[NOTE: I started this draft several months ago and have come back to it many times but what I thought would be a nice block of time to handle household stuff, craft, and blog while she was at school has proven to be quite… aspirational ?]
Our daughter started preschool recently and I am apparently dealing with my mixed feelings by staying busy with crafts ? I am so happy she gets to be around more kids and learn, but I am also in my feelings about her starting school when it feels like yesterday that we brought her home… I know most parents go through this so heartfelt hugs to every first time parent sending their little ones off for the first time.
Initially, I wanted to make Lily a first day of preschool shirt… but it turned out so cute and we had Back to School Night the day that I made it! The timing seemed serendipitous and I still had the weekend to make her another shirt so she got to rock her “Ready for Preschool” shirt at Back to School Night. I headed to one of my favorite sites for free SVGs and let Lily pick between the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Unicorn options. She happily chose the T-Rex version and the colors she wanted. I love that you can always personalize an SVG by using whatever color vinyl you want! She loved this shirt.
![Light lavender shirt that says READY FOR PRESCHOOL with a cartoon T-rex](https://craftsbykrystal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/E664368A-1379-4E68-B363-F70FC2DE3E61-2-819x1024.jpg)
First Day of School
For her first day of school, I used the First Day of Preschool SVG from lovesvg.com. It turned out really cute. I used a sparkly t-shirt from Target and made sure to use some glitter HTV for my girl. A crafty friend was visiting when I made Lily’s shirt and she made the brilliant suggestion to make Lily a first day shirt for every first day of school and save the shirts to make Lily a t-shirt quilt as a high school graduation present (cue the tears about thinking of my baby graduating and going to college…).
![Sparkly coral shirt that says "First day of Preschool" and "August 8, 2022" and pencils decorating it. Sitting on top of the shirt are white velcro sneakers with a sprinkle design and sparkly "Lily" on the back heels.](https://craftsbykrystal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_3195-768x1024.jpeg)
![Sparkly coral shirt that says "First day of Preschool" and "August 8, 2022" and pencils decorating it. Sitting on top of the shirt are white velcro sneakers with a sprinkle design and sparkly "Lily" on the back heels and a pink tutu skirt with gold polka dots.](https://craftsbykrystal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_3199-768x1024.jpeg)
Home Decor
I previously bought a Foundation Decor School Shadow Box kit at my favorite store, Paper Bunny, to make when Lily started school. It’s no longer available at Paper Bunny but can be bought here. I got the Echo Park First Day of School 12×12 Cardstock pack at Paper Bunny and started by choosing my cardstock, tracing the shapes of the wood on the cardstock, and then cutting them out.
![A rectangular piece of wood on top of black and white cardstock with a striped pencil next to it.](https://craftsbykrystal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_3289-1024x768.jpeg)
![Black and white cardstock with the traced outline of the rectangular piece of wood and striped pencil on top](https://craftsbykrystal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_3290-1024x802.jpeg)
![Pieces of the School Shadow Box kit with the cut out pieces of cardstock that will cover the wood.](https://craftsbykrystal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_3288-1024x815.jpeg)
![Pieces of the School Shadow Box kit with the cut out pieces of cardstock on top of the pieces of wood they will cover.](https://craftsbykrystal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_3293-1024x768.jpeg)
After cutting all of the paper, I applied them to the wood with Mod Podge. I used a foam brush to add Mod Podge to the wood and the paper, then smoothed the paper on top of the wood. This usually helps keep bubbling to a minimum. Once I have smoothed it down, I put another layer of Mod Podge on top. After it has dried, I file the excess paper off the sides. It is a bit time consuming but I enjoyed the process and here is the final product (with a gorgeous little hand exploring the button wheels) ?
![](https://craftsbykrystal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_3334-1024x1024.jpeg)
![](https://craftsbykrystal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/I-love-school-shadowbox-1024x944.jpg)