Nov 16, 2010

making "mom" stuff look good...(or at least trying)

ok, so i usually don't post too much stuff on 
this blog about "mom stuff", 
but as i was looking through my photos, 
i came across several photos i had taken of things 
i have done for my kids.
any mom knows that it's obligatory to bring treats to your kids
classroom on their birthday. 
this is what i brought this year to my daughter charlotte's class.
i used my cricut to cut the scalloped circles, and my printer to print a couple of pages of the
"happy birthday charlottes", (designed in microsoft word) 
which i punched out with a large circle punch.
(available at any scrapbook or craft store)
the whole thing took me less than 40 minutes, 
from start to finish.
yes....i signed up to bring the treat on "s" day in kindergarten.
i made a text box in word,  
printed a few pages, cut them out and
them stapled them to snack size baggies.
(and yes, i realized after i printed and packaged them all that
i spelled "sandwiches" wrong. UGH!)
this project took about 20 minutes...
(not including making the sandwiches).
ahhh...the bake sale.
what school doesn't have a bake sale at least once a year?
this year, i made banana bread in little ceramic loaf pans
that i bought on sale at michael's craft store.
now, we all know how cheap banana bread is to make...
well, imagine my surprise when i checked in at the
bake sale table to see that my loaves were going for $10 a piece!
it's all about 
presentation, folks!
 yep...i also signed up to bring treats on "g" day.
i decided to bring green and red grapes in
little snack baggies, and then put the 
baggie inside a cellophane bag.
i used the cricut to cut both the "g"s 
and the scalloped circles.
can you tell i like that scalloped circle?
and, onto another item we moms deal with on a
monthly basis: the birthday gift.
lately, it seems like i am buying and wrapping
a birthday gift about once a week!
one way to transform a simple gift
 bag into something special 
is by making a custom tag.
a few pieces of coordinating paper,
a tiny strip of ribbon,
and a brad is all it takes.
another thing i like to do is  to attach small gift items
to the top of the gift in a cellophane bag.
it makes the gift look really fun and
the birthday kid loves getting a peek at some 
of his/her birthday goodies!
a more unique, playful and sophisticated look
for any gift can be achieved by layering two different ribbons.
if you spend just a few extra minutes on the tag,
it makes the gift so much more special!
this is a super simple wrapping...
(the birthday boy happens to be my little man's 
good friend, our next door neighbor, and a pirate enthusiast!)
the only thing that took any time at all was the tag.
i grabbed the pirate image off of the internet,
imported it into microsoft word, and
layered a transparent text box with with text on top of it.
 some twine and simple brown wrapping paper add to the overall look of the gift.
i used a custom stamp and gold ink for the top.
here is one last gift, made fun using ikea wrapping paper,
2" wide grosgrain ribbon (i buy in 50 yard bolts for about $10)
and a flower that i pulled off a $1.25 flower garland from walmart. 
(the garland is 6 feet long, and has about 15 
flowers on it...so, for less than .10, i can take a
gift from mediocre to festive and fun! it's way more fun 
if it's cheap, don't you think?)
really, it doesn't take THAT much more time to 
transform something from mundane and boring to
something fun and pretty! 

10 comments:

  1. Cute cute ideas! I am the "J" snack lady! Now I have some ideas and will look fancy! We are doing Jemma's Jello Jiggler J's! Say that fast five times!

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  2. These are really great ideas...they make each item really special! Janell

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  3. Very creative and easy! And a well-timed reminder to add a little something special to our gifts!

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  4. I liked your "Mom Post"! There are a lot of moms out there reading blogs, right? When my kids' school used to host bake sales I always included a tag and the recipe and they always got snatched up quickly. No one wants a plate of cookies on a styrofoam plate when they can get a pretty loaf of bread presented beautifully.

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  5. Great post! You are a master in creative gift wrapping! I would love to see more!

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  6. where do you get your ribbon so cheap??....tai pan??

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  7. jess,
    yes, tai pan.
    i haven't had any luck finding any the last time i went, but i will usually pick up a roll every time i go (1-2 times a year)

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  8. Yes it is all about the presentation and you do it so well my friend. I would love to be your neighbor at say around Christmas. I know you have to make cute neighbor gifts:-)

    How are you doing anyway?

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  9. You make gift wrapping seem soooo easy and soooo gorgeous! You've inspired me to work on pretting up my Christmas gifts this year! Thank you!

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  10. Wow, what wonderful work. Your kids and their school are lucky to have someone to make such beautiful things for them. Great job, Mom!
    Love,
    Michiganhome

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