Teacher Gift: FREE PRINTABLE

 

10 months ago, we sent our oldest child off to kindergarten.  Our tentative, quiet, little girl cried every morning for the first week.  It was a tough week.

And what feels like a short 10 months later, she's blossomed into an outgoing, curious, little chatterbox who rushes to get dressed and teeth brushed at the mere mention of missing the bus.

 It's been an amazing year and I'm so thankful for the great school and teachers we have.

So I put together some little gifts to say thank you.

I found these cute metal tins at the Dollar Store and used a  hammer and nail to poke holes in the bottom.  We bought a 6 pack of thyme and a 6 pack of oregano at our local Farmer's Market and put one of each into each tin.  

Oregano is a great container plant since it self seeds and can take over a yard in no time flat.  Better in a container than in your lawn!

 

I used paper, punches, and sticks that I had around the house to make the labels.  

Free printable HERE.

The least I could do to thank our teachers for helping my little girl grow.

Fabric Gift Bag - TUTORIAL

Thanks for all the comments on my previous gift bag post. Definitely gave me the push I needed to put together this tutorial and to make a few changes.  I was inspired by the Nautical Adventures Tote that Roselee over at Jane of All Trades posted recently.  Her technique for sewing and finishing the seams all in one step is genius!  Go take a peek, but be sure to come back so you can make a cute little gift bag.  

Here's what you'll need to make a cute, simple and reusable gift bag:

• 1 piece of duck canvas that is 10"x22"
• about 21 inches of 1/2inch double fold bias tape (this is a great time to use up some scraps or try making your own - good tutorial here) 
• 4 large eyelets and setting tool

Fold the fabric in half so you have a rectangle that is 10"x11" and iron the fold well. 

If you are going to add some applique, now's the time to do it.  You want to add your applique to the INSIDE of your folded piece of fabric.

Here's the genius part I borrowed from Roselee,  start your bias tape about an inch from the top (open end of fabric) and sew a 3/8 inch seam from the top all the way to the bottom, folding the bias tape under at the bottom (folded end of fabric).  You've sewn and enclosed the seam in one step.  Amazing!

Next, box the corners by marking 2 inches from the bottom corner. 

Match those marking, draw a line across and sew on the line.

Iron the seams and from the corners up so the bag has more shape.

 Here's what the inside will look like.

Finish the top edge with either a serger,

or cut with pinking shears. 

Fold the top edge towards the inside about 3/4 inch, so that the raw edge of the bias tape is covered, and sew around. 

2 inches down from the top, centered, and 1 inch apart, make 2 markings for where your eyelets will go.  My bag front was about 5.5 inches across, but this might vary a little depending on how you ironed it.  Just make sure the markings are centered and the spacing is even. 

Follow the instructions to attach the eyelets.

Use the front 2 eyelets to mark where the back eyelets should be.  This insures that they line up at the end.

There you have it!  Thread some pretty ribbon or bias tape through, fill with a gift, and you're ready to go.

Be sure to add yours to the Flickr Pool.

It's alway so fun to see what you come up with!

TUTORIAL: Fabric Bookmark with Pocket

Here's a simple little tutorial you can whip up just in time for Mother's Day.

Who wouldn't love to receive a pretty bookmark with a little gift card or special note tucked in a clear pocket?

Grab some scraps and let's get to work.

 You'll need:  

• 2 fabrics rectangles, 3.25inches x 7 inches
• 1 rectangle of mid-weight, fusible interfacing 2.5inches X 6.25 inches (I use Craft Fuse)
• 1 scrap piece of vinyl
• optional ribbon scrap 

 With right sides together, sew around all  sides with a 1/4 inch seam allowance, leaving a small opening for turning on one short end.

 Clip the corners, turn right-side-out and iron.

Fold interfacing in thirds and slide it inside the bookmark.

 Then using a pen or knitting needle, flatten it out

Iron according to the manufacturer's instructions.

 If you are using a ribbon, fold it in half and insert the raw ends into the opening, pin in place.

 Grab your vinyl scrap and lay it on top of bookmark.  It should be about 3 inches tall.  Don't worry about the width, you'll trim it later.  It's best to have it hang over the sides, it makes it easier to sew.

Sewing with vinyl is like sewing oilcloth, it can be tricky.  My walking foot had no problem at all with this.  If you don't have a walking foot, there are some great tips HERE at sew, mama, sew.

With the vinyl in place, top-stitch all around, making sure to catch all the vinyl (this won't be a problem if you cut it larger than the bookmark) and close the opening you left for turning.

Add a gift card or note and you're done!

 A sweet little gift for someone special.

 Your mom, a friend, a favorite teacher....

Who will you give yours to?

Peppermint Marshmallows

I have always wanted to try making homemade marshmallows.  So this year, as a gift for all the teachers at my kids' preschool, I decided to pack up some peppermint marshmallows with cocoa.

I used this recipe.

They are very easy to make and are really yummy in a cup of cocoa.

I swirled in some red food coloring just after pouring the mix into the pan.

I may have gone a little overboard on my packaging, but it was so fun!

Fluffy, minty, yumminess.  These chocolate marshmallows are next. 

Tote + Tutorial = Totorial

(remember, this is for personal use only.  contact me if you'd like to become a licensed seller)

These days I've been trying hard to work through my fabric stash, mostly to justify buying more fabric! With the end of the school year coming, I decided to figure out a cute teacher gift that would help with my de-stash goal. Here's what I came up with.
I'm a big proponent of reusable bags. But, you don't always want to whip out your smelly grocery bag when you're at the mall or library. So why not make a cute little tote with some beautiful fabric.

Here's what you'll need:

main body of the bag: 2 fabric pieces 15 x 10 inches
contrasting top of bag: 2 fabric pieces 15 x 6 inches
handles: 2 fabric pieces 4 x 16 inches
6 inches of thin elastic
1 button
Fold your piece of elastic in half and baste at the center of one of the 15 inch sides of the main body fabric.

Lay a contrasting panel on top of the main panel, sandwiching the elastic in between, and sew a 1/4 seam. Finish seam with either a zig-zag stitch or serge. Do the same for the other main body and contrasting panels.
Press seam allowance towards the upper contrasting panel and top-stitch.


Since this bag isn't lined, I decided to do french seams on the sides. To do this, lay the front and back panels with WRONG sides together, so right sides facing out, and sew a 1/4 inch seam down each side only.
Turn the bag so that RIGHT sides are facing in and WRONG sides are facing out. Press well. Then sew a 1/2 inch seam down one side, across the bottom and up the other side. It's very important that this seam be wider than the previous seams so that the previous seam will be enclosed.

Serge or zig-zag to finish the bottom seam and turn bag right side out. Press.

Now set the bag aside and let's work on the straps. First, fold strap in half lengthwise, open the fold up and fold edges again towards the center fold. You should end up with a 1 inch x 16 inch strap. Sew along both edges.


Now that the straps are ready, take the main body of the bag and serge or zig-zag around the top. Then fold the top towards the wrong side of the bag 1/2 inch to finish off the top.

Take each strap and fold the raw edge in about 1/2 inch. Then pin 3 inches in from the edge of the bag.
Sew 2 seams across the top to secure the straps in place.


Sew your button about 3 inches above the elastic and you're done!
Fold your bag up and throw it in your purse.