Easter Bunny Place Cards

Looking to incorporate your creativity into your Easter table?  I made these place cards several years ago for Easter and I still think they are so cute.  I think I found this idea in Family Fun magazine.  They are a great example of paper piecing:

These are not too hard to make, although they take a bit of time.  Hopefully, you are not having too many people to Easter dinner - I had 12 that year :)

You need scrapbook paper in two solid colors, one in a patterned color and some white for Mr. Bunny.  You also need vellum paper, brads, a little ribbon and some 3-dimensional adhesives - like sticky foam squares.

Because I made these several years ago, for this tutorial I used slightly different colors.  First cut your card (background paper) into 3"x 5 1/2" rectangles and fold in half.  If you have a scoring tool, this will make your fold cleaner.

Next, cut your front square in a contrasting color.  Mr. Bunny will sit on this square.  I used pastel green because it matched my china pattern.  Cut the squares 2 1/2"square.

Next cut the patterned paper in a rectangle about 2 1/2" x 1".  This will be the background for your vellum name.  I used a pink gingham, but you can use any pattern.  

Now comes the part that many might find intimidating but it's pretty easy.  Take the white paper and draw a head (like a fat pear), two ears and two fat feet (look like elongated circles).  You might want to start by drawing them, but once you feel comfortable, you can probably cut them without patterns.  Remember, each Mr. Bunny is unique.

Next, draw two big dot eyes close together, a long skinny pink nose, a little line below the nose and whiskers on the face.  You also need to draw paw marks.

Using your computer's printer, pick a fun font and print the names of your guests on an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of vellum.  A thicker, paper weight vellum does great in a printer.  Once you print all the names, cut them in rectangles just a little smaller than the patterned paper.  Get some tiny ribbon and tie little bows.  Add a little hot glue drop if you are nervous about the bows coming apart.  Now you are ready to piece.

Start with the background paper and glue the square onto the front half.  Piece each piece of Mr. Bunny on top of the paper, with the head on top of the ears and feet which are glued first to the paper.  You may want to use a 3 dimensional adhesive to make Mr. Bunny pop (or in his case, hop).  You will want his feet to slightly overlap the patterned paper and his ears to stick up above the fold.  A pair of tweezers will help immensely.

Now you want to layer the patterned paper (in purple above) over the green and then the vellum with the name over the patterned paper.  You are going to hold them together with metal brads.  (Here's a bonus tutorial on how to apply a brad.)  A brad is a small piece of metal you drive through your paper to attach papers in a decorative way, or, in this case, attach a piece of vellum.  It's very hard to glue vellum without it showing.  I also like brads because they come in a variety of colors.  On my sample I used a pastel green brad, but here I'll show metal brads.

That silver cylinder thing is a brad tool.  Notice that the end is not flat, but has a tiny point that you insert in the brad to hammer it.  I like this tool set from Making Memories.

Put the brad, smaller side down, over the papers you want to hold together.  In this case I'm driving the brad through 4 layers - the vellum, the pattern contrast paper, the square for Mr. Bunny and the top of the place card.  Use a hammer (see the one above) to pound the brad tool down, driving the brad through the papers.  PLEASE make sure to use a hard surface - the harder the better (granite countertops, tile floors, heavy wood furniture) - AND a self healing mat (or plastic cutting board in a pinch) under the papers.  If you don't, you WILL have a mark in your surface underneath the papers.  Once you hammer the brad through the papers and turn over the papers, it should look like this.

Take the same brad tool and insert it over this side of the brad and pound it down.  It will force the brad shaft to spread, "grabbing" the paper.

You've done it!

Your guests will be so impressed at your craftiness and that you cared enough to make beautiful place cards.  Depending on the colors you pick with your dinnerware and tablecloth, they can also make an attractive addition to your table.

Happy Easter!

cindy

It's Almost Here . . .

Seen last year . . .

I can't claim credit for this, but I did see it down the street and I think it's adorable:

Yes, those are bunny ears on headbands!  It is such a great idea.  There are also fake flowers (cheap plastic ones are very appropriate for this open air display).  Finally, the bows are also plastic.  This would be great on a fence or iron door.  Heck, it would be cute on a wreath.  Anywhere you can hide the headband part - it looks just like bunnies sticking their ears up.

Hippity, hoppity, Easter's on its way!

cindy

Holiday Snacks - Orange-Cranberry Snacks

This is a recipe I like to repost every year not only because it's good, but also because you can never have too many little gift ideas.


It's getting down to the wire when I've got to think about all the "little" gifts I need - for teachers, babysitters, mailmen, other last minute recipients.  These are my favorite gifts because although I like to make them interesting, I don't necessarily have to give a lot of personal thought to them.  I also like to combine my love for the deal.  Specifically, I like to buy Christmas things right after Christmas for a song and wait and use them the following year.  When I unwrap my Christmas decorations, I enjoy finding something new - like Christmas comes early.  A couple of years ago I found these glass Santa containers on sale for $1.00 each (originally $4.99) at Target.  I thought I would make cookie mix, but because of the small size, I needed to think of something else.

 Cranberry/Orange Snack Mix

The ingredients are pretty simple:

2 c. Corn Chex

2 c. Oat squares

2 c. Mini Pretzels

1 c. whole almonds

1/4 c. butter

1/3 c. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

3 Tbl packed brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp allspice

2/3 c. dried cranberries (Craisins)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees and coat a 13X9 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Mix the first four ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.  In a smaller bowl melt butter and add orange juice concentrate, brown sugar and spices.  Mix well and pour over the dry ingredients, stirring them to coat. 

 Spread the resulting mix on the baking pan and bake for 50 minutes.  You will need to stir the mix every 10 minutes.  

Once it's done, you add the Craisins and lay the mix out on a flat surface until it's dry.  You can store it in any airtight container.  As an extra bonus, your kitchen will have a wonderful smell of spiced orange and cranberry.  

This is better than any old cookie mix :)

cindy

Christmas Snacks - Muddy Buddy Mix

I like this one from last year, so I'm reposting for more holiday yumminess.

If you're looking for a sweet little snack as an alternative to cookies, this one is easy, quick and (seriously) not as messy as making cookies.  This looks just like snow in a bowl.  It's also a change in pace for Santa on Christmas Eve.  (Let's face it - he's tired of cookies at every house!)  This snack is actually good any time of year, so jot down the recipe for later if you're one of those cookie purists.

The dry ingredients are somewhat approximate, just make a big bowl of crunchy stuff and then mix it with the other ingredients.  You need:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

4-5 c. Chex (any flavor(s) you like)

2 c. Mini pretzels

1 c. Powdered sugar

Place first three ingedients and heat in microwave for 1 minute. Mix well and heat more if needed to melt everything. Add vanilla extract and mix well.  Mix dry ingredients (you can also add nuts, M&Ms or anything else).  Pour chocolate mixture over dry ingredients and mix well.  Wait a few minutes for the hot chocolate mixture to cool down a bit  Transfer the mixture into plastic ziplock bags with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of powdered sugar in each, close and shake to coat.  Coat all of mix (adding more powdered sugar as needed).  If you end up with too much powdered sugar or if it is clumping too much to the chocolate covered ingredients, you can use a colander or sifter to reduce the powdered sugar.  Serve or chill to store.

 (I just noticed my pictures look like it's a container full of powdered sugar, but it's my flash adding to much light.  It is coated, but not drowning in powdered sugar!)

Dive in!!

cindy

Pumpkin Palooza - Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

O.K., by now pumpkin might be getting a little old for most of you, but here's one more recipe I'll throw at you.  The pumpkin taste isn't as prevalent and there are chocolate and cheesecake tastes to boot!   I will admit that instead of being a purist by making the homemade portion of these brownies, I took the easy way out and used a box brownie mix and kept the recipe limited to the yummy pumpkin cheesecake topping.  Without further delay, here is the recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies from Table for Two Blog:

Ingredients:

1 box brownie mix (and all the ingredients required to make them) (I would suggest a "moist" brownie mix - advertised as extra fudge or rich)
4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. pumpkin puree (you can use canned pumpkin and puree it with a blender)
1 large egg (in addition to any that might be required for the brownie mix)
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Prepare oven according to brownie mix directions.  For best results, use a parchment lined pan and spray it with non-stick spray.  After preparing brownie mix and pouring it into the pan, set aside and make the topping:

Beat together cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.  Add pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and egg and beat until well mixed.  Using a tablespoon put spoonfuls of the topping onto the brownie batter.  Using a toothpick or knife, swirl it around into the batter.  Don't forget to make some pretty patterns!
Bake the brownies according to directions (about 35-40 minutes).  Definitely don't over bake.  If your mix offers you the difference between a chewy brownie or a more cake-like brownie, choose the chewy - you don't want these like cake.  After baking the center should still be jiggly.  Let cool 20 minutes and then use the parchment paper to lift out of the pan onto a wire rack to cool completely.  After cool, put them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cutting.

Here they are.  (Again, photographing food is not by best skill):

Enjoy for the holidays or anytime during the year!

cindy

I've Been Booed! Free Printables

Over the weekend I noticed something on our front porch.  It wasn't a mail package, but a cute Halloween box full of Halloween goodies!  Attached to the box was a small sign saying "You've Been Booed!"  Inside the box was lots of candy, Halloween stuff (eyeball salt and pepper shakers, a solar dancing pumpkin, a growing zombie, cookie cutters, a kitchen towel - you get the idea).  I wish I could say I had a picture of the box, but my kids (and me) tore it apart looking for all the goodies.  How fun!

Turns out, this is the idea of Tricia at Nola Mommy from 2011.  It's a fun way to get to know your neighbors - even if it is a bit anonymously - and a fun activity for your kids who are either too young to trick or treat or can't in the neighborhood.  This is like the reverse trick or treat!  Here is the original "You've Been Booed" sign along with the complete instructions and free printables from Nola Mommy:

Instructions on How to Boo your Neighbor by Tricia L.

We couldn't wait to put our own "boo baskets" together for two of our neighbors.  It wasn't very expensive - we used some cool metal pails we've had for a while for containers and then added little items from the Dollar Store and Target.  It was fun to find ring pop eyeballs and bloody vampire teeth.  The dish towels from Target are a cute addition too!  Here's what our finished products look like, all ready for "booing":

Don't these pumpkins look like little waiters?

I really love this idea, but I can't take credit for starting it in my neighborhood.  Some nice anonymous neighbor did that!  These would be great for a lot of holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day.  The possibilities are endless and you can never get too much community going on, especially when you live in an area where neighbors don't tend to know each other.

Don't forget to check out the full directions at Nola Mommy and happy booing!

cindy

A Wee Bit of the Wicked

It's that time of year again, when the Leprechauns start doing their thing.

They start digging through things, dropping gold coins everywhere and stealing shoes.

Maybe it's the green beer.

Maybe it's because they're just naturally mischievous.

Are the Leprechauns coming to your Happy Home?

If you don't know what Leprechauns can do, or how much fun your family can have with these wicked little men, you really must visit Happy Home Fairy.  There are plenty of great ideas there to introduce your family to the guy who makes the Elf on the Shelf run and hide!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

cindy

Valentine's Day DIY Hearts

Being the "crafty" mom I am and having the "Craft Diva" for a daughter, I can't let a crafty holiday like Valentine's Day go by without making handmade valentines for her class.  They are such a great alternative to the little boxes of cartoon papers.

This year I found a cool idea from Pinterest:

Source: radmegan.blogspot.com via Cindy on Pinterest

These are actually Danish hearts that are traditionally made at Christmas.  In this example, they are made with felt, but in blog page describing this craft, there is also descriptions of the hearts being made from paper. Voila!  Perfect valentines!  Did I mention that these hearts open up to little baskets that can be used for candy, notes, etc?

Here's how I made mine:

I used pink and red (prints and solids) from my enormous stash of scrapbook paper (that almost never gets used).  I didn't use a card stock weight, but instead the thinner weight (something between copy paper and card stock).  I cut an oval about 4" wide and 10" long from heavier card stock for a template.  You can make it whatever size you want, but the way I created mine was to use a circle 4" in diameter and cut it in half to make the ends.  Then, make it the length you want.  The shorter the length, the smaller the heart and resulting interior "basket".

Using the template, you will need two ovals for each valentine.  I made a bunch because I have to make 30 for my daughter's class.

Take your two ovals and fold them in half together, print side out.  Then cut three cuts through both ovals, beginning at the fold and up to about 1" from the curve of the oval.  The spaces between the cuts will be the sections that are weaved together.  I tried being very exact about the width between each cut and making sure they were perfectly matched.  Don't bother.  If you fold the two ovals together and cut both from the fold, they will be fine.

Now you're ready to weave.  Hold the folded ovals at the top curves in either hand.  If you understand the idea of weaving in and out, you're halfway there.  The only difference here is that the papers must cross in the folds to create the in-out weave.

                   

It's a little hard to do at first, but what I learned is that you shouldn't be afraid to bend the strips to get them weaved together.  They won't tear.  Also, do one strip at a time and keep pushing the weaved strips toward the curves.

When you get them all weaved, pull a little outward on all sides.  This will keep it from looking like you have strips sticking out the sides of your heart.  If done correctly, you should be able to open the top and see the basket weave.

Whatever kind of valentines your kids take to school, make it a fun and special day for them.

cindy

Recipe - Cranberry-Orange Snack Mix

This is a repeat from last year - not only in posting this recipe, but also because it might be last minute gifts again this year.

It's getting down to the wire when I've got to think about all the "little" gifts I need - for teachers, babysitters, mailmen, other last minute recipients.  These are my favorite gifts because although I like to make them interesting, I don't necessarily have to give a lot of personal thought to them.  I also like to combine my love for the deal.  Specifically, I like to buy Christmas things right after Christmas for a song and wait and use them the following year.  When I unwrap my Christmas decorations, I enjoy finding something new - like Christmas comes early.  Last year I found these glass Santa containers on sale for $1.00 each (originally $4.99) at Target.  I thought I would make cookie mix, but because of the small size, I needed to think of something else.

 Cranberry/Orange Snack Mix

The ingredients are pretty simple:

2 c. Corn Chex

2 c. Oat squares

2 c. Mini Pretzels

1 c. whole almonds

1/4 c. butter

1/3 c. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

3 Tbl packed brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp allspice

2/3 c. dried cranberries (Craisins)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees and coat a 13X9 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Mix the first four ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.  In a smaller bowl melt butter and add orange juice concentrate, brown sugar and spices.  Mix well and pour over the dry ingredients, stirring them to coat. 

 Spread the resulting mix on the baking pan and bake for 50 minutes.  You will need to stir the mix every 10 minutes.  

Once it's done, you add the Craisins and lay the mix out on a flat surface until it's dry.  You can store it in any airtight container.  As an extra bonus, your kitchen will have a wonderful smell of spiced orange and cranberry.  

This is better than any old cookie mix :)

cindy

Christmas Comfort

We're finally putting up our Christmas decorations, and once again I feel a sense of comfort and familiarity.  I don't know about anyone else, but I put my decorations in the same place every year.  I tend to group similar items together.  Snowmen go in the kitchen, nativity scenes on the piano, and angels on the bar.

Some of my favorite decorations are in the main bathroom where the Santas live.  I can look at every decoration and remember where I bought or received it.  Here's my favorite:

I still have a hard time looking at these guys without laughing.  Their looks seem to question why they are there.  I also have this cute Santa and Mrs. Claus.

I bought these about 12 years ago at a craft fair at my church.  The woman who made them subsequently died from cancer and her husband loved hearing that I still had her creations and displayed them every year.  Santa has to lean on the Santa candle because he can't stand on his own, but I can't imagine decorating this room without him.

One of my newer areas is my bar adored with angels.

This is one of my favorite angels that I bought about 5 years ago at of all places, a copper mine.

It makes me feel good putting all of these pieces in the same places every year.  I guess it reminds me of Christmases past (or I'm just too lazy to think of a different way to decorate).  Either way, it's part of the comfort of Christmas.

cindy

Christmas Is Approaching

Like you don't know?  I'm trying to stay stress free, but it's not so easy. I'm using this time to teach my children about the preparation for Christ's second coming by helping our neighbors who are in need. There have been so many opportunities through angel trees, Toys for Tots, etc, but it can be exhausting. I've given up some of my time, especially with my blog. I can say, though, that it's been rewarding.

Now comes the hard part-convincing the kids that they can do with a little less this year. I've told them that with so much charitable giving, there is less available for them. No problem, Mom, Santa Claus will still come through with the big stuff. (sigh) It's not so easy, but I have a little time to figure it out.

So, for those of you who continue to read my blog, please bear with me. I promise to have some new projects and other interesting things to say soon. In the meantime, enjoy your Christmas preparations even more by buying or making a few extra things for those who might not feel the love through a gift or kindness just for them. Isn't that what Christmas is about anyway?

cindy

A Chain of Thanks

This was a project we first did last year on Thanksgiving and we're going to repeat it this year.  It was very popular and so easy to do!  Here's my directions from last year:

Start with some autumn color construction paper cut into 1 1/2" wide strips:




Provide a strip to everyone gathered at your Thanksgiving table and write why you are thankful:

Collect the strips and create a chain of thanks:

My kids had a great time doing this with grandma and grandpa.  Later we went to my brother and sister-in-law's house for dessert.  They usually have a lot of people over for Thanksgiving, including many friends.  Even though we didn't know many of them, people were happy to share their thoughts of thanks with us.  It brought a great meaning to Thanksgiving.

After making our chain of thanks, we hung it on our Christmas tree to remember to be thankful during the holidays.  It added a sense of continuity to the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Have a thankful Thanksgiving!

cindy