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Teacher Appreciation Week

4.16.12

Teacher Appreciation Week

May 7-11th 2012

 

Did you read the dates right?  Teacher Appreciation week is in May!

Got it?  Good.

You see, I didn’t read the dates right when I opened an email from my daughter’s school reminding me that it was coming up.  Call it mommy brain, sleep deprivation, or blame it on my blonde hair, but for whatever reason – I made a mistake!  Having received the email on Monday, April 9th, I quickly read it, figuring the office staff was giving me a friendly reminder to bring in a thoughtful gift before the week got away from me.  Well, I got it done alright. A WHOLE MONTH EARLY!!!

Something was off when I walked into the classroom to give the teacher my gift and her eyes got big while asking, “What is this for?”.  With a grin on my face, arms outstretched with my offering in hands, I confidently replied, “It’s a gift because we appreciate you! It’s teacher appreciation week so of course I wanted to bring you something.” She seemed confused but graciously received the gift, thanked me and then complimented my daughter. After only a minute of chit chat, I quickly exited the room, baffled by the teacher’s reaction.  After some thought, I decided to recheck the email and what do you know… I was A WHOLE MONTH EARLY!!!

So friends, learn from my mistake by reading dates carefully as to avoid embarrassment and go ahead and thank me because this post is giving you advanced notice to get your teacher appreciation gift put together.

I don’t think any of us know how much teacher’s really give, if we haven’t had the experience of teaching ourselves. Teachers shape the future for our children and I want to acknowledge those teachers who understand the influence they have and give extra effort to build confidence and courage in healthy, positive ways.  As a mother, I know I can’t raise my children on my own so I value ANY teacher who leaves a positive imprint on the life of one of my children.

So, what will you give your children’s teachers?

Here’s what I managed to put together.

Basket includes:

  • Daffodils
  • Symphony Bar
  • J.R. Watkins Liquid Hand Soap
  • J.R. Watkins All Purpose Cleaner

 

Look for another post on Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas!

Filed in: Rumpus Room

by Ashley

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April 16, 2012 - 9:21 pm

Kiersten - hahaha! Ash I just laughed out loud… hilarious. I would totally do something like that.

April 17, 2012 - 5:43 pm

jamie - Love that basket. So cute. I need some ideas, Trey’s teacher deserves something really really nice. :)

August 2, 2012 - 4:30 am

It’s the Little Things: Pretty J.R. Watkins Soaps | A Storied Style | A design blog dedicated to sharing the stories behind the styles we create. - [...] and some J.R. Watkins products would be a nice gift also.  This nifty gifty is for a teacher!  (seen here) Fancy House [...]

Design Inspiration: Add Some Vintage Luggage To Your Decor

4.12.12

My entire life I’ve loved artifacts from days past. When my grandparents were alive I tried my hardest to get them to leave me one of their old things {now antiques}-Grandpa’s old trunk or Grandma’s treadle sewing machine. Looking back I should have tried for something that was in less demand since I didn’t end up with anything.  For example, I now wish I’d asked for their old luggage. Especially now that vintage trunks and suitcases are resurging in popularity — not for travel, but for home decor. So if you happen to have old luggage-because you were smart and asked your grandparents for theirs- you might consider using them for the following.

via apartment therapy

 

IDEA 1:  Unique and distinct shelves. I love these shelves by Ki Nassauer, the “Martha Stewart of the Junk” as well as editor and chief of Flea Market Style Magazine. These are in her own living room. She certainly practices what she preacheds. Check the link below for more information on Ki-who is living my dream life.

decor-design-ideas-luggage-vintage-shelvingvia Ki Nassauer

 

IDEA #2: Decorative accessories. Have a corner in your house that looks a little blah? Get out your collection of old suitcases and stack them in this area. That’s all you need to do. The old luggage is all the decor  you need.

suitcases-entry-ideas-antique-country-decor-design inspiration

via the locker

 

IDEA #3: A Coffee Table. How easy is this idea? Find yourself an oversized trunk and add some hairpin legs. Then place it in front of your sofa or against a wall. The added bonus is that this piece of furniture piece has storage.

via etsy

 

IDEA #4: A Side Table. Stack several at the side of a bed, sofa or between chairs. Or if you only have a couple of pieces of luggage then stack them on a chair. These are sturdy enough that you can add lamps and decorative accessories-just like you would any regular table.

via a beach cottage

decor-ideas-design-suitcase-bedroom-shabby chicvia desire to inspire

 

IDEA #5: Bed Foot Stool. I saved my favorite idea for last. This is hands down the cutest way that I seen to add extra storage to your bedroom. And it’s a showpiece as well. Notice in both pictures that the beds don’t have headboards-which I think would take away from the look of the vintage luggage.

suitcases-antique-bedroom-storage-decor-ideas-design inspirationvia good housekeeping


luggage-decor-bedroom-design ideas-storage-coffee-table

via design sponge

Note to FHR Readers: Check out the Design Sponge link above which will direct you to a great DIY tutorial by Ashley Poskin showing how to make the above coffee table that was used at the end of the bed.

Filed in: Design Studio

by debbie

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DIY: Mothers Day Lavender Rose Sugar Scrub

4.11.12

Not too long ago I shared a lemon rosemary salt scrub recipe, and I am happy to report that it has completely knocked my socks off! My only complaint about the lemon and salt? Be cautious of small cuts when using it– ouch! I totally used it right after shaving little knicks into my legs. Smart Kier, real smart. The entire mason jar that was filled is now empty and that can only mean one thing: time for a new recipe!

I thought it would be a fun idea to create a scrub to use as a Mothers Day gift. I mean, how awesome would it be to put together an entire homemade spa collection in self-created packaging? Not only is it extremely personal, but anything aromatherapy is the way to a Mother’s heart. Atleast, I think so. While brainstorming up a concoction, we kept in mind that we wanted the scrub to feel feminine and light. Here’s what we came up with:

DIY Lavender Rose Sugar Scrub

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup almond oil
  • 2 Tablespoons dried rose petals
  • 1 teaspoon dried lavender Petals
  • Rose essential oil (10-20 drops)
  • Lavender essential oil (10 drops)

DIRECTIONS:

Warm coconut oil in the microwave. Then mix it with the sugar, almond oil, rose petals, and lavender petals. Lastly, add rose and lavender essential oils until you get your desired fragrance.

 

Did anyone try the last recipe? I’m telling you, you must try one of them. My skin has been thanking me all week!

 

 

Filed in: Do It Yourself | Kiersten

by kiersten

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DIY: Paint Dipped Vases

4.11.12

I have a large cupboard in my laundry room filled with dozens of thrifted glass vases.  When I bought these vases years ago, I thought- “I’m going to use these all the time”. Wrong. These glass vases have been collecting dust ever since.

Last weekend, I decided these vases should finally get the love and attention they deserved. So, I pulled out my old paints and started dipping vases. Now that these little gals have had a makeover, they’ll be living on my kitchen table for a few weeks as a spring/summer centerpiece.

Materials:

  • Glass Vases (I even used a glass tumbler)
  • Paint (I used acrylic paint and some old Valspar and Olympic paint samples I had)
  • Disposable Bowl or Casserole Dish

Directions:

  1. Clean vases off with soapy water.
  2. Next, put your paint in a disposable bowl or casserole dish (I did all of mine with a disposable bowl, but I think a disposable casserole dish would have been easier with the larger vases).
  3. Tip your bowl/casserole dish on an angle and place your jar in the paint. Then, slowly roll your vase into the paint.  Since the larger vases had a harder time getting fully covered by the paint. I simply turned them upside down and held them sideways until the paint slowly worked it’s way down and around the vase.  If you’d like a straighter line on your vases, you could try taping the vase with painters tape (so it works like a stencil).
  4. Place the vases right-side up on a piece of thick craft paper and let them dry overnight. Lastly, turn them up-side down and let the bottoms of the vases dry for a few hours.

I think this technique would look great on Mason Jars too! Do you have any other ideas?

Filed in: Design Studio

by camberley

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April 19, 2012 - 4:00 am

The Weekend Post » Anastasia Marie - [...]   Vases dipped in paint look really [...]

August 16, 2012 - 11:20 am

DIY Paint Dipped | Broke-Ass Stuart's Goddamn Website - [...] Vases: An easy way to start, vases can be dipped in paint and allowed to dry upside down so the paint drips, or taped off to create stripes of paint. Neons are striking, metallics add an edge. [...]

October 12, 2012 - 2:41 pm

HomeStyleFile » Blog Archive » The Weekend Notebook: Ombre, Dips and Gradients – Buy & Easy DIY - [...] DIY: Paint Dipped Vases via Fancy House Road [...]