Fun Way to Give a Cash Gift

This yet an another awesome idea I got from Erin at Making Memories with your Kids.  She is just amazing and comes up with the best fun activities and ideas.  As soon as I saw her post about The Perfect Way to Give Money , I knew I'd be using that fun idea as soon as I could.   Well, my nephew's 7th birthday party was this weekend and I knew it would such a fun gift for him.  I changed the container I used, but I kept the concept the same ~ pull on a little tab and a whole string of bills comes out!

Isn't this fun?

It was so simple to make and it was a huge hit when I gave it to my nephew.  I decorated a little wooden gift bag container I found at the craft store, but you could use a container like Erin did or even a regular gift bag or small box.

Here's how I made mine:

1.  I gathered my supplies ~ the plain wooden gift bag box from Michaels, Mod Podge and some scrapbook paper.  I also used some acrylic paint and some tissue paper (not pictured).

2.  Next, I painted the inside of the box and the edges with some acrylic paint.  I traced the four sides of the box on to the paper, cut it out and ModPodged it onto the box.

3.  I cut a coordinating piece of scrapbook paper slightly longer than the top opening of the box, and cut a slit in it large enough for a dollar bill to fit through.  I then taped one side of it to the top of the box, leaving the other side untaped so I could put the money in.

4.  Next, it was time to tape those bills together.  I just used a bit of clear scotch tape on each one. Since each bill is about 6 inches long, you end up with a nice long string of bills to pull out!

5.  All you have to do now is roll up your string of bills and put them in your little container.  Thread your first bill through the top slot and tape down the other side of the paper across the top.  I made a little "PULL HERE" Happy Birthday tab slightly larger than the opening and attached it to the top bill so the starting piece wouldn't slip back into the container.  Finally, I taped on just a little bit of tissue paper around the top so you couldn't see the start of the bills inside.

That's it, your cash is ready to give as a gift!

Want to see the gift-receiving in action?  Check out the face of this surprised and happy 7 year old!

Oh, and if you want another cash-related birthday idea, check out this Birthday Balloon Pop tradition I've started with my kids ~ so much fun!

Sharing this fun cash gift idea at:

Brassy Apple 
Sugar Bee Crafts 
It's Playtime 
Frugal Girls 
Ladybird Ln. 
Tatertots and Jello 
I heart Naptime 
 Craft-O-Maniac

Photo Gift Card Holder (and thank you booklet for teachers)

Today is the last day of school for my kids!  We were blessed with some really great teachers this year and I wanted to show our appreciation with an end-of-the-year gift.   As a former school teacher myself, I know that gift cards and hand written notes of thanks are usually appreciated much more than yet another coffee mug or scented body lotion.  For our gift this year, I combined the gift card/thank you note with the photo idea that we used on our Photo Bookmarks and our Lollipop Valentine's Cards.  I really like the way they turned out and I think the teachers will really like receiving them.

Check it out...

For the "specials" teachers ~ Music, Gym, Library, etc ~ I put all three kids' photos on the front and they each wrote their note of appreciation inside the little booklet.

Doesn't it almost look like they're holding up the gift card "sign"?

Then for their regular subjects, we made a separate booklet for each teacher they had and I put their individual pictures on the front holding up a gift card.  

They were really quite simple to do.  The hardest part was getting the kids to write the messages for the inside pages of the booklets.  They all switch classes for their different subjects, so they had quite a few sentences to write.

Here's what we did...

1.  I started by taking a picture of each kid holding their arms up over their head.

2.  Next, I printed out the pictures as a 4"x6" photo and cut the kids' bodies out.  I also went to Target and got a bunch of gift cards.  ( I was lucky enough to find a few Thank You and Teacher-themed ones, but the pickings were a bit slim ~ I guess it's a gift card time of year!)

3. For the booklets, I simply folded two pieces of colored cardstock in half and stapled them together to make a book.  On the front cover, I glued on the kid's picture and had them make a little thank you sign.  (I wanted something to be left on the card after the teacher removed and spent the gift card).

My girls had me add some patterned paper for a pretty touch.

4. Next, I used a couple glue dots to add the gift card on top of the sign.

5.  On the inside,  the kids wrote their messages to each of the teachers ( I gave them writing prompts and they had to choose four of them) and I wrote a thank you message of my own.

One from my 3rd grader

 

My son in 2nd grade

Even my kindergartner did some

I wanted to make it as easy as possible for the kids (since they are not into "homework" at all now that the weather is nice) so I just printed out a bunch of writing prompts and cut them to size.  All they had to do was choose any four for each teacher and complete the sentence. Then I just had to glue their responses and my own thank you note onto the pages in the booklet.

Some of the prompts we used:

My favorite part of _________ class was...
You really made me feel special when...
I really liked learning about...
I think you are a great teacher because...
I really appreciate that you...
You always made me smile when...
One thing I will always remember about this school year with you is...
You did a great job teaching me about...


That's it!...

I'm really pleased with the way they turned out and I look forward to using this same concept for other people and other occasions.  The kids will be working on ones for their dad for Father's Day soon!

Sharing our fun idea for gift card giving at:
Tatertots and Jello 
I heart Nap Time 
Frugal Girls 
Sun Scholars

A Year of Valentines (with DIY scratch-offs)

I am so excited for Valentine's Day to come so I can give these special valentines to my kids.

Before I get into the tutorial, though, let me tell you how the idea came about because it shows you just what it's like inside this tired mom's brain. 

When I first joined Pinterest several months ago, I came across this awesome tutorial for DIY scratch off tickets.  For months and months, those tickets stayed in the back of my mind, just waiting for a chance to use them.  Then, just before Christmas, I came across this great idea for a Year of Dates with your kids.  I loved the idea of monthly activities, but I didn't have time to make them for Christmas.  So, those two ideas were floating around my brain in the sea of useless facts and half-baked ideas until ... BAM!  They collided! I decided I could make each of my kids twelve Valentine's cards, each with a monthly activity concealed beneath a scratch off!!  

Even though my mind can be a scary place sometimes, I love this idea and I'm sure my kids will be thrilled in a couple weeks.

Okay, let's get to the tutorial!

Here's what you'll need...

    * blank monthly 

       Valentine's notes  

     ( Here's a link to the printable!)

     * coordinating scrapbook

        paper (optional)

     * silver metallic 

         acrylic paint

     * dishwashing liquid

     * clear contact paper

Here's what to do...

1.  Cut out your cards and write a monthly activity on each one.  Obviously mine are kid-oriented, but you could easily make a set for a special adult too.

I ended up making three sets, one for each kid.  They'll each have the same activities, just in a different order so their month's activity is just for them to have some one-on-one time with me.  Most of the activities are free or fairly low cost, but all things that can be rather difficult (or too costly) for me to do with all three kids at once.

Here are the 12 monthly activities I came up with...

• Mommy reads a chapter book  at bedtime
• Go roller-skating or ice-skating
• Breakfast at a restaurant
• Go to a museum
• Go to an amusement park (we have season passes)
• Go for a long bike ride
• Play mini-golf
• Go on a hike
• Go to the movies
• Dessert at a restaurant
• Have a craft night/game night
• FREE CHOICE (they can pick that month's activity)

2.  Next, attach your Valentines to some pretty paper.  ( This is optional, you could always just print your Valentines on cardstock instead, but the different patterns will help me keep the cards going to the right kid ~ plus it looks pretty!)

3.  Then you'll want to cover the fronts of your cards with contact paper.  I just  peeled off the paper backing, set my cards face down, then cut them out.

No picture of me flipping them over and cutting them out, but you get the idea!

4.  Now for the fun part ~ turning them into scratch-offs!  Mix together a bit of your acrylic paint and the dishwashing soap.  I did about two parts paint to one part soap.

5.  Then just paint the mixture onto your card where you want the scratch off part to be.  I found a foam brush gave great coverage and only needed one coat.

I outlined with a thin brush, then used the foam brush to fill it in.

6.  Do the same for all the cards, then set aside to dry.

That's it!  As you can see in my first picture, I picked up some little mailboxes in the dollar bins at Target to hold the 12 scratch-off valentines.  The kids will be able to scratch off February's ticket on Valentine's Day, then a new one at the beginning of each month for the rest of the year!

These DIY scratch-offs really worked!

I'm really looking forward to the one-on-one time with each of my children throughout the year.  Even though many of these activities are ones we'd do anyway, I think having a new one to look forward to each month will make this gift extra special!

If you'd like to make your own, here's a blank printable version you can use!

Sharing our 12 months of love at:
The Frugal Girls
Sun Scholars  
Ladybird Ln 
Make and Takes 
Design Dazzle 
Tatertots and Jello
Family Ever After  
Here Comes the Sun
Six Sisters' Stuff  
Be Different, Act Normal
I heart Naptime  
No Time for Flashcards 
Craft-O-Maniac 
Brassy Apple 
Skip to My Lou 
Sugar Bee Crafts

Puzzle Gift Certificate

 One of Santa's gifts to our family this year was season passes to a local amusement park.  Although the passes took up a big chunk of the Christmas budget and will bring fun times all year long, there was really nothing to wrap or anything fun to present on Christmas morning.  Then Santa's elves had the idea for a puzzle.  It was a fun little activity to do in the midst of present opening, and it would work for any gift that is not wrap-able.

As you can see,the "gift certificate" was just printed on a blank puzzle.  

(The elves found these puzzles leftover from my teaching days, but you can often find them really inexpensively in teacher's stores, craft stores, or  HERE on Amazon )

Then the pieces were separated and put in a plastic bag.  

(Oops, somehow I missed grabbing a picture of this ~ but the bag just had a sticker on it that said "#1 SOLVE THIS"  and then there was a little token gift that was wrapped with a sticker that read "#2 OPEN THIS")

The kids truly LOVED putting the puzzle together and trying to figure out the message as the words were gradually revealed.

Of course, they also loved the big candy bar that they unwrapped after solving the puzzle.

I think this puzzle idea would be a great way to present any kind of gift certificate or announce some kind of special treat.  It definitely was a hit here.

Sharing our puzzle at:

The Frugal Girls 
 Sassy Sites
Tatertots and Jello 
Design Dazzle 
Skip to My Lou 
Today's Creative Blog
 I heart Nap Time

School Supplies "Cake"

I first saw this awesome idea on Pinterest when school was starting in the fall.  I pinned it, but never got around to actually making one in September.  When it came time to think of a Christmas gift idea for my kids' teachers, I remembered this school supplies cake idea and decided it would be perfect.  It fit my budget and it would be something the teachers could actually use (instead of yet another coffee mug or bottle of shower gel).  Plus, this is the time of year when all those classroom supplies brought in months ago have been used up or have disappeared (sharpened pencils with working erasers seem to meet the same fate in the classroom as socks do in the laundry room)

It didn't take me long at all to put together and the cakes were a HUGE hit when I brought them in to the teachers on the last day before Winter Break.

This collection of needed supplies would be a great teacher gift for Back-to-School, Christmas, Teacher Appreciation Day, Valentine's Day or "Just Because".  Plus, you could easily adapt them to include all kinds of supplies.

Here's some of the things I included in mine:

Then, all I had to do was put it all together.  I attached everything with the clear, wide packaging tape and regular scotch tape.

First, I sharpened all the pencils, attached them to the plastic storage bin I got from the Dollar Tree, and added a bit of decorative border (also in the teacher section of the Dollar Tree).

 Next, I formed a base with four square boxes of tissues taped together.  ( Later, I also added a fifth box of tissues to form the base of the top tier of the cake.)

 Then, I just started adding the various other supplies around the tiers of the cake, adding more pieces of the decorative border as I went.

Since it was still looking a little plain, I added a few bows to jazz it up a bit.

That's it! So cute, and so easy!

Now, if I was a little smarter, I would have stocked up on all the supplies for the cake during the Back-to-School sales in August.  Instead, I had use a few things from my school supplies stash (Post-it notes, crayons, etc) and purchase the rest of it new.  However, since much of it came from the dollar store, the whole "teacher tower" costs me less than $20 out of pocket.  Not bad for such a cute gift.

Sharing our cake at:

Gluesticks
Somewhat Simple 
The Frugal Girls 
Sassy Sites 
Tatertots and Jello 
Design Dazzle 
Skip to my Lou 
Today's Creative Blog 
I heart Nap Time

Shadowbox Banks (to save for something special)

My kids don't usually write up long or detailed wish lists for Santa.  However, this year all three of them requested an iPod Touch for Christmas (after seeing several friends and cousins with them recently).  Like most of us, though, Santa is on a budget this year.  Even one iPod would be stretching it, so three iPods would be out of the question.

Luckily, Santa's elves had a very clever solution that I think will be the next best thing to an actual iPod under the tree.  The elves shared with me what they did in their workshop and I really like the way they turned out.

Look at this smart solution...

Here's what the elves did:

 (Excuse the fact that the pictures switch between the three different banks, those silly elves kept getting sidetracked during the photo-taking process)

1.  Pick up a shadowbox frame (they used a 5x7" one) and make up a picture of the special something to save for (the elves got an iPod image from the Apple website and used Picnik to design the 5x7" picture)

By the way, did you know that Santa's elves
often pick up the supplies they need

at regular stores when they're closed for the night
and all the people and employees have left?

That's how the elves picked up these frames on sale at JoAnn's!

2.  Cut out your picture to fit your shadowbox and cut a small opening for the money.

3.  Line up your picture with the backing for the shadowbox (these were made out of foam board) and then cut a money slot in that as well.

4.  The elves thought these banks might be able to used to save for other special items in the future, so they just put a little bit of glue around the money slot to adhere the picture to the backing.  This way, once they've saved for their iPods, the kids can simply replace the picture and start saving for something else.

5.  That's it!  Put it all together and your shadowbox bank is ready to go!

Just put your money in from the back...

... and with each deposit, you're one step closer to buying that something special!

 

Santa's elves told me that each frame was only $4 on sale and Santa said he would probably put $10 in change and bills in each bank to start the kids on their way.  Santa's accountants were very happy that he was spending $42 instead of $600+ and I think the kids will learn a valuable lesson about saving for the things they want most!