Teacher Gifts the Frugal Way

If you are like me, somewhere around the 18th of December, you will smack yourself on the forehead and exclaim "AAAACK!  I thought I was done shopping but I forgot about gifts for the teachers and bus drivers!".  And because one of my children has Autism, I also need to get gifts for the Speech Therapist, the Occupational Therapist and the Itinerant Teacher/Guidance Counselor. (lucky me!)

If you are trying to live more frugally, that can get costly.  Who am I trying to kid?  It gets expensive no matter what kind of life you lead!

I made these ornaments a few years ago and as I was pulling out the Christmas decorations this week, I got the idea to make a bunch of these as teacher gifts.  They couldn't be easier to make and they are much more personal than a coffee mug or Wawa Gift Card (especially since my children are going to help make them for their teachers)!

So how do you make them?  Here's how (note:  I'm going to give you a bunch of links to products and they are only for the purpose of letting you know what to look for.  In almost all cases, you will find these products cheaper at your local Michael's, AC Moore, Hobby Lobby, etc.  Some of these items may even be found at WalMart!):

Materials needed:

Clear Glass Ball ornaments with removable tops 

Diamond Glaze, Liquid Laminate (AC Moore) or Laminate-It (Michaels).  You can also use any craft glue that dries clear - just thin it with a little water

Ultra-fine glitteror PearlEx or Perfect Pearls

Class A Peels stickers, rub-ons or any stickers suitable for glass

(or if you are good at rubber stamping, small Christmas stamps, pigment ink, embossing powder, a heat gun and a STEADY hand.  the ornaments shown were stamped)

gauze ribbon in a contrasting color from your glitter color (optional)

Christmas-themed Chinese takeout boxes

Instructions:

1.  remove cap from ornament

2.  squirt a small of Liquid Laminate (or whatever you are using) in to the ornament.  Swirl the glue around until the entire inside surface is coated.

3.  Pour out excess glue (if using Diamond Glaze, Liquid Laminate or Laminate-It, simply remove the cap from the bottle, invert the ornament in to the neck of the bottle and allow to drain right back in to the bottle for about 5 minutes)

4.  using a craft stick or funnel, scoop some glitter/pearlex/perfect pearls in to the ornament.  Swirl around until the entire ornament is coated, adding more if needed.

5.  Dump out excess glitter/PearlEx/Perfect Pears (you can reuse it in the next ornament)

6.  With a heat gun or hair dryer, heat the ornament slightly to allow the adhesive to set.

7.  Set aside to dry overnight.

8.  Decorate the outside with stickers or stamped & embossed images

9.  Replace cap, tie a pretty ribbon bow around the neck of the ornament and place in the takeout box with some tissue paper 

For more frugal craft ideas, check out Frugal Upstate and her Frugal Holiday Series!