Thursday 18 July 2013

Gifts for the teachers

I once read a brilliant quote that went something like,
“Imagine a society where the salaries of celebrities and teachers were reversed.”
Imagine.

I finished the cherry blossom heart today. It is for Little Flower’s key worker teacher at pre-school, who also happens to be a dear friend of mine. She is from Japan, and I know she misses the annual the Cherry Blossom Festival, when hundreds of cherry trees burst into flower and petals fall to the ground like pink snow.

So I embroidered a tiny tree to remind her of home, in a heart shape so she knows she is loved here, too!

Because I was working without a pattern, I felt almost like a painter as I stitched various shades of thread onto the linen. It was free-flowing creativity on a very small scale. The best, and most liberating, aspect was that any mistake could be simply snipped out!
I drew the trunk on the fabric, then stitched over the line with a single thread, one light brown, one dark. Then I started dotting blossoms here, there and everywhere in three shades of pink.

 
I started with dark fuchsia thread on the left branches, a few large blooms, a few small stitches. I layered the colours, building onto the branches with rosy hues. The lightest pinks came last, highlighting the uppermost part of the tree, with a few miniscule stitches falling here and there as little petals. Oh, it was so fun to make. I am really getting into this...
But what’s that lovely smell wafting from the oven? Tomorrow is the last day of term here, and my kitchen is buzzing!

When faced with the endless array of candles, mugs and lotions on the “Teacher Gifts” shelves of local shops, I decided I’d bake something for Bunny’s teachers when she was in pre-school. She is finishing Year 5 tomorrow and nothing has changed. Mrs Isaac, a chocolate lover, will have a lovely batch of my favourite chocolate cookies tomorrow (sans sugary cream filling), tucked away in this lovely teacher pocket made by my friend Jooles
Pre-school ended last week for Little Flower, so along with my friend’s cherry blossom heart, we gave the rest of the teaching staff cookie bags

Some with cranberry & white chocolate-chunk shortbread
Some with raspberry & dark chocolate-chunk cookies
(They all seem happy that Little Flower has one more year of pre-school left...)
These recipes are from this book, full of very special cookies ideal for gift-giving

I can’t believe another year has passed...my girls are getting older...oh dear, the timer’s gone off – must dash to get those cookies out of the oven!
Thank you teachers, each and every one of you, all around the world. xoxoxo

Chrissie x

16 comments:

  1. Aw Chrissie what lovely teacher gifts I'm sure they will all really appreciate them :)
    You stitched tree is so pretty and tiny...not sure I could be that neat well done.
    All the best to you x

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  2. your embroidered blossom tree turned out very well, what a lovely thoughtful gift. the cookies look particularly yummy, ali

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  3. I love the little French knots on that heart and the teacher pocket is really cool too. Jo x

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  4. that embroidery heart is just beautiful, absolutely stunning!

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  5. Wow, you've gone to town there! Lucky teachers. I've been jamming and sewing for our teachers here too. They work hard and deserve these gifts. That cherry blossom embroidery is really, really lovely. So thoughtful. x

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  6. Dear Chrissie
    Your little cherry tree heart is beautiful. I think the recipient will be really touched by your thoughtfulness.
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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  7. Such gorgeous gifts for lovely teachers. I really adore the little heart, it is so delicate and pretty.
    Marianne x

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  8. Ah Chrissie, such a beautiful little cherry-blossom heart, and so very thoughtful of you!
    All of the teachers gifts would be most gratefully received, I'm sure! You've put such a lot of thought, time and effort into all of them! And your friend 'Jooles' has made a beautiful teacher's pocket there - I love it too!
    What a sweetie you are!
    Joy x

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  9. Yum, yum. I'm sure the teachers will appreciate the gifts. Love the cherry blossom tree, so delicate and decorative.
    S xx

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  10. Your gifts are perfect!
    The embroidered tree is lovely, any teacher would be blessed by these gifts!
    Tammy

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  11. What gorgeous gifts, I'm sure the teachers will appreciate them much more than the shop brought varieties. The freehand embroidery is so pretty ~ Sarah x

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  12. Hi Chrissie! Your teacher gifts are all so special, and your embroidered heart is so adorable! ... I popped over here from Joy's blog, and I'm so happy it did. Your blog is just lovely! :) Paulette

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    1. Thank you Paulette, your comment has given me a big smile! Glad you came for a visit! Cx

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  13. Love your beautiful gifts and how very thoughtful to make a gorgeous cherry tree, I am sure she will cherish it! I also love your little bags of cookies, any left for me to come and enjoy with a cuppa?? Happy weekend to you lovely xoxo

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  14. Hi Chrissie, thank you for your message on my blog! I'm very happy to follow you too. You have some lovely projects on the go. The embroidery is gorgeous. I know what you mean about colour. It can be tricky. I have recently started a bag with a more restricted palette and it's actually been quite a relief! I'm off to have a look at your pinterest board. have a good day, Heather x

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