Bridal Party "Swag" Boxes

Well, hello there! I am excited about my first official "real" post. :) The previous posts have simply been "re-posts" from my personal blog. I am very excited about this new venture that I am taking on...and I hope you will love it, too!

So, you know from my previous post that my sister was getting married. Well, the Big Day has now come and gone. It was a beuatiful weekend up at Tenaya Lodge near Yosemite.

As the matron of honor, I decided that I wanted to put together a fun little box of "swag"...or goodies for the morning of the wedding. Here is what I started with:

 

- rhinestone tank tops

- striped pajama pants

- personalized tumblers

- mini bottles of champagne

-lint rollers

- nail file

- hand sanitizer

- bandaids

-lotion

-mints

 

 I made the tank tops with the help of my Silhouette and hot-fix rhinestones.

 

 

I also used my Silhouette to make these adorable tumblers...the perfect cup for our mimosas!

 

I got larger gift boxes from Michaels and gift shred from The Dollar Tree. I used small, clear, take-out boxes from Michaels to hold the travil-sized goodies.

*I also got individual cartons of orange juice that I brought with me...I didn't want to put them in the gift boxes because they wouldn't be refrigerated.*

  

Then I wrapped some burlap around the box, hot glued a flower on top, along with a wooden tag...and here is the final product...

 

 

And here is a cute pic of us girls in our tank tops!

 

 

 

Crafty Christmas Wrap

On Saturday I decided to get crafty with Landry. I saw an idea on Pinterest that I used as my inspiration. The idea was to take painter's tape, put it on a canvas in the shape of letters, words, or a design. Then you let a toddler paint all over the canvas, take the tape away, and you are left with a really neat design.

So, I took the idea and tweaked it a bit. Instead of canvases I used plain white gift bags. I wanted Landry to make a bag for each of our family members for a special gift. I put the first initial of each family's last name on each bag.

Then I handed them over to my darling, naked artist!

He has a smile on his face now...but it took some warming up to the idea of being "naked."

(notice there is NO paint on the paper towel under his bag...he has a bit of his mom's type a personality. :) )

Since he was decorating Christmas bags I gave him red and green paint to work with. It was coincidental that the two brushes I happened to grab were red and green...and it worked out beautiful! He did a better job of keeping the gren in the green and the red in the red than most of my second graders do. :)

A budding young artist!

His enthusiasm started to dwindle at the end. I had him do eight bags...and the amount of paint that was used on each one decreased drastically from the first to the last bag. When he was all finished he was so proud of his work...and definitely ready to get cleaned up. He is not a fan of being messy. I had to tell him that it was okay to get paint on himself...and I promised that we would wash it off with soap and water. :)

After all of the paint dried, I pulled off the tape, and wrote each family's name inside the letter.

Look at how cute they turned out!

I love that they are all coordinating and yet each one is a little different. I also think that it is special to have the spirit of a small child on each present. Next time I think I will use narrower tape...but all in all it was a success!

After Christmas I will share with you what is inside each bag. :)

Fun and Easy Christmas Gift

SPOILER ALERT!

If you are a parent helper in my classroom...you may want to stop reading. This post is about the gift you will be receiving in appreciation for all of your hard work! :o)

Now, back to business! I am sure that many of you are like me and you have quite a list of friends, family, co-workers, etc. that you would like to acknowledge during the holidays. If you are also like me, then you may find yourself on a very tight budget. Well, here is a simple, fun, and cute idea for you!

I know it is kind of hard to see what is in the bag...a set of measuring cups!

Here is what you need:
measuring cups - I found mine at Dollar Tree
cellophane bags
gift shred
ribbon
cardstock for the tag
button - strictly optional
glue dots - or any kind of glue

Since I have 15 parent helpers in my classroom, I was looking for a gift that would be useful, cute, and of course...budget friendly. So, I took a trip to the Dollar Tree and found these adorable, red, Betty Crocker measuring cups. Everything else I already had at home.

I put the cups in the bag, added some shred for a bit of pizazz, and tied the bow on. Then I printed some little cards that read, "No one could ever "measure up" to you...thank you for all of your help." I used glue dots to attach the card to the bag and the button to the card. If you don't have glue dots, you can easily use any other kind of glue or hot glue...I just think the dots are easier and less messy.

Here is another picture for you:

Like I said, these are super easy, fun, cute, and most importantly...very budget friendly. Since I already had the rest of the materials at home these only cost me $1 a piece!!!! These would also be great as a favor at a bridal shower, gifts for friends, neighbors, co-workers, anyone.