design. wash. rinse. repeat.

freebie :: teacher appreciation décor

Not to rehash the past, but you may recall that last year i found myself stressing over "teacher appreciation" décor for my 1st grader's class. With Teacher Appreciation Week already quickly approaching i've heard from a number of lucky moms in the same predicament! so, by popular request, here is a download for the elements i used in the door design (pdf). fingers crossed this helps save even just a bit of someone's sanity! (& don't forget the teacher appreciation gift!)

freebie :: yoda best valentine

My 3 year old son, Pi, is obsessed with Star Wars. I recently made mention of "Chewbacca", and without skipping a beat he corrected me with "you mean, THE MIGHTY Chewbacca!". boys! After nearly eight years of all things ultra girly, this is new to me. So, just for my little man, i took a giant step back from the pink and decided to create my first ever boy valentine (although now that it's done, my 5 year old daughter wants them for her class too!). 

The idea was inspired by the genius lightsaber valentine i saw on the Brassy Apple (glow stick! blew my mind), but i wanted to include my little guy's favorite character from the films, Yoda. since i went to all that work i thought i'd share for anyone looking for some last minute fun. just download (below), print, trim, & add a glowstick (which you can find super duper cheap at the craft store). & may the force be with you this valentines day!

 

 

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freebie :: DIY arrow valentine

A couple of years ago the always inspiring Design Sponge posted an amazing vintage arrow craft, and i've wanted to try it ever since. Arrows being extra hot right now, and co-ordinating well with the True Love collection i just created, i decided this was the year. However I did need to do some tweaking... mostly because i am fairly certain my daughter's 2nd grade teacher would be slightly less than thrilled to have 25 children running around with sharp pointy objects on Valentine's day! But also i figured paper and washi tape would do the trick rather than feathers, glue, and paint, and be much less messy for my littles joining in.

 

SUPPLIES::
unpainted wooden pencils
smallish felt or foam sticker hearts (2 per arrow)
washi tape
patterned paper for feathers (i used the True Love papers!)
co-ordinating tags (free printable download!)
baker's twine
spray mount adhesive
xacto knife (or scissors)

1:: To start, download, print and trim the tags. 2:: Cut feather's from patterned paper using the template, or for you lucky crafters with a digital cutter (like a Cricut etc) and SCAL, use the cuttable svg file download. 3:: Adhere the rectangle tags near the top of the pencil (spray mount adhesive is my preference, but any glue will do), and then randomly wrap bits of washi tape hither and thither. 4:: Thread feather through top, and attach two sticker hearts to the bottom. 5:: Tie tag to arrow using baker's twine. 6:: Give to your favorite peeps!

Some advice, go for the stickiest washi tape you can find! a few of the options in my collection weren't holding on so well (which led to much swearing!). "Recollections" from Michaels is one i found worked well, as well as the MT brand (found at Paper Source).

if this project isn't quite for you, maybe a previous year's freebie is more your style. there's a sweet little candy box; an owl box; a lion lollipop valentine; a tea tag; a heart garland; and of course some paper "fortune cookies". (seems i kinda like crafting on valentine's day, ha!) AND, for an absolutely adorably delicious Valentine treat, check out the BasicGrey blog.

xoxo

for an SVG cut file of the feathers, click HERE!

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freebie :: slime label

I made the mistake of asking my daughter what activity she wanted me to do with her class for their Halloween party this year. The enthusiastic answer was "make slime!". After googling recipes and youtube videos i realized that was an overly ambitious plan to attempt with a room full of 2nd graders and tried my darndest to talk her into just about anything else. But let me tell you, she may appear sweet as sugar, but once that 7 year old has her mind set, there is no stopping that train. So i waved the white flag and went ahead with her special request. The result was a disgusting mess, a lot of fun, and did i mention a disgusting mess? But ultimately worth it, since for nearly a week the remnant slime has occupied my three children's every spare moment. (Hence the first blog post in nearly 3 months!) This is a great activity for any time of year, not just Halloween, so i thought i'd share the recipe and a freebie printable download of the label.

We packaged our creations in 8oz plastic containers, but even a simple ziplock bag works well. enjoy!

freebie: lion king birthday invite & tags

In typical fashion i spread myself so thin this summer that it's a miracle i didn't implode. Picture six weeks straight of daily swim lessons. SIX weeks!! rain or shine. not to mention tennis, dance, and gymnastics, all gloriously piled on top of a full work schedule. did i mention the potty training? Who needs sleep?! (and before wagging your finger at me for overbooking my children and effectively ruining their childhood you should know they were 100% on board... with the occasional 1% day mixed in of course).

Summer is bonkers busy, as every mom can attest. Which is why i had visions of nothing more than a glorified playdate for my sons 3rd birthday. What toddler needs anything more than a sunny afternoon mixed with a couple friends and a slip-n-slide? That's how it started, but as the big day loomed closer and other parties were attended, his expectations were clearly light years beyond what i had anticipated. The mommy guilt got to me. Next thing you know, i'm frantically whipping up last minute "Lion King" themed invitations, scouring party stores for décor and favors, and staying up til the wee hours of the morning stressing over a menu. note to self: one should not lose sleep over what to feed 3 year olds. Ultimately the only thing we needed was a Piñata. Voila, it's a party. Best $8 dollars i ever spent. 

All in all it was an easy event, and loads of balloons made for a festive atmosphere. Our itinerary included: a slip-n-slide (or rather, a huge sheet of plastic from Home Depot), squirt guns, trampoline covered with colorful plastic balls, buffet of "bug" candies, a taco bar, piñata, and of course cake and party favors! We also had lion masks for the kids to color but ran out of time for frivolous extras.

So as not to waste any effort, i'm sharing the invitation and tags. Click on the "freebie" link below if you'd like to adapt these for your own fiesta! 

Now that my little man is three he's developed a major new obsession... any guesses as to the likely theme of next year's party?

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freebie :: teacher appreciation

I couldn't let Teacher Appreciation Week come to an end without creating a little something special to honor these incredible educators who are shaping our children, and our future (and sadly underpaid in the process). If it weren't for the encouragement of my High School art teacher I may never have realized my potential talent (thanks Mrs. McConkie!). Colorful pens were specifically requested by my daughter's teacher, so after picking up some brightly colored Sharpie's and a gift card i set out to design a tag to match. The frosty plastic shape of Crystal Light packages are endlessly useful, so i "upcycled" some of my stash to use as the gift container, and simply printed and attached the tags. voila! and since i love to share, below is a free Download of the tags. Hopefully you'll be inspired to thank the teachers in your own life!

freebie :: lion valentine

One of these days i'll figure out how to manage my life well enough that we're not cranking out Valentine's in the wee hours of the morning the night before. My first grader wanted to match the Lion Valentine Box she created over the weekend, so with inspiration from Fiskars we set about making Lion lollipops. After she sketched out her design (complete with heart shaped face!), i recreated the artwork as a cutable svg and trimmed the pieces using my Cricut and SCAL. The project was incredibly slick, and she couldn't be more pleased with the result. In case anyone is interested in the process, below are directions (and free svg cut files!). These would also make fabulous party favors. 

:: supplies ::
patterned paper (i used BasicGrey of course! the lovely Sweet Threads line)
googly eyes
printer
Xacto
adhesive
pen
lollipops 

:: directions ::
Trim lion mane and lion face using your cutter of choice (the svg download should work for most personal cutters, or can be printed and trimmed by hand). Print "I'm wild about you" sentiment on patterned paper and trim with Xacto. Draw the lion face onto the heart center, and adhere all elements together. Finish by attaching to a lollipop.

 

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freebie :: valentine's tea tag

i can't think of a better way to spend Valentine's day than enjoying a spot of tea with my favorite loved ones. use these "be mine" tags to transform your favorite tea into something a bit more festive this holiday. and if tea is just not your thing, they would certainly be lovely attached to a box of chocolates.

enjoy!

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freebie :: secret elf gift tag

Something about the holidays always fills me with an increased desire to do anonymous acts of kindness. A trait surely inherited from the example of my incredibly generous parents. growing up, there were countless "troubled" kids they took in, sub-for-santa's we worked on together, and families in need we surprised. Even now, my parents only request for Christmas is that my 4 siblings and i participate in some sort of service project or charitable donation. As something i look forward to every year, i hope to instill the same spirit of thoughtfulness in my own children. We never know how much even just one small act can mean to someone, especially those who are lonely or in need. In that spirit, I though this gift tag would be lovely for anyone feeling inspired to anonymously pay it forward in some way, even if it's just a loaf of fresh baked bread or treats for a special neighbor. click on the link below to download and enjoy!

{ pictured above are images of a small token the littles and i created for her first grade class earlier this week. so much fun to see how excited all the kids were as they came running out of school at the end of the day! the paper used is from the "Eskimo Kisses" line i created for BasicGrey. }

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freebie :: halloween favor bags

This sweet little last minute halloween freebie is brought to you by my creative six year old daughter. As i was packing her up for school last week she sketched up a funky little heart and proudly showed me. Checking on her progress a few minutes later, i discovered she had filled the shape with a web, including a bitty spider hanging down in the center. 

I loved her concept of combining something sweet with something scary, so i asked if we could collaborate and make the design into a freebie project on my blog. needless to say she was thrilled. after a quick lesson in illustrator, and a bit of guidance to finish up, she re-drew her artwork on the computer, and i adapted it into a design for tiny Halloween treat bags. talk about mother-daughter artistic bonding!

To create the bags pictured, the black & white designs were printed on kraft paper for more of an aged feel. I then stitched the co-ordinating tag onto the bags with black thread (If you're feeling overly ambitious, it's a nice touch that complements the web theme!).  enjoy.