Pinterest Interest - Teacher Gifts

When isn’t there a right time to give a gift to a teacher? Beginning of the year, end of the year, spring break, winter break, birthday… the list goes on. Be prepared for all of them with these A+ teacher gifts courtesy of Pinterest. Asked a few of the educator friends and family, thanks Mom and Kathleen, and guidelines for getting a gift are as follows:

1.    Make it something they can use. If your teacher never passes out candy to the kids, don’t get them candy
2.    All show and no substance is not good for anyone. Kathleen got a HUGE monster of a gift that in no way she can ever use, but to re-gift it to someone else. Yikes.
3.    GIFTCARDS are a teacher’s dream. They all love personalizing their classroom or life in general. Shopping is fun for a teacher.
4.    Try to stay away from baked goods. This point was made VERY CLEAR in a handful of blogs. The last thing a teacher wants to do is get 20 sets of two dozen cookies/brownies/bars/cupcakes. Dry mixes are the way to go if you want to do food.
5.    Class gifts are really awesome. Getting everyone together signifies that village supports the teacher and the love is abundant!

Mason Jar – Never did I ever think the mason jar was going to save me! I bought a pack of 12 for 40% off and they have come in handy! I also loved added a pop of color to the lid by putting a muffin cup between the lid and the seal. Click Here for the Pin!

Sharpies – COLORS! My collection of sharpies is vast because my use of sharpies is vast. Give the gift of permanent color! Click Here for the Pin!

Teacher Tumbler – This gift is so versatile I love it! I am obsessed with the peach iced tea so you can bet there are a ton of those “add to water” packets in my house. Re-useable ice cubes or whiskey stones would be perfect in these as well. Click Here for the Pin!

Creative Juices – So cute! Love the tumblers. I use one almost every day. Opt for real juice instead of a gift card so they actually use this tumbler.  Click Here for the Pin!

Foot Soak – Teachers stand A LOT during the day. Keep their feet rejuvenated with this easy to make and serene smelling gift. Side Note: Going with the “Spa Basket” this year? Include this bad boy! The bottle I used was from Michael’s. Click Here for the Pin!

Going Nuts – If your teacher has a good since of humor this is the gift for them. I enlisted my mother to make this! SO SIMPLE!!! She loved finding cute designs and using the new etching cream. Picked up my heavy glass glasses at the 99 Cents Store. Set of 12 brushes to paint the design was was there to! Click Here for the Pin!

Top of the Charts – Any gift with the word “chart” in it, is made for Mr. Math or Mrs. Science! Great for the K-6 teachers that teach it all! Click Here for the Pin!

Movie Star – PERFECT for a theatre, band, dance, orchestra or performance art teacher! They love the drama! Click Here for the Pin!

Starbucks Cup – Well isn’t this an easy presentation? Adding the extra items lets the teacher know they deserve fanciness.  Click Here for the Pin!

Thanks a Latte – Never get tired of this one! LOVE the reused cup protector. ALSO love that it is for any coffee shop. Click Here for the Pin!

Target Gift Card – Who doesn’t shop at target? This one can be dressed up if need be, but fabulous by itself. Click Here for the Pin!

Teacher Gift Cards – SUPER Easy. I love that you can still buy a gift card that is personal with these cards. Click Here for the Pin!

Check out my segment on Your Life A to Z

Make-up lesson - Karen Hall

        

    
















Karen Hall is a fabulous make-up artist. She takes people to A+++ on air! I'm so luck to have had a make-up lesson from her!

Tips I loved

Blush: Start at the hallow part of your cheek not the apple. Work your way down. Blend up into the face to allow for contouring.

Highlighting: Add a little brush or bronzer to where the sun hits. A slight stroke will add depth to the face. Places to hit: outside above the brow, top of the forehead in an upside-down small triangle to the middle, on top of the nose and under the jaw.

Lips: Line the lips from the outside and work in. ONLY use lip gloss on the center of your lips. When gloss goes to the outside it bleeds the line of your lips.

Eyes: JET BLACK eyeliner only. Add darker neutral color to the hood of the eye right under the brow bone to give more depth to the eyes.

Neck: Use a slight combo of blush and bronzer

My tips that I use everyday!

If you are in the mood for a lesson for day, night, work, on-air make-up get a lesson from Karen Hall.

I'm getting the hang of re-creating the look! It's taking some time, but it has made a HUGE difference!

Pinterest Interest - Coconut Oil

Move over Olive Oil. There is a tropical oil making her way into pantries and beauty shelves everywhere and she's a tough nut to crack. Welcome... Coconut Oil.
With versatility in both form and uses, coconut oil is mixing herself up in everything from cakes to cuticle cream. It seems our endeavor for the "one stop shop" as turned in to "one oil for all".  Pinterest, of course, is on the forefront of pushing coconut on my skin and in my kitchen.

Before I get to my Pinterest Interest, let me tell you why this crazy stuff fascinates me.
1. It changes form. Refrigerator = hard ice cream like consistency. On my cool bathroom shelf = thick custard consistency. Looking down from the top shelf of my kitchen cabinet = 80% clear liquid to 20% white molasses consistency. CRAZY!!! This comes into play when cooking. Measure out the oil IN LIQUID FORM ONLY. I made one thing months ago and found of the hard way that all forms of the oil are not equal in size.
2. I can hardly taste it. Maybe because I really like the taste of coconut in general I don't taste it much in my cooking. however, I do like that the flavor is subtle, because I am a gal of substitutions and when I opt of canola oil or vegetable oil I can't taste anything different.
3. My face likes it. I am allergic, as my family and friends will tell you from my swift Mystique like full body transformation into Allergectra (she goes from normal to a severe allergic reaction in seconds), to almost everything, plants included. Coconut oil... NO REACTION!
4.  Good price points are out there. CAUTION. You must shop around for the deal. Costco, Sprouts and Trader Joe's are the stores to shop.

Baking

No Bake Homemade Chew Granola Bars - I did half of the recipe because I didn't have enoough oats on hand. Good heavens are these yummy! Since I cut down the recipe I used an 8x8 pan instead of a cookie sheet.








Coconut Oil Banana Bread - The real name has "Pineapple" before it. I am not a big fan of pineapple in bread. However, the recipe clearly stated my favorite word in baking "substitutions" AND they listed options. I went for the frozen blueberries (they were in my freezer). Side Note: this recipe froze really well!





Chewy Chocolate Chunk Coconut Oatmeal Cookies {Made with Coconut Oil} - These were interesting. This is the second time I made cookies with C. Oil and they were really fluffy. Tasted just fine, but they were not "flat" as picture. In the bottom of the original post the blogger said to cut the flour down for more of the "crisp" cookie look. Next time I shall try that.






Beauty

Body Scrub - Making this was so easy! I chose the salt way and it was great! Mushed it together in a sandwich bag poured it into a min mason jar, stuck it in the fridge to congeal and poof. Salt Scrub for my tootsies.

Under Eye Cream - AVID BELIEVER. As a dessert dweller I am obsessed with moisture in my skin. I felt a difference in my skin after using this. It is a little "sticky" at first, but in the morning my face absorbed it. Felt baby soft. Side Note: To keep my skin hydrated I always wash my face first before applying anything, lotion my entire body, chug 25-30 sips of water every night and take a fish oil pill every other day. This routine has taken be YEARS of trial and error to get to.


Makeup Remover - What a life saver. The hardest, "water resistant", "covers up scars", "24 hours of staying power" is no match for "Organic Coconut Oil. I will admit the mascara is worthy competetor, but in the end the nut did not crack. ( like I did writing that awful joke)





Coconut Lotion Bars - SILICONE MUFFIN TRAY. Get this. Bed Bath and Beyond for $13. Beeswax is hard to find. Beeswax sticks to everything. Beeswax is WATER RESISTANT aka does not wash off. I liked the final product and it was fun to make... once. If you love it make it again, but although I liked what came out sweet heavens was this a mess I am just not willing to clean up again. The tray saved this project. Get the tray.

Pinterest Interest - St. Patrick's Day Good Luck Pins

Looked over the rainbow and what did I see? A pot of gold just for me! St. Patrick’s Day is a FABULOUS day full of green and cheer. Pinterest has no shortage of fun Pins for the lucky holiday and here are a few of my favorites. PS... I was so happy for this segment I did a jig!

Recipes
Irish Soda Bread - Delicious and Traditional
Crackle Green Cookies - Yummy and Minty
Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Irish Cream Frosting - Ummmm Yeah!
Activities
Shamrock Treasure Hunt - Find The Pot of Gold!
St. Patrick’s Bingo - Good Luck Charm
Leprechaun Song - Bring out the wee one
Treats
Kiss me I’m Irish Kisses - Blarney Kisses
Pot of Gold Rollos - Gold Treats
Lucky Pop - Fortunate Soda
Over the Rainbow - Color treats!