Easy Pencil Vase (Teacher Appreciation Gift)
Feeling crafty and want to make something special to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Day next week? Try making this super easy and cute pencil vase sure to brighten any teacher’s day!
To make this project you’ll need:
- Vase (pictured is a 6 inch rectangle shaped vase from the craft store)
- Pencils ( I used about 40)
- Glue Gun
- Glue Sticks
- Ribbon (pictured ribbon is from Michael’s Craft Store)
Directions:
- Start with one corner and attach pencils with hot glue to the vase, making sure they are straight up and down.
- I also made sure the writing on the pencil was facing the same direction but that’s totally up to you.
- It’s easier to put a line of glue on the vase and press down a pencil to attach.
- Go all the way around the vase until covered.
- Tie ribbon around the middle and add flowers.
That’s it! Super easy, fun and affordable. I even used flowers from my own yard! I think my child’s teacher will love this, don’t you?
Also be sure to check out this post with everything you need to create personalized and fun gift card holders for all your favorite teachers.
Thanks for the idea! !
That is really creative. Is there a way of attaching the pencils that can be removed at a later time so they can be used?
Such a cute idea! L. Blumberg you could try putting larger rubber bands around it and cover the bands with the ribbon! 🙂
Great idea!
I saw something a couple days ago that I think might work. One or two rows of duck tape folded in half so they can stick to the vase, and the pencils could stick to the other side of the tape. I think that would work. I’m going to try it!
I did it with colored pencils and attached with rubber bands. Then ribbon on top to cover the band. I had to put a rubber band towards the top and one towards the bottom. The ribbon in the bottom just wrapped around but the ribbon on the top I did a bow.
You can make this with rubber bands to hold the pencils in place and then cover the rubber band with ribbon. You may have to use rubber bands toward the top and botton.
So cute!!! Thanks!
That is super cute! Pinning for next year since our schools appreciation was this wk. Although it will also make for a cute Back To School gift too!
Maybe using a few strip of double sided tape?
That’s exactly what I was thinking! Totally making this for my son’s Pre-K teachers.
Beautiful….. I think I found the perfect gift for my kids teachers, Thanks!!!!
Thank you for these great printables! You make gift giving easy! My son is in Jr. High & has 6 teachers. He writes them a nice thank you note & my write another thank you note to each of his teachers. I think it’s important to let the teachers know we appreciate them too. I bought bags of licorice for each teacher. He has one favorite teacher who has been excellent! I could never thank him enough for all he has done for my son. For this teacher we will get him a larger gift card, but for the other teachers just a $5. Otherwise it can really add up. We also volunteer our time as much as it is needed & I feel like that is so important.
I taught for 11 years and am staying home for now with our toddler. A $5 gift card is appreciated; actually, even the note is appreciated! Teachers know many families are struggling financially or just have to be careful with their money. Teachers (at least the many, many good ones) aren’t in it for the recognition but it is so meaningful when we do receive it!
Thank you, that’s good to know.
Love these ideas! Don’t be afraid to use the gift card holders even if you can only afford a small amount. Teachers appreciate a $5 gift card, since we often buy lots of classroom supplies out of our own money (and use our own gas to go buy them)!
I did this last year for my daughters preschool teachers but I used crayons and a circle vase. It was really cute and her teachers loved them!
My daughter’s preschool teacher is retiring at the end of the school year and we love her. My son also had her. She has been our favorite teacher in the entire school. I am wanting to do something nice for her but I don’t know what. Can anyone help me with some ideas??
You could try to round up some pictures of her teaching throughout the years and put a scrapbook together. Maybe try to track down some previous students and have them write notes — kind of like a big year book. 🙂 Or put a little video together with pics and comments from students. Just trying to think of something she can keep and look back on from time to time. 🙂 Good luck with whatever you do!
Chrissy I am a former preschool teacher and I had a student give me a framed picture of she and I together– I gasped out loud at the cuteness of the photo and the touching thought and still have that framed photo gift to this day!!
Sara. We were going to make her a picture frame with cute teacher scrapbook sticks that says world best teacher. I need to get one of her and my daughter. I know I have one of her and my son.
Chrissy your teacher will cherish that!!!
We hope so. Glad you helped reassure me. 🙂
I’m a preschool teacher.. the most talked about/appreciated gifts are gift cards to places we actually shop- think target, Grocery, gas etc. I still have Starbucks/caribou cards sitting around from a year ago because I don’t like coffee/tea/high calorie pastry etc..
I tell everyone who asks… no need to be creative/personal when you likely don’t know what the teacher likes! If you know a very specific thing- then maybe you can deviate from a much appreciated gift card!
How do you clean the vase after use with all the pencils glued on?
Probably just have to use a damp rag to wipe clean on the inside. Rinsing would ruin it.
Really?
Ohhh….Target coupon 1.50/3 up and up school supplies would work great for this!
This is really nice, but I’d also like to see ideas for male teachers, or ideas that are more gender-neutral! 🙂
Put candy in the vase instead of flowers…use lollipops to make a bouquet…lots of gender neutral options.
That’s the thing though, I feel as if the idea of a vase, with or without flowers would not be something appropriate for me. I’m not lacking imagination, but as my husband is a male educator, my first thought was he would rather have had pencils that could be used, and not as a decoration. Thank you for sharing!
I’ve seen pencils attached to empty tin cans using rubber bands….they makes the pencils & rubber bands usable after they empty their treat from the “vase”.
Its a great idea, I would just love to see ideas that are more gender-neutral across the board. Thanks!
There’s no such thing as boy things or girl things 😉 A vase is perfectly acceptable for a male.
I’ll have to agree to disagree; I’d never give flowers to a male teacher, as I would not give flowers to my employer. My husband whom saw this post before I did, had the same reaction.
I probably wouldn’t do flowers either way because of allergens- but the candy idea someone mentioned above was nice. Or just tying them around a tin cup like someone else mentioned and putting a gift card in it is also nice. Heck, it’s not an apple theme or a number one teacher gift so it should be a nice change!
I agree with the comment about allergens. I do think I’ll use Lina’s other gift card holder ideas from the other day though, they were awesome!
I liked those gift card holders too & I think a male teacher would really appreciate a gift card.
I decorated a square vase like this once at Christmas by attaching wrapped candy canes all around it , tying a red ribbon around it and filling it with red carnations, it was so cute, got the idea from a magazine
Just wanted to through another idea in here. When I was in school, I got white plastic tumblers and some colorful sharpies. Each student signed the cup and I wrote the year on it. I filled it with supplies we had left over from all of the back to school deals. All of the teachers loved it and they’re fun to look at to see which kids were in the class which year.
I 8ove it
As a middle school teacher, I can tell you I would love some of the following items: strong magnets with clips, good colorful pens and sharpies, attractive clipboards, bins/baskets to organize materials, pretty labels, digital timer, low-fat snacks for desk (pretzels, protein bars, tuna lunch kits, etc.), thick hand cream, toothpicks, gum, and a small mirror. I really love gifts I can use!
Lina you are life saver!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU 🙂
Ha! 🙂 you’re welcome
Lina,
What do you have for Mother’s Day? I would love to see your ideas
i just did three this weekend and believe it or not, I did mine with the hot glue and you’d be amazed on how it comes off quickly. I had to replace a pencil and it was easy for me to take the pencil out, take out the glue and redo it.