[diy] Mini Mason Gift Jars

Bad blogger... I thought I had scheduled a post for Friday before we went out of town this weekend, but I realized I hadn't finished it yet... and then yesterday, I was busy prepping our house for visitors for the evening... so my MWF post schedule was messed up. Yikes! But here I am today with what was supposed to go up yesterday... Onward!

This weekend, my mom, aunt, and I coordinated a bridal shower for my cousin and his fiance! They are getting married at the end of the month and are so super precious, so we were excited for the opportunity!

 

One of the tasks delegated to me was creating party favors for the guests. My mom and I use Pinterest to the MAX when it comes time to plan a party or event, and this was no exception. We found a few cute gift jars and decided that's what we would do.

Luckily, my friend's mom is a pro-canner of all jams, jellies, and pickles (and I'm sure other items), so I enlisted her help! She found us the CAHUTEST (word?) mini mason jars and helped us create apple jelly for the shower. I don't have a specific recipe to share with you all, but you do need a jelly/jam machine (pictured below while I measure out sugar like a boss)... I don't have a machine like that, but I hope to acquire one day because it is super fun! We even sampled the jelly (quality control, you see) on English muffins... yum!

After we canned the jelly and the lids were sealed, my mom and I found the ::perfect:: shade of peach (the wedding colors) fabric to use in the lid, and then we used twine and a "thank you" gift tag found on, of course, Pinterest at the website Oh So Very Pretty (free printable!). We purchased a tag punch-out from JoAnn's, and in a flash, our mini mason gift jars were done!

Aren't they cute?! My mom kept telling the guests, "Chrissy made that HOMEMADE apple jelly!" She is so sweet: gotta love a mom who continues to talk you up and brag on you, even as an adult! Blessed.

Do you like to host showers? What kind of favors, if any, do you create? See more of the DIY Gift Ideas I have found through Pinterest.

Have a great week!

[make] Tissue Wrapped Flower Pots

As the "pastor's wife" of our church, sometimes I take it upon myself to plan and coordinate holiday and special event functions for the church: a job I LOVE! If I could be a party planner or event coordinator, that would be my dream. job.

Anyways, for Mother's Day, I knew Nate didn't want to make a big fuss during the actual church worship service because our focus is not on our mothers at church (yes, even on Mother's Day): our focus is on Christ and worshiping Him alone and making His name famous. Nate did have a small recognition where he had all of the mothers' stand up and he gave them a small commission on raising their children. But I knew I wanted to have at least a small token from the church's behalf to wish the mama's a Happy Mother's Day! So...

Enter $1.69 potted flowers from WalMart (not the best selection, but work with what ya got)
Pink tissue paper
Pink tulle
Scrapbook paper
Computer printed card
Craft scissors

With the help of my family who was visiting for the weekend, we were able to knock out 30 of these tissue wrapped flower pots in about 30 minutes. Time flies when you're having fun!

They are so easy to create: Wrap the tissue paper around the base of the flower pot (they were plastic), use tulle to tie around the tissue paper to hold it in place and to also make a fabulous bow, add the card created with scrapbook paper and craft scissors, and ta-da! Hard to tell in this picture, but they were pretty adorable. The ladies at church were very appreciative! I had my tween bible study girls pass them out to the moms as they walked into church on Sunday.

The card created for each plant and then adhered to colorful, floral scrapbook paper as a backing.

What did you give your mom for Mother's Day? Do tell, love to see all of the fun gifts! Not that gifts matter, but you know what I mean!

Happy Tuesday!

"Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you." Deuteronomy 5:16

See where I link up: Monday Made it @ 4th Grade Frolics, Blog Hop @ Naptime Review, What I Whipped Up Wednesday @ Sugar and Dots, Craft-O-Manic Monday @ Craft-O-Manic, Monday Funday @ C.R.A.F.T./Lines Across/Uncommon Designs/That's What {Che} Said/Creatively Living, Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts, Show Me What Ya Got Linky Party @ Not JUST A Housewife, {Wow Me Wednesday} @ Ginger Snap Crafts, Link Party @ Destination: Craft, The Creative Spark @ Clean & Scentsible, Before & After Party @ Thrifty Decor Chick, Weekend Wrap-Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello, What I Wore Wednesday @ The Pleated Poppy 

[life] Valentine's Day Recap

Yes, Valentine's Day was over a week ago... oops! But I did want to share with you what Nate got me, the treats I got for him (stolen from Pinterest, of course), and some fun goodness from my Kindergarten classroom!

[A disclaimer, however: we understand that Valentine's Day is not the only day you are to tell each other you love each other, treat one another with presents/flowers/gifts. We love doing stuff like that all the time! But Valentine's Day is a fun one to celebrate as well.] Onward!

Nate purchased me a gorgeous necklace from Kay with a "J" on it: if it has a "J" on it, I'm sold! Gotta love monograms. He perused my "Fashion and Style" pinboard on Pinterest (smart guy) and got the idea. I love it! If you were not already aware, we are both five years old when it comes to giving gifts, so we give them early... I mean, as soon as we have them. I opened this on February 7th :) But THEN he surprised me on Valentine's Day and had flowers sent to my school! What a romantic, he is!

On February 13th, after church that night, Nate helped me assemble 22 Kindergarten goodie bags, complete with Ring pops, homemade bows for the girls (felt red/zebra print), and stretchy heart guys for the boys. It was so fun to make sweet treats for my kiddos, but there were a few hot glue burns. Ouch! The kiddos were so excited the next day, and I received praises: "You're the BEST TEACHER EVERRRRRR!" and plenty of "Thank You's" and hugs. Sweet kids!

My kiddos, like every year, paint hand prints in the shape of a heart for their families, complete with a poem. I had lost the poem I used last year (until I found it this week, hmph) but I found another one on Pinterest. Adorable!

My kiddos were so generous to me this year too! Lots of candy, chocolates, Valentine cards, some flowers, and even a pearl bracelet. So sweet!

Now what I did for Nate... every day, starting February 2nd (I forgot the first day, so he got two treats on the 2nd), he received a treat with a cheesy note on it that correlated with said treat. He is a huge fan of cereal and candy, so this was perfect for him! I'm missing days 10, 12, and 13... but the rest are all here. Take a look!

Feb. 1st: Hot Cheetos "You are one HOT hubs!"
Feb. 2nd: Dr. Pepper "I'm SODAlighted to know you!"
Feb. 3rd: Orbit Gum "I CHEWS you!"
Feb. 4th: Kool Aid "You're the KOOLest!"

Feb. 5th: Pop Rocks "You ROCK my world!"
Feb. 6th: Honey Nut Cheerios "I'm NUTS about you!"
Feb. 7th: Hot Tamales "You are my HOT TAMALE! Aye-ya-ya!" (Not very creative, but it worked!)
Feb. 8th: Chap Stick "STIX with me!" (I couldn't find Chap-Stix brand, so I used Blistex. Eh well)

Feb. 9th: Sunflower Seeds "You are the SUN in my sky!"

Feb. 11th: Apple Jacks "You are the APPLE of my eye!"

Feb. 14th: Gobstoppers "Don't STOP loving me!"

But of course, I didn't feel like it was ::enough:: compared to the gifts he gave me. So while out shopping last weekend, we stopped into Fossil and I MADE him pick out a Pastor-y messenger bag. He's been wanting one for a while, and his old Swiss Army messenger bag wasn't cutting it, so today was the day! He looks so professional carrying it with his laptop and books, much better than the black mesh bag he was carrying around. Happy Valentine's, darling!

I'm sure you all have already shared your Valentine's day plans and happenings, but please do share how you and your loved ones celebrate! Happy weekend!

"And these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

[make] Quick and Easy Fall Hostess Gift

A quick post this late, Saturday evening!

Last weekend, we went to a church member's home to watch the UT football game (their son, our associate pastor of worship/outreach, played football for UT in the 80's). I wanted to bring a little fall-themed gift to say thank you for our invitation to dinner!

If you need a simple gift (to assemble in the car on your way to said event... because that's what I did!), this is the gift for you. And it all came from Family Dollar (quick, inexpensive, efficient on your way to a dinner)!

Scarecrow stand (I popped the bottom part off and it left just his stick stand)
Fall colored candy (candy corn, Reese's Pieces, chocolates, caramels)
Cellophane treat bag
Fall themed mug

Candy in bag. Tie top of bag with twisty tie provided and fluff. Put in mug. Use scarecrow's stand and poke it in the mug. Ta-da!

Quick. Inexpensive. Fall-y. Hooray! And it was very well received, so success!

Have a wonderful Sunday tomorrow! To quote my husband....   

"Remember, brothers and sisters in Christ: you are not "going to church" tomorrow, as if entering a building for a few hours can possibly change your life. You are going to corporately worship the God of the universe who is more incredible than we can ever imagine. Be prepared to engage in worship, in Spirit and in truth, through the lifting of voices and the preaching of His word! May tomorrow's worship be the beginning of an entire week of living our lives as living sacrifices of worship and praise." -Nathan Johnson

[make] Girly Girl Headbands

Upon hearing the news of my new niece's arrival, I turned to Pinterest (of course) for the perfect gift that I could make myself. I am obsessed with the girly headbands that I am seeing all over the place: adorned with poofs, flowers, feathers, jewels, buttons... the possibilities are endless! After completing these projects, I most definitely (Lord-willing) want a little girl in my future!

Here are my creations: some I created by following a tutorial, some I made myself just by trial and error, some were actually supposed to be gift wrapping tops (the leopard print and zebra print) but I turned them into bows instead!

Hot glue is now my new best friend. And feathers. And glittery buttons.

What do you think? Who else has a baby girl? I'm lovin' making these headbands!

Have a great (?) Monday!

"My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God, My Savior, has ransomed me. And like a flood, His mercy reigns. Unending love, amazing grace." -Chris Tomlin

[Last Week of School] Gift Ideas: Aides

I'm back with another gift idea that I borrowed and recreated from Pinterest!

This gift was for my aide: she also does the Catholic Religion lessons with my kiddos (since I'm not Catholic), so she has a lot more on her plate than a regular aide! She is always there for me to vent to and I'm so glad she is with me!

I saw this idea on Pinterest (see original link below picture):

Source: lisastorms.typepad.com via Chrissy on Pinterest

And here is my version! I just played around in Microsoft Word with the label until I liked what I saw. I bought the cup and lemonade packs from Wal-Mart.

  

Simple, cute, and thoughtful!

[Last Week of School] Gift Ideas: Room Moms

I have the greatest room mom's this year: I'm so bummed that they're all moving up to 1st grade next year! They all contributed to our class functions and made each one wonderful! I wanted to give them something to say "thanks", but I also have 9 of them (remember I have 26 students? so that is a typical number), so it couldn't break the bank either.

I made the labels on my computer and added clip art from Google.

I used craft scissors to give a decorative border.

Stapled the note and ribbon to a bag of popcorn!

Thank you, Pinterest! Again, best spot for inspiration and ideas. I borrowed the sayings and created my own labels. My inspiration came from Smarter than a Fourth Grader :)

Source: smarterthanfifthgrader.blogspot.com via Chrissy on Pinterest

Popcorn. Cardstock. Printer. Ribbon.

Easy!

Tomorrow's gift: for the AIDE in your life :)

[Last Week of School] Gift Ideas: Students

Last week of school! Hooray hooray!

Each year, I try to give a little somethin' somethin' to my kiddos. In the past, I have given framed photos, laminated "autograph" sheets with a photo, personalized gifts with their names... Obviously nothing to break the bank, but just a cute little gift to show I love 'em (all 26 of them). This year, I also gave my aide something and my (9) room mothers. So, this week I will share these ideas since some of you still have a few more days of school! You can do it!

Now, I must preface these posts: THE "SAYINGS" ARE NOT ORIGINALS. Pinterest is a lovely source of inspiration! I made these gifts but definitely borrowed the "sayings" for them :)

Today: the gift for my kiddos!

The contents of each bag were different for boys/girls. Both genders received a Kool Aid pack with the saying "Have a KOOL summer! Love, Mrs. Johnson". I also attached a silly straw and I threw in a pencil with some stickers (not pictured). The boys also received a Cars notepad and the girls received a flower headband that I made (red, to match their uniforms)! I'll have to do a tutorial post on these soon. They are so easy and super cute!

[girls all posing at recess with our new headbands: they were so excited! and no faces are shown due to confidentiality]

They were all so excited and I just love seeing them so happy! What cuties. It looks like I have an army, but no no, just 26 Kindergarteners.

I got the idea from Thrifty Decor Chick, although she did hers for Valentine's Day. Just goes to show how you can modify the word "cool" for any holiday/event!

Source: thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com via Chrissy on Pinterest

Check back for more gift giving fun!