This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.  ~Elmer Davis

For the main centerpiece, I got a bunch of themed knick knacks and decor from the Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby.  As the holiday draws nearer, most items at Hobby Lobby go on sale with 50% off.  I was able to find the cute blackboard sign as well as the pinwheel.  The bucket, the little patriot couple, along with he sparkle stars, flowers, and flags were all Dollar Tree finds.

To hold the silverware, I wrapped it themed bandannas with a pinwheel, a flag, 

and some wired stars, all in a drink cup.

It turned out to be a festive family celebration, all for a low cost.

Plant the seeds of Love in your hearts. 

Let them grow into trees of Service and shower the sweet fruit of Ananda. 

Share the Ananda with all. That is the proper way to celebrate the Birthday.

For my grandmother's 90th birthday celebration, my mom and I were in charge of the favors for her guests.  We wanted something classy, fun, and worthy of a 90th birthday celebration that would remind my grandmother and her dear friends a bit of their childhood.  

We decided to combine champagne (Schramsberg half-bottle), chocolate (Godiva), and the nostalgic Jack and Ball game in a cute tin pail (Hobby Lobby) stuffed with pink shredded tissue paper (found here) wrapped with cellophane and curly ribbon.

All in all, we made a total of 35 and assembled them one step at a time.  First the shredded tissue, then the champagne, next the Jack and Ball set, and lastly the chocolate.

They were easy and fun to make, and I know they will be a great hit with the ladies!

The Fourth of July has always been one of my most favorite holidays!

To celebrate our country's independence and freedom through honoring our nation's heroes, makes me proud to be an American.  

I found this adorable idea on Pinterest (of course!) and the linked blog is here, but I simplified it as I was doing this a bit last minute (found the idea yesterday, supplies last night, and put them together before work in my classroom this morning).  I do not have a Cricut (yet...), and the majority of my crafting is all by hand, so I had to do what a crafting girl's gotta do ... I improvised.

Items I used:

toy shovels (found in groups of three at the dollar store) 

cellophane gift bags (found at Walmart in the Wilton section)

Blue and Red ribbon (Walmart)

Hershey Kisses (Walmart)

Tags (Hobby Lobby)

On the tags, I used a Navy Blue fine tipped Sharpie. ~ I "DIG" the USA!! Happy 4th of July!! with stars underneath.  Sparkle star stickers would have been cute, but I didn't think of it until now. :)

Simple, yet very appreciated and loved!

Happy 4th of July and be safe!!

Sweet Packages

"As we give presents at Christmas, we need to recognize that sharing our time and ourselves is such an important part of giving." ~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Christmas time is not just about receiving presents.  There is so much joy in giving presents as well.  With that in mind, there is even more satisfaction with the presentation.  This year, with some "Pinspiration" ... I decide to get a little more creative with my gift wrapping.

The hustle and bustle of the holidays, brings a warm fuzzy feeling inside, that can quickly turn into the tingling of anxiety and panic.  Especially when it comes to gift wrapping.  If you follow these quick and easy steps throughout one week, you are guaranteed not to stress.   

Day 1 - wrap all the gifts with wrapping paper. 

Day 2 - make the yarn balls (see instructions below)

Day 3 - attach yarn poms to gifts

Day 4 - Make gift tags

Day 5 - attach gift tags and wreath to gifts.

Supplies Needed:

 Roll of brown packaging paper

Two bundles of yarn (knitting section of Michaels) for fuller yarn puffs use a thicker yarn

Glitter wreaths or decor of choice (found these at Walmart $3 for a pack of 20)

Green Card Stock

Mini Doily 

Gold Thickers (found in sticker section at Michaels)

To make the yarn poms:

If you google "yarn pom pom tutorial", tons of sites are available.  I like this one the best:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLFCECr2gK4

To make gift tags:

Using a circle punch, cut the card stock

Using double sided tape, stick the doily onto the card stock

Then, using the stickers, write out the name or a holiday word such as Joy, Noel, etc.

Student Teacher Gift Basket

"Every child deserves a champion - 

an adult who will never give up on them, 

who understands the power of connection 

and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be." 

- Rita Pierson

Student Teacher Gift Basket

I have been teaching for 12 years, and I am constantly questioning my ability as an educator, reevaluating my lessons, and asking for feedback from anyone who will give it.  Due to my lack of confidence, I was really surprised when I was told by the district that I had been recommended and selected to take on a student teacher for the Spring Semester. 

I must be honest, my first reaction was one of fear, and I obsessed in my mind several questions:

1. Am I good enough?

2. Will he/she learn from me?

3. Will he/she respect me as an educator?

4. What about my students and my connections with them? 

After I ran through those in my mind, and of course made the inevitable phone call for a pep talk and advice from the parents, I decided if the district trusts me and thinks I am worthy, then I should go for it.

I am very glad I did.

It was one of those experiences where you help someone, but in the end you feel you have been changed for the better.  My student teacher was a lovely young woman, so full of optimism, ideas, and eagerness for the future.  She won over all our hearts, and I know made impacts on the students' lives.  

As her student teaching venture came to an end, I wanted to give her something meaningful.  So, I decided to put together a gift basket (love those).  I used a very popular saying as my muse that although is a tradition for weddings, I thought it was a perfect way to give her luck and encouragement for her upcoming journey as an educator.

Something Borrowed:

"Who Me? Surprisingly Doable Ways You Can Make a Difference for Kids"*** perpetual desk calendar.  This was a gift that was given to me my first year of teaching that gave me inspiration.  A teacher's desk isn't complete without a motivating flip desk calendar.

Something Blue:

A new journal so she can record stories, vent, and just share her thoughts and emotions.  I received one after my student teaching, and it is always so entertaining to go back and read through my first year.

Something Old:

A new copy of the old, but loved novel, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.  This was actually a gift from one of my students to her.  They were all in shock when she told us she had never read the story.  My class read it in the Fall, and honestly it has a 99% LOVE rate by even my most reluctant readers.  

Something New:

The Classroom Management Book by Harry and Rosemary Wong.  They are both educational resource geniuses.  Their books and techniques helped me survive my first year of teaching. I highly recommend any of their books for new teachers.

I put it all together in a personalized basket tied with a big burlap bow.  I found the basket at Michaels and a chalkboard piece that I hot glued onto it.  Finally, I included a handmade booklet tied with ribbon with inspirational teacher quotes and messages from all the kids.

For those of you with student teachers or those who know someone who is beginning this career, I hope I have given you some inspiration for gift ideas.

*** Although it was given to me back in 2002, I looked this up to see if I could link it for anyone who wanted to purchase one.  What do you know ... quite a few are selling on ebay!

Lavender Sea Salt Scrub

Friendship is born at that moment 

when one man says to another: "What!  You too?  I thought that no but myself ..."

- C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Lavender Sea Salt Scrub

Getting together to make this lovely scrub was an idea of a very dear friend of mine.  The lavender is so fragrant and it leaves your skin silky smooth.  We were inspired by two blog posts, Centsational Girl and The Fab Housewife.  We tweaked it a bit by using pink himalayan salt and adding vitamin E oil that added not only to the look, but also to the scrubbing effect.

We started with putting about a cup and half of Pure Sea Salt and cup and half of Fine Himalayan Salt (this can be found at stores like Sprouts or Henry's.  Then we lightly ground about half cup of dried lavender buds.  Don't skip this step, because it releases oils and opens up the scents in the bud.   

After mixing the dry mix together, we then added Grapeseed Oil, Vitamin E Oil, and Lavender Essential Oil from the Temecula Lavender Company - absolutely love that store.  We measured everything based on texture and smell.  

Lastly, we scooped the decadent scrub into little jars (found at Michaels for $1.00 each) and tied on a printed label (labels found at Michaels too).

This made a lovely gift for our friends and ourselves.  I kept a jar by my kitchen sink, and after dishes I would wash my hands with this scrub and they would feel silky smooth.

Ingredient List
1.5 cups Pure Coarse Sea Salt
1.5 cups Fine Himalayan Salt
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup Dried Lavender Buds
Vitamin E Oil
Grapeseed Oil
Lavender Essential Oil
Little Jars
Labels and Ribbon

Cute as a Button Baby Shower

Ten little fingers, ten little toes...

Two beautiful eyes, and one button nose.

Cute as a button baby shower:

The main table ... for this table I used a black table cloth with a fabric runner.  The fabric I used on the table was the fabric the mommy to be chose for the baby's quilt.  I also used it in the fabric balls hanging above the table.  

I ordered a cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes - love that store for events.  Found little green pinwheels at Party City to put in the cake as well.  Vanilla bean cupcakes with piped frosting and fondant buttons.  I bought a button mold from Walmart, pressed fondant in, then dusted them with edible green and gray cake decoration dust.  There are buttons on the table from a button punch bought at Michaels.  I used the same card stock I used in making the invitations.  Also I bought a bunch of non scented candles at Michaels that I tied with green and grey ribbon.  There are also little tea candles that I decorated with green and white tape around the silver holders.

Made the ball cluster using a variety of tissue balls, fabric balls, lanterns and gray ribbon.

What's a baby shower without some champagne?  I found rock candy stirring sticks at Party City, and I placed them in some plastic champagne glasses.

I used gray masking tape around the bottles with green labels. 

I rolled up the plastic utensils with green napkins from Party City and then tied a bow on with gray ribbon.  Then I hot glued a pale gray button in the center.

Green, Gray, and White flagging.  I was able to use that button whole punch to make the wholes for the tule.  Then used the buttons as confetti.  Card stock used was the same as the invitations. 

This was an adorable idea I found online.  Onesie decorations!  Here is what you need:

1. table cloth

2. fabric markers, puffy paint

3. stencils and sponge brushes

4. cute stamps and stamp pads

5. blank wall with ribbon tacked on 

and clothes pins to hang onesies as they dry

I am so lucky with banners.  I am a teacher, and I use the school's diecut to make the letters.  For this banner, I cut white and green squares from card stock.  Then I used stiff gray felt for the letters.  I used hot glue to stick everything together - I like hot glue best because it is quick and you are guaranteed everything with stick.  Then I used sparkly green tulle to hang.  Also another easy tip - Command Hooks to hang banners - no mess and easy to remove when done, small tacks work well too.

I was giving the mommy to be a bunch of onesies, so I thought to add decor why not hang them around the house.  I used tulle, tacks, and clothes pins.

Favor table ... not the best shot, but I used the same type of black table cloth and fabric as was used in the main table.  The favors are little round glasses tied with green ribbon and a gray button hot glued in the middle.  Also on the table is a bouquet along with framed instructions for signing the balloon signature poster.

Guest signature poster - I believe the mommy to be freehanded the design on cloud stationary of a baby in a blanket flying with lines for balloons.  She also did an amazing job on the writing. I used a whole punch on card stock for the balloons for guests to sign.

I used large mason jars tied with ribbons and buttons and filled with white flowers.