This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Office Depot, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #inspirestudents http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Pineapples are all over the place these days. They're trendy now, and during colonial times, the pineapple symbolized the warmest welcome you could extend to a guest. It has continued to evoke a sense of hospitality and sweet goodness throughout the generations.

Extending welcome is a primary job for a teacher in the first month of the school. Around here, we're already in the third week of school, and the newness is beginning to wear off...which means... it's the perfect time to give your children's teachers a present that they want.

Sharpies! Smelly markers! Window markers! Great pens! The list of fantastic school supplies is a long one. Children aren't the only ones who love these colorful tools. Show the teachers in your life that you look forward to what the next months hold with a Welcome to a Wonderful Year present. You and/or your children can create these gift tags or notecards using pencil erasers and stamping pads. 

We bought fun school supplies at Office Max. Right now, you can save $5 off your purchase of $20 or more on select Newell Rubbermaid brands which include all of our favorites (PaperMate, Expo Neon Window Markers, Sharpie, Uni-Ball, & Mr. Sketch) And, you can cash in on Office Depot Rewards for shopping at Office Max as they are owned by the same company! It's kind of hard to resist...Head over to your Office Max or Office Depot and take advantage of the deal while supplies last.

You'll need some pencils with fresh erasers, an inkpad, and some paper to make these pineapple prints. Draw simple shapes on your erasers, like the ones shown above. With an X-acto knife, cut around these shapes. We made two sets of these shapes so that one of each could go into the yellow and green.

The pineapple shape is a breeze once you get the hang of it. Using a combination of diamonds and triangles, you can create a charming geometric design.

Or, if you aren't ready to take the project right now, click here to download your own pineapple printables.

Wrapping up a bundle of these fun supplies with a parachute cord or ribbon and a tag, lets our teachers know that we appreciate them, and we're looking forward to working together!

My oldest (9) and I created these together in less than an hour. Holding her back from using all the colorful markers was the hardest part....

Happy making!

XOXO, MJ

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® Elmer’s and Wet Ones, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #CraftandCleanUp http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

We are getting excited for school around here, and, to celebrate, we created geometric initial tote bags to hold the after-school supplies. Backpacks, lunchbags, and school shoes of all sorts are filling the store shelves and catalogs in our mailbox. Ready or not, summer is coming to a close and a new school year is about to begin. Quite honestly, it's one of my favorite times of year. The beginning of school is like New Year's, with better Midwestern weather. So much potential bundled up into fresh pencils and new notebooks.

For once, we're ready with school supply purchases. I like to hit Target early to see the entire landscape of what they're offering. I grabbed up this Elmer's and Wet Ones combo pack in the Back to School section. The pairing of these two is genius.

This year my girls, now in second and fourth grade, are involved in a full schedule of after school activities. We purchased some awesome backpacks, but we were still in need of something to hold the piano books, soccer balls, Daisy folders, choir schedules, and more. Little hands tire quickly at the end of the day and carrying all of the other equipment in their arms just isn't practical anymore.

So, with the help of some Elmer's glue and a pack of Wet Ones to clean up our smudges and messes, we got crafty and transformed some plain tote bags into geometric initial totes that the girls can use every day.

We purchased durable canvas tote and drawstring bags, found some acrylic paints in colors that the girls loved, grabbed our Elmer's glue and a paint brush and went to work.

To begin, I drew in a very light pencil, each girl's initials on the bag. I freehanded ours, but you could easily transfer on a large letter image from your favorite font. I'd recommend something simple and bold since the detail of this craft comes through in the geometric shapes.

Next, trace over your lines with glue, trying to maintain the same thickness in each line. Sometimes you'll catch an air bubble or make your own goober so be sure to keep a Wet One wipe close by to clean up your mistake in no time.

Once you have your initial outlined, the fun begins! From the edge of a letter, draw a small triangle and then another and connect them. Be silly, go geo-crazy, and surround your letters with shapes. Be sure to leave the inside of the letters clear of any glue. Make sure that the layer of glue you paint is thick and dimensional.

Let glue dry for a good 2-4 hours.

Grab your paints. We chose just two colors for each bag and mixed different shades together to create an analogous palette. Paint each shape right up to the glue, allowing the glue to act as a barrier to the next shape.

My ladies were quite happy with their new, personalized bags. Fingers crossed for a cleaner minivan.

These bags are getting a workout already with soccer practices nearing and piano lessons every Monday. I love that my ladies are so well rounded and involved, and I'm happy they have some place to keep all of their stuff for these busy times as well!

So many possibilities with this technique! Find a bottle of Elmer's gel glue to create a washable design for your bags that might need more laundering.

We're on the countdown to school with just over three weeks to go. How about you?

xoxo, MJ