Decorative Chalkboard Clipboard | Pretty Handy Girl

Easy Decorated Chalkboard Clipboards | Pretty Handy Girl

Teacher Appreciation time is coming up. Every year, I find myself scrambling for last minute gift ideas for the teachers. My sister-in-law is a school teacher and she has always lamented the amount of sugar-laden sweets she is gifted. For that reason, I like to give my sons’ teachers non-food gifts that will last long after teacher appreciation week. This week will be dedicated to Simple & Inexpensive Last Minute Gift Ideas your teachers will surely love!

Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas Series | Pretty Handy Girl

Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas:

Decorated Chalkboard | Thank You for Nurturing My Child Plant | Apple Pencil Holder | You Rock Gift 3D Card | Simple Washi Tape Vases

Today we’ll start off with a simple DIY project that your children can help create. Decorated Chalkboard Clipboards are a great little DIY gift idea for the teachers in your life (or anyone who uses clipboards.) I plan to give these to my boys’ teachers with a gift card to an office supply store tucked under the clip.

Gather the little munchkins around and let’s get started on these adorable Decorated Chalkboard Clipboards.

Materials:
(contains affiliate links)

Easy Decorated Chalkboard Clipboards | Pretty Handy Girl

Instructions: Read more

Make a Driftwood Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Make a Driftwood Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Make a Driftwood Gift Crate

I love making small crates or boxes to use as gift baskets for friends. It’s a great way to use up scrap wood and give a gift that can be used to organize a desk or shelf.  Stick around today and I’ll show you How to Make a Driftwood Gift Crate.

After a short walk on the beach, I was able to collect many broken pieces of dune fencing that had turned into nice weathered driftwood. I knew I could use it to make some beautiful gifts. Here is one idea.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Make a Driftwood Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Optional: wood glue for stronger joints

Instructions:

Paint the base and corner supports gray to blend in with the driftwood.

Make a Driftwood Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Allow paint to dry and nail strips of driftwood framing the 8″x8″ base. For a more secure hold, you can use wood glue around the base before nailing.

Make a Driftwood Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Can we take a one minute break so I can tell you about this Porter-Cable 20 volt Lithium 18 ga. air nailer? It is battery powered, no compressor needed and it is da’bomb! Porter-Cable sent it to me to try out a while ago. I’ve been using it all winter and have had no issues with jamming or misfiring (like my Ryobi Airstrike nailer frequently does.) The weight is a little heavier than a nailer that needs a compressor, but the benefits of being cordless and quiet in between firing makes it my go-to brad nailer. Sorry for the diversion. I just had to share a little more about my new favorite tool.

Make a Driftwood Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Finish framing the base. Add the top rail to the corner supports for two sides.

Make a Driftwood Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Stand up the connected corner supports and nail through the base into the corner support. A clamp will help hold the corner supports while you nail them.

Make a Driftwood Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Nail all corner supports into the base on two sides.

Make a Driftwood Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Continue attaching side rails until your crate is complete.

Make a Driftwood Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Fill your driftwood crate with goodies and give it to a friend.

Make a Driftwood Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

They will surely enjoy receiving this little Driftwood Gift Crate.

drift-wood-gift-crate

Do you collect driftwood at the beach? Or do you have an excess of scrap wood you can use to make gift crates? If you don’t have driftwood, pieces of broken lattice or paint sticks will work just as nicely.

PHGFancySign

Disclosure: Porter-Cable sent the Porter-Cable 20 volt Lithium 18 ga. air nailer (affiliate link) to test. I was not paid to review this tool, nor was I told what to write. All opinions are my own. I am very particular about the products I share with you and will always let  you know when something was given to me to review.

 

three-book-recommendations

I’m thrilled to share with you a selection of 3 DIY books this holiday season. If you are looking for ideas for someone on your gift list who: has children who love to create; loves rustic metal decor; or wants some simple ideas to love the home they are living in…I have the book for you!

Let’s start with C.R.A.F.T – Creating REALLY Awesome Free Things (affiliate link). This book by Jamie Dorobek was not a book I had originally planned on reviewing. But, when I opened the envelope and set the book on the counter it was instantly whisked away from me. My boys took the book and read it from front to back!

C.R.A.F.T. Book Review

Within 30 minutes, my oldest (a middle schooler) had already cut up a cereal box and was working on his own puzzle.

C.R.A.F.T. Book Review

C.R.A.F.T. Book Review

The next day, my 3rd grader had a playdate at our house. He and his friend asked for the materials to make their own Emoji masks. Read more

21 Creative Ways to Gift Wrap | Pretty Handy Girl

21 Creative Ways to Gift Wrap | Pretty Handy Girl

Hello again! It’s Colleen from Just Paint It with a collection of 21 Creative Wrapping Ideas.

When I was a kid my favorite part of Christmas was wrapping presents. (Outside of opening them, that is.) I loved it so much that my mother would often have me wrapping my own presents without telling me. Then she’d switch the tags around on Christmas Eve! Such great memories. Using creative gift wrapping is a special way to create memories that will last a lifetime. Enjoy some beautiful gift wrapping inspiration here:

creative gift wrappingPolar Bear Gift Wrapping

 

creative-gift-wrappingMonogram Gift Wrap Read more

DIY Snowflake Christmas Trivets

Hey there, everyone!  It’s Katie again from Addicted 2 DIY.  I’m back with a Christmas tutorial that can pull double-duty as both Christmas decor and a useful accessory for your big family gatherings.  I don’t know about you, but in my family finding a spare trivet during Thanksgiving or Christmas meals is about as hard to find as an extra serving spoon.  We often find ourselves short one or two and holding hot dishes of food, while trying to decide if it’s cool enough to set on the bare table.  I decided that making my own simple and pretty trivets would solve some problems.  The fun thing is that you don’t have to just use these pretty snowflakes as trivets.  You can hang them as Christmas decor if you like!

snowflake trivet

To make these, purchase plywood (a 1 – 2′ square piece is all you need) or you can use scrap wood.  I used 3/4″ plywood. However, you can easily use 1/2″ or even 1/4″ if that’s what you have on hand.  It’s all about saving money this time of year, right?

Materials:
(contains affiliate links)

Instructions:

STEP 1:  Size your snowflake templates however you would like and cut them out of cardstock.

snowflake trivet step 1

STEP 2:  Trace the snowflakes with a pencil onto your plywood. Read more