When I was teaching I was always touched when I received a gift from a parent. I mean let’s be honest, it’s the parent who went out, spent the money and wrapped it. But the gifts I cherished the most were the ones made by the children. At this time of year it’s worth thinking about those teacher appreciation gifts. Something that’s simple, handmade and useful is ideal. Just the kind of thing for a Simply Sunday project.

TEACHER APPRECIATION SENTIMENT

I found the perfect teacher appreciation sentiment in the Well Said Stamp Set, ‘The best of you has made the best of me’. So that was where my project began.

First I created my bookmark base using a 2″ x 5-1/2″ piece of Thick Very Vanilla Card. I shaped the top using my favourite Scalloped Tag Topper Punch.

Then at the bottom of the piece I stamped the sentiment with Tuxedo Black ink.

HAND DELIVERED

I found the image to accompany the sentiment in the Hand Delivered (host) Stamp Set.

Using Tuxedo Black ink I first I stamped the legs image, then I added the pile of books. Finally I stamped the flower image inside the skirt area and began colouring with my Stampin’ Blends. I wasn’t concerned with actually blending the colours, I simply wanted the nice opaque effect and lots of light shades.

So in the end I used light and dark combos of the following colours: Balmy Blue, Soft Sea Foam, Petal Pink, Smoky Slate, Highland Heather, Flirty Flamingo, Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake and Granny Apple Green.

Well that wasn’t quite true, about the blending. I couldn’t resist playing with the apple perched on top of the books.

I coloured the whole apple with light Daffodil Delight, then added a little C around the left side and bottom using the dark Granny Apple Green. Then I went over the dark Granny Apple Green with the light one and coloured all but the very top right of the apple.

TIP – You’ll find you can control the Stampin Blends colour better if you use the bullet tip. Keep the brush tip for really big areas, and don’t colour right up to the lines.

With the colouring complete I just needed some Daffodil Delight 1/4″ Double-Stitched Ribbon. I folded the ribbon in half and threaded the ends through the slot at the top of the bookmark. Then I pulled the ends through the loop in the ribbon to secure it in place.

It didn’t take me long to create this project and making them in bulk wouldn’t be difficult either, especially if I used my Stamparatus to stamp all the images en masse.

In fact you could stamp a bunch of these and leave the children to colour them in, and then write their name and the year on the back. I’m sure all the teachers and teaching assistants would love one.

HOST STAMP SETS WILL RETIRE

April 15th is the day we’ll see the retiring list, but I can already confirm that all host stamp sets will retire, as they always do. Host stamp sets are sold at below retail value but can only be purchased using ‘Stampin’ Rewards’.

Stampin’ Rewards are awarded as a percentage of your order value (before shipping and taxes) once your order reaches $200 CAD. This can be a single order you place for yourself, or the total value of all orders placed during a workshop / party that you host. As you cannot order Host Stamp Sets unless you have earned Stampin’ Rewards I’ve included a link to the Hand Delivered Stamp Set at the end of the product list.

You’ll find more information about Stampin’ Rewards on page 224 of the 2018/2019 Annual Catalogue and page 52 of the 2019 Occasions Catalogue.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I purchased the Well Said Stamp Set in a bundle with the coordinating Well Written Framelits Dies (not used today). This meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the two items separately. Like all bundle offers, this special price will end on June 3rd when the 2019 Occasions Catalogue period ends. I’ve included a link to the bundle in my product list in case you want to investigate this option further.