{FREEday} teacher appreciation - part 2

Never can have enough FREE stuff ;) Here's another round-up of teacher inspired printables!



Kristan & Amy @ Living Locurto made these adorable printables & even give you the recipe for the "ice cream" cupcakes. Too Sweet :)



Here's an all-around thank you tag that you can use for anything!

Thanks to Beth @ It Is What It Is!




Jillian @ Catch My Party featured these printables by Noelle & Kerry @ Sweet Craft Cakes.

Teachers definitely rock & it's time to show them that you're their biggest groupie :)



Whipperberry has the printable tag that you can attach to a pencil bouquet!

This tag could also work attached to a potted plant.

Enjoy!

Amanda

{party envy} classic school themed baby shower

Here's another beautiful school themed shower that I found featured by One Charming Party.



The invitation is modeled after a vintage flashcard, darling! The snippets to the right are FREE printables that you can use to throw your own school themed party.





The pretty pastel color scheme works so well with all of the classic books and shabby chic fabrics. The flashcard bunting is soooo cute.




Vintage school cards are held up by flower frogs to label the vegan party spread.




What a simple touch that just adds so much! I heart the baby pencil :)

Enjoy!

Amanda

{fab finds} teacher gift ideas

Need gift ideas?!?

Here's a round-up of teacher inspired gifts that make the grade!



My sister-in-law is a teacher and I believe on Easter she already had the countdown of how many days were left of school. I believe this feeling is mutual for all teachers! eighteen25 has a great tutorial & gift idea on this Countdown to Summer clipboard. Thanks for sharing!

I want to make a version of this that is a countdown to football season. A co-worker of mine is a die hard football fan and knows the days until football season. I think it would be cute happy for her :)




For the sewing girls out there, this "paper" bag is just too cute! Megan @ The Crafty CPA shows how to make your own fabric "paper" bag.

This skill could be used for so many more cute & fun crafts!




I am quite the school supplies hoarder which makes this a perfect craft for me! I love fall when all the new supplies come out; it is one of my favorite times of the year! It's sad that I am not in school anymore and don't have a reason to buy them (I still do). I look forward to children in the future so that I can buy supplies with a purpose!

Since I am such a supplies hoarder, I always have plently new supplies lying around. Patrice @ Lemon Tree Creations posted the how-to on making this push-pin & pencil bouquet!





Teachers help your children grow. Thank them with a potted flower!

Kami @ No Biggie shared this idea over at Skip To My Lou. Go there for the tutorial on making the "lolli" and get the printable!



I have been wanting to make some of these calendar date blocks! They are perfect gift for everyone, not just teachers!

Dacia @ Creative Mommas made these for her kids teachers and shares the deets over at her site. Go ahead and stop by!



This is a GRANDE project! It reminds me of the card we ordered from Tiny Prints. I am definitely putting this on the list of projects to make. Who doesn't love starbucks?!?

The J girls @ eighteen 25 (Seriously, this crush is going to be full blown soon!) share the printable and instructions @Skip To My Lou to make this coffee-tastic Thank You card.



Love the idea of personalizing a caraffe! Leigh @ It's All Small Stuff made this as one of the gifts for her kids teachers.

What they choose to fill it with is their choice ;)

Enjoy!

Amanda

{party envy} A+ teacher baby shower

Staying with the teacher theme, this baby shower by Whitney @ The Smith Family gets an A+!



The mom-to-be is a teacher and Whitney played off of that to create a breath taking baby shower.

Above is the invite *swoon*. Makes me think of flash cards and writing tablets

**This party was one of my first blog finds when I discovered the wonderul world of blogs last year**



Lunch consisted of salad, tomato bisque, and chicken salad sandwiches served true cafeteria style. The guests ate off cafeteria lunch trays - what a great touch!

Love Whitney's homemade bottle wraps and rickrack runner.




After a full day of school, everyone needs an after-school snack! Chalkboards were used to list out the goodies, and I really like that the snack included childhood classics such as PB&J and cookies.

PS - I hate using my handwriting as well! Chalkboards were waay worth it!



Covered books were stamped with different subjects and stacked as part of the party decor.



Favors: paper lunch snacks filled with hot tamales and a note from "mom"!

Party features that I really liked:
*Flashcards hung above the tablescape
*Giant chalkboard listing the "schedule" for the day
*Handwritten advice from the mom-to-be's students
*Personalized composition book to keep the party details in

Get the visual over at her blog!

Enjoy!

Amanda

{FREEday} teacher appreciation - part 1

Teacher Appreciation Week is next week! Are you ready?!?

I don't have any children, but I do have friends that are teachers and would they love to feel appreciated!

This week will be devoted to teachers. I have freebies and parties that I am excited to share with y'all:


These adorable printables were made for Back to School but they would work perfectly for Teacher Appreciation Week! Bird's Party has the goods!

In case you didn't catch it, these printables were used in a stunning Back2School party that I featured a few months back.



I am beginning to fall in love with the girls from eighteen25. I find endless amounts of inspiration on their blog!

Well, these talented ladies made this printable last fall and again this could be used for an easy teacher's gift!



An oldie but definitely a goodie! These Thank You Cards are from Kim @ TomKat Studio. Print & tie together with a ribbon for a quick gift.




Pam @ Keeping Life Creative featured these cutie-patootie book plates over at Tatertots and Jello. These would be great to give to a teacher to put in all the books that they have stocked in their classroom library.

Enjoy!

Amanda

{creative} happy easter!

Happy Easter to everyone! I hope it has been filled with family & chocolate!

I just wanted to share the goodie bags I put together for my co-workers. I used these fabulous free printables by Autumn Leah Designs featured on Catch My Party:





One of my coworkers I call "Farmer Doug" because he keeps acquiring so many critters! One of his recent additions is baby chicks. I thought these little chick eggs were perfect! I found this rustic basket at Hobby Lobby (I tried to make it look somewhat manly since it is for a guy!).


Enjoy!

Amanda

***Excuse my 5-second photo shoot that I took right before I drove off to work!

{FREEday} easter goodness

This printable is not only great for Easter time. It could be used for a birthday invite as well! Thanks Sara @ One Charming Party for creating a bunny-ful printable :)



Jill @ Sandy Toes and Popsicles made this Easter banner for a magazine photoshoot and is oh-so-kind to share the Free Printable love!





Darling birds! Bird's Party has the how-to & pattern to make these sweet spring birds!



What an easy, little treat to give everyone!

Just package up mini or large marshmallows in a snack ziploc bag and use this darling topper by the "J" girls @ Eighteen25.



I love the simplicity of a silhouette! Hostess With the Mostess has the template from the "Silhouette Queen" Le Papier Studio to make this Easter plate.



Keeping up with the marshmallow trend, don't let your peeps go out without a cute top ;)

Beth @ It Is What It Is made this topper to share!



LOVE love LOVE the way those jellybeans are packaged in test tubes, so creative! These toppers are available from Nothing But County.

Also check out the Peep Toppers and  Earth Day Printables 1 & 2

Enjoy!

Amanda

{notions and notes} mother's day card discount

From now until April 19th, all Mother’s Day Greeting Cards from Tiny Prints will be $.99 cents and you can also sign up for a Free Greeting Card Membership, giving you three FREE cards to use right away, as well as discounts on future cards.  Use the code AFFMDAY at checkout for the $.99 cent cards!

This is the card that we just picked out for Grant's mom:

Enjoy!


Amanda

{party envy} goldilocks and the three bears birthday party

I have had this breathtaking party starred in my Google Reader for far too long!!!!

The design concept behind the party by Paula @ Frog Prince Paperie was to make it feel & look like being at the bear family's house. You were a guest celebrating baby bear's birthday.
As Goldilocks would say, "This party is just right"



The dessert table definitely keeps up with the “bear” theme, everything is bear shaped or related to something that Goldilocks or a bear would eat.

Crates, trays and tiny dollhouse chairs displayed "bear-tastic" desserts: baked porridge topped with maple frosting and cinnamon, marzipan acorns, honey cupcakes, chocolate covered bear pops, bear sugar cookies, and all natural lollipops. Paula has graciously supplied the recipes for many of her sweets featured at the party.



Here's a close up of one of my favorite desserts at the party, marzipan acorns.

Look at that presentation!?!
Loving those mini chairs - it is hard to not love something when it's itty-bitty!


Perfect place to dine? A bed of course!

A twin, four-poster bed from Craigslist was converted to the perfect kid-sized table with a little paint and plywood. Ribbon and tulle was tied to the back of each chair with little bears that had each kid's names on them. A "sheet" tablecloth and wooden bears from goodwill dressed up the table even more.



Each guest had their own boxed lunch with a strong warning for Goldilocks to leave the lunches alone! Pre-packed lunches makes meal/snack time a breeze....




Paula made "3 bears" themed art as decor for the party. Chairs, porridge, bear silhouettes, and of course you can't forget Goldilocks made the perfect subject matter for this party!



What's a party now-a-days with out a photo booth?!?

Photo props included: papa bear’s bowler hat and big floppy tie, bear ears, mama bear’s apron, and a chalkboard to write sweet notes to the birthday boy. This was a great activity for kids and grown ups!



Of course you can't forget the parents! The last little detail of decor outside was “Just Right” for mama bears and papa bears.

Bear labeled beer & wine fit in with the scheme perfectly - if I do say so myself!
This post is just a sample of all the "beary good" inspiration and tons of visual yummy-ness found at this party. Take a look at posts I, II, III, IV, and V for more deets and resources.

Enjoy! (I sure did)

Amanda

{FREEday} it's beginning to look a lot like easter....

Erin @ Crafts & Sutch has made a printable to lift your spirits! Also available in aqua.



Jillian @ Catch My Party featured these oh-so-cute Easter printables by Karen & Allison @ Peace Love Cupcakes. Don't they just scream darling?!? I'm a sucker for polka dots....




This subway art makes me happy! Wee Share has a great round up of FREE Easter printable subwart art on her site, and it is definitely worth a look ...or even two ;)




The ladies @ Anders Ruff never fail to create such amazing printables. Their full Easter set is 50% off (Now $10) until April 15th.

They have so graciously shared this free printable to add some holiday pizazz to your Hershey Kisses.

Staying with a taste of chocolate, these toppers are darling!

I love how Beth @ It is What It Is used them to make flowers in pots, ingenious!!!

Enjoy!

Amanda

{fab finds} do you decor? great home decor tutorials!

This is such a great idea! If you are a lover of giving personalized gifts, this is too perfect!

Tracy @ Tracy's Trinkets & Treasures made this personalized pillow for a birthday gift and I think it hit the spot. This is definitely going on the idea board as a gift for my mom!




Mandi @ Save It For a Rainy Day made this map grid wall art for her son's bedroom.
I don't know about you but I am in LOVE with maps as of late.

Would it be strange to have a house full of map related art?!?
Ps- Love the title of the post. Great reference to Dora ;)




I found this featured in my Twitter Feed and marked it as a "favorite" right away! Gorgeous lamp that is easy to make with the tutorial by Autumn @ Design Dump.

Her blog also struck my fancy! There are so many BEAUTIFUL projects that she has done around her house. I also enjoyed reading about her projects in Interior Design school.

*If you want to follow me on Twitter my ID is AmandaDesign

***This is where I get sappy. Her wonderful projects from over 10 years ago made me sad because that is what my degree is in and I am currently not working in my field, instead I have an office job to pay back those loans for that degree. Needless to say, I was sad the other day....***




Who would have ever thought that these dragonflies are made out of table legs?!? Such an innovative use of wood turnery & fan blades! Lucy @ Lucy Designs, great job!



I am a sucker for anything that is "monogram". If I see a letter "A", I feel compelled to buy it!

I am digging this moss ampersand (such a funny word...). I definitely could use this on the fab bookshelves that I am working on right now. Thank you Chelsea @ Two Twenty One for the tutorial!



I also found this beauty in my Twitter Feed (ID: AmandaDesign) and was in love! I believe that this pillow looks way better than the original from Target.

The tutorial by Shelley @ Crazy Wonderful gives great pictures and step-by-step instructions on how to make this pretty pillow!

Enjoy!

Amanda