Holiday gifts for parents

   Each year I struggle to come up with a holiday gift for kids to make for their loved ones.  Though I have made some successfully cute gifts in the past, this year I found myself in an especially difficult predicament.  No money to spend on crafts (it can get expensive, you know) and no time left to make anything!  
    My partner and I went scrambling, and when you need inspiration, there is no better place to look the internet.  We found these cute paper ornaments, and simply added our own touches to make them our own.
   We found the idea here: http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/paper-drops-664201/ . Instead of using construction paper, I went to a craft store and purchased a book of scrapbook paper.  It was on sale (score!) and some spools of ribbon.  The paper was strong like tagboard.  I cut it into two inch wide strips of 12" and 9 1/2", like the website says.   Since the paper was only decorated on one side, I had the students decorate the plain sides of the paper.  They decorated the longer strips with pictures, and patterns.  They wrote a heartfelt message on the shorter strips.  I walked around stapling the paper and ribbon into the heart shape.  The students then dipped the edge of one side into glue and then into glitter. Tah-dah! Beautiful, classic, and meaningful!   I got some really wonderful feedback from parents too!
Cost: $10.00-$15.00

Time: 30 minutes for the whole class to complete +drying time