Large Back to School Border is from Kats Kreation Korner for only $7.00.

I no longer have children going off to school, but I love to remember those days! One in particular, I will never forget. It was the first day of school for my son Richard. We lived in rural Alaska at the time. I had driven him to school to introduce him to his teacher and he was to ride the bus home. When the time came to pick him up at the bus stop, (a one-mile trip up a dirt road from our home), I drove up to wait. There at the bus stop were other waiting moms.

When the buses all came and went, and still no son, I became worried. One other mom was there waiting with me. We decided the boys must have been put on a wrong bus. Frantic calls were made but no one knew where they were. Finally a bus came and stopped. Out came two little boys and a smiling bus driver. They were on the right bus, but being so small, no one noticed them in the back. They were playing and talking so much they did not look up to get off, and had ridden the bus all the way back to the school! The wonderful bus driver saw them and drove them back to our bus stop!

Remembering those wonderful and stressing days of school, I went shopping for back to school things for under twenty-five dollars. Etsy has some fantastic things, and here are my favorites!

This Adorable Pillow Case dress is only $20.00 and comes in various sizes. I love this color, one of Pantone’s Pick colors this fall for fashion!  This comes from Groovy Gurlz.

The Addie Medallion Twirl Skirt, in fun fall colors of orange and aqua, is from Laken and Lila.  Only $22.50 with a special offer of two, this skirt is available in many sizes!

From the Sara and Jane shop comes this Alphabet fabric-covered notebook. In bright yellow, blue and red alphabets, this notebook has 200 pages, pockets, and a little button clasp for $11.50.

And speaking of notebooks, and things that we need to put stuff in, make sure to put your child’s name on their things. How about this cool double sided tag for a backpack. From Paper Party Design Co., it lists for $5.50 all done up for you!

For the boys, I found this dark mahogany brown shirt in organic cotton for only $18.00. It is from RC Tees and is an original design.

I love this warm and awesome looking newsboy hat from Castle Gate for only $24.00, available in the navy and stripe pattern shown. Love the little front brim. The fabric is 100 percent cotton from the USA, with options of custom colors.

Last, and this is SO PERFECT for kids going to school: reusable sandwich baggies! Look at the colors, so bright and fun! From Betsy’s Drawers, they sell for 12.00 in a two-pack combo. Save money and still be in style for the kids!

Hope your kids are getting ready for their new school year. Be sure and rehearse how to be safe this year. It helps to sit down and go over the rules for safety a few times before school begins. Have fun shopping on Etsy for more cool stuff for your kids!

~Brenda Salzano