Thursday, June 7, 2012

Teacher's gift idea


Yayyyyy...I finished the stitching from Monday and have and have made a little gift giving package using it. Since it's almost the end of the school year for most pupils (I know some have already finished their school year, but you can always keep this idea for next year!!!) I thought this would be a quick and easy (and practical) gift to give to the teachers who spend so much time with our little ones.

Teachers do an amazingly hard job – everybody thinks teachers have an easy time, great hours, fantastic holidays etc. but believe me, it’s a far more difficult job than most people imagine! Standing up in front of a class of twenty or thirty kids is no easy task – believe me, been there, done that!

Anyway, finding an end of year gift can be quite tricky and expensive, especially if you have more than one teacher to give to. If you want something that will be appreciated, useful and will stand out from all the other class gifts gifts then keep on reading!

 Here’s Tangled Threads gift idea for the month of June….


The hardest part about making this gift, is making sure you don’t sample too many of the chocolates!
As a mum, I know how difficult it is both financially and also time wise, to get great gifts for teachers -  especially if you have more than one child at school. Not only are there the teachers to give to, but more often than not there are teacher’s aides, nursery nurses and a host of other people involved in looking after your children. This may mean quite a number of gifts to make. On the other side, having worked in several schools, I’m also well aware of the rules that schools have in place in regards to gifts for teachers, everything from the price of the gift to things like no home baked goods. I’m certain that this gift will be one you’ll enjoy making and one that the recipients will enjoy (and use) too!

So here’s what’s in the gift… a gift card for a local coffee house packaged in one of the store’s to-go cups, along with some chocolate and a cross stitched coaster. Of course, no gift is complete without the matching card and tag, which co-ordinates perfectly!

Most of you will know that I hate having to stitch the same design more than once, and so with that in mind, I have designed this set using the same motifs but there are six different card designs and six coaster designs, each with different sayings, so that each of the teachers or aides that you stitch for will be getting basically the same gift, but also one that’s slightly different. You get the enjoyment of not having to stitch the same design over and over! Also included in the set is an alphabet (and some extra graph paper!) so you personalize the designs with the teacher’s name.
Here are some pictures of the different parts of the gift…
One of the coaster designs…

One of six designs with various teacher sayings such as “The best teachers have the biggest hearts”, “Teachers change the world one child at a time”
Matching card….

There are also six different card designs, with various sayings such as “No 1 Teacher” and “Best Teacher”.

Here’s a close up of the little star buttons I used as embellishments…



And the detail inside the card…..



And now for the gift itself…

When you go to buy the coffee store gift card, ask for one of their to-go cups and also one of the paper sleeves. I turned the sleeve inside out to hide the name, but you can either leave it so it shows or cover it with one of the little motifs that also comes with the teachers pack.
Fill the cup with some chocolates…perhaps testing one or two just to make sure they are suitable ;)

Tuck in the gift card so that it’s wedged between the chocolates and can be seen. I made a small gift tag and stuck it to the inside of the cup. I also added the apple motif to brighten up the paper cup.

If you feel that some of the chocolates might get lost (or eaten!) before you can get the gift to the teacher, you can of course just add the chocolates and the card into a cellophane gift bag and tie with a ribbon then place into the to-go cup.


By placing the cup on top of the coaster, you can then tie the whole gift together with a ribbon…how cute is that?!!! Great for little hands to carry in to their teacher.


So here’s how everything looks together…



If you are running out of time, or simply don’t want to do the cup and gift card idea, you can simply make the card and the coaster for a cute and practical gift….


One last little idea for this gift is to back the coaster stitching with card, and have your child sign and date it before placing it into the acrylic holder.

What a wonderful combination – stitching, coffee, and chocolates – who could ask for more?
 Charts can be found at www.TangledThreadsOnline.com.

Disclaimer: No chocolates were harmed in the making of this gift (although the same can’t be said about waistlines!!!)

Until next time...happy stitching!

Rhona






9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! What a wonderful gift package. I'm sure the teachers will just be over the moon.

Valma said...

You make me laugh with your disclaimer =)
I love
I wish I was a teacher to receive such wonderful gifts for the end of the year =)
great ideas and great stitching
big hugs
xxx

mdgtjulie said...

What a cute idea, Rhona. But what if they don't drink coffee? I guess you would know that by the end of the school year...

Anne said...

Oh my! I love these ideas Rhona! I would love to receive these as a gift from a parent or student! We definitely need lots of chocolate and coffee to make it through the day! LOVE THESE!!!

Anonymous said...

What a great idea for a teacher's gift! Adorable cards and little patterns. And the chocolate looks fantastic! :)

Margaret said...

Great gift package! I love the design as well.

Susan in SC said...

How lovely! I would love to get one of these from a student. It would be treasured for many years!

Caitlin @ Naughts Cross Stitches said...

ooo such a lovely design :D

Mini said...

I was wondering where can I get the pattern for the coaster. The website link isn't working.