Teacher Gift Idea: Bucket List

Today I'm sharing another idea for showing your appreciation to your child's teacher at the end of the year (you can see my other idea for a Target gift card HERE)!

I am a big fan of giving gift cards since they are small (easy for the teacher to get home) and useful (teachers LOVE gift cards!).  But my creative side cringes at the blah-ness of a regular ole' gift card.  I'm sure many of you can relate here.

So here's a cute little way to give a gift card using a small tin bucket I found in the dollar section at Target!

Everyone loves checking off things from their bucket list, right?  Side note: if your child has already gone skydiving I guess you need to find a red marker and check that one off as well.  :)

Here's all you need to make this for your child's teacher:

• small bucket
• Bucket List tag printed out and trimmed (K-6th grades available), download HERE.
• black cardstock for matting the tag (optional)
• corner rounder (optional)
• hole punch
• ribbons, twine, etc. for embellishment
• filler for bucket (crinkle paper shreds, candy, etc)

Then you just need to put it all together as pictured and you're all set!  

It's easy, satisfies the creative side of gift-giving AND you give the teacher something he/she actually wants!  Win-win-win!

I'll be sharing two more ideas this week so be sure to check back!

Link parties I participate in: Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime

Teacher Gift Idea: Printable Target Gift Card Holder

The school year is coming to a close very quickly here (::insert me crying::). 

I know we all want to show our children's teachers how much we appreciate everything they have done throughout these past nine months!  NINE. MONTHS.  That is a loooong time, you guys.

Now, I have seen some ADORABLE ideas for teachers like beach bags full of summer fun supplies and giant popcorn buckets filled with movie-going goodies and whatnot.  But, when I see these things, all I can think about is how that poor teacher then has to carry all of that out to her car on the last day of school along with all the other junk stuff she received and I just can't fathom it.  I HATE carrying loads of stuff to my car so my empathy kicks in and I can't do that to these poor teachers.  Unscientific studies have shown that really, all teachers want is GIFT CARDS, GIFT CARDS, and more GIFT CARDS.  Why do we stray from this? Because we want to give them something cute and creative, that's why.  

So today I'm sharing a cute & creative project to give a Target gift card to your child's wonderful teacher!  This can be easily thrown in her purse so she can be on her merry way.  ::sigh of relief::

S U P P L I E S  N E E D E D:

• A printout of the card trimmed to a 4x6 size, preferably on cardstock.  Downloadable HERE.
• A piece of black cardstock cut about 1/4 inch larger than card.
• Corner rounder (optional)
• Baker's twine (or ribbon)
• Adhesive
• Scissors
• Exacto-knife
• Target Gift Card

I N S T R U C T I O N S:

1. After trimming card down to size, use exacto-knife (on cutting surface) to cut a slit for the gift card.  Follow the line along top edge of the white part of the target.  Only cut the slit wide enough for the card to fit through snugly.  Not too wide.

2. Round the corners of the printed card and black cardstock (optional).

3. Adhere the printed card to the black cardstock.  Note: Do not put adhesive where the gift card will be.

4. "Cute up" the card by wrapping it in baker's twine or ribbon.

5. Slide gift card in and give to your child's teacher!

I'm hoping this makes the end-of-the-year craziness just that much easier!

I'll be sharing a couple more End of the Year Teacher Gift ideas in my upcoming posts so be sure to check back!

Link parties I participate in: Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime

Crusted Lemon Cream Bars

I'm thrilled to share both my Crusted Lemon Cream Bars along with a fun monthly collaboration starting today with 10 creative blogs. Each month on the 10th, the same 10 blogs will share a project around the same theme, and you can hop to their blogs to see, pin and save their projects after viewing mine. Pin this collage below, and make sure you come back on the 10th each month! In May, the theme is CITRUS, below are the fabulous shares.

   

 To see my recipe for the Crusted Lemon Cream Bars, scroll down below the hop.  To see each contributors' Citrus post up close, join the Blog Hop! {In the event that the direct link to their posts don't work when clicking on the title, click on the blogs main page link just before}. They are numbered according to the links below.

 1. Capturing Joy shares Citrus Photography Art Prints for the home

 2 .Eighteen25 sharing their Orange Party Punch recipe 

 3 .Landee See, Landee Do shares a Crusted Lemon Cream Bars recipe 

 4. Little Miss Momma sharing diy Typography Mantel Art (Using Lemons) 

 5. Lolly Jane shares a diy Chevron Citrus Wreath tutorial 

 6.Or So She Says shares a recipe for Lemon Ricotta Gems 

 7. Simply Kierste has a recipe for Lemon Cupcakes 

 8. Six Sisters Stuff sharing a Creamy Lemon Bars recipe 

 9. Thirty Handmade Days shares When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemon Cookies! Printable and recipe

 10. Your Homebased Mom shares a Lemon Cream Cake Recipe

I was so happy when I heard that the first theme of this fun blog hop was going to be citrus because I. LOVE. LEMON. ANYTHING.  I was going to busy myself researching recipes,  hashing out old favorites, etc. when a friend of mine brought over the most delicious lemon cream bars I had ever had for my birthday!  It was kismet. 

So I promptly asked her for the recipe and am now sharing it with you today.  Because these are done in layers, with some cooling time in between, they are perfect to make ahead for a baby shower or something like that.  No need to make them fresh the day of an event when you have a million other things to do! 

I will write it out step-by-step here, but have also created a quick reference image at the bottom for you to see, at-a-glance, what ingredients are needed.

Ok, first.... the crust. I think it was Confucius who said "Everything with a crust is better than everything without a crust."  Or something like that.  Well, he was spot on.  Crust=good.

For this crust you need:

1C. butter, softened

1C. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 C. flour

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy.  Add flour and mix until just combined.  Line a 9x13 pan (or those slightly larger ones if you have it... it gets a little "full" in a 9x13) with parchment paper that hangs over the sides.  Press crust into the bottom of the pan.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until just starting to turn golden.

While that is baking get going on the next layer which is the lemon curd.  You'll need:

8 egg yolks

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 C. fresh lemon juice (about 8-9 large lemons)

In a medium bowl whisk together all ingredients and pour over hot crust.  Return to oven and bake an additional 25-30 minutes.  Chill in the fridge while making the next layer.

Now, I don't know how this would taste with bottled lemon juice.  It might be ok but I wasn't going to chance it.  I was amazed at how many lemons it took to get a cup and a half of juice!  Behold all of my lemon carcases.  :)  Totally worth it and my kitchen smelled amazingly lemony.

The final layer... the Lemon Cream Layer.  You'll need:

2 (8oz) pkgs. cream cheese, softened

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3/4 C. fresh lemon juice (about 4 large lemons)

1 lemon rind, grated

In a medium bowl, whip together all ingredients until thick and fluffy.  Spread over cooled lemon curd layer.  Allow to set up in refrigerator for several hours or over night.

When cooled & set, remove bars from pan (using the parchment paper), set on cutting surface and cut bars into desired size. 

Garnish with your favorite berry and/or berry sauce or glaze!  Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries would all be amazing with the creamy lemon taste of these bars.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check back on the 10th of each month to see what I and this amazing group of creative bloggers are doing next!  

If you've hopped over from another one of these amazing bloggers and are new here then WELCOME!  You can follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter (@landeelu) and Instagram (landeelu), should you be so inclined.  :)

Link parties I participate in: Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime

Mother's Day Gift Ideas-- Landee On Etsy

First of all, I just want to say how much I have appreciated all of the love and support I have felt from you, my readers, during the passing of my dad recently.  It's amazing how good a quick comment from one of you can make me feel!  So thank you, thank you, thank you.  It has been such a blessing.

Now, even though it snowed here in Colorado yesterday (yes, on May 1st!) it is still technically "spring" and that means Mother's Day is fast approaching!  It is coming up on May 12th so I thought I'd inform/remind you of some cute things in my Etsy shop that would be perfect for YOUR mom!  

If you order by Monday, May 6th, I'll be giving a 20% discount on all orders (excluding vinyl backsplash orders).  Just use the discount code LANDEEMOM20 at checkout!

K, so, this board has been a best seller for a couple of years now.  Here's a little secret... we have gotten back reports that moms have CRIED when they open it!  Like, real tears cried.  So if you want to make your mom cry happy tears this year, this one is perfect!  As with ALL our stuff, it's totally customizable as far as colors go.  We can even change Grandma to something else if your kids call your mom Nana, Oma, Gigi or anything else!  Click on the picture to take you to the listing in our shop.

Mother's Day Board

This one is also a nice one to let your mom know, on some small scale,  how much she has done for you!

Mothers

Does your mom LOVE to organize?  I know mine does.  We have some fun chalkboard labels as well as completely customizable canister labels that would be perfect to help her stay that way!

Chalkboard Labels: Set of 10

Customizable Canister Labels: Set of 8

And for those dear, sweet, bless-their-hearts, mothers of boys!  :)

Mother of Boys

Maybe your mom, or a friend or YOU have a child out on a mission right now or leaving on a mission soon?  I know this board has been purchased many, many times to help people get through those hard months!

Missionary Definition

And finally, for those moms who might enjoy a Diet Coke from "time to time."  :)

Return With A Diet Coke

So there are some fun ideas that your Mom might love this year!  Remember the LANDEEMOM20 code at checkout for 20% off through Monday, May 6th!

Come What May and Love It Printable

My awesome, funny, clever, smart, generous, loving beloved dad passed away on Sunday, April 21, 2013.   He grappled with pancreatic cancer for a good year and a half before it became too much.

 Here he is with (almost) all of his grandkids in a photo taken this past summer (these were taken by Jennifer Ashby Photography in the Boise, ID area).

To say that I am sad would be such an understatement.  And yet, as a good friend of mine who never knew her dad reminded me, I have been so lucky to have had such a wonderful dad for the past 37 years.  He has been such an example of faith, duty, endurance, kindness, trust and, above all else, JOY.  He did everything with joy and brought joy to everything.

I really wanted some reminders of him around my home so I decided to create a printable with his favorite quote... "Come what may and love it."  It comes from a talk by Joseph B. Wirthlin which you can read HERE if you'd like.   It was exactly this kind of attitude of his that lead him to creating and finding JOY in everything.  It's also something I want to become better at doing.  I'm hoping this little reminder in my kitchen will help.  It coordinates well with my Pray printable too.

If you would like to have it you can download it HERE in 4 different sizes.

And since this is my blog and I want to share the awesomeness that is my dad with you I thought I'd post some fun pictures of him from the last little while.  I really wish you could have known him.

Taken at our house in South Carolina in 2005.

With my grumpy baby girl in 2006.

Reading a super interesting Tigger book with Tanner in 2005.

With three of his grandsons in 2009.  I'm pretty sure he had been pinching and tickling them.

Bragging about going from last place to 2nd place in a go-cart race.  2009.

My parents and their kids.  2012

My family. His legacy. 2012.

Did I tell you he was a long-arm quilter?  His business was called Real Men Quilt and he had quilted over 300 quilts in just under 3 years.  I told you he was awesome.  :)

An Easter Mantel

I am so annoyed that there are only a couple of weeks betwixt St. Patrick's Day and Easter this year!  What the heck?  It's cramping my mantel decor style a little but, no worries, I've got my Easter mantel all set and ready to share just in the knick of time.  I'm guessing you already have all of your Easter stuff up already but maybe you can just file/pin this away for some inspiration for next year, mmmkay? Mmmkay.

Alternative title for this post: An Artsy-Fartsy Easter Mantel

I cannot tell you how much I am in love with my bunny painting that I painted all by myself!  I felt like an honest-to-goodness artist making that thing.  Well, that is if an honest-to-goodness artist paints paintings in under 10 minutes.   I have had this 18x24 canvas in my basement for oh, I don't know, 2 years now with "big plans" for it.  Well, those "big plans" have never come to fruition and my mantel needed something BIG to make a statement.  

So, I hand drew a little bunny silhouette on the canvas with a pencil and taped a 1/2 inch border off around the edges.   I then slathered on the pink craft paint everywhere except the bunny... that was the most fun part of all!  When that dried I went back and painted in the bunny with white paint (sort of unnecessary but I didn't want to stop painting) and then kinda sorta dry brushed some white paint around the edges and here and there to add some interest.

Very very fun and I WILL be doing it again sometime.  Put on your beret and smock and give it a go!

I also made a fun Easter egg garland to string up!  

I simply designed and printed these eggs off on white cardstock, cut them out and taped them onto a piece of baker's twine.  Could not be easier.  You can download them HERE too if you'd like!

Using 4" doilies and my 2" scallop circle punch (and a couple of extra print outs of my eggs to punch the circles from), I made a miniature version of my Easy Doily Garland which you can find HERE.  I think it's so dang cute that size I can hardly stand it.

And lastly, I made a fun, trendy chevron "Welcome Spring!" sign to add.  It's the newest addition to my Etsy shop (you can get it in other colors and with different sayings on it too!).  Available HERE.

And that's it!  We are now completely spring-ified and it feels pretty dang good.  Now I just need this Colorado weather to stay consistently nice for it to truly feel like springtime!

Happy Easter prep! :)

Link parties I participate in:  Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime

Pray Printable

I have had a heavy heart as of late.  Well,  really it's been over a year but it's ramped up here in the last couple of weeks.  My amazingly awesome Dad has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  As many of you know, I'm sure, this is not good.  Not at all.  He was originally diagnosed around this time last year, went through chemo and radiation.  The mass which was on his pancreas was cancer free for a while and things were looking up.  We breathed a sigh of relief... for about 3 seconds.

Then he began having some pain again and it steadily got worse over the past few months.   He was in constant pain until last week when they put in a pain pump which basically douses the area around his pancreas with a numbing agent/morphine.  As that was happening they did a scan and the mass on his pancreas had increased in size.

My dad, shown here, with a mere fraction of his grandkids.  I adore this photo.

A second round of chemo is not proving to be a viable option and things are not lining up the way I had hoped.  What I had HOPED was that he would be the 1 in a billion who beat pancreatic cancer.  What I had HOPED was that he would be there for my daughter's wedding.  What I had HOPED was that he would be around for another 20 years since he is only a mere 69 years old.  Now I'm just hoping that he sticks around for longer than the six months they have given him and doesn't leave us even one day sooner.  

Since hope doesn't seem to be working for me, I've turned even more to prayer.  I know I can't thwart God's will but it has been amazing to know peace and comfort as I ask for it through prayer.  When no amount of distraction can take my mind off of this and sleep eludes me, prayer is the only thing that brings me back around.  It truly is a gift.

My friend has this saying on her refrigerator and I absolutely love it... "Pray every morning, every evening and often in between."  I wanted it in my house too, especially now, so I created this printable and am sharing it with you today.

You can download a non-watermarked, high-quality version in 4x6 (perfect for handouts in church or to give to a friend), 5x7, 8x10 and 16x20  HERE.

(And that fabulous frame is from the awesome Etsy shop Orange Blossom Shop)

I have now placed it prominently in my kitchen as a reminder to me and my family.

My hope for this is that it reminds you that there is always someone to turn to at. any. time. and we are never alone... and prayer is a powerful thing.

Link parties:  Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime