DIY Halloween card for kids (2016)

I wanted this year’s card to be different than last year’s, because I’m giving the cards to a lot of the same kids. However, I had a lot of the same supplies to use up, so they ended up being similar!

I used:

• dark purple cardstock (12″ x 12″) – I used my paper cutter to trim these to 4″ x 5.5″ to fit in envelopes
• spooky ribbon to line the bottom of the card
  • Recollections “Halloween Boo” ribbon (pack of 5) [Michaels]
• pumpkin letter sticker – but since I’ve run out of a bunch of letters, I didn’t always get to use the first letter of their name (as shown)
• silver metallic Sharpie for the words I wrote on (child’s name and mine)
• printed out spooky-lettered “Happy Halloween!” onto white card stock and rounded two opposite corners before gluing on
  • font: Nemo Nightmares [here]
  • Martha Stewart corner rounder [Michaels]
• sparkly/gemstone pumpkin sticker [sheet of 25 stickers: Hobby Lobby]
• envelopes – The Paper Studio value pack – 100 white [Hobby Lobby]
• Elmer’s Craft Bond Extra strength glue stick – to affix white “Happy Halloween!” paper
• Elmer’s Craft Bond quick dry dual-tip glue pen (the small side) -to affix ribbon

 

For the kids whose cards I will mail (not my students), I included a couple of sheets of stickers and a jack-o-lantern eraser. (stickers and erasers from Target – that section in the front where everything is only a few dollars)

I also put a sticker on the back of the envelope.

For the kids whose cards I will hand-deliver (my students), I added stickers to the actual cards and that was that.

the rectangle of green paper is over the student’s name for student’s privacy

 

If my post inspires you, and you blog about it, I ask that you credit me! Also, I’d love to see it!

DIY Easy Valentine for Kids

I happen to have a ton of pink paper and some plain white card stock, so I made some quick and easy valentines for my students.

I made a heart in MS Word (autoshape!) and inserted the words “you are just WRITE! Happy Valentine’s Day! Love, Ms. Savannah”

Printed them out on pink paper and glued the whole sheet of paper (3 hearts fit on it) to white card stock using a glue stick. THEN I cut out the hearts. I had to bend them around the fattest part of the heart (horizontally) to cut two vertical lines – about an inch and a half – to slide a pencil through.

I bought a pack of 8 pencils for $1.50 at Target. They were hard to find last weekend when I bought them. I sharpened them and pushed them through the slits in the valentine.

This is how they turned out!

Happy Valentine’s Day! Enjoy your day this Saturday!

Do you make valentine’s for any kids in your life?

Card organization and storage

I used to collect cards. Every one I got. Before I moved a couple of years ago, I looked through those cards (and notes!) and throw most away, as well as organize them by category – birthday, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, congratulations, prayers/good luck, etc. Each category was wrapped in a rubber band with a post-it on top saying what event it was. I stored them in this cookie tin:

I decided to go through them again recently. I’m trying to declutter and let’s be honest, there is a whole spare bedroom closet FULL of my “memories”.

So I threw away a lot of cards, but I kept some too.

Organized birthday by sender – parents, brothers, or friends. Then organized by date.

Kept some Valentines, a couple Christmas, some congrats and some prayers/encouragement. IMPORTANTLY, I did not always keep the whole card. I generally only care about what my family member or friend wrote. I didn’t have a huge problem with chopping the covers of many cards, so I did.

Also didn’t have a problem putting a couple of holes in each card and sticking them in a 3-ring binder for super-easy access to lots of reminders I am loved.

I alternated where the cards went in the binder – since many were small enough for only two holes, I put some in the top two holes and the next category in the bottom two holes, etc.

Birthday cards from parents

Christmas cards in bottom 2 holes, encouragement in top 2 holes

Even could include my favorite paper plate card from my brother when I turned 19

With some of the cards or the covers that I didn’t feel the urge to keep any longer, I chose a few to cut up (some more) and keep pieces for when I make my own cards, which I do.

I kept these intact.

These, I trimmed, or cut out the fun stuff.

Fun stuff

A bunch of “fun stuff” from only 2 cards, binder clipped together

This is my card organizer. The first half are blank note cards with my initial or something similar on the front, which I tend to use instead of stationary. I have a TON of thank-you cards (I do use them a lot.) I bought a bunch of “Just because” cards for my nieces that can read. I have a birthday card slot, and a slot for cards of every season. Christmas has its own section. The last two sections have the stuff I cut out today.

In each seasonal holiday I have a pink sticky note listing the holidays in that season (per month) that I tend to send out cards for.

WINTER: December (Christmas), January (New Year), February (Valentine’s Day)

SPRING: March (St. Patrick’s Day), April/May (Easter, Mother’s Day), June (Father’s Day)

SUMMER: June (above), July (Independence Day), August

FALL: September, October (Halloween), November (Thanksgiving)

 

 

 

Update – 7/20/13,

Cut apart some file folders that I was not going to use since I’ve switched to a binder and accordion folder system, slapped some cut-up sticky note labels on them, and now I’ve got dividers!

Comment and let me know if you are a card hoarder – or just used to be one, like me!

Next I’ll tackle the cards my husband has given me over the past 4+ years…