Have the first day of school jitters started sinking in at your house?  Graham is like an old pro at this now since he is going into 1st grade.  He is excited, but he is still wanting the freedom of being at home, playing with his little brother and swimming all the day long!  However, I know the day is going to be here before we know it and I am excited to be teaming up with Michaels in order to bring you a fun and easy way to document that special first day.

I know how much I treasure the first day of school photo that I took last year of Graham.  We simply used a chalk board we already had on hand and I wrote all of the info in.  I had seen so many cool ideas using picture frames and dry erase markers on Pinterest this year that I thought it would be neat to create something that we could use over and over again and with multiple children.  When not in use it still looks super cute hanging on a wall or on a mantel for a personalized decorative touch.

How easy is it you say?  Well, you only need a few supplies and I have even provided the free printable for you to download!  Yay for free!  It allows you spaces to put what grade, the date and what they want to be/do when they grow up.

What you will need:

• 1 piece of your favorite scrapbook paper (sold separately at Michaels for various prices approximately $.49-$.99)
• 1 piece of regular (printer sized) vellum (.99 at Michaels)
• 1 of your favorite 8×10 picture frames (ours was purchased from Michaels for $19.99)
• Scissors
• pencil for marking the lines to cut
• dry erase marker for the finished product

Instructions:

First, you will need to print off the free printable document I created for you on the vellum.  I used my ink jet printer and it worked just find.  I just made sure to let it air dry really well before touching it.

Next, you will take the glass portion of the frame out and trace around the scrapbook paper as well as the vellum.  Make sure to center the printed vellum so that the words look right in the frame.

Cut along the lines so that your scrapbook paper and vellum fit perfectly!

Place the glass back in the frame followed by the vellum and then the scrapbook paper and close the back.

Use your dry erase marker on the outside of the glass frame in order to fill in your child’s info.

Now you have a quick, easy and cheap prop to use that looks beautiful and creative in photos.  Not to mention, you can just fill this in year after year without going back to look at pictures to see what you wrote the year before.  I love it when the same thing is used in pictures in order to document growth and change.  You can really see the difference over time!

More Back to School Tips from Michaels

• Michaels offers a 15 percent discount for teachers every day. Make sure to talk to a store associate during your next trip to learn more.
• Need a large quantity of one back to school item but don’t see enough on the shelves? Michaels offers a bulk ordering program where you can order as many supplies as you need and save up to 20 percent.
• Don’t forget to download the Michaels app so that you will always have the latest deals and coupons at your fingertips in case you need last minute school supplies.

I was sent a Michaels gift card in order to purchase supplies for this craft.  These are my own honest opinions and ideas.  Please see my terms of use for more info.