DIY teacher gifts

Regardless of the occasion, homemade teacher gifts have been given new life thanks to Pinterest. From DIY gifts like personalized drink cups to clipboards, discover how to create DIY teacher gifts that are an A+.

One of the latest trends in gifting, this DIY gift takes acrylic tumblers from plain to fabulous with a few simple steps.

What you’ll need:

• Acrylic tumbler
• Adhesive-backed vinyl in colors of your choice
• Vinyl transfer tape
• Scissors or cutting machine

What you’ll do:

1. Thoroughly wash and dry your cup. Set aside.
2. Using the vinyl color of your choice (you can order sheets online or pick up a roll specifically made for your cutter at the craft store), cut out your child’s teacher’s name. Consider adding some dots or shapes that coordinate with the teacher’s personality, too!
3. Following the instructions on your transfer tape, place your vinyl creation on your cup, applying from the center first and smoothing out toward the outside edges to reduce the amount of air bubbles in your homemade teacher gift.
4. Now fill with dry erase markers, your teacher’s favorite candy or colorful tissue paper for a personalized DIY teacher gift that’s sure to be useful! Just remember to let the teacher know that this drinkware is hand wash only.

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Perfect for elementary schoolteachers, this homemade teacher’s mug is both cute and functional — what every teacher loves!

What you’ll need:

• Plain white ceramic mug
• Red, blue and black permanent markers
• Oven
• Pencils (optional)

What you’ll do:

1. Pick up a plain white ceramic mug from the dollar store or your local craft store. Wash and dry mug well.
2. Using your blue marker, draw horizontal lines reaching from one side of the handle to the other. You can also use porcelain markers if you prefer. Space lines in the same fashion as they would appear on a sheet of wide-ruled handwriting paper. Remember to leave room for the red dashed lines in between!
3. Using your red permanent or porcelain paint marker, create dashed lines between the blue lines to complete the wide-ruled handwriting paper look.
4. Once air dried, use your black permanent marker or porcelain paint marker to write your teacher’s name on one of the sets of ruled lines.
5. Place your DIY gift into the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes; allow to cool completely.
6. Fill mug with pencils and remember to mention that the mug should be hand washed to preserve this masterpiece when you give your teacher your homemade gift!

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Help your favorite teacher stay organized with a DIY teacher’s gift that can be as unique as the teacher you’re honoring!

What you’ll need:

• Clipboard
• Pieces of scrapbook paper of your choice
• Mod Podge
• Scissors
• Brush

What you’ll do:

1. Wipe clipboard free of dust and dirt.
2. Decide whether you will use a single sheet of scrap paper or cut and arrange your own design. You may want to include the teacher’s name in the design to keep others from snagging this fabulous teacher gift!
3. Turn your paper face down and brush on a layer of Mod Podge to the back and adhere to your clipboard with the design face up.
4. Brush on a thin layer of Mod Podge to the face of your paper and allow to dry.
5. Repeat with a second coat to smooth out the texture of the brush strokes and allow to dry completely and your homemade teacher gift is personalized and ready to go!

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