Valentine's Day Goodie Bags

**UPDATE**  I apologize, I had the settings wrong for the pattern for the bag.  It's fixed now!  Hope you enjoy!

Oh, wow!  I think I'm actually going to be early with a post!!  Here is a little Valentine's Day goodie bag I whipped together for Youngest's teachers. 

Made using HDC and a couple of rounds from the V-Stitch bag, I think it turned out quite cute!

Here's the pattern I wrote up quickly.  Let me know what you think.  As always, I have to add the disclaimer that I'm terrible at writing instructions, so if you see an error or have a question, don't hesitate to get in contact with me!

The heart is a free pattern from Everything Etsy. 

Just fill it with your gift of choice, and there ya go. 

Hope you guys have a happy Valentine's Day!

Teacher Gifts

Another post that's too little, too late.  I told ya I'm not organized this month!

Ok, enough beating myself up over my scheduling.  Here's this years' teacher gift.

This year has been quite a challenge.  Being in a new school (a school that has a lot of activities for a room mom to handle) and setting up house and just plain being a human has been very time consuming.

I didn't have time to make gifts, but that doesn't mean I didn't put a ton of love into them.  I bought a pack of nifty pens (and I got to keep the left overs, so yay), a couple packs of owl and hedgehog sticky notes (I didn't have enough for me, boo), some chocolates  (another yay), and a notebook (double yay because I got them in the dollar isle at Target, and I got one for myself).

That's about it this year.  I wish I had been more purposeful and deliberate in my teacher gift giving, but stuff happens.  I think I did well with them.

Do you have any teacher gift ideas that you like?  I may need some for teacher appreciation week ;)

It's a Tough One

Thank you, Target, for
the awesome dollar
aisle finds!

Do you guys have people on your Holiday shopping lists that are super hard to buy for?  I do.  I stress and stress about what to get them, or what to make (since I really love giving handmade gifts).

I have a simple idea that I'm going to try out this year.  I'm going to make a list, and for each person that is difficult to buy for, I'm going to list their likes and hobbies.  I'm going to creep Pinterest for ideas from their boards, and hopefully score "best gift giver" this year (yeah, I know it isn't about being the best at it, but it feels pretty great to know you hit a home run with the gift, right?)

What about yourself?  Are you difficult to shop for?  Who said that wish lists are reserved for only the children?  I see no harm in writing out a wish list, so when asked, you can go to that list.  Or you can use it as a way to drop hints.  Just hang it on the fridge ;)

Let's give it a try!  Happy shopping!!

Christmas Shopping

These Bowties are my absolute
FAVORITE!!

Now that Halloween is over, is it too early to talk about Christmas shopping? 

This is totally a shameless plug for my Etsy shop!  Beach Bird Yarnworks has some awesome Christmas gift ideas!

We have ear warmer/headbands that are super soft and come in any color you can imagine!

Our beanies are awesome for keeping warm on those cold winter days!  They also come in any color, and can be made for guys or girls, with or without a bow or flower!

Have a friend or family member that loves a relaxing bath?  We have just the thing!  Our bath bags come with two cotton wash cloths, two cotton face scrubbies, a headband to keep flyaway hair from getting wet, and a matching drawstring bag to hold all of their bath goodies!

Stop by and check us out!  If we don't have something you want, just ask, chances are it can be done!

V-Stitch Drawstring Bag

Hi!!

A few weeks ago, I promised a couple of patterns for the little gift bags that I made as gifts for the boys' teachers.

Well, here's the first one, it doesn't have a fancy name, I just call it the V-Stitch Drawstring Bag.

V-Stitch Drawstring Bag

It can be made with any yarn, any size hook, and in any size you want.  It works up quickly, so I've even been able to make it in an evening for an event the next day!

I hope you enjoy this little project!  Please let me know what you think!!

♡P.S.  If you would rather order one, please feel free to email me (or through IG @littlebeachbird ).  The price is $13 shipped (for the bag only, contents not included).♡

**Disclaimer:  I'm not a professional pattern-writer-upper (yep, technical term), so it may not be a perfect pattern.  If you find a mistake, or have a question, please let me know in the comments.  I appreciate all feedback!!**

Last minute Teacher Appreciation Gifts

Teacher Appreciation Week begins tomorrow (May 5)!  Don't forget to show that special teacher (or two) how much you appreciate them!

Our school has a pre-determined list of things to send in every day:

Monday:  School Supplies
Tuesday:  Unlimited Hugs and Smiles
Wednesday:  Something to Pop (popcorn or Blow Pops)
Thursday:  Something to Eat (fruit, treats, etc)
Friday:  Something to read (card or letter from student).

If your school doesn't do an pre-determined list, I've come up with a couple of extra ideas that don't have to cost a lot of money or time.

Gift card bouquet:  We made this one for our teacher's birthday, but it's great for any celebration.  The flowers can either be real or handmade, there doesn't have to be a lot of giftcards, one would suffice (or none, it could just be flowers).

Bags:  I was told by one of our teachers that they are the ultimate bag lady (or gentleman).  Teachers are always having to take home books and homework and such.  I love to give bags with a little something in them.  This year we have a student teacher, so I'm putting together a bag with some supplies that she's going to need next year for her own room.  I made this bag, but it can be store bought, it can be decorated by the kids, anything goes.

Summer Fun:  Just throw some summer type stuff together, a beach bag with a towel and water bottle, or something along those lines.

Spa Day:  Some lotions, body wash, face scrubbies, etc.  Just a little something to pamper themselves.

Pencil Flower Vase:  (I hope to find a pic of this soon because it's super cute) I made this last year, and she loved it.  All the kids brought in a flower, so she had a nice bouquet.  I found the tutorials on Pinterest (you can follow me there, if you'd like.  I'm Amanda Ropp <the one with the three palm trees as photo>).

There are so many ways to say Thank You to that special teacher, these were just a few of the things we've done in years past.  Imagination is the key.

I hope I've helped, if you've been stuck on ideas. 

See ya!

~Amanda ~