Teacher gifts...

Our family makes gift giving easy - we decided several years ago to create "wish lists" in order to guide each other to the things we needed and wanted. It's streamlined the holiday season, and eliminates a great deal of stress.

But every year I still struggle with how to thank some of the other wonderful people in our lives - neighbors, friends, and our ever-amazing teachers.  What is the right touch of homemade, useful, and fun that will fit into our budget?  This year I was happy to find a balance that really worked for us where teacher gifts are concerned.

Each of our four teachers (two for each boy) received the above gift.   A handmade ornament, two rice-filled handwarmers, and a jar of salted caramel sauce from my favorite chocolate shop.  Simple.  Easy.  Hopefully useful and yummy.

 The house ornaments were created from a pattern at retro-mama, and were so fun and simple to put together.  I was lazy and didn't use the adhesive behind the appliques, but they seemed to be well affixed with the stitching and didn't move around too much.   I had pinned them quite a while back, and this was the perfect use for them.  Now I just need to make one for myself!

A great bonus of this project was the budget-friendly nature.  The ornaments and handwarmers were made from materials I had already in the scrap bin in the sewing room.  I only purchased the caramel sauce - and that is well worth it! Plus it supports a small local business that I adore. A win-win for all. I just hope their teachers enjoyed them.