Student Gifts (are not all they're cracked up to be)

Okay, peeps!!!  I'm going to see Edward and Jacob today!  Finally!  If I could just get Bella out of the picture . . . anyways, I'm not really on one team or another.  I go back and forth depending on who is in the scene.  I'm easily swayed.  If they're both in the scene, I don't really force myself to pick one and I just eat my popcorn.  And milk duds.  And drink my icee.


Yesterday I got stuff done.  It was good.  


I tackled one project that took me about three hours (with breaks for a Lifetime movie called The Perfect Teacher - holy cow, this crazy teenager is hot for her math teacher and she basically sets out to ruin his life.  My little teacher troubles are nothing in comparison!  I just couldn't concentrate on my project).  


I make the gifts for my kids to give to their parents for Christmas.  That's right.  Me.  I know, I know, this is so wrong.  Surely, the kids should do all of the work.  Right?  Then it's all "kid-zy".  I get it.


But a few years ago, I got tired of the Oriental Trading catalog foam stuff that glue does not work on and the kids get frustrated and I have to say, "Hold it and count to 1000 and it will stick!" thirty times (well twenty times because back then, I only had twenty kids.  Can you imagine?) and I had to tell them "No, you cannot wash your hands yet because we have more gluing to do so why would you wash your hands now?!  Go back to your seat!"  I'm getting tense just thinking about it.  


I tried a variety of projects.  None that I remember.


And then a kinder teacher showed us her nifty little idea and that's what I do now.  I consider it more of a present from ME to the parents as a little bribe thank you for their support.  I get big thanks from the parents every year.  It's a KEEPSAKE, people.  It will not end up in the circular file (I hope, anyway).   I do have my kids make a cute reindeer card and the gift bag for the gift.  And they help me wrap.  Plus they make a bunch of crafts at our Winter Party that they take home as gifts, too.  Have I convinced you yet?  I sure hope so because the energy this is taking to come up with valid reasons for doing my kids' gifts is quite exhausting.  You could have already started yours.  Stop looking at me like that.


Here's all you need:

Okay, I'm kind of lying.  That's not all you need.  You have to take pictures of your kids first and then insert their cute little faces into THIS template or another kind of template.  For example, wreaths.  But I couldn't find a wreath with an actual OPEN CENTER causing me lots of grief and utter frustration and a fruitless search online for special graphic programs with no success. (Please do not leave me a comment saying you know how to do this.  Please wait at least two days minimum and then you can.)

Once you've inserted their faces, print them on regular paper and take them to Staples or some such place and get a copy printed on color transparencies.  You could buy the whole box but it's super expensive.  If you end up buying the whole box, can you please leave me a comment and let me know which school district you work for and if they are hiring.  Thankyouverymuch.

Once you've got all of your "transparencied" pictures cut out, you're good to go.  Do not cut off the tab.  You need that so it will stick up in the neck of the ornament and then your picture won't fall over.  Tears and snot. Tantrums and howls. Trial and error, people.

1.  Take off the top thingamajig of the ornament.

2.  Pour glitter (or confetti - I've used confetti before) into the neck of the ornament.

3.  Roll up the little picture so it's skinny enough to slide into the neck of the ornament.

4.  Put the top thingamajig back on.

5.  Tie a bow.

This is what you get.  I used a picture of me but I wished I had taken one of my pup instead.  I could have given it to the hubby this year as a gift.

Please ignore my thumb and the chipped nail polish.  

Can you tell?  I'm transparent.  I'm inside the ball.  INSIDE.  Every year, I have one or two DIY parents ask me how this is done.  You can change this to meet your needs in any way you want.  I tend to stick with blue and silver so that it's not too Christmas-y in case I have families who don't celebrate.  But you could do anything!  I also add the year at the bottom of the pic with a text box.  And, like I said, you could put their faces inside of wreaths or something.  

So that's what I do.  These are the presents that my kids give to their parents.  They do pose for the pictures so that's something, right?

If you want the template, go to {this post} for the link.  But that template works for the smaller balls (that makes me a laugh a little) so if you get a different size, you'll need a different template.   

****Also, please, please, please, I have no idea where this came from except that one of our Kinder teachers gave us the idea, but I am in no way saying that this was my idea, so please don't turn me into the Idea Police.****

All right.  Well, I am running late for my date with a vampire and a werewolf so I'll see you later.  

ENJOY YOUR DAY!!!!!  And if I don't talk to you tomorrow, it's because it's Thanksgiving and my family told me to join the land of the living.  So Happy Thanksgiving and please know that I am truly thankful for all of my new friends in the virtual world.  Really.  In an almost weird way but let's not talk about that.  We'll just say:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!