Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas

Teacher Appreciation week is around the corner. Families and students are on the hunt for gift ideas and cute cards to say “thank you” to their teachers. If you’re a crafty, diy kind of gift-giver, you likely have a craft corner, closet, or room full of things you can use to put together that special, one-of-a kind gift.

Need help? I’ve got you covered! Over the next five (yes, 5) posts, I’ll be sharing some great gift ideas. Each post will include a tutorial for a specific project. Templates and downloads will be linked to make it easy for you to re-create the projects. As a bonus, I’ve also composed a list of THIRTY-SEVEN posts by some of my favorite craft bloggers with even more teacher appreciation gift ideas.

Gift Idea #1: Teacher’s Mousepad

Never before have I created so many mousepads. With virtual learning coming in strong over the past couple of years, teachers are using their computers on the daily. I know some love their track pads. But personally, I prefer using a mouse. And if you give a teacher a mouse, she’s going to need a mousepad to go with it. (Ten *pretend* points if you know where I got inspiration for that last sentence.)

Mousepads can be made in a number of ways. What’s worked best for me is using HTV and sublimation. These are super easy to make and only require a few supplies. Ready? Let’s go.

Materials and supplies

• Blank mouse pad (must be a sublimation blank if using Infusible Ink or sublimation)
• 12″ x 12″ sheet of patterned iron-on, Infusible Ink Sheet, or your chosen sublimation design
• Sublimation paper (or you can use laser copy paper)
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Cricut or other cutting machine
• Design Space or compatible software
• Easy Press or other heat source
• Pressing pad
• Butcher paper
• Lint pad or lint roller
• Heat resistant tape

HTV Mousepad

• If you’ll be covering the mousepad completely using just the iron-on, you can use scissors to cut around the mousepad
• Put your mousepad, face up, on the pressing pad
• Refer to the Cricut Heat Guide or the manufacture instructions on your htv package for the correct temperature and time
• Preheat the mousepad for a couple of seconds
• Put your htv sheet with the shiny, liner side up on top of the mousepad
• Press for the correct time and temperature for your material and blank

Isn’t this pretty? And it took me less than 15 minutes to complete. Plus, I had the same patterned vinyl. So I used it to cover a small desk caddy similar to this one on Amazon. Check it out:

Sublimation Mousepad

Sublimation and Infusible Ink are great options for adding names or sayings to a mousepad. Since the ink bonds withe the fabric, there are no raised edges. That means your teacher won’t be fighting with the mouse getting slightly stuck on that little piece starting to come up.

To make a sublimation mousepad using an Infusible Ink Sheet or one of these cool sublimation pattern sheets from Heat Transfer Warehouse, follow the above steps for HTV. Just be sure to add your butcher paper and to use the correct time and temperature settings.

If you’re ready to made a printed design using sublimation, you can do that, too. I found this fun design in a really cool teacher sublimation bundle on Creative Fabrica. Here’s how easy it was to make the mousepad.

• Size your design so that it fits on your mousepad like you want it
• Be sure to MIRROR the design before printing

• If your print needs to dry, give it time… you don’t want your ink to be smeared
• Use a lint roller or lint pad to remove lint from the mousepad (even if you can’t see it, there is lint and you will be really puzzled and even annoyed if you press without dusting for lint first)

• Place your design on your mousepad with the design side down
• Tape down the design with the heat resistant tape

• Add a sheet of butcher paper on top. This will catch any extra ink.
• Press at the correct time and temperature. My sweet spot is 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 seconds with medium pressure

It will be REALLY HOT. Be careful with peeling away the butcher paper, tape, and design.

Finishing Touches

Every gift needs a card. So don’t forget to add a cute one to match your gift. Teachers love handmade cards. Trust me; I still have a card from a young man I had as a pre-schooler. He is now a senior in high school! If you have a Cricut Joy, making cards is incredibly easy. But you can also create a card using any other cutting machine, including the original cutter: SCISSORS. ✂️ (I’m funny, sometimes.) Click here to download your *free* greeting card cutting cheat sheet.

BONUS List

As promised, here are some more fun teacher appreciation gift ideas for you. Many of these posts also include downloads and files for you to use as well. I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CONTENT LINKED BELOW. Full credit is being given to each individual blogger.

Abbi Kirsten Collections

Crayon and Pencil Boxes  https://www.abbikirstencollections.com/diy-teacher-appreciation-gift-boxes/

Tried and True Creative (The Best in the West!)

Hey, Let’s Make Stuff! (Make sure you use the comma and the exclamation mark when you say it out loud 😆 )

Weekend Craft

Painted Crayon Mason Jar (super cute!)

Coffee Cup Gift Card Holder (great, because teachers appreciate gift cards too)

More Gift Ideas to Come

Don’t forget to come back and check out more teacher appreciation gift ideas and tutorials over the next few days. In fact, I’d love for you to subscribe to my blog so that you stay updated with what’s new. Thanks again for being here. Now, go make something CUTE.

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