Classy Dollar Store Teacher Appreciation Gifts!
March 27, 2013 by Alison
Dollar Store
Teacher Appreciation Gifts
I used to teach Jr. High. Loved it, but struggled smiling sincerely during teacher appreciation week after opening up my 32nd ‘#1 teacher mug’. Okay maybe not 32 of them, but I got my fair share of them. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful because I know it’s the thought that counts and getting a kind gift from a teenager is pretty impressive.
Anyways, I was trying to think of something that for my daughter’s teacher that could be found at the dollar store and wouldn’t be taken to the teacher’s lounge and ‘accidentally’ left there.
So how about a teacher appreciation organizer…a cute classy organizer that would be fun and functional to have on a desk.
I started out with 4 square glass ‘pots’ or vases. They were in the vase section not the mugs and glass section of the dollar store…BTW
Have you ever used the reverse of vinyl? It works as a pretty snazzy stencil. No exact- o knife needed! Choose your font and…perfection!Cut out your vinyl and pull the back part off (as shown). Place it where you want the letters to be etched.
I used the etchall etching cream. Say that 5 times fast. You only use a little bit, so grab a few friends and do it together! The instructions say to use gloves…I am showing you the gloves…they weren’t on my hands apparently.
Glob some in the vinyl letter openings. Don’t get it on any other part of the glass.
Wait for 15 minutes. Run the glass under water removing all of the glob and then pull off the vinyl. It will look really clear and I thought I did it wrong until it dried. Do you see the letter ‘e’ ? That one is dry. The other letters are still wet and harder to see…until they dry.
PENCILS!
Add ribbon and pencils
and pens…
The middle one says clips and I did one that says candy. So…Pens, paper, clips and candy, but the pictures looked cuter with just the three.
These teacher appreciation gifts would be fast and thrifty to make for your kids teachers. My daughter is excited to give hers to her teacher!
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Great idea! I love making something cheap look so expensive! Clever!
Kim @ frostmeblog.blogspot.com
party inspiration
I like it!
seriously!! how do you come up with these things!! I just got done making my chore charts… they turned out cute. Thanks for the awesome inspirations! My daughter did the 12 days of Christmas this year with all of the penny deals we found at Staples and office max. It was so much fun!
Yes, that is plural. Emily and Gina made one for me, too! They turned out fabulous!
This is a great idea! We know lots of teachers, so this idea will totally come in handy – and can so easily be adapted for friends birthdays, holidays, etc! Thanks!
I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to get them as a gift! But… since we rarely get gifts at the HS level, I guess I might have to do it myself!
These are fabulous – looks like such a classy gift.
I have done glass etching before and it’s fun! Practically instant gratification. The only bad part of the process is the etching compound smells really yucky!
Tina…it really is instant gratification! The kind that I used I didn’t notice any bad smell. I didn’t ‘sniff’ it, but I didn’t notice a smell. Do you remember which kind you used?
LOVE this idea!! Thanks for sharing!
I used to teach 4th grade and know exactly what you are talking about. I would have loved getting this gift from a student. Thanks for the idea!
super cute i love this idea
That is really cute. I need to get a Silhouette or a Cricut or something to do all this snazzy stuff. Does the Silhouette cut fabric too?
so cute… I just bought some of that etching cream. Now Im not so ‘scared’ to give it a try.
So all I need now is a Silhouette machine, right? >:(
Christmas isn’t soon enough. . .
~a
What a cute idea! (I used to teach kindergarten so I know exactly what you are talking about) By the way, bless your heart for having taught Jr. High…seriously.
That is just so cute. Love it girls!
XOOX
Jen
There are also some great gift ideas for teachers at Singapore Math Tutor Amazon store.
I love this idea. And it is amazing. And what a great inexpensive gift for the teachers!
mmmm silhouette crush increasing!
As a teacher I would be tickled pink to get a gift like this! Thanks for passing along the idea.
TOOOO CUTE TO BE TRUE
their teachers are totally lucky! 
Such a clever idea, I love it!! You can use this idea for several different purposes.
Those are just adorable! I might just have to make a set for myself. My boys are in High School and Middle School, they probably wouldn’t appreciate me sending in Teacher Gifts!
Thanks for sharing!
~Liz
You know, my son is in high school and I send gifts on the first and last day and every holiday in between. High school teachers deserve just as many “thanks” as elementary teachers. My son is never embarrassed. If he were, I’d take them in myself. As a former elementary and high school teacher, I know that parent involvement decreases significantly the higher the grade level and this is a way to let those high school teachers know you appreciate the job they do.
I love this one. I’m a teacher too and we do get a ton of mugs
I can’t wait to help my kiddos make these for their teachers. Thanks for the great idea!
I need these for me…but how cute for our teachers (and when you have 4 kids, thats a lot of teacher appreciation)!
Great idea!! Since I don’t have a machine that cuts vinyl would the etching cream work on a stencil not made from vinyl?
Ya it would. The vinyl is sticky so it helps it from sliding around. Make sure your stencil is secured securely and it will work just the same:)
Thanks for asking BTW!
I made personalized name cups for everyone last Christmas, and I used contact paper, and the kind from the dollar store works perfectly fine. It is hard to get clean lines with just a stencil, but if you use your exacto and cut it out first, it comes out beautifully!
The teachers at the high school will love it! Such a great idea!!
Great idea! Love dollar store gifts that don’t look like you paid a dollar for them!
These are so cute and i am so glad to find out about the reverse vinyl and the etching cream, so cool, i am going to have to try it soon.
Cute but what can the rest of us use as a stencil if we don’t have $300+ to spend on a Sihouette?
You could use paking tape and exact-o the letters out or I’ve heard of people using contact paper. I’m not too familiar with other ways of doing it that is why I did it this way. There are a lot of vinyl companies out there that will cut out the vinyl for you. These strips would probably cost only few dollars. We recommend http://www.mytalkingwalls.com for vinyl, but there are others out there too! Hope this helps!
These are SO cute. I think I may use this idea to make little organizers for my daughter’s hair accessories! I’m glad to hear this will work with a stencil too.
Great tutorial! I’ve been wanting to try the etching with the negative image from the vinyl cuts- so helpful to know what etching product you used too. I can’t wait to check out the rest of your site with all your fun and crafty ideas!
.-= Kathryn´s last blog ..Making more card kits – this time for the Women’s Retreat =-.
This was so easy. Mine are drying right now. Very cute.
I think it could also turn out cute with some funky alphabet stickers. Thanks the awesomely cheap and cute idea!
Just to note that many schools ban glass for safety reasons. I guess the teacher could use the organiser at home, but just worth bearing in mind.
i was too lazy (umm, i mean frugal with my time) to read all the comments, but i just wanted to let everyone know NOT to wash the goop down the drain. SCOOP THE GOOP BACK INTO THE JAR and use it again! it can be used again and again and again . . .
This is TOO CUTE! Makes me wish I had a Silhouette even more!
.-= Tammy Moore´s last blog ..Four Days Left! =-.
Thanks so much for this awesome idea that looks like a million bucks. WIsh I would have received something this awesome when I was teaching. I’ve featured it today:
http://www.mydeliciousambiguity.com/2010/08/new-teacher-gifts.html
Cheers!
Can you tell me what font you used and the size? Thanks
Shoot I wish I could remember. This was posted too long ago. For the size I just used measured the size of the glass and took off an inch.
I am so making these for my kids’ teachers! May even offer some for my etsy site too! Thanks Allison!
love this…linked it up at my facebook!
Very cute!! As a teacher I’d love to get these as a gift
Super cute!
Facebook: Handmade by Hilani
These are so cute and I would love to do this project for my son’t teacher. I am not sure I understand what she means by reverse vinyl. Is this something you can purchase at a craft store? Any info,is most appreciated.
These are so cute!! You did an awesome job!
Very snazzy dollar store gifts! No one would ever suspect that! I’ll have to try that etching technique! Thanks for sharing this week!
I’m trying to find the link for that picture frame for a class picture that has crayons out the top and looks like a chalk board…also has a ruler…and I’ve searched the site over and over again. Where did it go?!?!
Oh no! I don’t think that is us? That doesn’t sound familiar to me. Could it be another site?
Oh, I feel silly…I found it on sugardoodle.net. I spend so much time on howdoesshe, I just assumed!
I really like this idea. It is so neat and clever. I have an idea of my own I am going to try.
Thanks
Where can I buy Etchall? I currently use Armour Etch, but it doesn’t etch evenly. Thanks!
is this etching cream safe for health, it may include hydrofluoric acid?
one question….I have done glass etching before and had to use the exact-o knife. How exactly do you get out of using it here? I would love to find an easier way to etch.
~Alison
What a great idea. Will be doing these for my DGK’s teachers for Christmas this year. Fantastic THANKYOU… Something different.
As a former teacher I can tell you that these would make awesome gifts. What an easy idea!
Perfect! I’m going to pin this. I did an etched casserole dish for my hubby’s parents for Christmas and I too thought I did it wrong until it dried. haha I love how it looked.
These are just so perfect and practical. Thanks!
can you walk me through the part about the vinyl and how you did the lettering?
where did you get the etching cream and the vinyl?
I love this idea, and while I myself use etching cream often, you do have an obligation to your readers (and yourself!) to stress the importance of safety here. Etching cream is very very toxic and nitrile gloves should always be worn. As well as safety goggles and protective clothing. Working outside is a good idea, too. This stuff can KILL you! Hydrofluoric acid!