End of the Year Gifts and a freebie!

Hey yall! I have been one crafy girl today :)

I was trying to figure out what to get my littles for their end of the year gifts. Last year, my teamies and I made these.



We stayed up really late and worked for hours on these flower cookies. The little tag says "You have really bloomed in first grade!" They turned out really cute, and I think the kiddos enjoyed them.

But I just wanted to do something more permanent this year.

I had seen these tile pictures floating around Pinterest, so I decided to take a stab at it.

First, I gathered my materials.



*6 x 6 tile: Lowes $ .88

*2 sheets of scrapbook paper: Hobby Lobby $1.10

*Mod Podge: Hobby Lobby $4.99

*Foam paintbrushes: Hobby Lobby $1.33 for 6

*4 x 6 picture: Walgreens $ .33

Be sure to cut all of your paper and the picture beforehand, because the Mod Podge dries pretty quick. It would be super easy and helpful to have a paper cutter, but I just used paper as a straightedge.



Lay out all of your pieces first, to make sure they are cut to the right size and you know how you want them.

Using the foam brush, cover the tile with Mod Podge. Don't be afraid to use it liberally!

Then put the scrapbook paper down, smooth out all the bubbles, and brush with Mod Podge again.

If you are using 2 different types of paper like I did, put the other sheet down, smooth out the bubbles, and cover with another layer of Mod Podge. Be sure to do this quickly, because the glue dries pretty fast!

Lastly, put the picture on top, smooth out any bubbles, and cover with another layer of Mod Podge.

Let it dry for about 10-15 minutes. I decided to run out to Michaels at the last minute, and purchase this stand. It was on clearance for $1.49.

The final product!

I am sooo happy with how it turned out!

My plan is to do one of these for each of my students. I am going to take a picture of each of them doing a fun pose. Since I am planning to print them out at Walmart, I will also add some text at the bottom of the picture, probably "First Grade 2011-2012." I won't do the stands for each picture, because that would get too pricey. But these actually look just as great leaned up against the wall as they do on a stand.

My BFF and I are planning on having a sleepover to get these done for our littles before the year is out :)

You like?

I also made this using the same steps, but instead of a picture, I just covered a wooden letter with burlap and glued it to the front.

Before I go, I just posted a new unit in both my shops.

This fun unit correlates with the book "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell" by Lucille Colandro. It is perfect for those last few weeks of the year, and will get the littles excited for summer and the beach!

Click here to get it from my Teachers Notebook store, and here to get it from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

And, just because you made it allll the way through this entirely too long post, here is a freebie from the unit. Click on the picture to download.

First 2 to comment gets the unit free :)