Take a great recipe to the next level! Plant a pot full of the ingredients and add the ingredient list, handwritten on the pot. A fabulous teacher present, too!

Summer is the best time to be outside! We love getting to know local plants and flowers and planting our family garden is a highlight of the summer's start. Frequent visits to the nursery for vegetable and herb plants are just a part of our summer ritual. The kids love to touch and to smell each plant, and I love that they are more interested in the meals and dishes we create with the plants that they have grown (bonus!)!

As a fun extension of our usual veggie patch, we decided to make a special garden for one of their new favorite foods - salsa! Tacos, burritos, and guacamole have been added to our menu planning, and the kids expressed interest in making our own version.

Add your favorite recipe with a paint marker and plant a garden just for this dish! Makes a wonderful hostess gift or teacher present.

With so many great salsa recipes out there, you likely already have your own blend, but if not, try this one from Lulu the Baker or Cooking Classy's restaurant style. We know that not every ingredient is readily available locally so we put together what we could find.

The supplies are simple on this one: one large terra cot pot, outdoor paint (one that seals the pot for you), a white paint marker, and your plants. Perhaps your garden will be an Italian selection for pesto or a French selection of tarragon. Pick your recipe and then select your plants, keeping in mind that some might need to be transferred as they grow larger.

In our salsa pot, we have roma tomatoes, two cilantro plants, and a few yellow onions. It smells so delish! And it's already brought so much happiness before we even get to the final product. Seeing my children enjoying the gifts of nature is a fabulous part of our 18 Summers Challenge. And M loved making one as a year-end present for her teacher, too!

Give a mini garden of all the best ingredients for a wonderful salsa and write the recipe right on the pot! Great teacher gift!!

What would you plant?

xoxo, MJ

P.S. Are you joining in the projects we're creating for this summer together? Up tomorrow, a fun game called Rock the Clock. Get those stones ready.

P.P.S. If you want a sneak peek into all that's ahead, including supply lists, subscribe to the Pars Caeli newsletter by adding your email below.

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

Hi lovelies,

I feel especially spoiled to be able to share two magnificent Back to School projects with you today! Lidy and Rachel did not disappoint on their fresh takes to the season. These two beauties would be awesome first day presents for teachers or special treats for college students and their dorm spaces or...

Because you deserve a little something beautiful this time of year, too. First up, head over to Hello Lidy, and see how she crafted a sequined planter. Glamour meets botanicals. It's a lovely marriage.

And then head over to The Crafted Life and see how Rachel transformed the average pencil into a work of art. Can you imagine these in a bunch/bouquet? Or tucked inside a cute journal? I'm inspired. And I might want to colorblock everything.

This awesome series of Back to School ideas continues tomorrow with an epic recipe. Really. It comes from Lyndsay of Coco Cake Land. Go ahead over there and salivate at the deliciousness. Even more is coming at you tomorrow!! Also, another incredible Endless Summer Project is in store for Wednesday. Ack, so good.

Are you making the last days of summer special? Do share!

xoxo, MJ