Gifts for teachers

As the school year comes to an end the question comes up - what to do for that special teacher?

Armed with Fiskars tools and a few supplies our Fiskars Design team has come up with some great ways to hand craft something to show  your appreciation -

Designer:  Lisa Storms
I asked my daughter, who is in first grade, what she wanted to get her teacher to say thank you at the end of the school year.  She decided she wanted to paint her a beautiful picture.  I decided to create a fun container to house pictures and thank you letters from both of us that she can re-use in the future for storage.  My first thought was to use every crafter's friend, the empty Pringles can!

I wanted to keep the project very simple but still include fun details.  I started by covering the can with yellow cardstock with pink craft foam for the eraser. 

For the "metal" band connecting the eraser, I crimped a piece of metallic cardstock using my all-time favorite tool, the Crimper.  I used the Tear Edger to create a jagged edge around the lid where the pencil would be sharpened.

To create the pencil's point, I used the Ultra ShapeXpress to cut a 5" brown circle with a 3" circle cut out of the middle adhered over a 4" charcoal circle.  I cut a 1/4 slice from the circle and adhered the cone closed to fit inside the lip of the lid.  For an easy and secure way to adhere the cone to the circle, I simply added four tabs with a craft Glue Dot on each. 

To finish it off, I added letter stickers spelling "No. 1" instead of the usual "No. 2" so I could add a sweet sentiment on the front.  My daughter cannot wait to give this thoughtful gift to her teacher filled with treasures. 

Designer: Katrina Simeck
It’s getting to be that time of year…the school year is winding down. As students & teachers stop hitting the books, they start thinking about hitting the beach! This cute teacher’s gift is super fast to put together.

I started with a clear acetate pail that I picked up at a local craft store. I added “fun & sun” using letter stickers and a punched ampersand (the “and” sign!) using the Fiskars XL Conjunction Junction squeeze punch. I filled the pail with some fun lip balms & sun lotion (you could also add a giftcard for some beach reading).

I wanted the card to echo the beach theme, so I created a mini beach towel. Fiskars Texture plates & embossing tool allowed me to add dimension to the towel. To create the ends, I punched the cardstock with the Fiskars Leave it to Weaver border punch, then trimmed off the end using Fiskars No5 Micro Tip Scissors. Stars, punched with the Fiskars XL Twinkle, Twinkle squeeze punch, add an extra fun touch.

Designer: Patti Milazzo
I like to give teacher gifts that have a personal touch yet are practical, too.  This simple apple notecard set and container are easy enough that you can make multiple sets if you need and your child(ren) can help out as well.  You can pre-stamp sentiments on the cards or if you think your child’s teacher will enjoy a little crafting herself, include a set of greeting stamps for her to use.  Either way, the recipient will have a fun set of stationary at her fingertips whenever needed. 

I started with a small container that would fit cards that are approximately 4”w x 6”h.  Then I used the Scalloped Sentiment Border Punch to create a strip of kraft paper that will wrap around the container.  I cut 2.5” circles with the Ultra ShapeXpress Tool and the Circle Shape Template to be the backdrop for the apples.  The apples were then made using the Extra Large A Little Out of Shape Squeeze Punch and the Medium Mint Condition Squeeze Punch for leaves.  For the stems, I cut thin strips of brown cardstock and trimmed the tops with my Micro Point Scissors.  I inked all the pieces with chalk ink and pieced each apple together on the black circles.  I created several cards from white cardstock and adhered the circles 1” from the top.  I added Border Punched kraft strips near the bottom of each card.  Then, with the Heidi Grace Designs Greetings Stamp Set and Fiskars Stamp Blocks, I stamped various sentiments on white cardstock, trimmed them into strips and attached them to the cards with mini brads. 

If you like, add other small items - gift cards, pens/pencils, other small supplies.  He/She will love your thoughtfulness.

Designer: Lisa Truesdell
When I started to think about what I’d like to make for my kids’ teachers, I kept a couple things in mind – I really wanted them to be able to help (they’re 8 and 6), and I wanted to do something that would be fairly inexpensive and easy to replicate since I needed more than one.

My boys LOVE my squeeze punches, so once I found these basic 8x10 matted frames, I knew that I wanted to dress them up with punched patterned paper.  We used the Block Party punch on papers from Cloud 9 Design’s Bay Blossoms line and Heidi Grace’s Reagan’s Closet.  We covered the photo mat with decoupage glue and then added rows of punched squares. The mat got another coat of decoupage glue once all the squares were in place, and then we tied string through buttons and added them to some of the punched squares.  This added enough dimension that I had to remove the glass from the frame, so if you’d like to keep the frame as is, just skip the buttons.

We added some more patterned paper to the photo window and spelled out “thank you” with Heidi Grace chipboard letters.  The Tag You’re It squeeze punch gave us a perfect place to add a short note.  There are so many options for how to fill the photo window – you could add a class picture, have your child draw a picture or write a note to their teacher, or even add a little pocket to hold a gift card.

By fiskars design team