Saturday, August 8, 2009

an easy peasy back to school tutorial by one ripe peach.......


It has been a tradition since my sweet pea started school that I created this foofy teacher's pen holder for her new teacher every year. Teachers do soooo much and are far toooo under appreciated that I like to make sure to do all I can for my sweet pea's teacher throughout the year....heck...who doesn't love a little something now and again. This easy tutorial is constructed of a freshly washed can (make sure there are no rough edges), some pens (red or black), ribbon, wallpaper, papers, embellishments, green florists tape, hot glue gun (I use the heavy duty kind) and some silk flowers.


First you need to remove any labeling from your can as well as make sure there are no rough edges at the top of the can....and make sure to run the can through the dishwasher. Now you are ready to start embellishing. I measured the can so that I was able to get the exact size of vintage wallpaper I needed and then wrapped the paper around the can and adhered it to the can with some hot glue. Now that the paper is in place you are ready for any other embellishments you wish to add. I like adding vintage ribbons and earrings. I used a small snipet of vintage satin baby blanket binding and a vintage gold cluster earring and glued all the components where I desired them to go. Viola'....the can is now finished....but don't stop there!


I take the pen caps off and also the cap at the end of each pen....which requires a wire cutter to snip the ends off. You also need to snip off the flowers leaving only the tops of each flower and a small stem end to glue down into each pen end. I use a generous amount of glue so that when I add the flower glue will bubble over the top.


Now wrap the pens with green florists tape from end to end....making each pen appear as a flower with a lovely stem.


There you have it....a really easy peasy tutorial for a great back to school teacher's gift. Your child's teacher will LOVE it!

18 comments:

Willnnabel said...

Very cute, love it. Although I don't think my daughter would want to take one to her college professor, but who knows?

Thanks for the great tutorial!

Mrs.Kwitty said...

Such a sweet idea (and so pretty too!) You are so right, teachers need a little more love and positive feedback, they are underappreciated. This little reminder sitting on their desk would be such a smile maker!
Smiles, Karen

The Old Parsonage said...

What a great idea. And I agree teachers sometimes we neglect to let teachers know just how special they are.

Please stop by The Old Parsonage anytime, I love company!

Enjoy
Leann

Elyse said...

love it, love it!

thank you for sharing this very pretty and can-do (tee hee) idea.

xo

Martha's Favorites said...

Cute idea, thanks for sharing. I think your daughter's teacher will love it. Martha

vintage girl at heart said...

So pretty and thoughtful!!!

linnea-maria said...

Godness it's wonderful!!! /linnea-maria

Casii said...

So lovely! Not only a great teacher giftie, but for lots of other people as well (hello, myself!).

Thank you for sharing!

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

That is beautiful! I agree with the pp, I might have to gift this to myself! I'll be linking.

Embellished Bayou said...

What a beautiful project, and so thoughtful of you to think of your daughter's teacher. This is a great way to use up those little scraps and mis-matched embellishments. Thanks for sharing!

Jeanne said...

Oh Ellen, this is beautiful...I no longer have school age kids, but I think this will look quite nice on my OWN desk!
xo
jeanne

Unknown said...

Cute! I never thought of a first day of school gift!Genius!

xoxo,
Brandy

Little Pink Studio said...

I was thinking of doing this with my niece, she would love to do this and take them to her teacher. Such a cute idea. Thank you so much for posting this here!
Cerri xo

dave said...

Good post!! I like online shopping with many Coupons...

Cindy (JunqueArt) said...

Such a cute idea Ellen!!! LOVE IT!

Mammabellarte Rita Reade said...

What a special gift. One year we drove the motor home up to Oregon about 12 hours and that's all I did, pen after pen and added some glitter too. I came back and had gifts ready for all the teachers, dentist office, I also took some to the post office. They make those sad offices look pretty. Ciao

Reflections from the Stone Nest said...

Love this, Ellen! So, so cute! A great idea just in time!

Kitty

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