Halloween Tic Tac Toe - Sugar Free Treat

I love playing games with my daughter. Our latest obsession is tic tac toe. It's great because we can challenge one another to a game virtually anywhere!

When it came time to make Halloween treats for her class (which must be sugar-free) I thought a mini tic tact toe set for each child would be perfect!

 I designed the tic tact toe boards and added fun & spooky bag toppers. Keeping with the Halloween theme, I found some cool bone candies to use as the X & O pieces.

 Hopefully this will get her classmates and their parents (or siblings) playing together and creating memories to last a lifetime!

Happy Halloween!

Sugar-Free Halloween Treats - Pumpkin Crayons

Fall is finally here & I'm in full force holiday craft mode! Woot!

I wanted to share my daughter's classroom treat we did last year. Her school is sugar-free so I was faced with a challenge to come up with a cool idea!  

 While I was racking my brain for a sugar-free classroom treat, my lil gal lost another tooth. Eek! I told her she had the perfect pumpkin smile & then an idea dawned on me...

Boxes of crayons disguised as pumpkins!

Sugar-free & what kid doesn't love crayons? A win-win to me :)

Five made and twenty-one (!!!) more to go!

What you'll need:

Box of crayons

Scrapbook paper

Glue stick

Paper punches (1-hole, circle & scallop)

Bakers twine (or make your own here)

Two of the scrapbook papers I used are available to download for free:

Large orange polka dots paper

Green chevron paper 

Pumpkin face template

Get the adorable gift tag & other Halloween free printables here!

 Happy Halloween my pretties!

Have A Krazy, Kool Summer!

 I can't believe the school year is coming to an end. I'm super emotional my sweet baby will be heading off to second grade in the fall. Where does the time go? I tell her daily she isn't allowed to grow up, but she just doesn't listen :)

 I wanted my daughter to give her classmates one final gift as they head off on summer vacation. We took some silly crazy straws, packets of Kool-Aid & added a fun printable.

 Super easy & inexpensive! Plus who doesn't love a crazy straw?

Wishing you all a krazy, kool summer!

Teacher Retirement Memory Jar

My daughter's school has three wonderful faculty members retiring this year; a kindergarten, first grade and second grade teacher.

The PTA commissioned me to create special gifts for each of them. Since they all have worked at the school for many, many years, what better than memory jar filled with all their awesome moments to be cherished for years to come! 

While a plain jar would have been fine, I wanted the jars to be displayed in their homes so they needed to be decorative & cute! I added some crayons, ribbon, faux apples & fun chalkboard signs.

Each jar was slightly unique & perfect for each teacher. I'm so happy with how they turned out and can't wait for them to be presented at their big retirement celebration.

 

Pinch Proof St. Patrick's Day!

I love to celebrate St. Patrick's Day! A day filled with leprechauns, rainbows and pots of gold - yes please! Plus do I even need to mention Shamrock Shakes? I've been indulging on them for the last few days! Yum!  

I'm always looking for an excuse to make goodies for friends! This year I decided to make some 'pinch proof' St. Patty's gifts. I purchased some sparkling green nail polishes and attached a fun little tag. Now they'll be sure to be safe from any feisty pinchers!

Do you join in on the green festivities on St. Patrick's Day?

DIY Chalkboard Picture Frame

Looking for a unique and homemade Valentine's Day gift?

How about a chalkboard picture frame? Now you can leave love notes for your sweetie all year long!

First you'll need a cute assistant and a wooden picture frame. We picked this one up at Michael's for just $1. I like that it has a large area to write your message!

You'll also need a can of chalkboard spray paint (available at Michael's)

Now get spraying! I applied three coats (allow for drying in between coats)

A few rhinestone added for a sparkling finish touch and that's it!

Quick, easy & your Valentine is sure to love it!

These would also make amazing wedding favors. Attach a piece of chalk with coordinating ribbon and you've got a one-a-kind favor for your guests.

Wild About You Valentines + Printable

 Now that the holidays are over, I'm in full Valentine's Day mode! I love love!

 I've started working on some Valentine's for my little gals classroom friends! I have so many ideas conjured up in my little 'ol brain, I've decided to separate versions for the boys & girls (girls version coming soon)!

Want to make these Wild Valentines? What you'll need:

3" bags (purchased from Michaels)

Animal toys (I found these at CVS)

Stapler

Bag toppers

 I created blank versions of the bag toppers just for you! Click HERE to download all 4 versions! Print & have your little one sign their name.

Happy Valentine's Day Wild Thing!

DIY Chalkboard Coasters

The holidays are right around the corner which means a calendar filled with lots of social gatherings! This year I wanted to create a fun hostess gift to pair with a bottle of wine/cider/etc.  

What you'll need:
Chalkboard spray paint
Ceramic tiles
Cork sheets or felt
Adhesive or hot glue gun
Chalk

Lay out your tiles and spray with chalkboard paint. I did two coats and allowed one hour drying time between coats.

In the scrapbook section of Michael's, I found some awesome cork sheets that I cut to fit the back of the tile. You could also use felt. These will protect the tile from scratching furniture surfaces. Spread a layer of glue and attach to the tile. Let dry.

Now guests can write their name, doodle and keep track of their drinks.

 

 When the fun is done, clean up is a breeze.

Simply wipe down with a damp cloth and let air dry. 

 Wrap the tiles with some pretty ribbon and a piece of chalk and 

you've got a fun, affordable and unique gift!

Back to School Teacher Gift

Start off the school year with a thoughtful teachers gift! Last year we put this little goodie bag together to show my daughters new teacher how important we think she is. It was such a huge hit, we'll definitely be doing it again this year!

 We filled a reusable bag with items that teachers could use in their classrooms, especially on those long days during parent-teacher conferences. Trial size products are great.

We included the following items:
Spiral notebooks

Ballpoint pens

Sharpies

Pencils

Advil

First aid kit

Air freshner

Tissue

Nail files

Wet toilettes

Mouth wash

Deodorant

Tums

Hair spray

Hand cream

Listerine breath strips

Gum
Hand sanitizer

Nivea lip balm

Granola Bar

For the perfect finishing touch, we added the adorable teacher appreciate printable from Balancing Home.


Be creative and surprise your teacher with a back to school gift!

I hope your children have an amazing school year!
And a BIG thank you to all the teachers!

DIY Chalkboard Picture Frame

Looking for a unique and homemade Valentine's Day gift?

How about a chalkboard picture frame? Now you can leave love notes for your sweetie all year long!

First you'll need a cute assistant and a wooden picture frame. We picked this one up at Michael's for just $1. I like that it has a large area to write your message!

You'll also need a can of chalkboard spray paint (available at Michael's)

Now get spraying! I applied three coats (allow for drying in between coats)

A few rhinestone added for a sparkling finish touch and that's it!

Quick, easy & your Valentine is sure to love it!

These would also make amazing wedding favors. Attach a piece of chalk with coordinating ribbon and you've got a one-a-kind favor for your guests.

Chalkboard Coasters

The holidays are right around the corner which means a calendar filled with lots of social gatherings! This year I wanted to create a fun hostess gift to pair with a bottle of wine/cider/etc.  

What you'll need:
Chalkboard spray paint
Ceramic tiles
Cork sheets or felt
Adhesive or hot glue gun
Chalk

Lay out your tiles and spray with chalkboard paint. I did two coats and allowed one hour drying time between coats.

In the scrapbook section of Michael's, I found some awesome cork sheets that I cut to fit the back of the tile. You could also use felt. These will protect the tile from scratching furniture surfaces. Spread a layer of glue & attach to the tile. Let dry.

Now guests can write their name, doodle and keep track of their drinks.

 

 When the fun is done, clean up is a breeze.

Simply wipe down with a damp cloth and let air dry. 

 Wrap the tiles with some pretty ribbon & a piece of chalk and 

you've got a fun, affordable & unique gift!