Embroidery Floss Easter Eggs

Need a cheap idea for an Easter decoration?  
You have come to the right spot.These embroidered Easter eggs look great in a basket on display.  


What you will need:
* Plastic Easter eggs
* Glue gun
* Embroidery thread

I hot glued the eggs so that they wouldn't open.  Then I started at the tip of the egg and put a glob of hot glue.  I wrapped the thread around.  I found that it is easiest to wrap from the smallest point of the egg to the fattest part.  Once I got halfway, I stopped wrapping and cut the thread.  Then I started at the other tip of the egg and wrapped until I got to the middle where the other thread ended.  



Need another Easter Craft idea?
Easter Banner

Paint Chip Easter Egg Banner


I love decorating for Holidays, but with such a small house I don't have much storage space.  For now, I try to keep my decorations small, simple, and that won't take up a lot of storage space.  This Easter banner does just that.  It is so simple and all levels of crafters can do it. 

This project cost me $00.00!  I went to Lowes and got a bunch of paint chips.  I focused on getting Easter colored paint chips.  I then decided on what size Easter eggs I wanted and made a pattern. I traced the egg, making sure the white line was in the middle of the egg., cut, and then punched two small holes on the top of the egg.  I used embroidered floss that I had at home to string the eggs together.  


I love how it turned out.  It adds a lot of color to my house.  

In addition to a banner, I made a door Happy Easter sign.  I threaded the embroidery thread behind the Easter eggs and used scrapbooking stickers I had to write Happy Easter.


Need another Easter idea?

Santa Handprint Ornaments

Every year for a family tradition we want to have our children make a Christmas ornament.  It is tough coming up with ornaments that a newborn can participate in.  This is the perfect ornament for small children to make or help with.

Step 1:  Make the salt dough:
            * 1/2 cup salt
             * 1/2 cup flour
             * 1/4 cup water (a little more or less)
          Knead until dough forms.
Step 2: Trace infant's/child's hand on a piece of cardboard.  Cut out cardboard hand.
Step 3: Roll dough flat and place cardboard hand on top.
Step 4: Trace around the hand with a knife.
Step 5: Poke a hole in the palm of the hand with a straw or pencil.
Step 6: Bake the hand on a cookie sheet at 200 degrees for 2-3 hours.
Step 7: Paint
Step 8: Put some ribbon through the hole and hang.

Enjoy the reminder of how little your kids once were as you hang the Christmas ornaments on the tree each year.

You can also give these ornaments as a gift with this poem:
"This is to remind you when I grow so tall that once I was quite little and my hands were very small."

Simple and Inexpensive Christmas Gifts

I love the Holiday season for many reasons; One being, that I love giving gifts to others.  Sometimes it gets hard when you have a lot of people you want to give gifts to and a tight budget.  
Here are some inexpensive, quick, and easy Holiday gifts.

 
Present: Brownie or cake mix (can attach wooden spoon too)
Note: Christmas is Jolly, Christmas is sweet.  I'm stressed out so make your own darn treat!



Present: Candle
Note: May your days be happy, your heart be light, your Christmas merry, and the New Year bright!



 Present: Chocolate with gift card



Present: Popcorn
Note: Popping by to wish you a very Merry Christmas
More details here

You can find 6 other great inexpensive gifts here.


Shirley J Review and Giveaway

I received product for review purposes.   My opinions below are 100%  honest.

      I recently had the opportunity to try out Shirley J Mugging and Cookie Mix products.  Shirley J prides itself in "Cooking made Easy".  The great thing about Shirley J is that you are able to whip up a delightful treat within minutes, without a mess, and with quality taste.  


Cookie Mixes:
     Shirley J Cookie Mixes come in five delicious flavors including Coconutty Macaroon, Soft Ginger-Molasses, New York Black and White, Oatmeal Jumble, and Classic Sugar Cookies.  Most mixes only require water and sometimes butter or shortening.  Shirley J Cookie Mixes have the homemade fresh taste without the mess and time.  They make great gifts and are perfect for the Holiday season.


     My family's favorite cookie mix was the Coconutty Macaroons.  Oh my goodness, these are absolutely divine!  They are the freshest and best tasting macaroons that I have ever tasted.  My husband wanted some cookies, so I reached for this Shirley J Coconutty Macaroon mix, when I realized we were out of eggs.  Much to my surprise, it doesn't call for eggs.  Just water.  It's amazing how simple these cookies are to make, for the great quality of taste they deliver.  After the baked cookies cooled, I dipped them in melted chocolate.  The chocolate kicked the cookie taste up a notch.  My 15 month old son loved these. I put them on top of my refrigerator to store them and I finally had to hide them because he was constantly going up to the fridge and pointing to the cookies.


      The great thing about Shirley J Cookie mixes are that it is "Cooking made easy" but the quality and taste don't make it seem that way at all.



Mugging:
      Mugging! by Shirley J is a new concept of baking in your own microwave.  You bake single-serving dishes and desserts right in a mug.  Most take only 90 seconds to bake.  When you put mugs in the microwave the handles usually get too hot to hold.  Shirley J mugs don't get as hot after heating them up in the microwave.

This little guy LOVES Shirley J mugging products!



      Mugging! flavors include Chocolate Brownie Cake, Yellow Cake & CobblerCountry Style Cornbread,
Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownie Cake, Pumpkin Spice Bread, Walnut Bread, Quiche in a Cup,and No-Pan Pancake.
   
     My family's favorite was the chocolate brownie cake.  Add some whip cream, chocolate chips, or ice cream on top for an enriched taste and look.

Shirley J mugging products and cookie mixes are now available in Utah grocery store (Macey’s, Dan’s, Dick’s, Fresh Market,Lin’s, Lolo’s and Ridley’s).  Shirley J also has a website where you can find other products or purchase if you live outside of Utah.  

Displaying SJ_HolidayAD-UVMag2013.jpg

     Now that I have all of you wanting to try these cookies and mugging treats, one of you lucky readers have a chance to win some wonderful Shirley J products.  One lucky winner will receive 1 Mug, 3 Mugging flavors of your choice, and 1 cookie mix of your choice.  (U.S. Residents Only, no PO Boxes, please)
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Popcorn Christmas Gift

I love giving gifts for Christmas, but it can get really expensive once you starting giving more than just gifts to your family.  This is a simple and inexpensive gift to give to friends.  All you need is some paper, popcorn, ribbon, and buttons.  

Instructions:
1. Cut white paper in half. Wrap around popcorn.  Tape.
2.  Cut hat and glue hat on snowman. Put a button on the hat.
3. Draw face on snowman.
4.  Tie ribbon around snowman.  This is a great way to use up your random small pieces of ribbon.
5.  Write on the back of the snowman, "Popping by to wish you a very Merry Christmas."

Felt Christmas tree

Christmas time is such an exciting and fun time for little ones.  There are so many fun activities for kids this time of year and decorations help children get even more excited.  Some little kids love to help decorate the Christmas tree by putting on ornaments.  Why not let them have this experience all season long.  I made this felt board activity for a Felt swap.  Each person picked a month to make a felt activity and then we swapped with each other . We now have a fun felt board activity for almost each month of the year.  

It is best to buy felt at JoAnns when it goes on sale for 50 or 60 %off.  For the light bulbs I glue the yellow light bulb to the black part with tacky glue.  Everything else, I just cut out.  

Let the kids enjoy decorating the tree all season long!