Saw a really cute idea for Easter egg hunting on Pinterest.
Put glow lights inside plastic eggs and hide them for a night time search.
My son says that defeats the whole purpose of "hiding" but I figure if these weird snow storms don't stop happening in Spring; you're not gonna find them buried under a foot of snow either!
Would you like to know more about the owner of The Cutting Cafe, Regina?
She won't ever boast about herself, but I will!!!
A story was published about her in the HGTV Magazine recently and they did a fabulous write up about her AMAZING craft room and how it came to be after so many years. So super cool!
Wanna see even more pictures? Check out this post here.
Warning...I drooled!
Hugs and here's to happy crafting and hoping you find all your eggs!
You've heard me mention her name many times before, but telling you about her once just isn't sufficient enough.
I could literally spend all my time on my blog talking about OTHER bloggers. I've met SO many people who have touched my life. I could blabber on and on about their friendships, generosity, hilarious emails, texts, phone calls, surprise packages, prayers, laughter, inspirational ideas, support, talent and on and on. So if you're reading this and you've been one of those people in my life, I truly hope you know HOW much I appreciate YOU and ALL that you do.
Not just for me, but for everyone in your life.
The crafting community is truly one of the most wonderful places to spend your time and it's been one of the best experiences in my life to get to know you!!
So, thank you from the bottom of my butt (because it's way bigger than my heart) for making me smile daily!
Now...about the Twinkies!
I don't know if you're aware, but the majority of them live in New York...or at least they did.
Here in the Midwest we heard about their incredible come back, but the stores were barren of them. I have a friend who I met blogging a long time back and among many things, she and I share a love for cream filled spongecake pastries!!
Nothing says, "I'm a friend" like surprise boxes of Twinkies in your mailbox!!!
We even shared a near orgasmic experience when we found a recipe for a Twinkie Cake on Pinterest.
Okay, so next to loving that she's my junk food supplier, she also sent me 8 of these to help decorate our Easter tree!!
How gorgeous are these??
Here's the link to Mitra's blog where she describes all about the disco eggs.
On the tree..with their friends :)
Here's where I laid on the floor and literally shimmied under the tree to try and get a descent; which isn't really, picture of the ornaments without the blinding light, which is still obviously present in this photograph; which is weird because it's raining out, ah well....
And here's where I said,
"Screw it..I'm done trying" and just shot a picture on the way back to the craft room.
"From there to here and here to there, funny things are everywhere!"
~ Dr. Seuss~
I'm posting of flowers on this Spring afternoon as the fluffiest snowflakes fall past my window and land on the gallivanting geese in my lawn.
It's like waking up inside the pages of a children's book where the reality is like a fairy tail that truly is not a fairy tail at all but in all actuality the realest of reals.
At any moment now, I'm certain Thing 1 and Thing 2 will be joining me soon!
And so before this happens, as I'm most assured it might, let me; without further adieu, show you the flowers I made before reality took flight...
Sniff if you may, sniff if you might, they'll never wilt, they'll never die and they'll forever bring delight!
I'd done it for Christmas and Valentine's Day and just knew that Easter needed one too. Aside from the regular traditions that our family practices, I wanted to make something special that generations from now would be able to hold and know that their great or great great grandmother made. Then my children could tell their children or great grandchildren their memories of how we'd decorate a tree and how special it was for them.
OMG... do they ever have a story to tell...
Yep, it's a little basket holding an egg. Cute right?
I was going to blog how you can buy 10 little seed pots for a $1 and a bag of 16 plastic eggs for a $1 and then go home and use your scraps of paper and ribbon to create a fun little ornament...cheap, but golly...there's so much more!
I was going to show that recycling can be fun and creative. Oh the many uses you can find for a ping pong ball.
Then I was going to show the before and after of a plastic yellow egg that turned wonderfully blue by priming with gesso and then Tim Holtz Distress ink. Even had a little bit of that beautiful blue bottle in the picture.
And that's when all hell broke loose...
Why are you looking at my craft room you ask?
Funny thing, that...
Ok, see the desk with the light to the left? That's where I sit.
Alright, now see the large window and NEW white shade? That's where I don't sit.
Now, imagine me quietly minding my own business, listening to the movie Turbo on Netflix and just dabbing away with Blue Broken China Distress Ink. It's a peaceful scene in your mind isn't it?
A crafter's lovely afternoon filled with making memories.
Now, imagine with a blink of the eye that entire scenario going straight down the crapper as the lid to the paint flies off and, I kid you not, 2 seconds later.. that entire surface area of window shade is SPLATTERED in blue! The carpet is blue, my clothes are blue, my sewing machine is blue, my Big Shot is blue, everything is SOOO freaking blue!
What happened next will have to remain in this family. The words my children heard me utter would have forever blushed a sailor. The intensity of my anger and frustration had me seeing nothing but red through ALL of that endless, endless blue...
My poor children cowering in the recessed corners of our home as their mom-ster flailed her arms in a maniacal frenzy, pacing wildly with crazed wide eyes, chanting and ranting in such a foul manner her newly found distaste for anything possessing even the slightest hue of blue.
I fear this day will forever, unfortunately, be seared in the mind's of my offspring, as the day they watched their mother go mad. As it certainly was not one of my most proud moments.
Four and a half hours later and a refresher course in Lamaze breathing, I was back on track.
My son brought in the Clorox Bleach cleaner and as I proceeded to drown my shades in the most obnoxious smelling chemicals, I also began relaxing.
The relaxation may have been due to the inhalation of said chemicals, but regardless, I'm happy to report that my children no longer feared for their lives; therefore resulting in no longer feeling the need to call the local psych ward.
Hugs were shared, apologies made, and laughter was hefty (at my expense of course) and what seemed like a never ending game of charades ensued whereby my children were oft heard quoting to each other, "Hey...guess who I am?" Which of course broke out into more uncontrollable laughter (again, at my expense).
However, side note, glass half full sort of thing...
If memories were the goal...mission accomplished!!
And here is all that is left of that very bad no good experience. A measly few spots.
You know, Easter for me is knowing that Jesus died for my sins so that I may be forgiven and live eternal life with him in a place where hopefully caps to paint don't come flying off and people don't go running around half crazed cursing profanities at the color blue.
We're all human and we make mistakes; even in the best of our intentions, but really, our troubles are just a tiny speck of blue in a sea of white when you realize what Easter is truly all about.
All can be washed away and all can be forgiven.
Thanks so much for your wonderful visit. I appreciate you more than words can say :)
I'll take a picture of the tree when it's all put together.
But flowers wouldn't be complete without butterflies so I've also included the Nicecrane Designs Butterfly Twinchies
Also, side note...got a commissioned card request the other day for a 60th Wedding Anniversary and I was so excited, honored and nervous. 60 years deserves something beautiful and over the top...or at least I thought so, plus it's the diamond anniversary so....
She'll pick it up on Thursday and I hope she'll like it.
Lastly, the 5th of the ornament designs so far...
Washi Tape Plastic Eggs with foo foo stuff #5!
The eggs are sitting on the washi tape styles that I used and then added some cheesecloth on the top and then Mod Podged them to solidify and then decorated.
That's it so far...
I'm still making a few more that I'll share soon and then an extra surprise from a blog buddy who's helping me decorate from another state...WOO HOO!
I'd like to introduce you to Petunia. She's a very special friend of Peter Cottontails.
Would you love to have her in your home too?
If you said yes, then you're in luck. Below is the step by step tutorial to making your very own for CHEAP!! I'm sure all of you have the necessary supplies just sitting around your house.
Let's get started...
Do you use the sponge paint brushes sometimes? If so, they fall apart. Don't throw them away. Rip off the sponge and save the stick and plastic piece. Here I've used the stick as the body of these bunnies. I'll find a good use for the plastic pieces another day. Also, again, each of my handmade ornaments will be using these CHEAP (no pun intended) Dollar Store plastic eggs.
Attach them together with hot glue.
The toilet paper rolls are not part of the body. They work great for holding things while they dry.
Have old material scraps laying around your house? An old shirt you won't wear again? Cut out a square big enough to cover the egg and glue the ends around the stick. This is supposed to look country/vintage shabby chic, so imperfections are perfect. It shouldn't look nice and neat (at least not for these.) *NOTE* The second picture with the Q-tip is my way of showing you where you want to draw the face. Where the Q-tip is, is where you'll glue the whiskers (Snip some bristles off of a broom) (UNDER) a fold of material. That way the glue is hidden and looks like they are sticking right out of the face.
SO..draw the face between two folds. :)
Time for the ears!
Picture on the left shows how I glued the ears to the head. Picture on the right...all attached :)
The ball of twine is not the body I'm using. I just had the sticks stuck in there to hold it upright to work on. However, after looking at...that would be a cute body. Maybe attach a little puff of cotton on the back for a tail?? Just a thought...
Now it's time to age the bunnies with Tea Dye Distress ink purchased at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and a spritz of water.
Time to draw Peter and Petunia's faces.
Did I come up with this all on my own? Heavens no!! I found the coolest link here (Guaranteed you'll LOVE this blog!) that gives a step by step tutorial. So, ALL face painting credit goes there!
Time to paint with Tim's Distress Inks, also purchased at The FJ Boutique.
Almost there...
Finished and ready for the tree!
I'll be sure to take pictures when they are all situated in their new home!
Thank you so much for stopping in and I hope today finds you happy and creative.
BIG hugs,
Lisa xx
P.s...For those of you who left me wonderful messages last time..I got fantastic sleep last night and I am feeling so much more human today...yeah!
Challenges Petunia and Peter would like to enter are:
I made it official yesterday. I finally took the Christmas wreath off the front door!
I'm finding myself seasonally challenged of late. The door with the wreath, the tree still has Valentine ornaments on it and outside a miracle was performed and the temps rose above 60!
It's still not officially Spring yet, so I won't get my hopes up that old man winter is done with his nasty tricks, but in any case, the tree will be up to date and ready for Easter.
I managed to finish these all at the butt-crack of dawn because now daylight savings is having its way with me. I cannot. I repeat CANNOT stand Springing forward.
I know I sound grumpy..I'm really not..I just need SLEEPY!!! Lol.
