Fast, easy, fantastic: quick thank you gifts for teachers!

We often give gifts to our kids' teachers at the end of the school year. A couple years ago, I hit on a gift idea that became a favorite: a "spa kit." (This may have been inspired by a birthday gift from Mom.) After a long, stressful school year, teachers need to relax! What better way than a spa kit?

I made the spa kit easy on myself: I hit up the dollar store and put together a basket or gift bag of things like exfoliating scrubbies, eye masks, bubble bath, bath pillows, lotion and scented candles. This year, I made the spa kits even more special with the addition of handmade "spa cloths."

The handmade gifts add an extra touch, and they're super quick to make: it took under three hours to make the first set of five hearts. I already had the yarn from another project, so it was no extra cost. Plus, there are tons of cool crochet or knitting patterns online for free (Ravelry lists over 4500 patterns, but you might need to be logged in to see them)!

The spa cloths came especially in handy with my two-year-old accidentally spilled her water bottle all over us and one of the gift bags. They got their very first use right away!

Want to make your child's teacher gift even more special? Have them write a thank you note, mentioning their favorite activities or memories of the school year!

My spa cloth projects on Ravelry

Patterns
Sweet Somethings (heart) by Julie of Simply Notable
Leafy Washcloth by Megan Goodacre of Tricksy Knitter (with mods from Ravelry user Penserosa--decreases at edge)
(Also to come: Starfish Cloth by Dione Read of Sew Funky)

Yarns
Hearts
Peaches & Cream in Hot Blue
Lion Brand Microspun in Red


Leaves
Knit Picks Shine Sport in Green Apple (held double for the larger leaf)

(Starfish will be done in Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Snapdragon)

Mother's day round up!

Mother's Day is coming up! Here are a few crafts for kids to make for Mother's Day that we've shared over the years:

Two Mother's Day Pop-up Cards for Kids to Make

Ribbon flowers for Mother's day

Mother's Day Stacker & and Book-style card kids can make
This craft is one of the most popular on our blog!
To date, it's received hundreds of pins and over 50,000 views!

Peanut Butter Oreo Truffles

And more gifts of chocolate (that's what I want!)

Also, we have several Father's Day ideas that could work for Mom, too:

17 Last-minute Gifts Kids Can Make

Father's Day Coupon Books, a play on Mom's stacker card

What do you want for Mother's Day?

Super Easy DIY gift- Scarf to Infinity Scarf and other DIY gifts

The last few years (at least) Target has had $5 jersey knit scarves on sale on Black Friday. I can't resist a cute scarf so I have quite a few. This year I also picked up a couple for some people on my gift list but I wanted to make them into infinity scarves. Here is a quick tutorial:

Infinity scarves are a tube of fabric in a loop. Here is how I achieved that from a purchased jersey knit scarf. If you want to make this from scratch the dimensions of the original scarf are 22"x 64"
1. Starting about 4 inches in, with right sides together, sew the length of the scarf, leaving about four inches at the bottom. Turn right side out.

2. With right sides together, sew the width (top and bottom) of the scarf together.
3. Straighten out the scarf and sew the open edge of the length shut with a slight seam allowance folded in.

 I love the look of an infinity scarf. I think they are fuller and just generally look better. 

Here are a couple other projects I made this holiday season:

New Baby hairbows

All the hairbows are referenced in one of these posts.

but mostly they come from this post

Plaster of Paris hands and feet in sand. I sealed them with some spray after I was done. It is in a jersey display frame. 

This one has been in the works since we went to the beach this summer as a family. This is all the grandkids (at the time)'s hands and foot prints. This one isn't quite done. It still needs names and ages and I might add a family picture in there.

What kind of homemade gifts are you making this year? 

Want to see more? Try these posts for more homemade gift ideas:

Toddler Headband

Christmas Gifts with the Silhoutte

The Gift of Pie

Etched Glass

Scrabble Board Present

Scents of Christmas

Pink Ruffle Scarf

Ribbon Necklace

Give the gift of pie!

Last year, my husband’s coworker gave out quart jars of homemade apple pie filling as her Christmas gift. I think that’s a fantastic idea. A one quart jar will fill an 8″ or 9″ pie for a fast, homemade dessert—but the possibilities go way beyond that. My favorite use was as a topping for pancakes. Just heat in a pan until thick, hot and bubbly and voila! Give the gift of pie!

It only takes one county extension class to have the importance of using a tested recipe in home canning. Seriously. They’re tested to make sure that the food quality is as good as it can be while still reaching the temperature to kill of the botulism that may be lurking in the middle of your jars. Botulism, in case you can’t tell, does NOT make a good neighbor gift.

Fortunately, other cooks, like the awesome people behind Our Best Bites, understand the importance of tested recipes. She used a recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation. And here it is:

	Quantities of Ingredients Needed For
	1 Quart	7 Quarts
Blanched, sliced fresh apples	3-1/2 cups	6 quarts
Granulated sugar	3/4 cup + 2 tbsp	5-1/2 cups
Clear Jel®*	1/4 cup	1-1/2 cup
Cinnamon	1/2 tsp	1 tbsp
Cold Water	1/2 cup	2-1/2 cups
Apple juice	3/4 cup	5 cups
Bottled lemon juice	2 tbsp	3/4 cup
Nutmeg (optional)	1/8 tsp	1 tsp
Yellow food coloring (optional)	1 drop	7 drops

A note about ClearJel: it’s a modified cornstarch that stands up to heat, freezing and/or acid from fruit, unlike plain old cornstarch or other thickeners. The NCHFP says (emphasis mine):

Before assembling the other ingredients, including fresh fruits, to make the pie fillings in Extension canning recommendations, check to see if you will be able to get ClearJel®. There is no substitution for ClearJel® that can be made in these recipes. This means do not use other corn starch, flour, tapioca, or other thickener in our recipes. You also must use ClearJel® and not Instant ClearJel®, ClearJel A®, any other form of ClearJel®, or any other modified corn starch.

However, Sara at Our Best Bites contacted her local extension office and they said that Ultra Gel is the same product and it’s a bit easier to find than ClearJel. (But still—call ahead.)

And as with any home canning, double check the steps, especially the processing time for your altitude. If you don’t have a lovely water bath canner like the one above (and I don’t either), I’ve canned a few things without expensive equipment. I have to use pint jars and at least one site I looked at said to leave the processing time the same. Of course, this might affect the food quality, but I do believe in being safe rather than sorry.

Once your pie filling is done, tie it up with a bow and give the gift of pie!

What do you like to give your friends and neighbors?

Photos by Kurt and Sybilla

Mother's day round up!

Mother's Day is coming up! Here are a few crafts for kids to make for Mother's Day that we've shared over the years:

Two Mother's Day Pop-up Cards for Kids to Make

Ribbon flowers for Mother's day

Mother's Day Stacker & and Book-style card kids can make
This craft is one of the most popular on our blog!
To date, it's received hundreds of pins and over 30,000 views!

Peanut Butter Oreo Truffles

Also, we have several Father's Day ideas that could work for Mom, too:

17 Last-minute Gifts Kids Can Make

Father's Day Coupon Books, a play on Mom's stacker card

New Mom Gift Ideas!

So, if you missed it, I had a baby almost two weeks ago. Most of the gifts you get when you have a baby are for the baby (of course!). But sometimes I've had friends ask what they should get for a new mama friend. Here are a few suggestions for a New Mama Gift Basket (or a New Mom Survival Kit!).

Photo by storkbitesforyou

1. A book, especially one of short stories or essays. The shorter pieces are great to read while nursing, but novels are good too.
2. Want a really awesome gift? If Mom doesn't already have a tablet or eReader, a Kindle or Nook is much easier to handle than a print book, and they start as low as $70. (Obviously you'd have to be a pretty great friend to splurge on this!)
3. Mom not a reader? Try a small, handheld game--but make sure you can turn off any noises it might make (and play one handed!)
4. Cute nursing tops, if Mom's nursing. Baby isn't the only one who needs clothing! I never had body image issues until I had a baby, and new moms often spent a lot of their time feeling pretty gross. Something to make a new mom feel pretty & normal again is great!
5. Baby calendar & pen (archival quality!). Let's be honest: these things are mostly for moms, right? 
6. Along those lines, a journal, either blank or with baby prompts. All of these help remind us how far we've come in when the days can easily blend together.
7. Small treats. With this baby, my husband's company sent a gift basket from a local bakery to the hospital, and we got to enjoy some delicious treats there and at home. (Keep in mind that Mom might be worried about getting back to her pre-birth weight, so don't go overboard here.)
8. Meals! The traditional gift might feel cliche, but sometimes preparing dinner (even if Mom & Dad are the only ones eating) is just one thing too many for a new mom. Especially great: meals that can be frozen to use in the future.
9. Too far away to send meals? Look for gift certificates to local restaurants--especially ones that offer delivery or pick-up/to-go options.
10. Help. Most of the time, when someone says "What can I do to help?", a new mom will blank, or might be too afraid to ask for what she really needs. Try to be specific in an offer to help: "Can I clean your bathroom?" "Can I take your other kids to the park for you for an afternoon this week?" "When would you like me to watch the baby so you can shower/sleep?"
11. Adult conversation. Although a new mom's schedule can be crazy, and it's hard for new moms to find time to reach out, call, email, text or IM to help give Mom a lifeline to the adult world when she feels isolated with a child who can't even make eye contact. But if it's not a good time for Mom, don't be offended, and try again later!
12. Sanity! Especially if you've been there. Let Mom know that the first few weeks and months are often hard, and it's okay to feel overwhelmed but that things will get better. A handwritten note or an email can help. (NOTE: while feeling overwhelmed is normal, it can also be a symptom of postpartum depression or even postpartum psychosis. Never minimize a mother's feelings, and if ever you think a mental health professional might be necessary, please do get help!)
13. A date night. A new baby can be especially hard on a marriage. After my first was born, I felt like I'd never be able to spend time with my husband ever again. (This isn't true, but it feels true.) A stay-at-home date can be best: a DVD, a dinner and a dessert.
14. The healthcare basics: This might be a little too personal for some friends, but ibuprofen/acetaminophen, sanitary napkins (I've heard tampons are okay after C-sections), Tucks pads & Dermoplast spray (for vaginal delivery), ice packs (for C-section & nursing), a rice bag or heating pad, lanolin, nursing pads, and ear plugs for emergencies will all come in handy.
15. Although we're teetotalers for religious reasons, I hear that after nine months of abstaining, wine or champagne is a welcome gift, and a good way to celebrate the new baby.

What do you think? What's in your new mom survival kit?

What I Made for Christmas, Silhouette Edition!

Amongst the Wayward Girl Sisters, we exchange families names for gift giving. I still like to do a little something for all my sisters. I made these two cards with my Silhouette:

Brooke's

I ended up changing this one to say "Blue eyed boy meets a brown eyed girl."

Did you know Jordan's a writer? Here's her writing blog

I had Jasmine's name this year so I made this beauty with my Silhouette and by hand. The "Love you" is cut with the Silhouette. I cut out the letters for "heaps" and hand stippled around them, and then removed the letters and voila. The phrase is one Jasmine and her husband, who went on an LDS mission to Australia, use. I framed this for them and I think it looks quite nice, but as Jasmine and her husband just got to their brand new apartment on Saturday night, I'm not going to request her to take a picture of it, so this crappy cell phone picture will have to do.

Stippling In process

 

Finished

Because of the stupid glue I used showing up on the background of each of these, I had to Mod Podge over the top. It's not that noticeable in real life.

Last minute gift: $1 etched glass mugs

I had the best intentions of making gifts this Christmas, but a week of stomach flu and the general busy-ness of Christmas did not work in my favor. I was planning to make fabric car organizers for one side of our family, and I even got the fabric and notions and cut out all the pieces—but I ran out of time to sew them.

So instead, as we were carrying on the family tradition by having my small children shop at the Dollar Store for gifts for one another, I spotted some holiday glassware and was inspired.

A few years ago, I made Brooke etched glass plates with a monogram design, and I knew I still had the etching kit laying around. Etching glass creates a permanent frosted effect (and should always be done on the side of a dish that doesn't contact food!).

Also a few years ago, another member of the other side of the fam gave out Santa cookie plates. I figured Santa must be thirsty and pulled out the etching kit!

I didn't have the time to cut out five full stencils from vinyl contact paper like they recommend, so I decided to trace the design freehand (is that an oxymoron?). I made an insert to fit inside these nice glass mugs and drew out a pretty "Santa," inspired a bit by Jaime's friend's script.

I used a Q-tip to apply the etching cream. A combination of a smooth stroke and dabbing on a thick layer of the cream worked best.

When you use a stencil, as long as you cover the glass really well (well enough that it's very hard to see your stencil), you'll get good, solid results. With the Q-tip, in places the etching cream layer was too thin, and would dry about before it had a chance to etch the glass, so there were some broken and spotty sections. I applied another round of etching cream and redid them—but I learned to apply it even thicker than I initially thought, until the last glass I did required no retouching.

Once you've let the etching cream sit for about 5 minutes, rinse the glass thoroughly in warm water and let it dry. Very easy! Note that the "sit" time does vary depending on what kind of stencil you're using (the rub'n'etch kind can only take 1 minute of the caustic cream) and the thickness of the glass (thin glass, such as glass ornaments, might etch away completely!).

I really wanted to add a second line, "Don't stop believin'!" However, I didn't have quite enough etching cream and the lines from the Q-tip weren't quite narrow enough to be able to write something that long on one line.

L to R : A thick enough application (with "guide"), retouched (pre-rinse) and  finished.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL THE WAYWARD GIRLS!

Scrabble Board Present

Every year we draw names in November and exchange presents on Christmas Eve. These presents are usually homemade or personalized. We call this Gift From the Heart. This year, don't tell her, I got my grandma. She loves Scrabble. I saw something similar to this online somewhere and knew I could do something like this for my Grandma this year. I spelled out all 12 grandkids names in Scrabble letters. We were a few letters short but I thought I could figure out some good ways to connect names and such. I ended up having to add the word "love" (yes, I know "av" isn't a word, this is the only way it would work!) to get everyone to fit. And...if you look closely I made another "J" and "H" tile on the blank tiles with a sharpie. I'm sure you can buy some additional Scrabble tiles online but I figured why not just try. Using Tacky Glue, I very carefully glued on the tiles, making sure they were straight and aligned. What do you think? Be nice, this took me a couple of hard hours to do!

I also added "Grandma" to the top where the WGC logo is but forgot to take a picture!

Neighbor gift: the scents of Christmas (with printable tag!)

Oranges and Christmas have gone together (in the US at least) for over a hundred years--and a lot longer if you've ever head the traditional tale about the St. Nicholas, which is also a folkloric explanation of the tradition of Christmas stockings.

These days, gift boxes of oranges and bags of clementines and tangelos are on sale at Christmastime. I confess that we probably eat more Cuties in December than . . . wait, do they sell Cuties the rest of the year?

A few years ago, I started saving the peels from our Cuties early in December. Once it gets a little closer to Christmas, I put the peels in a pot, add some cinnamon sticks and water, and put it on to simmer for hours. Our whole house smells Christmas-y.

A couple months ago, a friend showed me an idea: putting these "aromatics" in jars. They'd make great neighbor gifts! The article has several other scent ideas, but the one I whipped up took these things:

Christmas Scent Jar

• peels of 2 large Cuties
• ~1/2 navel orange, cut into crosswise slices (and then in half, but that's optional)
• 1 cinnamon stick (scored and broken into inch pieces, which is optional)
• 5-6 whole cloves
• 1 pint jar, ring & lid
• water

I put the peels in first, then used a knife to move the peels away from the sides of the jar to slide in the orange slices (to look pretty). I added the cinnamon pieces and cloves that way, too, then filled it with water. Screw on the lid and ring, and voila!

There are tons of options for what to do with the mix. I'll probably do the same thing I've done in years past: the stovetop method. But you can also use an open slow cooker, a fondue pot, a candle warmer, a mug warmer and more. (Though I should say my friend tried the candle warmer method and didn't smell anything.)

Want to share these with your neighbors? Here are some free printable tags to go along with them! They're 3"x4.5" (small enough to fit on an index card). Feel free to glue them on cute paper and sign the back.

And of course, you don't have to use oranges and cinnamon. You can use pine needles or small branches, your favorite herbs, a gingerbread spice blend with slices of ginger and cinnamon sticks), or anything else that says Christmas to you. Maybe your spent vanilla beans can find one last use (after you've scraped out the seeds and made vanilla sugar, naturally).

I can't wait to get this simmering on my stove today!

(And yes, that's snow, and that's my backyard. Trade you.)

What smells like Christmas to you?

Gift Ideas: SparrowNestScript

I met Emily in high school. Emily is an incredibly talented woman! We played violin together in orchestra, she is a talented pianist and an avid reader. I've always been impressed with how hard she works. Emily has beautiful penmanship. She has created an Etsy shop to sell her calligraphy wares. I'm constantly in aw of the new items in her shop and her custom work. Her shop is SparrowNestScript and is full of tons of unique items!

Here are some favorites of mine:

Motivational Sunset Card

Indifferent Christmas Card

 

Harry Potter Inspired Notebook

Happy Holidays Rubber Stamp

Please take a look at her shop on Esty or her shop Facebook page! 

What I'm making for Christmas

Unfortunately, most of the people I'm giving gifts to read (or write!) this blog, so I can't share some of my cool ideas. But a few people don't, so I can share some gift ideas of what I'm hoping to make for Christmas gifts.

My older daughter is taking a ballet class, and I worry about her getting cold on the drive, so I want to make her a set (and my younger daughter will surely want a set, too, so she can also be a "bahweena!") of these:

Leg warmers (I'll probably add some poofy edging on the top) Source: ravelry.com via Jordan on Pinterest

Ballerina shrug (with no finishing!) Source: ravelry.com via Jordan on Pinterest

I think my older daughter's will be off-white and my younger daughter's will be lavender.

For my son, I've almost finished a red version of this Hallows Cardigan (based on a sweater Ron wears in one of the Harry Potter movies):

Source: ravelry.com via Jordan on Pinterest

(My husband reads the blog, so, sweetheart, YOU GET NOTHING.)

And then for some other family members (who are NOT my sisters, though I love you all), I love finding useful little things that you'd never think of, but use constantly.

This is hard. But sometime last fall, I came across this:

Source: simplicity.com via Jordan on Pinterest

It's an organizer that hangs on the back of a car seat. And yes, it's sewn, not knit. I could definitely use one of these, and I think most families could, too.

Of course, I can't forget me! I should ask for some yarn to indulge, right? Probably some time around Valentine's day, I might be ready to start a BIG project for myself:

Source: ravelry.com via Jordan on Pinterest

This gorgeous Snowdrift Cardigan, either in winter white or "greige."

What are you making for Christmas gifts?