I Scream "Thank You!"

As the end of the school year approaches it can be hard to come up with creative, yet easy, teacher gifts.  Last year my eldest made a cookie jar with freshly made cookies and stickers that said "Thanks to you, I'm one smart cookie!"

 

This year I've been looking for something just as creative and came up with a super cute idea for the teacher that lets our Girl Scout troop use her room.  We wanted to give her a gift card and we decided on an ice cream shop, but giving a plain old card is boring so we created a cute poster to go with it!

 

You'll need:

-Poster board in some fun, yummy color

-Brown construction paper or cardstock

-White cardstock (printer paper would work too)

-Scissors

-Glue

-Crayons or markers

 

 

Draw a circle on the white paper and a cone shape on the brown paper.  I used a white crayon to draw the cone so it is easier to see.

 

Have the kids decorate the circle (ice cream scoop) and cone.  To add a personal touch I had the girls write their name on the cone.

Then cut them out and glue them, in a cute pattern, on to the poster board.

 



 

We wrote a cute saying "You're so sweet!" and attached the gift card next to it (this photo was before I attached the gift card).

 

So there you have it, a super cute and easy thank you "card"!

Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day was a few days ago.  In the spirit of Earth Day here is a fun (and easy) Earth Day project.

I found the original idea here, but tweaked it and had my Girl Scout troop do all the work!  We gave them a plain piece of  paper, some used construction paper (green and 2 shades of blue), glue and some markers to write with.

 

They tore the pieces of construction paper into smaller pieces then glued them into the center of the circle they made with a small paper plate.  The smaller you tear the paper the longer the craft will take.  We used left-over construction paper to reinforce the reduce, reuse, recycle theme.  Plus, construction paper is thicker than tissue paper so the glue won't seep through as easily and make a big, sticky mess.

Once they covered their circle, with the different colors of construction paper, they wrote one or two things they would do to help the Earth.

Viola!  A beautiful, unique Earth that the kids can call their own!

Headband Bonanza

For my first blog entry I'm sharing a neat little trick I do with my headbands.
 

Since I have 4 girls our headbands get quite a bit of use. Unfortunately, cute headbands (the ones that are colorful with accessories or flowers) can be quite expensive. They also don't allow for any uniqueness...you buy a pink headband with a white flower and that is what you get, along with the hundreds of other people who purchase the same headband.

Taking matters into my own hands, I have created some very cute, versatile headbands that aren't very expensive and can meet everyone's needs. (My girls are all very different and don't necessarily like the same color schemes or textures). They are very easy to make and end up being a LOT cheaper than purchasing a "designer" headband. My girls also like that they can choose a color of headband and then choose one of the many accessories we have, put them together and switch them up throughout the day!

Start-up is the most costly, since it's where you will buy the bulk of your headbands and accessories.

Items you'll need:

-Favorite colored headband(s) (any will do; with or without fabric, with or without designs, etc).

-Any accessories you want on the headband; flower, butterfly, star, etc.

-Velcro

-Scissors

-Hot Glue Gun

First you want to cut your Velcro, I usually cut mine to the smallest accessory (I'm showing you the size I cut mine, next to a quarter, to give you relative size), keep in mind you will want to make all the future Velcro pieces approximately the same size. Note: when you cut the velcro the little black "fuzzies" will get all over the place, so you will want to cut the pieces somewhere easy to clean up.

Now, make sure the headband(s) and accessory(ies) are clean. Then, you'll want to determine where you want to place the accessory on the headband, keep in mind this is where every accessory will go every time on the headband. I usually place mine about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way up on one side. Then apply a dab of hot glue to the headband where you want the center of the accessories (I attach the rough side of the Velcro to the headband and the softer side of the Velcro to the accessories). Place the Velcro to the hot glue spot on the headband and hold for a few seconds, until the glue seems set.

Then you apply a small dab of glue to the accessory and attach the other half of the Velcro to the accessory at the hot glue spot, again holding until the glue is set.

Viola! You now have versatile headbands and accessories!  Each time you get a new headband or accessory all you have to do is add one piece of Velcro and you can add it to your collection...easy-peasy!
Note: I would wait a few hours before attaching and detaching the headband and accessory, just to make sure the glue is thoroughly dry.

This is the same pink headband as in the top picture.
We only have one of each headband color (and accessory).