Poshta Presents - Back to School!
Hello Friends! We are kicking off a new month with a new Poshta Presents guest, and for the month of August, we will be joined by our friend DJ Gainer!
Check out DJ's Instagram page for lots of felt stitching eye candy! I can't wait for you to see what she has to share with you today! Take it away, DJ!
It's August and that means it's time to think about Back to School! Some of my favorite memories of school are Fall apples, the smell of new crayons and bright yellow #2 pencils. I was thrilled to be able to work with the Autumn Apple, Jumbo Crayon, and Just Write dies.
I wanted to focus on teacher accessories for the first week. I mainly used a combination of the Playground and the Holly Hill color stories in addition to the coordinating sequins and beads.
The tote bag ribbon charm is a fun addition to any teacher's bag. The base of the apple is made from Cardinal, the leaves are Arugula, and Tundra is used for the inside of the apple. I wanted to be able to personalize the apple so I used a C from the Banner Builder Alphabet. The ribbons are an assortment of school themed ribbons topped with a cheerful Daffodil bow from the Fresh Flowers die.
To make the ribbon charm I cut 18" lengths of various ribbons and lightly melted the ends with a lighter. I folded the ribbons in half around a 6" metal loop/keychain and secured with a tiny zip tie. I then sewed the bow to a piece of felt and secured the felt over the zip tie with glue and a few stitches to reinforce it. Add wooden beads on either side of the ring and you have a fun accessory!
My favorite part of the tote bag ribbon charm is that the apple is removeable so you can attach it to a zipper or a backpack. In this piece and in most of my pieces I cut an additional layer of heavy cardstock and sandwich it in the middle to give the finished piece some form and durability.
Every teacher needs a name tag for the first day and a name tag from the Just Write die is perfect. I opted for a classic #2 pencil look with a Daffodil body and coordinating sequins and beads from the Playground Color Story. The bow from the Fresh Flowers die is again the perfect size to dress up the basic pencil and the name is made from computer printed vinyl. On the back I used a generic 1" pin back with a clasp.
The final accessory is a bookmark to dress up a daily planner or workbook. The first bookmark has a base of Ripe Raspberry and Paloma for the label with some fun sequins and beads from the Holly Hill Color Story. The second bookmark uses Arugula and Soft Jade--again with coordinating sequins and beads. To assemble the bookmarks I cut 18" of 3/8" white elastic and sewed the ends together. The final elastic measurement is about 8 1/4" inches pressed flat. I cut a piece of Tundra felt about an inch bigger on all sides than the Jumbo Crayon. I then applied glue to the back of the Jumbo Crayon and layered the elastic in between the felt and crayon. I let dry and then cut around the crayon with some scalloped scissors to give the back some interest.
What an adorable ensemble that any teacher would be sure to love! I love all of the bright colors and the personalization makes each one so special! Thank you so much DJ for sharing these fun gift ideas with us today. Next Thursday, we will be in the middle of release week, but DJ will be back again the following week with more to share. Have a great week everyone! :)
My daughter’s best friend became a 1st year teacher this year! This will be a cute gift!
I love the school theme and the apple is my favorite!
Really cute ribbon charms!
I love the pencil!
Perfect for Back to School!