NOTES FOR THE TEACHER

It was Levi's last day of preschool yesterday. A weird but rewarding feeling!
For a teacher gift, I was looking at some personalised business cards on Minted which in turn lead me to the idea of creating a personalised note set for each of his teachers.
While I'm very aware teachers are always given 'teachery' things, I didn't know their own style, so I bent to the stereotype and did a teacher theme...but in my own style.  A bit of graph paper & retro stationery supplies. hmmm I love stationery...
I had them printed, then bundled them up with envelopes in a cardboard box. Added a belly band and a signed note from Levi, and we called it a day!
I'm so happy with how they turned out! I hope they liked them too, and do actually use them!

I wonder if you give teacher gifts? A friend of mine gave a baking pack including a Donna Hay magazine and cookie cutter for her daughters teacher one year. I guess it does help if you know what their hobbies are (aside from dealing with our darling children of course! : )

HOMEMADE MEALS LABEL :: FREEBIE

It wasn't till I became a mum, that I understood the value of a cooked meal as a gift.

I mean I would give meals to other friends who had had babies, or were going through a rough patch, but until I had received a warm home cooked meal at the pointy end of the day with a newborn, did I fully understand how this gift is seriously one of the best. Do I hear an 'Amen', fellow frazzled mummy?

I've gifted a couple of meals recently and when I went to package them up, I was reminded of these labels I did for one of those big cook things late last year. And well, they came in real handy again for writing up ingredients, instructions and serving suggestions.

So, I thought I'd share them & give you all a freebie today!

You can download both the meal label (print onto label/sticker paper) and there is also a Food Roster to help organise who's brining what when. (My sister in law goes to a church where they organise two full weeks of meals when someone has a new baby. Such a great idea...the obvious inspiration for the roster). If you prefer an electronic version try Meal Train. I've tried looking for an app for this type of thing, but haven't come across one, have you?

Download the Meal Label here
Download the Food Roster here

Well, I hope this is helpful and makes organising and lending a hand to others a little bit easier!

BALSA WOOD GIFT TAGS

Are you all ready for Christmas? Food sorted? Gifts wrapped? No, me neither! But I'm getting there! While I like to focus more on the experience and relationships at Christmas, I do love buying and giving gifts.
I shared a super easy way to jazz up your Christmas gifts over on Design Mom. If you haven't checked out these easy Balsa wood gift tags, head on over the turorial. Get your kids involved, they'll love it!

And if you're still looking for some handmade touches at your place, here are a few crafts from Christmas pasts you might like - Christmas lights, clay place cards & hanging cookies

WHAT TO BUY A 4 YEAR OLD BOY

We had to leave a lot of Levi's toys back in Australia when we moved; which is pretty hard for a little kid who doesn't really understand all that's going on around him.

We did bring two of his 'big' toys with us; a box of duplo & his train set. They were helpful in keeping him occupied in the early days. Then we found a couple of great wooden toys at a local toy shop followed by a birthday, which has definitely got toy supplies up again!

With a small apartment, you have to be thoughtful about everything that comes in the door & wants to take up residence. Here's my pick of well-designed, keep-him-occupied boy toys for approx a 4yr old. Perfect for your own family, or some gift-giving hints!

I'm curious to know what you'd add (or take off for that matter!)

1. Rubbish Truck 2. Animal Planet Dino playset 3. Duplo (with at least one piece with wheels!) 4. Car Carrier 5. Finger Paint (or watercolours if you're not up for a mess) 6. Ikea train set

GILDED MOLESKINE JOURNAL :: DIY

I love a craft that gives you a lot of bang for your buck. And I'm not talking money, but in time. My latest collaboration with Design Mom was exactly that. Looks like a whole lot of glitz, but it so easy and is a reality to do. 

You can check out the full tutorial for these Gilded Moleskine journals on Design Mom's blog here.

I gifted these to a friend who has recently gone back to part time work after taking some time off to focus on her young family. Being in a creative industry, she’ll no doubt have light-bulb moments and genius ideas on the go! I’m hoping these gilded Moleskine journals will come in handy for her brainstorming and note taking whether in the board room, the car or anywhere in between. They were quite easy to make and once on a roll, I ended up making myself a set too!

To see my previous collaborations with Design Mom, you can find them here.

GIFTING :: TWINE-WRAPPED CHERRY RIPE

Apparently Cherry Ripe is one of those 'only in Australia' flavours. An Australian friend living here in Canada has been missing home and was craving some of the deliciousness that is a Cherry Ripe bar.
I decided to make her some when we visited her last month and packaged it up just to entice her a little more!
I based my recipe on this one, but substituted the base for a biscuit crumb base as I couldn't for the life of me find chocolate puff pastry here. While it wasn't the real deal, it still hit the spot!

I gifted it by cutting it into bars, placing inside a glassine bag, tied with jute string, & finished with a swing tag.

Images // Polkadot Prints


P.S. I'm still operating at half speed at the moment, so thanks for the understanding on my sporadic posting. It's been the biggest transition in history, but we'll be moving into our own place in two weeks...can. not. wait!