 via Pinterest (original source unknown)  | IT'S THE END OF THE YEAR!!! I found this super cute gift idea perfect for the occasion. I decided to put my own little spin on it for my co-workers, but this could easily be modified for students too!  The finished product turned out way better than I imagined! Don't you just love when that happens? ;-)  I only added about 6-10 kisses to each bag. |
Materials and Instructions:
| I love this multi-color card stock pack from STAPLES! I can't find this specific product online, but here's what it looks like if you can find it in stores. If you haven't used card stock before, it's much more durable than your average flimsy piece of paper. It may depend on the make of your printer, but I've used my Canon MX459 to print this card stock for several activities and I've never had a single paper jam. The original plan was to use green and orange for the boys and pink and yellow for the girls. It didn't work out that way, but I'm still satisfied. |  |
| Hershey's Kisses were essential to this gift. I purchased several bags of Kisses with Almonds, Caramel, Milk Chocolate and Cookies & Creme. As it turns outs, everyone would have been just fine if I'd only purchased Cookies & Creme. They were definitively the favorite among the majority. I couldn't have bought enough to satisfy everyone. * I'm a Milk Chocolate lover myself. Nothing beats the original ;-) |  |
| I can't express how much I love Ziploc products! They're great for everything from food and stationary storage to packing and organizing miscellaneous items. I stapled the card stock printouts to the bags on both sides after adding the Hershey's Kisses. |  |
| The fonts featured on the cards include Elephants in Cherry Trees by Kevin & Amanda, MTF Stampin Rachel and MTF Doodle via Miss Tiina Fonts. |  |  |
| Kiss clipart via The Doodle Oven and speech bubble shape via Microsoft Word. |  |  |
| I used QRStuff.com to generate a personalized "plain text" QR code for each and every co-worker. You can always generate a single standard message, but I it would encourage everyone to scan each other's gifts, if each card had a different message. Make sure you scan the QR code on your finished document on the computer screen before printing. If your QR code reader doesn't decipher the code on the screen, it probably won't scan after you print it out either. Keep in mind that I checked every single printout with my phone scanner before giving them out. It was a tedious task, but I wanted to be sure everyone would be able to read their secret message. |  |
| There are several free bar code and QR code apps available on Android and iPhone. I use QR Droid simply because I'm an Android user. As you probably already imagined, scanning the code even easier than generating it. Just keep in mind that the more information (text) featured in the code, the more difficult it is for the application to read it. I don't know if other users have this issue, but this is what I've learned from my personal experience with the app. |  |
I ended up making about 60 gift bags total. Yes, this did take several days to complete. I was on the fence about mentioning the fact that I was in the middle of moving 1,300 miles away during this same week, and that I completed my 40hrs just 12hrs before my flight...but now you know.
On the bright side, everyone loved their surprise and thankfully most of them appreciated the time and effort that went into this massive project. The other good news: I got to sleep on the plane =)
On the bright side, everyone loved their surprise and thankfully most of them appreciated the time and effort that went into this massive project. The other good news: I got to sleep on the plane =)
FREE Editable Template
How would you edit this for the perfect occasion?
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Here are a few more amazing ideas to use at during the end of the school year... |
 Owl Miss You Goodie Bags |  Write a simple poem and attach it to a custom bag full of treats. |
 Have a Kool summer with Kool-Aid and a krazy straw. |  You can even throw in a cup full of extra goodies! |
 Keep reading s'more books this summer! - Fill a Ziploc back with s'mores ingredients with a clever little note attached. |  Bag Toppers: See You Later Alligator hope you have a cool summer! |
 End of the Year / Graduation Cake Toppers (free printable) |  At the end of the year, this teacher framed a class photo for each of her students and wrapped it in this cute little packaging. What a great gift students can keep for a lifetime! |
 Owl Miss You - Draw this image on a piece of paper and wrap it around your choice of candy bar. |  My future's so bright I have to wear shades. I love this little motivational message! |
 It's O-fish-ally summer! Thanks for a great year! |  Have a KRAZY KOOL summer! |
 Have a Toadally Kool Summer! |  Our class would knot be the same without you - friendship bands. |
 FREE end of the year printable for kindergarten through 4th grade. |  Fantastic idea! Pinner wrote: As an end of the year gift I bought my students beach-balls. They collected classmates signatures and we had a "ball". |
 Balloon Popping Our Way to the End of the Year - Counting down the days with an activity inside each balloon! |  You can also try counting down the hours. |
 Attach a cute little note to a pencil or small gift. Love the idea of acronyms for the names! Simple way to make it personal! |  Black & White End of the Year Awards {editable} |
What's your favorite end of the year gift or activity?
Share the description and/or link below in the comment box.
I look forward to seeing new ideas!
I look forward to seeing new ideas!
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