Easter egg topiary

This a fun Easter decoration I made a couple years ago.  (Okay, it's like my only Easter decoration that makes it out each year.)  Because it's a couple years old, I don't have step by step pictures; but I thought it might be share-worthy anyway.  It was cheap and simple to make.  I got the eggs and the pot from the Dollar store!  I think any eggs and any pot would work!  All you need is a foam topiary form from the craft store, a pot, some eggs, moss or Spanish moss (which is what I used) and of course, a glue gun!

Place and glue the eggs and then fill in with the moss until you've burnt your fingers enough it looks just right!  How do you decorate for Easter?

Bathtub paint-let's make it!

This is such a fun, easy, and inexpensive way to add something new to bath time!  WARNING:  once you do this, the kids will be asking for it all the time-I kid you not.  My 4 year old loves when we do this!                     

All you need:

                

 Inexpensive mens shaving cream

food coloring

silicone cupcake pan (or any plastic container)

Squirt the shaving cream, add a couple drops of food coloring, and stir.  This is also fun to teach what colors mix to make new colors.  Here we did blue and red to make purple and yellow and red to make..........orange.  (I'm sure you were on the edge of your seat just now.)

My Lila (she's 4)  prefers to smear it all together and just squish it in her hands.  Despite my coaxing to actually draw something, she just smears.  The older kids really love this too, they do actually draw.  And, good news!  It cleans up with just water!  Good, clean fun!

St. Patrick's Day treasure hunt

Our treasure box.  You can see we kept it very simple and easy.

This year I decided to do something fun for the kids on St. Patrick's Day.  I must admit I have no idea why we have this holiday, but let it be fun I say!  Here's the supplies needed:  

Treasure box (or shoe box, or anything)

Treats, little treasures

Leprechaun footprints (free printable below!)

 "Legend of the   Leprechauns"

   Green food coloring

The night before Saint Patrick's Day, the kids  decorated our Treasure box with stickers, and paper, whatever we had around.  Then I read the "Legend of the Leprechauns"  to them.  Here's the Legend:  (The original is from Family fun, I made a few changes....http://familyfun.go.com/st-patricks-day/st-patricks-day-crafts/magic-treasure-box-710371/)

 

LEGEND OF THE LEPRECHAUNS

Full of magic and trickery,  Leprechauns remain in their hidden world until the night before St. Patrick's Day. On that one night of the year they appear throughout the world to dance and sing and frolic; and get into mischief!

Disguising themselves as leaves and grass, and sounding like the wind and the crickets, they come and go unnoticed.   They love to be sneaky.

However, it is said that if a decorated treasure box is left empty under the moon, the leprechauns must fill the box with gold or jewels or gifts. But then they will hide the filled box in the most unlikely of places.

If the box is found on St. Patrick's Day, the treasure remains in our world. If not, the leprechauns may retrieve what is rightfully theirs. And though the leprechauns are very clever, it is not impossible to find the treasure because, unknowingly, leprechauns often leave some kind of trail  behind them. 

In the morning, the girls woke up to Leprechaun footprints all over the house.  They had come in and flipped over some couch cushions, jumped up on the kitchen chandelier, hijacked the kids little chalkboard and drew a rainbow and pot o' gold, they even used the bathroom.  There were two little footprints on the toilet and the water was green.  The footprints led to the fridge where they had turned our milk green.  And of course some of the footprints led to the hidden treasure box which had some candy necklaces and gold wrapped candy (Rolo's are perfect!)  The girls thought this was so fun!  So did I :)

For the footprints, I just traced a little doll shoe and cut out about 75 of them. (Yay for the good scissors I got as a neighbor gift for Christmas!  I could cut about 5 sheets at a time:)  In the case that you do not have little doll shoes for tracing, or you'd just rather not trace a doll shoe 15 times, I put together this little printable of the Leprechaun footprints!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/86805678/Leprechaun-Footprints 

  

 Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Valentine Love

Every year I just keep it low key for Valentines Day...until the day before.  Then I decide I should do loads of wonderful treats and surprises for the ones I love most.  Being the day before however, time is not on my side.  Here's what I came up with!

Who doesn't have the staples for Rice krispie treats in the pantry at all times?  (Okay, I didn't...I had to make a run to the store for marshmallows)  Still, basic enough for my plans.  The Rice Krispie Hershey Kiss was super easy.  Take a ball of the mixture, while it's still warmish.

 Mold it the best you can into that Hershey kiss shape.  This step is much easier with slightly wet hands.

 Wrap it it plastic wrap to keep it from getting dry and hard and less yummy.

 Then wrap it in aluminum foil.  I found it was easiest to wrap one whole side, then the other.  Then fold the rest under; all the while shaping and smooshing to your liking.

 Add a little tag of loving words,

 then hide it and sneak it into husbands lunch on Valentines Day!
For the kids heart rice krispie treats I just used a muffin tin I have in heart shapes, but it would be easy to hand mold hearts for this too.  I added some red hots into the little bag, tied it with ribbon and added a note.  I hid these and will slip them into the kids lunches.   Just enough for me to be so excited for the day of love!

Love potion

 I found this love potion label in October on my hunt for apothecary labels and I knew it would make its way into my Valentine decor.  (Check out kmckaydesigns.com for the label, it's from her Halloween apothecary labels.)

  I simply filled a fun jar with water and red food coloring then glued the love potion label onto the bottle.  I added a little lace to the top.  I think it turned out pretty fun! 

These are the glasses from my Junior prom.  I haven't been able to part with them because it was my first date with my sweet hubby.  (ooohh...cute)  However, they are not something I want on permanent display so I get them out for Valentines Day.  Add some red hots, and a vase with ribbon and call it my Valentine Decor!

It's Birthday season!

We have 4 out of 6 birthdays within a month in our sweet family; and all around Christmas.  Isn't that convenient?  (cue sarcasm...) Timing and having babies has not really worked out in our favor.   My birthday is 5 days before Christmas and I never liked it much, then we went and had our first baby   seven days before Christmas.   The next two birthdays are Jan. 10 and Jan. 20.  Needless to say, I'm birthday-ed out by Jan 21.   Birthday parties are not my thing, especially with all that's going on already with Christmas, so here is what I do instead to make the day special.  (Please forgive my picture taking skills, I am learning to use my new dslr camera...)

I put streamers up all over the kitchen the night before.  This creates the "wow" factor when they come down the stairs in the morning.  I also decorate our two kitchen shelves with a picture from each past birthday and anything else I can rummage up to make it personalized.  My girls have loved to see these simple surprises. See the cute birthday subway art?  I got it from   eighteen25.blogspot.com, they have awesome free subway art for all seasons.

I decorated with a feather boa and sparkly things for Anni

I used some bugs from her plastic bug collection and flowers to fit Ivie's personality.

For Lila, I set up crayons and some of her most recent artwork.

Each year I have them make a crown out of paper and we write their age really big on it.  This way we know which birthday it was:)  Plus they love making their crown!

This year I added this little gem!  Just a paper birthday banner.  I simply bought some heavy duty glitter and textured scrapbook paper, (all on clearance-bonus!) and made a triangle template from a cereal box to trace.  Then I used the Cricut to cut the letters for "Happy Birthday."  I also threw in some cupcake liners that I snipped, flattened and added a button.  I sewed the triangles (yes, with my sewing machine :) onto some ribbon.  I plan to re- and re-use this for every birthday!

This year I also tried taking a Burger King crown and making it re-usable.  I traced and covered it with white construction paper

Then I used contac paper to laminate it.  Have you tried this stuff?  I have used it loads and it's only like 5 bucks for a whole roll.

Now each girl can color and decorate as they please using these dry erase crayons!  It worked out fabulously!

The Birthday plate!  We had a red one when I was little and I always thought it was so fun.  It only gets used by the birthday girl on her birthday.

(not the BK crown, I hadn't thought of it yet)

(BK crown:)

(same BK crown:)

This years crowns!  We do always have a family party with cake and ice cream, or scones, or brownies, whatever the birthday girl chooses.  It all makes for a fun day! And that finishes up our Birthday season!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

We are always looking for ways to save some money, which means we try all sorts of things homemade.  We always laugh when we say someone else is weird, because really; we are most likely the weird ones.  So since today is laundry day, well a laundry day, (it never ends...)  I thought we'd share our HOMEMADE laundry detergent. This is absolutely a money saver and really easy!

Here's all you need:

4 cups hot tap water

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda

1/2 cup Borax

All of these ingredients are very inexpensive.
Grate Fels-Naptha and add to saucepan with water.  Stir continually on medium low heat until soap is melted and dissolved.

 Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full with hot tap water.   We use a 5 gallon gas container.  We thought it would make pouring easier than a bucket.  After using it for 3-4 batches though, we think a 5 gallon bucket might better so you can stir it. It gets a little lumpy.  We (mostly Jay because it's heavy) just shake the gas container to stir.  Next, add melted soap, washing soda and Borax.  Stir well until all powder is dissolved.  Fill bucket to top with more hot  water.  Stir (or shake) cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

 Stir again, then fill a used laundry dispenser with your new laundry detergent!  You can dilute it more if you choose by adding half water, half detergent to your actual laundry dispenser. I like it more concentrated, but that's just my preference:)  Shake well before each use because it does get lumpy.

You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons once soap has cooled.  We never have though because we like the smell of Fels-Naptha.  It's kind of a citrus, clean smell. (I actually use a ratio of 3/4 homemade and 1/4 Gain in each load because I love how Gain makes our clothes smell; and 1/4 Gain is plenty to scent my laundry how I like:)
USE:   top load machine-1/3 cup per load.  Front load machine-1/4 cup per load
Each batch lasts me about 8 months!

NOTE:  It has to be Arm and Hammer "Super Washing Soda."  Baking soda, or Arm and Hammer Detergent will not work.  It has to be sodium carbonate.
Yeild:  makes 10 gallons