"Homespun" Gratitude Projects for Teacher Appreciation Week!!!

Hello out there to all my crafty friends!!!  We celebrated Teacher Appreciation week earlier this month and I made quite a few things to show my gratitude!!!  My daughter's teacher is absolutely amazing and it has truly been a pleasure working with her this year!  I can only hope that each year will be the same :-)

Altered Mason Jar 

Aside from sending in some standard school supplies that were needed in the classroom, I made some items sure to put a smile on the teacher's face!  She's a fan of Starburst candies and gum.  I had a mason jar lying around that was begging for some attention so I decided to put it to good use!

Here's a look at the finished jar with the Starburst candies inside:

I used the Simple Stories "Homespun" collection from the Frosted Designs Store for most of the projects.  I just love the patterns and colors!  I cut some strips, inked the edges, and wrapped them around the jar.

I created the sentiment in Powerpoint, printed it in red ink, then attached it to the top of one of the doilies in the die-cut pack.  I used pop-dots to add it to the front of the jar for dimension!

I finished the jar with a couple more pieces of paper and some red twine!

See how sweet life can be?!?!  Hahaha!!!!

 "Exploding" Box!!!

The next project was a very simple "exploding box" that I found while browsing the web for ideas!  I didn't have any directions but it looked pretty self-explanatory!

I started by cutting down a piece of cardstock to 9x9.  I scored it at 3 and 6 inches (3 inches for the center and sides!), then turned it 90 degrees and did the same!  Then, I cut off the four "outside" squares to leave just the center of the box and four side.  I taped some gum packs to the sides, then folded it up!

For the lid, I cut a piece of cardstock to 4x4 inches, then scored at one-half inch and 3.5 inches (this gives you a three inch center and half inch for all the sides!).  Then, just as I did for the box, I turned the paper 90 degrees and did the same.  There you have it!!  Easy as that!!! 

Now once the lid is removed, the sides fall out to show the wonderful goodies on the inside!!  Sweet!!!!

 Chalkboard Canvas Board

Now, the last project...  Yes, I really did save the best project for last!!  I created a wall hanging for the teacher to add to her wall décor in the class! 

Here's a look:

I LOVE it!!!  This took some time to do only because I had to wait for the paint and other mediums to dry over and over again.  Patience is not my strong suit when crafting so this was a challenge for me!!!!  Hahahaha!!!! 

I started by priming my canvas board with gesso, then adding several coats of Chalkboard paint (having to wait for them to dry in between!).

After drying was complete, I used the white uni-ball pen in store to create hand-drawn borders around the canvas.   

I mixed up some Luminarte Paint in "Wild Rose" and molding paste to create a colored texture for the canvas.  I used the "Live, Love, Laugh" stencil in the "Simply Sweet" kit from Frosted Designs and added my mixture over top!  Once that was dry, I outlined it with the white uni-ball pen for added detail.

I created other colors of molding paste using Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals to create the flower stem and butterfly.  Using my hot glue gun, I attached a Kaisercraft bloom (pink) to the top of the flower stem for a 3D effect!!  Love it!!!

While everything was drying, I used my Cricut Explore to create a stencil of the teacher's name.  Then I carefully traced inside the stencil lines with the same white pen to finish the piece!!!

 

There you have it!!!  A multitude of gifts to show a small token of my appreciation for such an amazing teacher!!!  God bless her and all the wonderful teachers in this world!!! 

Well gang...  Thanks so much for stopping in and have a LUCKY day :-)