DIY Travel Mug for Your Favorite Teacher

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We run out the door every morning with a coffee in hand, so a good travel mug is a worthy investment. Teachers who choose to nurture, teach and discipline our children on a daily basis also deserve a good travel mug. Whether its tea or coffee, we want to make sure our teachers are fueled throughout the day with a memorable mug in hand. In the summer, when they are not in the classroom, they will be reminded of the difference they made in our children’s lives.

Instead of, “You taught me a lot,” we played with fun coffee lingo and turned it into, “You taught me a latte.”

Materials:

Directions:

Design and print your words on Silhouette software and print according to package instructions.

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Place painter’s tape over the design, and pull it up. The words should now be on the tape.

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Press the tape {with the words} onto the mug and use a straight-edge to smooth out any bubbles.

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Remove the tape, strip by strip, to reveal your design.

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Insert a gift card to Starbucks or a local coffee shop and voila.

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Thanks to Silhouette America for providing the vinyl for this DIY project. We would love them even if they didn’t. Thank you for supporting the companies that support us. 

DIY Watercolor Mug and Planter

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 This photo hooked me.

The idea was brilliant. The cost was minimal.  The ingredients were already in a drawer upstairs. The impact was bold. Within 10 minutes of seeing the photos, Jessica and her daughter were dipping mugs in their favorite nail polish colors.

Instead of using it as a mug, Gabriella opted for a succulent planter. And, with that, she is the proud 4-year-old owner of this adorable, trendy succulent planter!

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Warning: this looks easy, and it is; however the nail polish is totally fickle and it took us several tries to get it right {we dipped dispensable products just to see how it worked}. And, the nail polish hardens almost immediately, so you have to drop and dip – quick, quick, quick!

You’ll Need:

  • White ceramic mug. You can find them for $1 at Wal-mart
  • Deep container you want to throw away or use for paint only
  • Nail Polish
  • Warm Water
  • Gold Leaf Paint
  • Pink Aquarium rocks
  • Succulent
  • Dirt and Rocks

How to Make It:

  • Fill the bowl with warm water.
  • Add a drop of nail polish to the water, and it should spread.  You can use a toothpick to help create a ‘swirl’ your looking for. For us, sometimes the nail polish spread like it was supposed to, and other times, the drop sank to the bottom of the bowl. It’s hit or miss.
  • If you want to use an additional color, drain the water, and repeat the steps.
  • If you mess up, or there’s s spot you don’t like, just use a cotton swab or pad soaked with Nail Polish remover to remove the nail polish from the mug.
  • Pat dry with a paper towel and let dry for 2 hours.
  • If you want a gold handle, add painter’s tape on the mug around the handle, and paint the handle gold with Gold Leaf Paint.

To make the mug a planter, add dirt and rocks to the cup, insert the succulent and top it off with pink rocks.

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{photos via j. sorelle}

a merry DIY christmas

You know me – love me some DIY! And, when our list of people to buy for is long, it can get expensive. If your feeling crafty, you still have time to make friends and neighbors gifts made with love. Here’s some great ideas from some very talented folks.

DIY Woodslice Chalkboard, Lisa Leonard Blog
…you can also add your friends monogram on it

Chalkboard Printable for Cute and Cozy Toes All Winter, Tailored Expressions

Sharpie Mug, Life Styled Simply

DIY Chalkboard, Shanty-2-Chic

DIY Acrylic Tray, A Fabulous Fete

DIY doormat, Lisa Leonard Blog

 {images via Tailored ExpressionsLife Styled Simply, Shanty-2-Chic, A Fabulous Fete, Lisa Leonard Blog}

{DIY and FREE PRINTABLE} teacher appreciation


May 7 is Teacher Appreciation day. We all know what a difference teacher’s make in our lives. I will always remember my favorite teacher, Ms. Boll. She was a gift to her students, especially to me.

So, to show the teachers that show up everyday in the classroom for you {or your kids}, we have a fun gift idea for them with a FREE PRINTABLE, designed by Jenna at Fleur de Lis, a paperie {also sells custom designs on etsy here}. Gotta love that.

thanks for being a wonderful TEAcher
{get it? For those of you who may be scratching your heads…it’s a mug with tea in it because the word TEA is in TEAcher}

How To:
Buy a mug that most represents your child/a particular memory throughout the year {my son chose a giraffe mug from Pier1 because his favorite animal is a giraffe and his teachers most definitely know that}.

PRINT OUR FREE PRINTABLE HERE
Use twine {or any string you have} and hang the string from the inside of the mug with tape, with the tag on the outside of the mug.

Sign your child’s name and year on the bottom of the mug with a Sharpie
Fill the mug with tea bags.

It’s sure to make the teacher recipient smile…and it will serve as a reminder of your special child.

Even if you miss Teacher Appreciation Day on May 7, this makes a great end of the year gift or christmas gift for your child’s teacher too!

Hope you like this enough to PIN IT. And, if you don’t already follow us on Pinterest or Fleur de Lis on Facebook, please do so. You’re sure to learn about more free printables, and be in the ‘fabulous-know.’

{images via Tutto Bella}