Mama's Little Ladybugs: End of School Year Gifts

My baby is entering the fourth grade! And just like I did at her age, she will be starting the fourth grade at a new school. I am saddened to know that tomorrow we will be saying goodbye to the teachers, nurses, coaches, and principals that have been there for her since she first attended daycare at the age of four. Since this is our final goodbye, we wanted to make a special gift for some of her favorite people.

I have seen this particular craft all over blog land, but wanted to share it with some of my hometown friends and family. Many of them have school age children and have also been wondering what to make/give their teacher as a "thank you" for educating, loving, and caring for their children. Here is what you will need:

clay pot

clay saucer

permanent marker

paintbrush

acrylic paint

glue gun

gumballs

small round vase

ribbon (optional)

small wood dowel

You will be making a "gumball machine" for your special teacher, nurse, principal, etc, and the entire project costs less than five bucks! Michael's only had one short clay pot left, so I grabbed it along with two taller pots. Personally, I think the shorter pots look cuter, so grab those if you can.

First you will want to paint your clay pot and saucer a color of your choice. Once dry, paint a second coat to really cover up the deep terra cotta color. Next, wash your vase (because unwrapped candy will be in there) and glue it to the bottom of your clay pot, like so:

Next, paint your wood dowel a different color (again, two coats), and when dry, glue the dowel to the painted saucer. Your saucer will be upside down as well so that it looks like a lid and not a dish.

Once all your paint is dry, fill your vase with gumballs and place, not glue, your "lid" on top. Here are the three we created and you can judge for yourself whether you prefer the taller pots or the smaller pot for your own project:

The ribbon is optional but I thought it gave the whole project a special touch. You can also specialize your gumball machine by adding the name of the teacher: