I think the combination of lovely calligraphy and a variety of stamps on pretty letters might be my new go-to design obsession (see current exhibits A and B). Whew - thank goodness - because my silhouette obsession was getting quite out of hand (exhibits A, B, C, D, E, F - yikes).
Adding fuel to the paper-craze fire? These cards by Jenna Hein, which couldn't be more lovely: Don't you agree? If not, speak now or forever hold your peace, because there may be a lot more of these where they came from (as evidenced by my previous posts - reference above in the plethora of slightly scary exhibits). ;)
I don't have kids and I've been out of school for quite some time now, but I do have a mom who is a teacher, so I've seen a bad teacher gift or two (or 20) in my day. With schools ending for the summer in a few weeks here, I know a lot of ladies in town have been looking for good and unique (not another smelly candle!) teacher gifts (this is what you get when you hang out at Paper Source a lot).
I will tell you that my mom always loves Starbucks or Barnes & Noble gift cards, but if you're looking to make something handmade, here are two amazing ideas made by some creative chicks (not me) that will put you safely in the good-gift category.
Numero uno - the cutest customized hand soaps ever: With all the random strains of cold/flues/diseases floating around kids and classrooms, teachers are always washing their hands (at least I hope they are!), so Jill Means of Legacy Digital Design capitalized on a practical idea and made something super-pretty out of it.
Basically, she took boring (and not cute) Softsoap - which she actually got on sale at Target for 1 dollar a bottle - took off the label, and added in a custom one with her kids' silhouettes (mwaahahaha, I snuck them in again!) and a thank you. Click here for the full instructions and a free downloadable template if you want to do this yourself.
Numero dos - a fun soda and snack pack: Simply Seleta took on a similar idea - finding something a teacher will actually use and making it really pretty - and came up with these great "goody packs" (as she called them) in varying colors based on the kids and/or teacher.
These packs included color-coordinated vintage-y soda, straws, sugar-free gum, chocolates, microwave popcorn (great quick teacher snack), and of course the pretty label. If you're interested in doing this yourself, here's the full how-to and downloadable template for the label. Originally spotted on Party Perfect.
I hope these two great ideas by two cool ladies sparked your inspiration and hopefully spared you from giving another picture frame/smelly candle teacher-gift combo. :)
I just can't stop myself. I know I said I would stop talking about them - I've tried to quit and failed over and over in fact (gulp - one, two, three, four, five times over) - evidently I just can't stop yapping about how much I love silhouettes.
Enter Rachel from Benign Objects, the latest artist/crafty lady to fuel my obsession. Her newest offering is taking your portraits and turning them into amazing custom pattern silhouettes. You choose the custom colors, patterns, details, etc. for your silhouette and Rachel makes the most beautiful creation. See?: That gallery wall of silhouettes, including one of the family dog, is so stinkin' cute. I especially love the combination of colors and patterns. I have silhouettes in my house and I have a gallery wall, but I so want to combine them now! Le sigh, the obsession continues... Originally spotted on Paper Crave.
This quote and silhouette pairing is so pretty, I'm tempted to print it out and put it in a frame on my wall. I couldn't find an original source for this, but I found it on Yes and Yes(and Sarah Von is a genius - maybe she made this? With help from Buddha of course...).
And just because it never hurts to throw in another silhouette, here's a sweet one that's cross-stitched and custom-made just for you (or the luckiest friend ever, if you get this as a gift). Available from The Time Is Now on Etsy. Spotted on Twig & Thistle.
Want more silhouette madness? Parts une, deux and trois for ya (and a bonus!).
The obsession continues. I know, I know, silhouettes - along with cupcakes, mustaches, owls and mushrooms - are sooo 2009. Whatever, I still love them.
I just can't stop talking about silhouettes (here, here and here previously, if you're curious). Plus it's not my fault if people keep doing such cute stuff like this:
Old news: I'm obsessed with silhouettes (case A; case B). New news:
For 65 buckaroos, you can have your own mug on a mug. (Ha!)
Seriously though, BROOKLYNrehab and Miss Crowland create custom silhouettes and send you not only the lovely mugs, but also the digital file of your silhouettes so you can use them wherever you like in the future. So this couple becomes this: And could be applied to mugs, stationery, invites, and so on. Wouldn't the mugs be an awesome wedding gift to give to a couple? Pets are also welcome - a child and a pup would be an adorable pair too.
Imagine the possibilities! (Don't even get me started, I could go on for days....)
