A Happy Mum | Singapore Parenting Blog

This year marks the first year of Angel attending school, therefore with Teacher's Day around the corner, we wanted to DIY some handicrafts to show our appreciation for these very special people in our lives.

I remember as a teacher, my heart would melt whenever I received a handmade card from my students. And as a student, it was a moment of pride when I could present my teacher with something not too fanciful, but simple and sincere.

So, we didn't rush to the stationery store to get additional supplies or to Daiso to get more craft materials. Instead, we gathered some stuff at home and thought of making something easy but pretty - Accordion flowers for these people who have helped her to bloom.

What we used:

1) Scrapbooking paper
2) Printouts of coloured shapes, banners and wordings (Thank You Teacher, names of the teachers, Angel's name etc)
3) Ribbons
4) Scotch tape and glue
5) Scissors
6) Long ruler

Firstly, we cut out all the different shapes and wordings, which were created using Powerpoint, as neatly as possible .

Next, I taught Angel all about accordion folds. you know, the zig zag, back and forth folds to make pleats that resemble the bellows of an accordion. Since we don't have a paper scorer at home, the best we could do it was using a long ruler to neaten and press down the folds. Anyway, when it comes to kids' craft, it is not about making perfect folds, it is about learning, achieving and enjoying it.

So I let Angel try her hand at making these folds and as much as she was enthusiastic about it, it was definitely a challenge for her to keep it up from start till the end. Once the paper was folded into a flower shape, we used glue to stick on a medallion onto the centre, both front and back, and added pressure on it while letting it dry.

Ta-dah! Our first flower is done, specially meant for her music teacher in school.

We tried a few methods of making the accordion flower and decided that we loved this way best. 1) Cut out two strips of paper measuring 12" by 2" (the width can vary from 1.5", 2" or 2.5" to give you different sizes). 2) Make 1/2" accordion folds in both, making sure you start folding in opposite directions - meaning if you fold up for the first strip, then make sure you fold down for the second. This will help them to merge seamlessly together when glued to form a circle in 3). Fold down towards the centre and you will see the flower shape in 4). Proceed to glue the medallions to keep the folds in place.

To complete the flower, attach a stick by taping it to the back of the flower, add a ribbon in the front and curl the ends with a scissors, and lastly stick on the name of the child. I told you, it's straightforward and easy, right? *phew* Considering we had to do this at least seven times, I was glad we were not in for some complicated times.

YAY! Our accordion flowers are all ready to greet the teachers! I like how the scrapbooking papers make these flowers so colourful, vibrant and elegant.

Even though Angel had a sore eye that day, she was still thrilled that she was going to present these little gifts to each of her teachers in school. Just our very simple way of saying "Thank You, Teacher".

As for the girl, well, she also received a special accordion flower that speaks of LOVE from Mummy in the hope that she would recover soon.

Here's wishing all of you a Happy Teacher's Day! Do link up if you have anything creative to share!

P.S: I have an awesome Teacher's Day giveaway coming up tomorrow, so do stay tuned!

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To fellow bloggers who have a fun craft session, DIY tip or creative idea to share, do join in the party! Highlight and press Ctrl + C to copy my button above, include it in your post/sidebar and add your link below. I will be hosting Creativity 521 every fortnightly and I hope you can join me on the 5th and 21st of every month. Remember: The sky's the limit when it comes to creativity!