At the end of the 2014-2015 school year, the girls in our troop participated in Early Bird Registration. I was really excited that all of our girls wanted to return for another year of Girl Scouts--our sixth year together! We also welcomed two new girls into our blended troop, giving us six Juniors and five Brownies this year.
As usual, we took a break from troop meetings and activities over the summer. Three of the girls from our troop attended a Girl Scout Summer Resident Camp together. Despite some strong storms, it sounds like they had a blast during their week at camp!
As families geared up for the return to school, I touched base with troop members. I learned a lot had changed for some of our girls between June and August. One family moved to a nearby town, another girl was losing interest in Girl Scouts, and many of the girls planned to participate in other extracurricular activities which placed a greater demand on their time. Some changes needed to be made to retain our membership. Instead of meeting twice a month as we have in the past, we are going to have one activity a month this year. Most of these activities are going to be outings or events. After sharing this new plan with the families, they all agreed to continue. I'm so happy we will not be losing any of our girls this year.
Here is a snapshot of our calendar:
- Bake Sale at our school's Open House
- S'mores Fest
- Tour at Neusole Glassworks
- Home Scientist and Inventor Badge programs for the Brownies at Drake Planetarium
- Drawing Badge for the Juniors with Young Rembrandts
- Family Story Badge and Art Show
- Service Project: Make cards and fill mason jars with candy and paper flowers for Veterans and their families at the Fisher House
- Gardener Badge for Juniors at Civic Garden Center
- Geology Program at the Cincinnati Nature Center
- Service Project: Plant garden at Fisher House
- Bridging Ceremony
My blog posts will consist of reviews of the programs and events we attend this year. I think we're going to have a lot of fun! Hope you check back with us soon.
Needing a personalized thank you gift for a group of women, I came across these personalized Christmas tree cookie cutters. Because the quantity and price didn't meet my needs, I didn't place an order. But the gears started turning. I decided to personalize some cookie cutters on my own.
Knowing that Christmas is only three months away, I decided to write a post describing the simple steps taken to make this cute gift. These cookie cutters can be given to the special adults in your child's
life (like teachers, coaches, band directors, and Girl Scout troop leaders). They can be used in the kitchen, hung on the Christmas tree, or even be added as gift toppers or tags on larger presents for those who enjoy wrapping with embellishments. For additional handmade gift ideas, check out this post.
You will need:
- Cookie Cutters. I purchased two packages of the Wilton Holiday 18 pc Metal Cookie Cutter Set at $10.55 each, which gave me 36 for around $21.
- Stickers. I selected Jolee's Boutique Christmas Present Stickers. These stickers may be found at a local craft store where they can be purchased with a coupon. There are 25 stickers in a package. I spent under $5 for two packages.
- Jute trim--12-15" per cookie cutter. I bought 100% jute, natural, 2mm x 15ft. I used three spools for the 36 cookie cutters. For reference, there are about 4 ft of jute remaining. It was on sale, so I spent $3 total on the jute trim.
- white cardstock
- solid cardstock (red)
- paper cutter or scissors
- small hole punch
Directions:
- Type the gift tag text. Using Word, I set the document margins at 0.25", and I created three columns. I selected Curlz MT font size 12, and chose to align the text with the right margin of the columns to allow space for the sticker and hole punch on the left side of the tag. (I had to use the space bar to center "Merry Christmas!" over the second line of text). Then copy and paste the text in the columns.
- Print tags on a sheet of 8.5"x11" white cardstock.
- Cut tags apart. My tags were 0.75" by 3".
- Glue the white cardstock tags to red cardstock and trim to size, allowing for small border of red along the edge.
- Apply the sticker.
- Punch a small hole in a corner of the tag.
- Cut jute (12-15" piece) and tie tag on cookie cutter.
Including the cookie cutter and the tag, I was able to finish the project for about $0.83 a piece. Instead of using stickers, kids could decorate the tags with markers. Ribbon, yarn, or cord could be used in place of the jute. What a quick and clean craft to try at the next classroom holiday party! (Wilton has an 18-Piece Metal Halloween Cookie Cutter Set, too. Better act fast though. Looks like it's been discontinued by the manufacturer).
Our Girl Scout troop is gearing up for fall. I hope you will check back to see what's in store for the year. Thank you for reading.
