Bye Bye School - Hello Summer! (Thank You!)

This is the very last week of school for Video Boy and Princess! Woohoo! While most of the school districts in The O.C. have already sent their students off to get busy hangin' at the beach, enjoying PB&J's poolside or departing on a family vacation, our school district had one more week to go before bidding us farewell. Each end-of-school year our family always like to make sure to send our teachers off with a great, big "Thank You!" So, naturally, I've been busy at The Sandcastle Cottage getting our teacher gifts finished and handed out. Every year it's always a challenge for me to make it special, but keep it frugal. Teacher gift giving can get a bit expensive – especially in the land of sunshine, beaches and fancy cars!

I've always felt that a home-made gift is the very best way to say “Thank you,” and Teacher Thank You’s are no exception! Let me start by saying... you do NOT have to be a "crafty creature" to make a gift. If you can open a paint bottle and move a paint brush around, you CAN make a gift! One of my favorite (easy) gifts to make is the “Thank You” flower pot. Now I admit I found the original idea on Pinterest, but this version has my own frugal design twist - and absolutely ANYONE can do this.

First you start with a terra-cotta pot (purchased from a discount store, of course – I bought mine at the 99 Cents Store). Begin by flipping the pot over and use a permanent marker pen to inscribe your child’s name, grade, and school year. This way your favorite teacher will always remember who gave them this wonderful gift! (Sorry about the fancy high-tech censoring, but Video Boy likes to remain mysterious!)

Next, take some paint – any paint will due.  I used up the last little bit of some chalk paint I had on hand from another project, however craft paint would work just as well, too. Paint the rim of the pot…

 …. And then the base of the pot. Choose whatever color you like… you can even get the kiddos involved and have THEM paint the pot!

Now, take your permanent marker pen and write around the upper edge of the pot, “Thank You For Helping Me Grow” – You should be able to repeat this two times, if you’re careful. I like to spruce my letters up a bit, but regular lettering is perfectly fine.

I decided to draw a few bees and their little flight paths around the sides of the pot, but you could do anything! Stencil a summer themed scene, use sponge shapes and add some colorful designs - just have fun and let those creative ideas flow!

And... last, but not least, plant a flower in the pot! (I bought a 6 pack of flowers at the local nursery for $4.00) Don't forget a name tag - I’ve recycled some old, plastic garden markers in this version seen here, but large Popsicle sticks work well… you can even use some jute twine and tie a home-made tag around the rim of the pot.  That’s all there is to it! A simple, personalized gift to let your teachers know how much you appreciate them and all that they've done this past year.  The BEST part… each of these personalized beauties only cost me $2.25 each! A gift that's filled with love (and not the contents of your entire wallet!)

What frugal Teacher Thank You gifts have YOU created? We’d love to hear (and see) your creative “Thank You” style!

-Sophia