Teacher Gifts - 3/10 - The Idea Room

Chalk Board mug gift

I am always looking for a fun and inexpensive gift idea for a teacher or friends. Now, there is nothing new and exciting about a mug with candy in it…unless that mug has a fun chalkboard label on it. I saw something similar while perusing the aisles of Target one day. It had been three weeks since I had been there…THREE WEEKS! So I was getting my Target fix and saw a Chalk Board Mug. So what is a crafty girl to do? Yep! I made my own.

Pin It

Target was even kind enough to have some different colored mugs on sale for $1.99. So I snagged a couple. Here is how I made mine. I cut out a heart shape from my vinyl collection. Contact paper will work well too. Make a stencil in the shape or design of your choice.

Then I used some Folk Art Bake-On Enamel Paint in Engine Red. I mixed it with some Non-Sanded Grout to Make Chalk Board Paint. You can find the recipe for that here:

Make Your Own Chalk Board Paint

Then I simply painted a couple coats of it onto the mug and baked in on low heat in my oven for an hour to set the paint. So easy.

Prime the chalk board paint by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk onto it first and then wipe off the chalk. This should prime your chalkboard label so that you can write new messages to your hearts content. (pun totally intended) I also put the word “love” on the other side of the mug using the same process as above.

A super easy and inexpensive gift idea. Spruce it up by adding a gift card to Starbucks or attach a package of your favorite hot cocoa mix…or…my personal favorite…fill it with CHOCOLATE!

Oh…and where did I get that adorable framed picture? That would be from the talented and lovely Lara from Less Cake, More Frosting! You can purchase your own copy of it in her shop Announced Design. There are a lot more where this came from.

This post is dedicated to a week-long series with some other bloggers and shop owners: Gina from The Shabby Creek Cottage, Kellie at Nest of Posies, Liz from Hoosier Homemade, and Charlotte from The Paper Cupcake!

On Monday, Liz her adorable Pink Lemonade Pies and a giveaway for The Paper Cupcake. On Tuesday, Gina shared her fun Valentine Mantel and a giveaway for Baybee-Dahl Boutique. Wednesday, Kellie from Nest Of Posies made some darling Valentine Envelopes.

We have also set up a Pinterest Board for Valentine’s Week if you are as addicted as I am.

And…if that is not enough…come back tomorrow when we share an amazing Valentine Printable from The Paper Cupcake! Just wait till you see it! Love it!

Need some more Valentine’s Day Ideas? Check out these past Idea Room Valentine’s Ideas.

Pin It

January 25, 2012 · Filed under: Crafts, Gifts, Graduation Treat, Re-Purposed Items, Teacher Gifts Tagged with chalkboard paint, decorated mugs, gift idea, personalized mugs, small gifts, teachers gift ideas

DIY Christmas gift

14 Comments

Need a last minute DIY Christmas gift? Today you can print out this already made template for either soap or sanitizer bottles. This is one of my very favorite gifts to give. This gift is perfect for when you have to give out gifts to teachers, neighbors and friends. They are pretty easy to make and inexpensive. And I love that they are totally practical especially in this season of germs.

The other thing I love about these is that you can totally customize them in any way, shape or form and for any season.

Instructions:

1. Remove the label(s) from your bottle.

2. If there is any sticky residue left, you can easily remove it using some Goo Gone.

(I picked mine up from Home Depot)

3. If your bottle has an insert inside you can remove it with some tweezers.

4. Print out the Christmas Soap insert here.

5. Print it using a laser printer onto your transparency film.

If you do not have a laser printer you will need to print it out and then copy it onto your transparency film. If you do not do this your ink will end up running and falling off into the soap or the hand sanitizer. You can take it and have it printed at your local copy store as well.

6. Measure your bottle and cut your transparency so that it will fit into the bottle. Be sure to measure it on the top and bottom so that it sits where you would like it to…INSIDE THE BOTTLE!

7. Roll your transparency backwards and slide it into the top of the bottle. Push it into place so that it sits right against the front wall of the bottle. You can use the soap dispenser pump to push it into place.

Christmas Soap Bottles Download

Such an easy gift that people can really use. I love to make these up and give them to my kid’s teachers along with a gift card, but I use Hand Sanitizer instead of liquid Hand Soap. The teachers always seem to enjoy them as they go through a lot of hand sanitizer in their classrooms. Here are the links to the other versions of them that I have previously shared.

Thanksgiving Soap/Sanitizer Bottles

Monogrammed Hand Sanitizer

Hand in Hand Sanitizer

I also wanted to take a minute and wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Chanukah, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, Holiday, etc. Only 2 more sleeps till Christmas!! I wish all of you a happy and safe holiday with family, friends and loved ones! I feel so grateful everyday for this blog and for each of you who follow along! I am truly blessed!

Pin It

December 22, 2011 · Filed under: Christmas, Christmas Decor, Christmas Gifts, Crafts, Free Downloads, Gifts, Teacher Gifts, Tutorials Tagged with decorative soap bottle, DIY Christmas gift, hand sanitizer, handmade gifts, homemade gifts

Santa Pops

5 Comments

Have you been waiting for the Christmas version? I hope so…cause I am sharing my latest Oreo Pop with you today…the Santa Pops!

1. Insert your popsicle stick or sucker stick into your Double Stuft Oreo Cookies.

2. Line a pan with parchment or wax paper.

3. Melt your Red Wilton’s Candy Melts in 20 second intervals in the microwave.

4. “Dip” your Oreo’s into the melted candy. In the past I have been saying to *DIP* your Oreos and several of you were having difficulty with them staying on the stick during the dipping process. I realized that I was actually pouring the chocolate over the over with a spoon while holding the Oreo over the cup of melted chocolate. Just turn the Oreo around as needed so that the chocolate is completely covering your entire Oreo and the stick. Hopefully this will help some of you who were having difficulty. Sorry for the confusion.

5. Place the candy covered Oreo onto the wax paper.

6. Take a piece of black licorice {I used Twizzlers} and place it near the bottom of the Oreo. The hardened chocolate will hold them it in place permanently.

7. Take three white round sprinkles down the Oreo for the buttons of Santa’s shirt.

8. Squeeze some white frosting along the bottom of Santa’s shirt.

8. Quickly pop the tray of Oreos into the freezer just to set the chocolate.

9. When the chocolate has hardened (should only need a few minutes) remove the tray from the freezer and add the belt buckle. (A strip of yellow Laffy Taffy shaped into a buckle).

This makes for a pretty fun party treat or as a gift for a classmate. The possibilities are endless for these Oreo Pops. I am a woman obsessed. But…I must admit…I am a bit sick of them. I don’t eat them anymore. I just make them for the fun of it and then I give them away! What do you think?