Back to School Sharpie Teacher Gift

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Sharpie, but all the opinions, cheesy puns and the love of teacher gifts are 100% my own. #pmedia  #StaplesBTS http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV”

Another school year is right around the corner and you know what that means …

TEACHER GIFTS!!

Aside from school supply shopping, teacher gifts are what I live for during the back to school chaos!  From a White Christmas themed teacher gift to an “Orange you Glad it’s Almost Summer” gift, I love, love, LOVE to find creative ways to gift our fantastic teachers!  And this year’s back to school Sharpie teacher gift is quite possibly my favorite teacher gift EVER!!

Yes! There is a slightly cheesy pun!

But there is also a DIY ruler mason jar caddy!

And a mason jar stuffed with the absolute best markers in the history of markers – Sharpies!

C’mon … you have to admit this is just the cutest {and most practical} teacher gift so far! What teacher doesn’t need fine tip Sharpies for making name tags, labeling everything, grading papers and writing notes to send home?  And Sharpie highlighters for reviewing and, well, highlighting?  In a wide-mouth mason jar snuggled in the cutest DIY ruler mason jar caddy? Tied with a ribbon and a sweet gift tag from their soon-to-be favorite student?  I KNOW!

OK, so you wanna make a Sharpie teacher gift?  Let’s DO IT!  To get started, we’ve got to put together the ruler mason jar caddy.

You’ll need to pick up a six wooden rulers.  Mine were 3/$1 – score!

Now, all of the wooden rulers I found had a small metal edge- you can see it in the upper left picture above.  I used the tip of a steak knife to CAREFULLY ease the metal edge out of the ruler. You could probably use a box cutter or something with a thin, sharp blade or point.  Once I got one end loosened, the entire metal edge just came right on out in one piece.

Then, I cut each ruler into three, 4 inch sections using my compound mitre saw.  Make sure to sand any rough edges and ends.

If you know me, you know how much I love to stain and distress things.  So, I stained my ruler sections and then used fine grit sandpaper to rough up the edges and remove some of the stain in sections.  If you like the plain wooden look of the rulers, you can skip the staining and distressing.

Attach four ruler sections together using wood glue – this makes one side of your caddy.  (If your rulers have holes like mine, line them up – they make the perfect place for a ribbon!)  Repeat three more times and allow time for the four sides to dry.  Finally, glue the four sides of the caddy together and glue it onto a thick square of cork or a piece of wood cut to size to form the bottom of your caddy.

Now comes the fun!  Along with the DIY ruler mason jar caddy you lovingly made with your own two hands, you will need:

• A wide mouth mason jar
• A length of ribbon and a gift tag
• Small alphabet stamps and ink pad (not pictured)
• Sharpies, Sharpies, Sharpies!!

**Starting August 10th at Staples, Sharpie fine markers, ultra fine markers and highlighters will be on sale while supplies last. Yay for sales and the beauty of a floor to ceiling wall of Sharpies while I shopped at Staples!!**

Once you have stamped the little paper tag to read “Thank you for the MARK you make”, use a ultra fine Sharpie to sign your family or child’s name. {Is it just me, or is my handwriting ALWAYS better when I write with a Sharpie?}  If your rulers have holes, thread a length of ribbon through two of the holes and tie a cute little bow.  Tie your gift tag onto the ribbon or through one of the holes in the ruler.  Finally, slip your mason jar into your caddy and fill it up with Sharpie markers and highlighters.

This is a beautiful sight, no?!

Yes, you have to give this away.  So, pop this Sharpie teacher gift in a gift bag and take it to your meet & greet, send it with your littles on the first day or school or hand deliver it at Open House … however you choose to gift it, be prepared for a gold star and an A+!!

Take a peek at some of the other teacher gifts we have given over the year:

• Fruit Bowl Teacher Gift with 9 Free Printable Fruit Tags
• Orange You Glad It’s Almost Summer Teacher Gift
• White Christmas Teacher Gift
• Printable Teacher Appreciation Thank You Cards
• Hands Down You are the Best Teacher Gift
• You’re Worth a Mint Teacher Gift

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