need ideas for baseball

[pjw3362004]

Hi
My neice has ask me to make some end of season gifts for the t-ball team that her husband coaches. It's great that she has finally learned that I need lead time to get this kind of stuff done. The problem is I have no idea what to do. I have the baseball set for the current catalog but I don't know what to make. It would need to be on the inexpensive side. if you know what I mean. Please give any ideas you can think of.
Thanks
Pam

[momis mama]

i saw a card that was round and then they drew on the 'stitching' of a baseball...

at least something to trigger the creative juices maybe?!

good luck! and happy stamping

[pjw3362004]

Thanks. I'm at a total lost as what to do. The kids are 5-7 years old, boys and girls. The team's name is the Bears.

[SCEmily]

Do you have a stamp set with a bear? I think it would be really cute to have the bear holding the baseball or bat or something.

[Novell]

My kids have been playing baseball for years. All the teams we've been on have had a team mom who collected $$ toward a gift for the coaches (like a gift certificate, or new equipment and such). This has been a pretty inexpensive way for the coaches to get something nice. Another thing we've done is had the kids all sign a baseball with their names so the coach has it as a memento. Another cheap, but nice little gift to give. Not crafty, but seems to work in our experience.

[buzzy]

My DH has coached our 4 kids soccer and baseball/softball teams for the last 9 years. That means I have had more than my share of end of the year items to scrounge up!

For the younger kids something eye catching is cool (older ones, like my junior high boys only want food!). Think of Valentine ideas with a sports theme. Check out the project resource area here on SCS for ideas. One favorite is the Pull Treat tutorial. Another year I covered coffee cups decorated in their team colors, made labels with my Xyron and filled them with Russian Tea bags. Find out how and when they will be presented to the kids ...if it is during the whole leagues finale their may be space limitations.

Side note...we have coached over 25 teams and definitely DO NOT want anything we would have to keep as a memento. I highly recommend consumable gifts for both teachers and coaches!

Let me know if you need more help!

[pjw3362004]

great ideas. He wants the gifts to be for the kids not the coaches.
Thanks

[cpw3431]

Depending on the team mascot you could do a picture frame for the kids.

I did this one year for my daughters Basketball team.

They were the ladybugs and it was easy to use these stamps with that being the name.

You can get nice frames at the dollar store. So all the cost would be is that plus your paper and time.

HTH

[dacpam]

If you need a suggestion for coaches gifts, I would follow the direction of buzzy's and do something consumable and the like. We used to put together baskets with things for an evening with the family. Popcorn, pop, candy etc along with a blockbuster gift card to rent a video so after all the time they spent away from the family, they could have an evening together. We would throw in a team signed baseball into it too.

By the way, we would get the baskets at the dollar store. Sometimes they would be laundry baskets but filled, they looked great.

[Novell]

Well, for kids gifts our coach has given a baseball with the team name, year, player's name and # written on the ball. On the back he puts the game# they best performed in. Like...MVP #9, or something like that. We also had a mom do a small scrapbook page with a picture of the kid, taken during the season, their name and jersey # on it. Nothing fancy but still fun and all of us moms loved it.

I think at the age level you're talking, treat bags would also be fantastic. I'm sure they'd love the pull-out treat idea.

[JodiAnn]

My husband is a coach and I get to make little treats all the time. The biggest hits seem to be cellophane bags filled with some kind of candy - with a topper that has the team name on it, then I stamp balls from whatever sport it is. I also make suckers (with candy melts and molds) and put them in bags with a little topper. They seem to really love anything with their team name on it.

[amymcgs]

What about making a scrapbook page with a big baseball in the middle so the kids could autograph each other's pages? You could add a photo of each kid to their page & maybe a team photo. If you made them 8x10" size, they could either slip into a scrapbook (mounted on 12x12" or 8.5x11" paper) or they could be framed.... that part would be up to each kid.

[c-mouse]

I second the treat topper idea.....Fill bags with crackerjack and peanuts( you know--take me out to the ballgame, buy me some peanuts and crackerjack) and decorate the top with baseball stamps or stickers,,,team name, etc.

[okstamper]

I usually make collages for the coaches from the photos that I took through the season. The coaches are so appreciated that someone like me does something like this for them. They are so proud of them. They hang them in their dens, offices, and etc. I print all the pictures of what I want at Walgreens usually 2 sets of prints for 2 coaches. I usually get about 25 or so. Then its trim and layout the pictures. I have photos if you would like to see them. I also do a card as well. The back of the collage I have all the kids sign it. I enjoy making these for their coaches.

I also make a copy of all the pictures onto a cd for the parents.

I sent you a PM.

Bonnie

[MommaJ]

I just made up a present for a boy on my son's baseball team, I thought it turned out really cute! I took a coffee sized can and adhered some nice baseball paper around it. With a computer font I typed up "Game Day Goodies" and adhered it to the front of the can. Then I took white tissue paper and stamped it with my S/U set " Take me out to the ball game" and placed it in the can with some hanging out and put video store gift cards inside and snacks "sun flower seeds, beef jerky, cinamon bears, candy bars etc". He really seemed to like it. You could scale it down to a small vege can if you wanted. Good luck!!
(The set "Take me out to the ball game" is my most fav baseball set ever!!!)

[jailbirdstamper]

how about those little pockets that hold single serving size of koolaid?

[pjw3362004]

wow these are all great ideas.

[RiverIsis]

I did these gifts for my son's team after they won District
http://krikeykreations.blogspot.com/...and-boxes.html

and when they won Regionals
http://krikeykreations.blogspot.com/...iger-pens.html

All the instructions on how to are on this forum.

[mmagruder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by buzzy

Side note...we have coached over 25 teams and definitely DO NOT want anything we would have to keep as a memento. I highly recommend consumable gifts for both teachers and coaches!

Let me know if you need more help!

I second this. My husband has been coaching soccer, basketball and baseball for 2 of my kids (3rd starts next year) so that is 6 coaches gifts a year. While I think it is critical that you recognize the coaches because it is amazing the amount of time they put into coaching that you do not see (emailing, working with the "league", coaches meetings, using their own money to buy equipment, dealing with parents, parenting children who are not parented by their own parents etc.). We wouldn't trade it for anything but really what is most appreciated is either equipment that you KNOW they need for the team or a gift certificate. The parents on my kids teams have become friends and they want to get creative but really the only thing he wants is a gift certificate for golf.

HTH - Michele

[beadfreak22]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RiverIsis

I did these gifts for my son's team after they won District
http://krikeykreations.blogspot.com/...and-boxes.html

and when they won Regionals
http://krikeykreations.blogspot.com/...iger-pens.html

All the instructions on how to are on this forum.

These are adorable!!! Great job!

[ReneW]

I'm making mugs with a school group next week...I bought the Design-a-Mugs at HL for $.87 each then I'm having them stamp on an insert and we're going to plant a flower in it. But, it would be easy to change this for something for the kids. Stamp with baseball stamps and have them sign them for each other, or even attach a team picture.

HTH!
Rene

[happystamper318]

I've learned from past experiences kids of that age don't appreciate the time you put into making "creative" gifts. They honestly just want the candy inside. My idea this year is to give them each a box of Cracker Jacks. I may put a message on a piece of cardstock and wrap it around the boxes like "Great Job Giants!" (BTW, I found Cracker Jacks at Walmart last week,
3/.97) Another idea would be "Big League Chew" bubble gum in a cellophane bag with a topper that has a message or team name. Hope this helps!

[nbenbow]

Shutterfly now even does a little 4x6 softcover book. They are inexpensive. You could give a bigger, 8x12 hardcover to the coach. You will need pictures, and some time to put it together.

[scrappintxn]

We gave our coach a digital book with pictures from the season. The software was free from Creative Memories and each player donated only $5. Then anyone who wanted a copy could order their own for their child thru email. Our team mom said it took her about a half hour to drop the pictures into the book and order.

[short4j]

Simple toppers with cellophane bags of candy are easy to do, look great, and the kids love them, too! Add their names and numbers and you are a STAR! Or, decorate brown paper bags (could just put their number all over each one, to personalize, and then stamp baseball stamps here and there, or just on the topper), with food inside - food and treats are always a winner!!

I also second what others are saying about coach gifts. After all the sports we've been involved in over the years (and also speaking for myself as Team Manager of many of them) - go for something personal (and consumable!) as gifts. I'd much rather have a gift card than one more sweatshirt with the team's name on it! Just my .02. Make it easy on yourself and everyone wins!

[pjw3362004]

Thanks for all of the great ideas. I am going to make a small throw blanket for my nephew in law ( the coach) and have the kids sign it. He likes home made stuff and was kinda hinting that I hadn't made him a blanket yet. Go figurer that a 22 year old man would want a throw blanket. I guess you never can tell. hummm.

[chickers089]

Maybe you could get a picture of each kid and make them an ATC "baseball" card??? You could laminate them? Make enough so the whole team could "trade" them???

[moster]

For little kids like yours, what about baseball cookies (round cookies with white icing with red stitching)? My sister ordered these for her husband's kindgarten baseball team last summer. The local bakery took care of it with very little guidance. They were adorable and a huge . . . hit. (get it? A little baseball pun there) Order extra for young siblings!

[wstocum]

Take a file folder (like the one's you can buy for 10 cents at the beginning of hte school year) and cut it in half and then fold it in half again. Tape the folder on the inside at the top or bottm to make a pocket. On the non-pocket side glue a 5x7 legal pad. You can then stamp the front of the "journal" with a baseball theme. I have made these for teachers and also my sons (age 9 and 6) and everyone loves them! Good luck!

[csendykar]

May be an explosion box with each player's picture? I am going to do this this year for my kids teams.

[RiverIsis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by beadfreak22

These are adorable!!! Great job!

Thanks. I really enjoyed making them and the "kids" were a bit older - but anything consumable is a big plus for gifts for kiddies.

I freely admit that I made the same thing for the coaches as the kids in my case. However I'm glad to see all those vouchers I have given for coffee, books, etc over the years to teachers and coaches have been appreciated as what they were - a gift to treat themselves - and not a cop out;)

[Turkey1969]

http://impressionsbyrochelle.blogspo...el/Gift%20Sets

I have seen some great gift sets on the blog I linked above. You could use one or more of the pieces in the sets.

Some shown are sports themed so it shouldn't be hard to substitute a baseball instead of a football or basketball.