Junior High Dances

Do you remember Junior High Dances? You know, where the boys are on one side of the room and the girls are on the other. I've been working on my son's preschool class Valentine's Day stuff and I kept thinking about Junior High Dances. Why? Well, his class is unusually gender unbalanced - 11 girls, 5 boys. Hmm. What are the moms of the boys supposed to think?.... I digress... Anyway, so GIRLIE things are so much more fun to make (and shop for - but don't get me started). Of course, boy stuff is SO much cheaper. Back to the dance... I was getting ready to take the pictures of all of this and I realized I had all the girls on one side and all the boys on the other.

So, for his class I decorated these CUTE, CUTE, CUTE mailboxes from Target's $1 spot (don't you just love that place!). I never come out of there just spending ONE dollar, though. Anyway, again, someone on Splitcoast found these mailboxes the day AFTER Christmas and so off I went to my Target. I went everyday for 4 days. Finally, they had 5... WHAT? I need more than 5! I called the "other" Target. They saved me 32! WOHOO! Then I had to have a class to use up some of these! Fast forward to today... The mailboxes come in red and white. I somehow ended up with more red than white (after the class) so the girls got the red and the boys got the white. Worked out well even if I didn't plan that.

For the girls mailboxes, I used the adoring hearts wheel on SU! White Wrapping Paper. The SU! Wrapping Paper is very nice. It takes the ink so well. I cut 2.5" strips and scalloped the edges. Then I printed their names in Red on the printer and used my non-SU scallop circle punch. Tied some ribbon and called it done.

The boys mailboxes were a bit more challenging. It's so hard to not do cutesy with 4 year-old boys but I tried. I almost did pirate stuff instead of hearts on theirs but that's not very Valentine's Day-ish. So, I used the same wheel in red on SU! Kraft Wrapping Paper. We sold this a year ago before Christmas and mine was still in the shrink wrap (I'm a graduate of the Jenn Balcer School for Hoarders!).
Anyway, I couldn't do the white paper since the mailboxes are white. I think it turned out well. Of course, it's always amazing how much I care about these things and then I have to step back and realize these are 4 year-olds, who could care LESS about the packaging!

Which transitions me (nicely!) to what I put in those "packages"... Notebooks and pens (and some leftover tattoos). Once again, I had those notebooks from last Fall - they were supposed to be part of the kid's Christmas presents but I forgot I already had something for them... (DOH!). Anyway, I covered the girls with a new set (I LOVE IT) coming out in March called Doodle That. For the boys, I used a retired set with an airplane (Going Places, I think) because that's what my son wanted on his. He should have some input, right? :P

I'm pretty happy they're done. I still need to make two for his teachers. But somehow I think those will be easier. Designing for adult ladies seems easier... just stick a flower on it and call it good. :) One more day to get these Valentine's Day things done!