The end of the school year is right around the corner. I have been thinking about what to make for L’s teacher. I decided some handmade fabric flowers would be nice. I decided to do them in a neutral color scheme, I know she wears a lot of black. I found the popular stretchy style headband at the Dollar Tree in a pack of 6 for $1. When I made the fabric flowers I put a hair clip and a pin on the back. I figure she can wear it in her hair by attaching it to the headband or using the hair clip. She can also use the pin to put it on a hat, her shirt or even a purse.

I have detailed instructions for making these flowers on a previous post. You can find the instructions here and more here. When I made the flowers in the instruction post I used a satin fabric and made the flowers look a little more loose and I sewed pearls in the center. For the flowers above I used a cotton, quilting type of fabric and wrapped the fabric a little tighter. I also rolled the center instead of tying a knot, which gave the flowers a little bit of a different look. The fabric I used is by Riley Blake Designs and it has glitter already on the fabric, which gave these flowers a pretty shine when they were finished.

I think any teacher would love to receive a handmade gift like this. What are you making for teacher gifts? I would love to hear about it, leave a comment below.

The post How To | Fabric Flower Teacher Gift appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Are you looking for an easy gift to make for a teacher or friend? If you are reading my website, you are probably like me, I love to make gifts for people. I LOVE handmade and appreciate receiving handmade items myself. While making these fleece flower hats I felt like I cheated a little bit, you know I didn’t make them completely from scratch. (That’s how easy they are!) My husband said I need to get over it, they look great. Why would I start from scratch when the supplies where out there already and easy to assemble?

If you are looking to create an affordable and usable gift for someone this holiday season, you are gonna love creating these!

p.s. I have more cute and cost effective gift ideas that I will be posting over the next few weeks. I also have my Advent Activities list almost ready to post. I am super excited about some of the printables that will be included for FREE this year!

How To | Fleece Flower Hats

Supplies:

• Fleece Hat (I found mine for $2.50 at Jo-Anns last year, I have also seen some at the Dollar store. Keep your eyes open for a great deal!)
• Fabric Flowers (I purchased some of the Prima Flowers, so pretty, on clearance here last week.) (Right now the Jolee’s Boutique Dimensional Stickers (Flowers) are being clearanced at Michaels (so hurry and get there!!)
• Needle and Thread
• Pins

How To:

1. Lay out your hat and arrange your flowers in the order you want them to be sewn on.
2. Secure your flowers to the hat with pins.
3. Sew your flowers on. (The Jolee’s have a foam sticker on the back, peel it off and remove the twist tie.) Pic. 1
4. Wrap in a pretty gift box!

p.s. Maybe you want to sew a beautiful matching scarf? Visit this site to find some beautiful pre-cut scarf packs. Click here.

The post Handmade Holidays | Fleece Fabric Flower Hats appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

This week we are gearing up for the start of school next week. We will be meeting L’s teacher tonight for the first time so we made her a handmade gift. This toilet paper tube pencil has a chocolate bar hidden inside. You never know when the teacher might have a bad day and need a bit of chocolate!

How To | Toilet Paper Tube Pencil

Supplies:

• Toilet Paper Tube
• Yellow Paint
• Paper
• Paint Brush
• Clear Tape
• Masking Tape
• Black Book Binding Tape or Electrical Tape
• Pencil
• Scissors
• 4″ Square of Pink Tissue Paper
• Letter Stickers
• Download: Pencil Tip Template

How To:

1. Paint toilet paper tube yellow and let dry. (Pic.1)
2. Download and print Pencil Tip Template. Cut pencil tip from paper (I used recycled newsprint to get the right color). Shade the tip of the pencil tip with a pencil to make it look like a pencil tip.
3. Form a cone shape with the paper pencil tip. Use clear tape to hold it together and secure it to one end of the toilet paper tube.
4. Cut a 6″ piece of masking tape. Cut the long edge of the masking tape into a zig-zag pattern. (Pic. 2)
5. Wrap masking tape around toilet paper tube where pencil tip and the tube meet. (Pic. 3)
6. Use a pencil to draw lines down the side of the toilet paper tube. (Pic. 4)
7. Cut out a 4″ square of pink tissue paper. To form the eraser tip, wrap the tissue paper over the open end of the toilet paper tube. Wrap a piece of masking about 1.5″ from the top. (Pic. 5)
8. Remove tissue paper eraser from end of tube. Trim off the extra tissue paper that is below the masking tape. (Pic. 6)
9. Add candy or chocolate bar to the inside of the pencil tube. (Pic. 7)
10. Slide tissue paper eraser back over the end of the pencil tube. (Pic. 8)
11. Secure eraser to pencil tube using black tape.
12. Add teacher’s name using letter stickers.
13. Add a tag or note that reads, “If you have a stressful day, break this open for a chocolate treat.”

* Click on the thumbnails to see larger images.

The post How To | Toilet Paper Tube Pencil appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.