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. 

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DIY Retro Camper Planter

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Summer is on our minds. We can taste the refreshing sweetness of watermelon, and feel long summer nights in the air. In the summer, adventure awaits! Whether the adventure is at the pool, in the woods, on the road or in the air, we like to go, see and do with our kids.

In addition to the sense of adventure we’re feeling, we are also slightly obsessed with retro campers and airstream trailers. No, camping is not our forte. We take after our dad on that one, but if we had a retro camper, we may be convinced to venture into the wilderness. Jenna would most definitely have a pair of heels in tow.

Until that pretty, retro camper comes along, we will have to create our own DIY versions of them. This pink one is going to a special teacher about to venture out to a new school and job. This would also make a great gift for graduates and friends who love to travel.

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Materials:

Directions:

Print a retro camper, designed by the Silhouette America store. If you don’t have an electronic cutter, you can find one online, print, cut and trace.

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Roll out the clay, place camper shapes on the clay, and trace with an X-acto knife.

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Set the shapes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake in the oven according to package directions.

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Once shapes are cool, paint them.

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Let the paint dry. Assemble the retro camper with all the shapes and E-6000 glue. We made a yellow pennant flag banner, and love the playful look it adds to the camper.

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Buy or design a Hello Adventure design from Silhouette, and print the vinyl design according to package instructions.

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Place strips of painter’s tape over the top of the design, and remove. The text should now be on the tape.

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Place the tape {with text} sticky-side down on the planter, and use a straight-edge to remove any bubbles.

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Piece by piece, remove the painter’s tape, and the vinyl should stay on the planter. If your planter is wood like ours, you may have to use one finger to hold the vinyl in place as you pull the tape up.

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Add a liberal amount of glue to the back of the retro camper, and glue it to the planter. Let it dry for 12-24 hours so it doesn’t slide down.

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Plant a pretty plant.

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DIY Tropical Leaf Coasters

We took our minds on a trip to paradise recently. It didn’t cost much, and no flight was necessary.

OK, it’s not the real thing, but our DIY tropical leaf coasters have tropical vibes written all over them, and they take us back to wonderful memories on the beach. Curbly has all the details here.

tropical leaf coasters with a yellow background

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Mother’s Day Gift Guide

If your mom is like ours, there’s no way to thank her for all she’s done. No plant, pair of shoes or purse is grand enough to say thank you. Being a mom can feel like a thankless job, but it’s worth every bit of the blood, sweat and tears we put into it. And, every hug, kiss and, “I love you” we receive is really all the thanks we need to get through the day. Showing mom a little extra love on Mother’s Day helps too!

The thoughtful DIY gifts and cards are meaningful and worth the time to do. So, in addition to a sweet, sentimental gift, we’ve gathered up some of our favorite gifts to spoil mom a little more this Mother’s Day.

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1. Mom’s love a monogram, and this Acrylic Monogram Cuff bracelet from Mark & Graham is so chic.

2. Help mom welcome guests with an adorable, Hello Darling Doormat from Domino.

3. Luxurious pajamas by PJ Salvage Spring from Shopbop in a pretty print will keep mom comfortable and look good.

4. Jessica lathers this Past Tense, doTERRA roll-on miracle oil on her neck every night. She’s obsessed. It smells amazing, and feels so good with a slight cooling sensation. It helps those daily stresses melt away, and every mom needs that.

5. This Crosley Vinyl Turntable from Target is for Jenna because she and her boys still listen to vinyl records. This has that old-fashioned vibe, with a better technology of today.

6. Mom’s like to be organized, or at least feel like it with items placed in a pretty basket. Fill the Beachcomber Large Tote from Pottery Barn with a snuggly blanket, or some of mom’s favorite things this Mother’s Day.

7. Cheers mom with a tropical Lilly Pulitzer Spot Ya Wine glass from Dillards that is as pretty on the table as it is in mom’s hand.

8. A roomy Sole Society Faux Leather Trapeze Tote from Nordstrom will have mom prepared for anything she may need, while being fashionable.

9. Our mom likes anything rosary-inspired, plus this Woman’s Bauble Bar Bali Necklace from Nordstrom is so pretty and calming.

10. We always hear our mom talk about aging and the wrinkles on her face. She is a beautiful woman and the lines show how much she smiled growing up, but as we age, we understand the lines that come along with it. If there’s a solution without surgery, we’re in. Your mom will be grateful for Nerium Eye Serum.

11. Mixed patterns and texture look so chic and no-heels look so practical. It’s a win-win with these casual sandals by Dolce Vita ‘Payce’ Sandal, Nordstrom.

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DIY Sleep In Pillow Case

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Let’s get real – sleep went out the window when we became moms, and we’re not convinced it ever comes back. Our children were not born good sleepers, they don’t know the meaning of sleeping in {no matter how late we keep them up}, and even when they are teenagers and we won’t be able to wake them up, we will be up late waiting for them to come in {and lose sleep over our worries about where they may be or what they may be doing}.

Just one day a year, it would be so lovely to sleep in. Not wake up at 7 a.m., then go back to bed for another hour. Like, really sleep in where we lose track of time. Remember those days?

Don’t get us wrong, we love motherhood, and feel incredibly grateful for every day on this earth we get to wake up to our beautiful children. It’s a gift, a priceless treasure. But, just one day of extra zzz’s would be so amazing.

Mother’s Day seems fitting for such an occasion. We made a pillowcase so everyone will know what we have in mind when we lay our pretty little heads down on Mother’s Day Eve.

When our DIY Sleep In pillowcase is on the bed, don’t even think about waking us up, ok?! Even if our family misses the memo, at least we can dream about sleeping in. We were inspired to create the pillowcase after this mirror at West Elm caught our eye. We love it, just like we love everything in West Elm stores.

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If you’re looking for a cheap, fun and last-minute gift this Mother’s Day, this is it. Anyone can do it with just a few supplies.

Materials:

Directions:

Pencil in your design, or trace a design. We styled our pillowcase just like the West Elm mirror.

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Trace your pencil marks with the Stained fabric marker, and then color in.

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Insert a pillow in the pillowcase. Set it on your bed and sleep in.

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Sweet dreams to all you amazing mother’s out there!