I’m back with another quick, easy, and fun teacher gift idea. With teacher (and principal) appreciation days happening, there’s not a lot of time left! But don’t worry. I’ve got you! I’ve even got a bonus list of more teacher appreciation gift ideas from other creative bloggers at the end.
We’ve been upgrading and re-decorating our new home. That means there are LOTS of tile samples in my garage. As a crafter and DIY girl, you know how hard it is to let go of things “I could use” at some point. The good thing is that I knew exactly what to do with some of the tile samples.
You’ve probably seen beautiful glass tiles like this one.
These are super popular and I get tons of orders to make them for weddings and anniversaries. Then I thought to myself, “Mrs. Craft Lady, why not make a ‘casual’ version?” So that’s what I did.
The hardest part was choosing which tile to use. In the end, I decided that for this teacher, I’d use a thin 2″ x 8″ ceramic wall tile. This one has a slight contour, giving it a little bit of dimension. It seemed to be more of this particular teacher’s style.
How I Chose Fonts and Vinyl Colors
Speaking of style, let’s talk colors and fonts. Miss O is a middle school teacher. She’s one of the “cool, but firm” teachers. She likes things neat and clean. She’s been at the same school for close to 30 years. So I felt pretty safe using the school colors, blue and green, to create her name plate.
As for the font, something pretty, but not super fancy was in order. She usually goes for bold, sans fonts. In fact, her favorite go to font in Cricut Design Space is “Beefcakes”. That’s all good and fine. But I’m making this, not her. (😂) I wanted something a little more dainty. I decided to go with “Falcon” for her last name. I paired it with “CLN String Greens” for a little bit of contrast. I found both fonts on Design Bundles (dot NET). In the end, adding the year she began teaching in a regular plain font seemed appropriate.
Materials and Supplies
- ceramic, glass, or other tile (any size will work)
- adhesive vinyl in your choice of colors
- transfer tape
- Cricut cutting machine or other cutting machine
- Design software
- rubbing alcohol
- paper towel
Optional supplies
- acrylic paint
- paint brush
- bling rhinestones
The Process
Designing
- Measure the tile. Be sure to measure the actual work area, especially if your tile is beveled or contoured like mine.
- In your design software, insert a shape the same dimensions as your tile work area.
- If you’re working in Cricut Design Space, you can make the shape you just created a “template.” Select the shape and in the menu where it says “basic cut,” scroll down to “guide.” Now, you won’t have to worry about hiding or deleting the shape before you cut your project.
- Select “text” and type the name you want to add to your tile.
- Use the “font” menu to select a font you like.
- Position the name on the tile template (guide) where it looks best. Sometimes I’ll unlock the text proportions to see if the name looks better if it’s shorter, taller, etc.
- If you’d like, add a date (like I did for Ms. O’s tile)
- Select “make it” and send it to cut.
- Once your design is cut, trim it down and weed out the extra vinyl.
Transferring
- Clean your tile with a spritz of alcohol and a paper towel or lint-free cloth.
- Cut a piece of transfer tape slightly larger than your vinyl design.
- Remove the backing from the transfer tape and apply the transfer tape to the front of your design.
- Use a scraper or other tool (like a used gift card or something) to burnish the design onto the tape.
- Peel the transfer tape from the vinyl backing. The idea is to “transfer” the design from the vinyl backing to the transfer tape (I know… I’m funny)
- Now, for the final transfer: place the transfer tape with the design onto the tile and burnish it to the tile.
- Slowly peel away the transfer tape and you are set!
What an easy, quick, and FUN project, right?!! Plus, you can make any alterations or adjustments to make this project for ANYONE and for ANY occasion.
More Gift Ideas
We have an amazing community of talented and generous creators. Here are some more blog posts from some of those crafters featuring teacher appreciation diy ideas. Enjoy!
Country Chic Cottage
Craft Tara Creates
https://www.craftaracreates.com/magnetic-faux-leather-bookmark-with-cricut/
This Is Tisa
https://www.thisistisablog.com/2016/05/teachers-gift-dipped-pencils-printable.html
https://www.thisistisablog.com/2017/08/teacher-stationery-free-printable.html
Sweet Red Poppy
https://sweetredpoppy.com/layered-apple-mandala/
https://sweetredpoppy.com/first-day-of-school-teacher-coffee-gift-card-printable/
My Designs In The Chaos
Well Crafted Studio
Pineapple Paper Co
Dinosaur Mama
https://www.dinosaurmama.com/post/cricut-teacher-appreciation-gifts
The Artistry
Crafting In the Rain
https://craftingintherain.com/washi-tape-teacher-gift-with-printable/
https://craftingintherain.com/ruffled-notebook/
Pigskins and Pigtails
https://www.pigskinsandpigtails.com/2019/04/how-to-screen-print-paper-bags/
Minor DIY
Craft Box Girls
https://craftboxgirls.com/blogs/articles/85516164-mason-jar-terrarium
https://craftboxgirls.com/blogs/articles/85408772-hand-stamped-kitchen-towels
Polka Dotted Blue Jay
https://polkadottedbluejay.com/clipboard/
One Final Note
What do you think? Would you make one of these for a teacher, principal, friend, or yourself? I’d love to see what you create. If you make something similar, please share it and tag me. I am EJsFunCrafting everywhere.
Now, make something CUTE!
