Sweeping Through Life

With this being Easter weekend, my household will be a flurry of activity from dying Easter eggs, to having any egg hunt with friends and of course church and Sunday dinner. We started out the weekend by dying Easter eggs. I did not purchase a kit, but did it the old school way. It is cheaper and the items used, I can use for other baking or cooking recipes. Here is the recipe that I used:   3/4 cups of  hot water for each color   1 tablespoon of white vinegar per color   food coloring (2-4 drops of each color depending on how deep of  color you want) Let the eggs sit in the color for at least 2 minutes to obtain some color and occasionally roll around to make sure all sides are covered. You may let the eggs sit in the color mixture as long as you want to obtain the color that you want. I believe that we let some of our darker eggs sit in the color for at least 4 minutes on each side.  Miss G. enjoyed making the creating...

Every Easter season I say that I want to have a wreath made of plastic Easter eggs. I know, Easter eggs you say. I did not want one with flowers once it since the last time that I had one with flowers on it the birds made a nest in. We looking on Pinterest, I found some really pretty ones. Not only was it easy on the wallet, but it was very easy to make. Guess what, really was and fun too. Here is what we did.  You will need......... -40-60 plastic Easter egg (This depends on the size of the wreath. I used about 52.) -Hot glue gun - Straw or Styrofoam wreath -Ribbon for hanging   Of course you have to put the eggs together first. Miss G. was so excited about doing this. She asked all day until she was able to finally put the eggs together. We had a little trouble with some of the colors, but we worked at it until we put them all together.  I purchased my eggs at Walgreens for $2.49 for a pack of 42. I purchased two packages for this project. ...

I have been looking for some crafty, but easy ideas to do with Miss G this fall and Halloween season and I found this site on Pintrest and wanted to share. The little one and I will be doing a couple of these crafts this weekend. These crafts seem to be easy for a child under 2 as well easy on the clean up. Here is the link . Have fun! Please share if you do one of these crafts. I would love to see. 

I got the best surprise today when I picked the little one up at the sitter, a wonderful art project. I know that she had help, but it is still cute. This masterpiece has taken its rightful place on my refrigerator . Move over Picaso, her comes Miss G.

craft Are you ready for Craft Wars?

In my church babies are dedicated to the Lord and not baptized. They are baptized when they are ready to dedicate their lives to the Lord. Miss G. will be dedicated at the end of the month. Ever since I received the date from my Pastor I  have been planning the dinner afterward. It is just going to be family and a few close friends at the dinner. I have decided to go with a purple and green theme party. credits: pom poms , straws , popcorn and cake I have already ordered the straws. My sister-in-law is going to make the cake for the event. I found a recipe to make the popcorn on this site and it seems really easy to make as well as yummy. The pom poms are from Martha Stewart, but I think that I can make these cheaply without purchasing them.  I plan on also making some G cookie cut outs, as favors. I am still planning the menu, but I think I have the decor under control. I am looking forward to my little ones special day. Even though she may not remember it, it will...

I saw an idea for  baby closet dividers.  At first, I was going to purchase some on eBay,  but  I stumbled upon some other crafty bloggers who were making their own, so I decided to give it a shot. I bought these wooden tag holders at Michael's  for $.50 a piece. Of course, I used my weekly Michael's coupon. I used regular acrylic paint in colors that match Baby J's room. Here is the finished product. I just added coordinating ribbon to the top to hang on the closet bar. I think that not only are they cute but will be really helpful.

The day of love is almost upon us. What are you doing for Valentine's Day ? We do not have anything really special planned, but we are going to attend a couples fellowship bowling event at my church this Friday. I am looking forward to it. It seems like fun. We did decide that we are going to exchange gifts, but they can not be expensive, just meaningful. We will proabably do dinner or something on Sunday, since he has to work on Monday. When looking for some creative and fun ideas for Valentine's Day I came upon this article at The Huffington Post with some ideas and decided to share. Take a dance class. Make a massage coupon ( I have done this before. He loved it. Cheap gift.) Save the planet and send an personalize e-card or adopt a pet in your loved ones name. Buy some organic chocolates. Cook a gourmet meal. Write a poem. Plan a future vacation to a place that your loved one wants to visit. Write a love note. For the coffee lover, give them a recyclable coffee cup...

I am still looking for an ornament ideas for the craft party that I will be attending later on this month. When searching the web I found this idea and wanted to share it. Here is what you need: -Various colors of paper or cardstock, cut into 1″ x 11″ strips. We used 5 colors of cardstock plus silver and gold gift wrap. -X-acto blade -Metal ruler -Cutting Mat -Stapler -Thread or monofilament for hanging Using your X-acto blade and straight edge, cut a few sheets of each color paper into strips that measure 1″ wide by 11″ long. Lay out your color combinations. We used 3 colors per ornament, repeating the middle color on the outside of each one. Cut the center strip down to 6″ long. The following concentric layers will consist of 2 pieces, each measuring 7″, 9″ and 11″, respectively. Make sure the tops of all the strips are flush, and then staple them together. Then line up the bottom edges on the opposite side, so that they are flush, and place a staple on that end. We ...

At my second job working with my "special friend" Ben, we have a craft party every year.  Looking on the Martha Stewart  website, good ole Martha, I found this idea. I think that this would be an easy and fun ornament to make. My Christmas tree is full of ornaments that we have made at these parties. I think that it makes my tree look so original with the mix of store bought and handmade ornaments. Here is what you will need: Tools and Materials Needle-nose pliers or wire cutters 16-gauge copper wire, or 22-gauge green floral wire, cut to 9-inch lengths 72 buttons for each wreath Scissors Satin ribbon, 1/8 inch wide and 6 inches long Seam binding for decorative bow Button Wreath Ornament How-To 1. Using pliers, make a small loop at one end of the wire. 2. Thread buttons onto the wire until you have enough to form the size of the wreath you want. Our wreaths are 2 1/2 inches in diameter. 3. Using pliers, bend the plain end of the wire around the looped e...

I found this cute idea at Martha Stewart's website . I think that these could be used not just for the kids, but for place cards or simple table decor for the Thanksgiving holiday. Heat water in a teakettle, and put pointed end of a sugar cone into spout. Let steam until softened, about 1 minute. Gently curve end 1/2 inch from tip; hold for 15 seconds.  Steam 1 side of cone's open end; press to flatten (so cone won't roll). Let cool until set. Dip edge in melted white chocolate, and roll in chopped pistachios.  Refrigerate until set. Fill with jelly beans and serve, or store in a covered container in a cool, dry place for up to 2 days.