Ask Design Mom Question:
Hello Design Mom. I’m looking for inexpensive but useful teacher gift ideas. Got anything up your sleeve? Thanks in advance. Courtney C.
Design Mom Answer:
Great question, Courtney. And you’re in luck. Just yesterday, Jill Means sent me a terrific idea for a teacher gift. It’s something every school teacher uses in their classroom. She sent photos, a full tutorial, and a free pdf template. Take a look at what Jill created.
“This upcoming week is the last week of school for my kids. We usually do a little appreciation gift for each of their teachers. This year they wanted to give something to ALL their teachers, not just their homeroom teacher. And my daughter Sydney is now in middle school with 7 teachers. That’s 15 teacher gifts! I saw this idea of putting a personal message inside a soap bottle at my mother-in-law’s house and decided to see if it would work. (I’m not sure where the original idea came from.) Teachers do lots of hand washing in their classrooms, so at least it’s useful.
-I bought the soap at Target… on sale for $1 per bottle.
-We removed the labels with “Goo Gone”.
-I created the new label template using my kids’ personal silhouettes, but you could also have each child draw a little picture with pencil in that space and trace it with black marker.
-Take your print to a copy shop and have them print it on transparency. Mine was $1 per sheet that included 8 labels.
-Next, cut the squares — cut INSIDE the black guide lines of each label so you don’t see the edges of the transparency in the soap.
-Open the soap, slightly roll the square and put it in. Use the tube of the spout to guide it into place.
-Screw the top back on and it’s done.”
Click here to download the free label template — just add the name and a simple illustration. Also. If you want a custom silhouette, Jill can create one for you for a small design fee — you’ll find lot’s of uses for them. Contact Jill here.
What about you, Clever Readers? What are you doing for the teachers in your life this spring?