sided adhesive box.
  4. My settings were:  Speed: 3; Thickness: 33; Blade setting: 6 using my mat and a double cut.
  5. Peel off the back yellow layer of paper on an individual heart.

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  1. Placed onto clean “milk” bottles (which are repurposed Starbucks Frappucino Bottles)
  2. Peeled off the white top layer and made sure all the adhesive was pulled out of the negative space area where I did not want any glitter.
  3. Dust glitter over the sticky adhesive and then using a clean brush, brushed away the excess glitter.

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Then fill the bottles with your favorite drink.  These bottles can be used at a Valentine’s day party in the classroom, or with your friends and family.

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For Valentine’s Day we usually have a nice candle-light family dinner.  I think I will be including these as part of the table settings this year!

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Or you could gift the jars to a special friend as a nice little Valentine’s Day gift along with some VERY RICH chocolate sweets!  Your friends will thank you!

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For the fun Heart Shaped Cookies in the photos, I simply took a favorite Chocolate Drop Cookie Recipe and cut the cookies with a heart shaped cookie cutter.  Then made a cookie sandwich by spreading some delicious Cream Cheese Frosting in between the two layers.

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Cause seriously…if you are going to eat a treat…it might as well be a good one…right?  All things in moderation of course.  So limit yourself to 2…or 3 depending on the type of day your having…haha!

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And just because I am obsessed with making labels lately…I made some fun “Bottled with love” labels.

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You can download them here….

Bottle With Love Labels

You have to be a FB fan to gain access to the file.  Click on “Get your free gift” at the top of the FB page and then click on “Previous Downloads”.

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You can attach the labels as a fun gift tag, or attach it directly to the bottle itself.

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Pretty fun little gift if I do say so myself.  The best part? You can use this idea for so many different things…a birthday party, gifts, showers, bridal showers…etc.

Oh…where do you get the fun Hershey Kiss Valentine’s Day labels you ask?  You can find them by heading here…

Hershey’s Kiss Valentine’s Day Labels

One last thing…be sure to use the code IDEAROOM get the Silhouette Promotion.  The offer is good through the 14th of February.  You also can only get to this special offer using this link…

Order Silhouette February Promotion

Have any questions about the Silhouette Promotion or Silhouette in general or any question…feel free to ask in the comments!  Happy Crafting! xo

*Disclosure:  I was given a Silhouette Double-Sided Adhesive Kit by Silhouette.  However, all statements and opinions are mine.

Chalkboard art gift label

**If you are new here and are visiting from The Ellen Show, we are glad you stopped by!  I hope you like what you see here.  Looking for the Peppermint Candy Cane Sugar Scrub Recipe that was shared on Ellen’s site?  You can find that by clicking on this link:  Peppermint Candy Cane Sugar Scrub!  You will find a full tutorial with step by step photos and instructions.   I also offer a free download for the fun labels!  Thanks for stopping by!

I was hoping to share this with you earlier,but it ended up being a “last minute” project.  With the events of the last weekend, I found myself wanting to distance myself from the computer and the internet…so this years Teacher Gifts sat undone.

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I always like to give the kids teachers a practical gift that they will actually use.  I have made a few different versions of these unique and personalized Hand Sanitizer Bottles and this year was no exception.  The kids teachers have always “claimed” to love them so we continue to give them out.  I always add a fun gift card for the local Movie Theater or a Restaurant for them to enjoy, along with the Hand Sanitizer.

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If you are new here, you might want to check out some of the other Hand Sanitizer Bottles I have shared:

Hand in Hand Sanitizer Bottle

Monogrammed Hand Sanitizer

Christmas Joy Hand Sanitizer

Thanksgiving Hand Sanitizer

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This year I decided to show you an example of putting the label INSIDE the bottle, which is the same as I have done for all our past versions of this along with putting the label on the OUTSIDE of the bottle.  My personal preference is for the label to be on the inside, which is printed on a sheet of Transparency Paper (film).  And the label on the outside of the bottle is simply just printed on a laser printer onto some white cardstock.

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For complete, step-by-step instructions, please refer to this hand sanitizer tutorial.  If you are going to make labels to go inside the bottle you will need to print onto your transparency with a laser printer.  This is a CRUCIAL step.  Every year I get emails from people who use an ink jet printer and wonder why their ink slides off into the bottle.

If you don’t have a Laser printer or copier, or your printer is not made to print on transparencies (check your owners manual), then you can simply have your local copy center print it onto a transparency for you.  They usually charge a small fee but in the scope of things, this turns out to be a very affordable gift!

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I have provided you with a free download of this fun Chalkboard Art Christmas Label. Simply click on the link or the image below to download the labels for your own use. You will need to re-size the labels to fit into the bottles you end up using. I made them a bit larger so you could use larger bottles if you would like too. Just re-size the image in your printing program before printing.

I printed mine out so that the width measured 2.75 inches (if my memory serves me right).

 Merry&Bright Chalkboard Art Label

Merry and Bright

*As always please remember to link back to this post and send others here rather than sharing them on your own sites.  These are for your own personal use and are not for resale or redistribution.

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I am really enjoying this trendy Chalkboard Art…so of course I had to put my own little twist on it.  Aren’t they so much fun?  And, if you don’t want to make the hand sanitizer bottles (or soap bottles) you can simply print these out and use them as a gift tag or frame it for your desk!