Back to School!

Like the rest of the Texas, my boys went back to school yesterday.

My youngest was super excited about his new "school" shoes.  He was much less excited when he found out that his "school class" was the day care at my gym.  Its tough always being left behind as the youngest!

We gave their teachers polka-dotted hand sanitizer and wished them a happy and healthy new year.

Here's another teacher gift project I recently made thanks to the ideas of Pinterest.  I love these cracker jars that can be found at Walmart.  I think they come in three sizes.  They're so cute and pleasantly inexpensive.  My pantry is full of them.

Hoping this school year is a gem!

Teacher appreciation subway tile

Last Friday my son came home with a PTA calendar for the month.  A quick scan revealed that Teacher Appreciation week is only four weeks away.  This year it's being held May 2nd through May 6th.  Every year I tell myself that I'll come up with some adorable and personalized crafts for our beloved teachers.  But, the reality is that I put it off every year until the last minute when I inevitably throw a notepad and candy bar in the back pack instead.  Don't get me wrong, I'm pro notepads and candy bars.  They're both delicious and useful.  But, since I'm a crafter through and through, I feel like I can do a bit better.  

So, this year I'm turning over a new leaf!  Presenting... teacher appreciation subway art!

I made them from 6" wide boards cut into squares.  Then I painted them white, roughed them up with some sandpaper and then added a touch of antiquing glaze. My glaze was found at Lowes in their paint section and I can't praise the product enough!

The vinyl decal was designed by me on my Sign Blazer software, using a few of my favorite fonts.  I stress the word FEW because really there are so many winning fonts out there!

I finished them off with a piece of skinny beading twine. 

I made a few extra and have them in my Etsy shop while they last.
I love linky parties and will participate in a few of these.

Back to school

This morning I escorted my eldest munchkin to his new class for the start of a new school year.  Last night we had a back to school party in his honor.  We wore crowns, ate his favorite meal (pizza), and popped balloons with our hineys.

Then we talked about a family theme for the year..." Love more".  Just a little something I want my kids to think about when they face the challenges this year will bring.  I made a new sign to hang above our door to remind us as we leave the door to conquer the world each day.

First day back was a success.  He was all smiles and full of stories as I picked him up.  Here's to a hopefully successful and loving year!