An Easter Craft

So with my last post of all the fun Easter craft ideas, I decided, "okay, lets make one".  So I had been to the thrift store and purchased these fun things.

I am waiting to find a good silver cleaner to clean up this lovely brush set, and I have a spring idea for the glass vase (if that's what you would call it), but this Easter basket was a ready to use purchase. Even better!

The best part is it was only $3.49.

So I pulled out my box of Easter/St. Patrick's Day/Halloween box, and with so many labels on the box, why was I so suprised to find only a few Easter items in it.  Mainly some plastic kids eggs and a egg wreath.  So I wanted to make a cheap project because in just over a week it will all be back in the Easter box for next year.  

Here is what I gathered up for my supplies: plastic eggs, mod podge, foam brush and scrapbook paper scraps.  A good way to use up some of the many scraps I have.

I used less than 3 sheets  12x12 scrapbook paper and covered 10 eggs.  My girls even helped out, by cutting the scrapbook paper into small strips, and then into squares.  I figured squares would be better than strips because they would bubble less.

I then mod podged all the squares onto my eggs. Here's a hint: I modged the outside of the egg first; one square at a time, and rubbed it with my fingers to stay flat.  Then I let that dry a little and did the other eggs in the meantime, then I went back and did the top and bottom of all the eggs.  

I had some yarn leftover that I had bought from the dollarama.  It's pretty and fluffy and will make a good filler for the bottom of my basket.

So here are my eggs, basket and yarn.  All I have to do now is put them together.

I am happy with the way they look.  Kind of shabby chic.  Here is the end result:

Yay, so cute!

Cute Easter Crafts & Ideas

So with Easter coming soon, I wanted to put together a cute list of crafts you could make to get the festivities going.  I love decorating for the holidays and seasons, it makes me feel happy.  Plus my Mom always did it when I was a kid and it made the holidays so much more fun!

I like this wreath, I think I would hang this one on the inside of my door so I could look at it more often.  It's so pretty.  Find a twig wreath, usually at Walmart for a couple bucks ($2-5), glue some robins eggs on (I have seen these at Homesense for $5.99 a box), and wrap twig garland around from Michaels craft store.

found here

This is a cute bunny makeover from Melissa at Sycamore 320.  So cheap and cute.  I am on the lookout for a bunny!  Go here to see the transformation.  I was on the lookout for a bunny my last trip to the thrift store, but wasn't lucky.  I'll try again next week.

This is a cut candy bowl from Martha Stewart.  Made from a glass bowl and some yarn to look like a nest of eggs.  You could also use an egg holder and put some for individual place setting.  Wouldn't that be cute at an Easter dinner!

found here

You may have a bunch of random easter baskets from years before, and if you don't, they always have these at the thrift store.  Here is a great recycling project for your baskets.  A fresh look for them.

found here

Another easter basket idea if you have any pots around the house, and a little scrapbook paper you can make these:

 

found here

Here is a cute craft to make and give to your neighbors or friends.  Gift ideas are always great to find.  Made with pastry bags.

found here

Here is a cute craft and centrepiece.  Even the kids could help with this one.  Made from a styrofoam ball and and foil wrapped chocolate eggs.  You can get more details of the directions here.

Look how fun and fancy it would be to make these easter eggs!  Modge podge and sheet music!

found here

I also found these fabric eggs.  Such a good way to use up any funky fabric scraps.  Retro Mama sewed hers, and stuffed them.  I am thinking more along the lines of covering a plastic egg and just glueing the fabric onto it.  Hmm, maybe I'll try these.  Retro Mama has a tutorial for sewing them here.

Well hopefully these ideas will get you moving and decorating your house for the holiday.  I have so many good ideas now.  Now which one to start with??

Enjoy!

Hutch Project Part 1

So I was browsing blogs and came across this:  

A coffee table cut in HALF! 
Who would do this?... Melissa from 320 Sycamore

This became this:

(A bench!!)

What a woman!!!  Anyways, this gave me so much inspiration I was scouring my house for something to makeover.  And I found it!  A hutch that came off a dresser that I bought off Kijiji.  The hutch is really what I liked about the whole dresser, but they were an ugly streaky painted brown.  I WAS going to paint them white and put it in my girls room.  But it stayed ugly brown and finally got moved to the basement.  But after this post from Melissa @ Sycamore 320 I had to do something about it before it went off to the freecycle.  

So here is the before:

And this is after I cut it in half.  (Actually, my husband cut it, I watched)  Then I primed them:

Can you see where I am going with this?

And look, I even used a jigsaw for the very first time and made these great shaped cuts.  

Here is half of the project:

A cute bench for my kids outdoor playhouse.

Don't you love the colour!!!  So summery!  

I couldn't find the right colour at Walmart, but Home Depot had just the perfect blue.  It's called AQUA.  I can't wait to put it in their playhouse, then I can take another pic.

As for the second project, it's in progress and will have to wait a little while.  

But it will be posted as soon as it's done, I hope it's a beauty!

Best kid storage ideas

So I have been cleaning my kids rooms with them, and doing some spring cleaning, and I am always looking for better ways to store and organize.  So I thought I would post some cute ideas I've found.

I have one of these in my girls room, and it's great for storage!  They use it for their barbies.  It's so cute!

You can get one here.

And this is such a cute vanity idea, but hangs on the wall and wouldn't take up as much space.

You can find it here.

Doesn't this look like something you could make!!  With a medicine cabinet??  Have any old ones sitting around?

These floating shelves are REALLY cute, and I bet you could find/make for even less than a quarter of the price found here:

Have enough seating around that tea table?  Under the desk?  But... does it store things as well?

Check out this cute stool.  You can get it here.

But, I bet you could make it too!  

Now I realize that I have some pretty items for girls, but what about boys....

This is cute, and is great for sports equiptment.

You can find it here.

Know how to sew??  You can use up some of your scraps with this cute project.  See the buttons... you can just keep adding links!

found here

Martha Stewart's plate rack instructions can be found here.  Does anyone have a mom or grandmother with one of these hanging around?  Well go get it!!

You may have some garden baskets hanging around, I always see them when garage saleing!  Pick some up, look what you can do with them:

found here

So what do you think?  Any of these inspire you to tackle the kids area??

Happy Organizing!

A Blue Master Bedroom...

So I am wanting to paint my bedroom a different colour.  Currently it is the same colour as the whole house.  A gold/sunset yellow.  Which I love, but am tired of and the house hasn't been painted in 9 years, it is a bit scuffed up.  I have lived here for 5 years (3 in the basement, 2 upstairs)  Now that we own it, I want to have fun:)

So here are some ideas, tell me what you think?

First I found this one:

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It's nice, but almost a green.  Then there's this one:

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Nice.  (maybe too light???)

This one is more along the lines of the colour of blue I was thinking.  A dull grey-blue.

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Now, none of these rooms look like my room, but I will take a picture of it to give you an idea.

This room is a nice blue...

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Okay, so here is my actual room at present:

and

Here is the paint I picked out so far  (Wilton Blue), but it looks a lot differently on the one I have....hmmm:

So what do you think?  Do I have a blue room or should it be something else all together?  if you have a favourite  blue that you have painted in a room, send it my way.  Ideas welcome!

Waiting For Spring

With the sun starting to show itself more often, and the birds chirping, I am getting excited for Spring to come so I can get outside and do some yard work and gardening.  But living in Canada, I know I shouldn't hope to do any of that for at least another 2-3 months.  (sigh)  So in the meantime I am posting a poem I wrote a couple years ago, to fill myself with nice thoughts of Spring to come.

My Secret Home

Closing my eyes

Time slowly dies

Mind and body release

The wind it blows

Grass sways below

I feel a calming peace

I breath the air

It licks my hair

Standing there all alone

In nature's songs

My heart belongs

This is my secret home

-Charity-

Doesn't this picture just suit my poem so well!  Ahhh...  Enjoy!