Teacher’s Gifts!

Do you or don’t you give Teacher’s Gifts?!?

 

I have only once felt that I wanted to give a teacher a gift as I thought she was outstanding and had really helped my daughter. So much so that I actually made her a Smallprint Keyring with ‘Best Teacher’ written by my, then 5 year old, daughter stamped into it. Other than that I don’t really feel compelled to give gifts, and think it is an expense that at this time of year we could do without. At the end of the day they are doing a job and it is not common practice to give gifts to someone for doing their job. However there does seem to be a growing trend of giving gifts at the end of the school year and on our playground there does seem to be an air of ‘keeping up with the Jones’!

 

The retail market have grabbed this opportunity with both hands and the shops now seem to be full of Thank you gifts for Teachers. But seriously, how many mugs, keyrings or teddy’s does a teacher want or need?!?! I wonder what they do with them all? I came under pressure from my children yesterday as people had already brought gifts in and so it had planted the seed that they should do it too! I was adamant that we were not going to go out and start buying gifts and I explained to them why. I suggested that if they really wanted to give the teacher something why didn’t they make something as it would be more personal. So we had a quick route through the cupboards and decided on homemade Honeycomb! I had never made it before, but it is a recipe that my daughter had earmarked in the cook book I got her at Christmas! I have to say, it was so quick easy and we had everything we need in the house! It looked great and tasted just like shop brought honeycomb!

The girls were brimming with pride as they left the house this morning carrying their little bags of homemade honeycomb to give to their teachers and I didn’t mind as it hadn’t really cost us anything to make! Turns out this was the perfect solution to the teacher gift giving debate! Plus now I have a recipe that I can do with the kids quickly and it would make the perfect gift to take to someones house when invited for dinner! Love it x

Know the facts about Fingerprint Jewellery

I love Fingerprint Jewellery, so much so that I brought a Smllprint franchise!

I am just about to enter my fourth year of making Fingerprint Jewellery and I still love it as much as the day I started. There are a lot more companies out there offering this product now which is great as it gives the customers a choice. Being someone who spends a lot of time online I am very good at doing my research before buying, as many savvy Mums are these days. I would recommend to everyone that if you are interested in Fingerprint Jewellery then do your research before you order. Here are a few things I would say you need to know before ordering;

1. Does the company make a mould of the Fingerprint using putty and then recreate it for the jewellery or do they take a cast of the Fingerprint straight into PMC (precious Metal Clay). The difference here is that if they are using a putty then in essence are making a mould of the Fingerprint and then using the mould to stamp into the clay. Companies that do it this way often send you the kit to take the print yourself. The downside of this is that you only get one attempt per kit which is hard when you have never done it before. If the company take the print straight into the clay then what you get back will be the print that is actually taken – a cast of the Fingerprint. This means your child will of actually touched the piece of Jewellery. This will also mean it is a trained professional that is taking the print, so far less stressful for you. Another bonus to this method is that if the print doesn’t come out very well the person taking it can take another print there and then and continue doing so until you are happy with it. I had a customer only this week who came to me with 6 month old twins. I took one of the girls prints and it was lovely, but we tried several different Fingers with the other little girl and she just didn’t have any lines yet. In the end we decided to leave it a month before we try again to see if her lines have developed. The lady was so grateful, as there was no charge for the appointment and she knows that when we do get the print it will be a clear and hopefully detailed one (the detail obviously depends on your childs skin patterns). If she had been using a kit herself she would not have known the quality of the print until her Jewellery arrived and by then it would be too late to do anything about it.

2. What kind of Clay do the company use? Smallprint HQ have done a great deal of research into the best Silver Clay to use and have tested all the products on the market. Different Silver Clay’s will give you different finishes. If you look around at different companies you will see some pieces have a much higher shine than others. I have even seen some that looked like they are almost a brushed effect. Look at the finished items and see what finish you like, don’t be afraid to ask what they use. At Smallprint we use PMC as it gives an excellent smooth finish that polishes up to a high shine.

3. What is included in the price? Before you place your order check what is included in the price. Most items are displayed with engraving but you will find that it is not always included in the price quoted. Also check what attachments are included as again, items may be displayed with a chain but not necessarily included in the price. Ask if the purchase comes in a gift box or bag and again is that included.

4. Don’t be fooled by wording on websites or sales pitches. A number of companies quote things on their websites like ‘we are the market leader’ anyone can write these statements but can they back them up? If companies are quoting this don’t be afraid to ask them how they know they are. It is a grand statement to make and I always wonder how these companies justify what they are saying. Also you will find a lot of small companies saying things like ‘we are cheaper than the franchised companies as we don’t have to pay management fees etc’. The price of Silver is the same to everyone and if you shop around you will find that the franchised companies are not always more expensive than the small companies especially if they charge extra for engraving, packaging etc. The advantage of the franchised company is that all franchisees are trained to a specific standard and the quality of their work checked regularly. Head quarters of Franchised companies have extensive testing done on the findings and materials they use to ensure the customer is receiving the highest quality product, this is not something that a small company would always have the time or resources to do.

5. Check the Size and depth of the jewellery. If you find a company that seems to be considerably cheaper it may be because their items are thinner or small than other companies. Where possible I would always ask to see samples and if this isn’t possible ask for measurements or the weight of the finished item so you can compare the companies fairly.

Ultimately, as with everything, it is all down to personal taste, but if you are going to invest in something so precious it is good to know the facts!