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Home » Hobbies & Crafts » $3 DIY Valentine Gifts For Your Favorite Teacher Or Office Worker

Simple Teacher Gift Basket Ideas: $3 DIY Valentine Gifts For Your Favorite Teachers

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It seems like we just finished Christmas and Valentine’s Day is already fast approaching!

I wanted to think of fun (and useful!) DIY Valentine gifts for all the teachers in my son’s Parents Day Out program.

I saw a clever crayon idea on Pinterest and decided to add my own little spin to create a Valentine’s gift candy basket for teachers… which also works as a desk pencil holder once all the candy is gone!

This DIY Valentine gift candy basket for teachers also works as a desk pencil holder once all the candy is gone.

I needed to create 10 (because my son has a lot of teachers) — so I gave myself a budget of $30, which worked out to $3 per teacher gift basket.

These DIY teacher Valentine gifts were fun and easy to make!

Here’s how I did it…

These DIY teacher Valentine gifts were fun and easy to make!

 

Materials Needed

These are the supplies I used to create 10 DIY teacher Valentine gifts:

  • 10 wire mesh pencil holders
  • 6 boxes of 48 crayons (these no-name crayons are slightly smaller than the Crayola brand)
  • Modeling clay (already had)
  • Glue gun (already had)
  • Glue sticks (already had)
  • 1 package Valentine pencils
  • 1 package of Valentine-themed pencil tip heart erasers
  • 2 packages of 6 Valentine dinosaur cards (similar to these and these)
  • Clear cellophane loot bags
  • 2 rolls of Valentine ribbon (anything red, white, and/or with hearts)
  • 1 nickel from our spare change jar (to create spacing between crayons)
  • Assorted Valentine candy (basically any candy that is red, white, or pink)

Assorted Valentine candy from the dollar store.

 

How To Make Simple DIY Teacher Valentine Gifts

First, I went to the Dollar Tree store — so I could stay within my $30 budget to make 10 DIY teacher Valentine gifts. Dollar stores are great places to get inspiration for any special occasion. With everything $1 or less, it’s the only store where you know exactly what everything costs!

Valentine pencil erasers for a DIY teacher gift basket. These dinosaur Valentine cards are great for kids to give to their teachers! Valentine pencils for teacher gift baskets.

Once I had all of my supplies and was ready to work on the project, I plugged in the glue gun to get the glue hot.

These are the steps I used to create each teacher gift basket, one at a time:

#1 – I started by dividing up the candy into 10 wire mesh pencil holders. Then, I emptied the candy out of one of the pencil holders into a separate dish — so I could start the process of gluing the crayons.
Wire mesh pencil holders are perfect for teacher gift baskets. Wire mesh pencil holders filled with candy for DIY teacher Valentine gifts.

#2 – I organized 28 crayons from dark to light in a hue sequence — in the order to be placed around the perimeter of the wire mesh pencil holder.
Crayons organized by hue for this DIY teacher gift basket.

#3 – I started with my first crayon in the order line-up (according to hue) and added glue to the back seam — so the crayon logo would be visible. I held the crayon in place until it set securely onto the metal mesh.
I used a hot glue gun to glue along the seam of the crayon, so the logo would still be visible on the gift basket. The first crayon glued onto the wire mesh pencil holder.

TIP: The easiest way to secure the wire mesh pencil holder on its side is by using a couple rolls of modeling clay underneath. The clay keeps the pencil holder from rolling while you’re gluing the crayons in place!

#4 – Then, I moved on to the next crayon — adding glue to the back, and lining up the crayon base with the bottom metal base ring again. This time, I used a nickel as a spacer between the top of the 2 crayons (as seen in photo) — because the wire mesh pencil holder is wider at the top and not a true cylinder shape. A nickel is the perfect spacer!
I used a nickel to put the perfect amount of space between each crayon.

TIP: It’s important to not place the crayons too tightly to each other at the base — or there will be too much of a gap once you get to the 28th crayon. (The gap won’t be big enough for a 29th crayon.)

#5 – As I added crayons, I continued to rotate the curved top of the pencil holder and adjust the modeling clay — to continue holding it in place.
I used modeling clay to secure the wire mesh pencil holder in place while gluing the crayons onto it.

#6 – I kept repeating the process of rotating, spacing, and gluing until all 28 crayons covered the perimeter of the wire mesh pencil holder.
What it looks like when all 28 crayons are glued onto the pencil holder.

TIP: You can see that I lined up the bottom of each crayon with the bottom metal base ring of the pencil holder, following the grid lines up — as seen here.

#7 – Then, I re-filled the completed crayon/pencil holder basket with the Valentine’s candy.
DIY crayon/pencil holder baskets with the Valentine candy inside. My 2-year-old enjoyed helping me fill the gift baskets with candy for his teachers.

#8 – I placed the crayon-covered pencil holder filled with the Valentine treats into a clear cellophane loot bag.
These clear cellophane loot bags are perfect for making DIY gift baskets. Example of a clear cellophane bag around one of the teacher gift baskets.

#9 – I cut a length of Valentine ribbon and tied a bow — leaving a small hole for the pencil to be placed.
I chose a few different types of Valentine ribbon from the dollar store - to tie the cellophane bags closed. A Valentine ribbon securely holds these DIY gift baskets closed.

#10 – Next, I inserted the eraser end of the pencil into the loop which holds the dinosaur in place on the dinosaur Valentine card — and placed the heart-shaped eraser tip onto the eraser end of the pencil.
The Valentine pencils fit perfectly onto the dinosaur Valentine cards. Valentine pencils, Valentine erasers, and dinosaur Valentine cards!

#11 – Finally, I inserted the pencil into the finished teacher gift basket via the small hole at the ribbon knot — leaving the Dino Valentine card and heart eraser exposed.
One of the finished teacher gift baskets my son and I made for his teachers at school. DIY teacher Valentine gifts

 

The Bottom Line…

I love how these DIY teacher Valentine gifts turned out!

Each teacher gift basket includes 1 little dinosaur that’s attached to a dinosaur-themed Valentine message — which I think adds a cute, boy touch and worked out perfect as a gift coming from my son.

Each teacher gift basket includes 1 little dinosaur that's attached to a dinosaur-themed Valentine message.

I think these DIY Valentine gifts would be super cute for anyone with a desk job — if the gift is intended to come from a kid.

I used to loathe the constant commercialism and bombardment of all the holidays. But now that I’m older with an almost 2-year-old son, I can start to appreciate the purpose of these celebrations again.

It seems to me that life has become one big hurry. I mean… we’ve already returned back to the reality of our everyday lives with the blur of the Christmas whirlwind behind us and the fresh start of the New Year.

But I like that Valentine’s Day is another chance to tell the special people in our lives how much we appreciate them — or at least that we spent some time thinking about them with a thoughtful gesture.

I like that Valentine’s Day is another chance to tell the special people in our lives how much we appreciate them.

Since my son has started a Parents Day Out program (one day a week), I get a few hours of toddler-free time to do whatever my little heart desires. It’s important for me to let his teachers know how much I appreciate them for taking such good care of my son.

I hope you enjoyed this teacher gift basket tutorial. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Like this post? Save it to read again later… or share with others on Pinterest!

Adorable DIY teacher or office worker Valentine Gift!

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Candida

I’m a first-time mom. I work from home and write — mostly about my outdoor adventures, DIY projects, newly discovered products, and helpful tips as a first-time mom. I also like to share details about the alternative choices I’m exploring, as I enjoy this journey called motherhood. My family includes a toddler, 2 stepchildren, 1 dog, 1 cat, and a wonderful husband. My pre-pregnancy life was full of freedom and adventure, so I have a fresh new perspective when it comes to walking away from a career to become a full time stay at home Mama.

Simple Teacher Gift Basket Ideas: $3 DIY Valentine Gifts For Your Favorite Teachers
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