A Quick and Easy Father (or Grandfather) Gift

I always struggle with gifts for my husband, father, and father-in-law. Men are usually just harder to buy for: they already have everything they need, and when they need something, they just go buy it. All the men in my life do appreciate it when my daughter makes them something, though, so I always try to find something cute that she can do herself (with maybe just a little help from me).

In the past, we have made a hand print tree, battery gardens and hand / foot print tees, and filled out the "All About my Granddaddy" page. This year, my daughter made my father tee shirt with his "picture" on it, and it turned out really nice! This would also make a great gift for a Grandma, mother, teacher, or anyone in your child's life!

What You'll Need:

- Fabric paint (I used Scribbles. It looks and works great and they last forever!)
- Plain t-shirt (pre-washed)
- Chalk
- Cardboard or newspaper

First, place the cardboard or newspaper inside the shirt. This will prevent the paint from soaking through to the back.

Spread the t-shirt flat, then give your child the chalk, and let him or her draw a picture of the recipient.

It doesn't have to be perfect - my daughter got frustrated because the chalk kept "skipping" on the fabric. I explained to her that we'd smooth it all out with the paint, and the chalk would wash away so it wouldn't really matter in the long run. Also, the chalk is great because you can just rub away any errors and re-do them until it looks they way they want it to look!

Once the picture is finished, I asked my daughter to write "Granddaddy" underneath, but obviously, your child can write anything he or she would like! I also think it would be cute to have a picture of "Ganddaddy and me", but my daughter just wanted to draw her Granddaddy.

Next, you can paint over the chalk with the fabric paint. Older kids can do this themselves, but my daughter is still a little young, and I worried about her accidentally smearing it with her arm and hand. She told me which colors she wanted to use, and I filled in the picture and letters.

She wanted to use glitter paint for the gray hair, which I thought was a nice touch. Let the paint dry completely (according to the label), then wash and dry the shirt. All the chalk will be gone, and your child's design will really look great!

How to Make Bath Tea

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I recently made bath teas to give as gifts. I made quite a few and plan to use them for a Grandmother gift for Mother's Day, Thank You gifts for a few friends, and Teacher's Gifts for Teacher's Appreciation Day (more Scent-sational Teacher gifts).

These were really easy to make, and I tested one out in the bath and it was very relaxing!

What You'll Need:

-Tea mix (from this recipe - I used dried lavender and jasmine oil for my scented ingredients)
-Scissors, thread, and needle OR stapler
-Coffee filters
-Fabric paint (optional)
-Printable business cards  (optional, for tags / labels)


Making the tea bags is pretty straightforward. First, place some of the "tea" into the center of a coffee filter. I learned quickly that less is more - if it is overfilled, the assembly is harder. Roughly 1 tablespoon worked well for me.

Make sure the tea is in the center of the filter, and start folding the sides inward.

Fold the top together. I also added a piece of embroidery floss so that the recipient can hang it from the faucet if she wishes, so that the warm water will flow through it.

Staple the top together.

Then fold the top and add one more staple (I just did this for a cleaner look and to make it more secure).

I then used the fabric paint to decorate them. I used flowers and other little symbols, but you could also include monogrammed initials, the recipient's name, or short messages such as #1 Grandma.

It was a fun project, and my work room still smells great! I think I'll save a few for myself.

Scent-sational Teacher's Appreciation Gifts!

Last year was my daughter's first year of preschool, and I had no idea there was such a thing as "Teacher Appreciation Week" (and Day!) until after it was all said and done. So, last year, I hastily picked up a potted plant at our local home improvement super store, added a quick "Thanks for making me grow!" tag, and gave it to her teacher for Easter.

This year, on the other hand, I'm ahead of the game. Teacher Appreciation Day isn't until May 8, 2012, but I finished our gifts today! Altogether, my preschooler has 5 teachers for Art, Assistants, and everything else. I think I may do something extra for her main teacher, but until then, I at least have these lavender sachets ready.

It was really very simple - all I did was use some fabric remnants to make a few little pouches by cutting them into rectangles, folding them in half, and sewing along two edges (with right sides together, leaving one edge open). I filled the open edge with dried lavender buds (but you could use potpourri if you don't have lavender), then closed the open edge with a top stitch.

Then, I tied them together with a bow, and added a card that says, "Thank you for being a SCENT-sational teacher!" I let my daughter sign her name on the backs of the cards, and they're all set!

Sure, it's not completely original (there are lots of other posts like this on the Internet), but I'm really proud of the fact that I finished something early! I'm (unfortunately) known for my procrastination, and I admit that I feel like I work better under pressure (I like to think of it as forced efficiency). But this time, I'm ahead of the game. Yay!

It feels great to get this off my to-do list!