Teacher Notepads

Just in case you are still looking for a great teacher gift I want to share with you the Teacher Notepads from Sarah + Abraham.  The notepads are personalized with your teacher's name at the top along with a sweet silhouette of children playing jump rope.  You can have the teacher's contact information printed at the bottom (school name, phone number, email address) if you choose.

Find the teacher notepads here - they are sold in sets of two and printed on 80 lb. white cardstock.  Priced at $19.50 (plus shipping).  Despite the crunch time of the school year shipping is fairly quick.  I ordered a different set of notepads as a thank-you gift earlier this week and they should be in my mailbox today!

While you are visiting Sarah + Abraham be sure to check out their other Teacher Gifts and Graduation Gifts.

birthday recap

I am happy to report we had a fun party on a beautiful Saturday afternoon - YAY! 

We were lucky with the weather and enjoyed lots of party time outside before the rain came much later in the evening.  The children played so well together - swinging, sliding, bubbles, a little soccer, and a few games organized by the birthday girl.  We all had fun, especially the birthday girl :).  Everyone went home with full bellies and smiles. 

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  Printables (invitations, banner, cup labels, cupcake picks, and favor stickers) from Pumpkin Petunia.
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  Bakers twine (Divine Twine) for the banner and favors from Whisker Graphics.
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  Cups, lids, and paper straws from Garnish.
• Favors for the older kids was an Eric Carle Sketch and Tell book and set of colored pencils.  Favors for the younger kids was the book Higher! Higher! by Leslie Patricelli.

Handmade GIVEAWAY

{image via Treasure Bolt}

Everyone loves GIVEAWAYS!  Especially beautiful handmade-with-love GIVEAWAYS.

Be sure to check out Sara The Savvy Shopper's Handmade Treasures GIVEAWAY!  Up for grabs are Hand-Embroidered Note Cards from Treasure Bolt's Etsy shop, an original Brandy Robinson Photograph from her Etsy shop, and Mum Earrings from the Cheeks and Lola Etsy shop (remember my post about the super-fun earrings here?). 

Entering is easy!  Just 'like' the Sara The Savvy Shopper Facebook page here (and get details about bonus entries on the GIVEAWAY post here).

Sara's GIVEAWAY ends this Sunday evening so don't miss out!

party preparations

Planning parties is one of my favorite things!  Along with shopping for gifts :).

I am in the home stretch for my daughter's birthday party this weekend.  Please let the sun-gods smile on us!  Today I'll be busy cutting/sticking/stringing some great custom printables from Jo-Ann at Pumpkin Petunia.

I hope to take super-fantastic pictures of the party and post them later next week (if you were my husband you would be laughing with tears in your eyes - I am a horrible photographer but I'll try my best, promise!).  Until then I'll share some of my favorite party things.

For party inspirations I love visiting these blogs:

• Hostess with the Mostess
• Kara's Party Ideas
• The Party Dress
• Party Perfect
• One Charming Party

For party stuff I love these sites:

• Whisker Graphics - I can't get enough of the Divine Twine!  I have Green Apple and Orange.  There are so many uses for it, from gift wrapping to paper crafts to party accents.  I'm using the  Orange for my daughter's party.  Be sure to check out the Divine Twine Flicker Group for lots of twine inspiration.
• Living Locurto - Amazing DIY party packs, you buy then personalize the printables!  Legos, Mermaids, On The Farm, Fairy Princess, and more to come.  Be sure to check out her blog for great FREE printables.
• Garnish - Oh, how I love this shop!  They provide the basic party supplies and you embellish them to fit your party.  I'm using the simple white cups and red paper straws for our party (CUTE!).  And I couldn't resist the wooden utensils for picnics this summer.  So, so many fun things to discover on the blog.

teacher gift idea

Christina at She's a Crafty Pumpkin has a great idea for End-of-Year gifts (teachers, principals, school secretaries, etc).  Check it out HERE.

Cotton Candy Earrings

Earlier this week I was searching around Etsy for some graduation gift ideas.  I happened to stop at Cheeks And Lola and fell in love with these adorable mum earrings.  Then I saw the price - just $4 (plus $2 shipping)!  What a steal!

I was feeling a little down that morning.  Its so easy to click that 'Add to Cart' button.  And for just $6 to get these super cute earrings?!?  So I did it.  The earring arrived yesterday and I love them even more in person.  Sadly my week hasn't gotten better since I was surfing Etsy on Monday, but wearing these burst-of-color earrings has really put a smile on my face and given me a better outlook on the rest of the week / weekend / month.

At this price for such cuteness you cannot go wrong with these earrings.  They would be a great just-because, birthday, belated Mother's Day, or Teacher gift.

Again, you can find these earrings at the Cheeks And Lola Etsy shop.  While you are there be sure to check out the Pocket Mirrors (they make great party favors).  Lovey Dovey is one of my favorites!

Personalized Teacher Note Cards

Aren't these Personalized Teacher Note Cards from Whisker Graphic's Etsy shop adorable?!?

I think they would make a great End-of-Year teacher gift for preschooler teachers as well as teacher of children in elementary school.

Order soon because before you know the school year will be over! Pair the note cards with a fancy pen or small box of chocolates and you have a great teacher gift. $18 for a set of 10, plus $2.50 shipping.

U Chic: The College Girl's Guide to Everything

It sounds cliche, but the graduating class of 2010 has it so easy compared to when I graduated high school. I searched for colleges using my cousin's huge college guide that looked a lot like a phone book and was two years out of date. Everything was paper and application due dates were just three months into my senior year. Acceptance letters arrived in our mailbox and it was good when the envelope was thick! When it came time to shop for dorm life my parents and I were on a scavenger hunt for all the random things on the dorm-room-must-have list.

Now the 2010 kids have the Internet and dozens of college guide books on Amazon. College applications are electronic and acceptance notifications arrive in your inbox. Target caters to the college kids with all the items a freshman or returning student could want!

Yet some things haven't changed. The challenges of a new college life remain the same ... roommates, class schedules, dating, money, and so many more. A few months ago I saw U Chic (under $11 from Amazon) by Christie Garton on the shelf at a gift shop. I went home to look it up on Amazon and found U Chic is a great college resource that covers life at college, from your first days until graduation, with advice and stories from recent female college graduates.

In our little world money is the typical graduation gift but its nice to also give something a little personal or thoughtful to the graduate. I think U Chic and some cold, hard cash will be perfect for my Class of 2010 niece!

Mother's Day

A few months ago a friend shared a link to the Sophie Conrad by Portmeirion Serveware Collection. I think every piece is perfection! I'm hoping to see it in person at a Macy's very soon. And if I love it in real life as much as I love the picture online then these pieces will be a staple on my Mother's Day wish list for years to come. We are using the dishes I bought (on sale!) while in college over 13 years ago. That is a lot of mileage for dishes, which is great, but I think its time to refresh the table setting here. They are also available at Amazon.

The gift I'm giving my mother this year is a re-do (the original took a tumble and broke two years ago). We are decorating terra cotta pots with little thumb prints and red paint. Then I'll use a special black pen to make the prints into lady bugs. We'll fill the pot with a beautiful flower but you could fill it with new gardening gloves, seed package, or even a gift card to her favorite store.

I thought I would share some other Mother's Day ideas that could still arrive in time for Sunday.

~Someday, I'll Ask You by P. J. Cloud is a great book to give to your mom or use as a springboard to ask all those questions you've never thought to as before.

~birds and flowers Eco-Friendly Reusable Grocery bag from Mi hermana y yo's Etsy shop would make anyone smile while checking out at the grocery store.

~Queen Bee Flat Notes and Labels (Personalized) from Whisker Graphics Etsy shop are so appropriate for moms ;).

~You can never go wrong with food, especially chocolate covered yummy fruit from Edible Arrangements. Mmmmm.

~Little Darlings Earrings (blue, green, or pink) from Juicie Julz's Etsy shop and simple and beautiful.

On Mother's Day don't forget to tell you mom and the other moms in you life how wonderful they are and that you recognize all the work they do (and have done) to make our world a little brighter.