"I do not claim that I can tell a story as it ought to be told. I only claim to know how a story ought to be told." -Mark Twain









3.27.2013

Some Bunnies Easter!

With the exception of the very cute big bunnies,
everything at this table was shopped from home, 
or a great deal. 

The cabbage planter was a garage sale find for $1. The cute little bunny dishes were out of the $1 bin at Target. Everything else I have had forever and I just mixed and (very little) matched until I had a Bunny Table set up!

Now....about those cute white bunnies in the center of the table! Well they were gifts to me from my sister and she bought them at the (wonderful) Nell Hill's. Aren't they cute?  
The perfect casual, but fun, Easter table done for very little money. 

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3.25.2013

Lessons in Carrot-ing!

 At first glace did you think that was a basket of big 'ole (real) carrots? I think it kind of looks like it. 

 Well for those two or three of you I had fooled, they are not (real) giant carrots. They are giant carrots, but they began their Easter seasonal life as carrot bats. Yes, as in baseball. And they come with that green ball. The great news is that they only cost $1 a piece. Now that's a deal. They can be found at your local Wally World or Dollar Tree. I am sure they are at other places as well, but that is where I purchased mine. 

 They also begin their seasonal Easter life looking very orange and very plastic. Ugh. But about a minutes worth of work on each carrot takes care of that. I used gel stain I already had. I simply wiped each carrot down with the stain then wiped off what I did not want to stay on. 

 The carrot on the far left has not been wiped down with stain yet. You can tell the difference. The others look more like real carrots now. 

 During spring and Easter season I love to use them everywhere. I put them in all sorts of baskets and arrangements. I just stick the "handle" part of the "bat" down in the container so that only the top shows. No one is the wiser....unless you are reading this and now you know! 

 As I was sitting here typing this up, it occurred to me that perhaps a little of the green raffia or Easter grass would look cute glued to the top. Or even some torn/shredded green fabric. Hmm. I'll have to try that out!
 As you can see, I've put these carrots in all sorts of arrangements and containers. I've used them from rustic, to tin, to galvanized, to china. They seem to fit in quite well in all places. 


 I've even used them on the door a couple of times in baskets. 
 Actually the ones on the door I never even hit with stain. You can tell in the pictures, but I don't think you can tell when driving by and looking at the door. I should probably stain them though. 

 I even used them last year when I took pictures of (then) 12-day-old Leightyn. I made cute Easter cards that said, "There is Some-Bunny new in town!" (Don't worry, I cropped the picture so you couldn't see the adult!
This year Leightyn carries the carrots around hitting them together like drumsticks! 

 So that is your complete "lesson in carrot-ing". Now you need to head to your local store and find some "carrot bats" to buy. Hit them with a little stain or watered down paint and you too are ready to carrot-ize just in time for Easter. Have you seen an easier Easter tutorial????
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3.24.2013

Cupcake Wars....

I blame everything (that goes wrong) on age.

 The fact that Easter is one week away. Age.
The fact that I need to get my butt(!) in gear and get some things done. Age.
Anything I forgot to do or did not get done. Age.

 Despite the "age" thing, I am sharing several different quick and easy ways to make cute, fun Easter cupcakes. These cupcakes are totally edible. The "grass" is really some kind of candy. It came in longer lengths and I just cut it with my (kitchen) scissors. All ingredients were found at Wally World. 
(Yes, even the little bunnies are some type of candy.) 

 Who doesn't love to use Peeps at Easter? 

 I made "real" frosting, but they could have just as easily been canned frosting tinted green. Kids don't care! 

 My aunt made these cupcakes. I have no idea how I got away with only one picture. Maybe because they were getting scooped up so quickly. 

 I used a white cake mix and tinted the batter various pastel colors. I baked them in a mini muffin pan. Some I used wrappers on and some I did not. Personally, I kind of like how they look without the wrappers. You get to see all the cute colors. 

 Some I lined up on a cute little Easter platter. I used a star tip and just squiggled lots of white frosting on top of each one. Then I put a few sprinkles on each cupcake as well. 

 A few cupcakes got places of honor among the Easter decorations.

 Then I used a bunch of them and put them in the push-up tubes. Kids really love these. Two mini cupcakes fit inside each tube perfectly. You could also put one cupcake and one Peep rabbit. 
 I ordered my push-up containers on line. I do not remember where I got them, but I am sure they can be googled up. I bought a lot at once and have used them with all kinds of desserts. 



 To display them I just put them inside several little Easter buckets filled with grass. Simple. Fun. Easy.
I promise I understand about time constraints and holidays that sneak up. Each of these recipes are fast and easy, yet fun for all the kids...and big kids. 

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3.23.2013

Florist Fun!

My sister always has fresh flowers at her house.
Not the little $5 bouquets like I sprinkle 
throughout my house, but the 
real deal. 

 They are always beautiful and cutting edge. ("Cutting"...get it?)
She has a wonderful florist that arranges things just for her.

 My sister has two young children, so there is always something with some whimsy. Such as this cute rabbit. Yes, he is really all flowers.....except for (ironically!!) the little bouquet he is holding! How cute is he? I just loved him. 

I have noticed that her florist always puts in some kind of unexpected greenery in all the bouquets, no matter what time of year it is. This time it is cabbage leaves. How appropriate. 

Don't you just love how the colors of the various bouquets all tie together, yet are different? Swoon. Swoon.
I knew you would enjoy these! 
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Wow Us Wednesday

3.20.2013

Spring Into Green!

On this first day of spring,
I thought it only appropriate
to share 
the green-ing of my house. 

 I guess it is only natural that some of the green would be attributed to St. Pat's Day. 

 But the rest of the green is purely the soul's desire to "spring" things up after a hard winter. 

 It was not the winter weather that was hard this year, but unexpected losses of a dear dear friend and a dear dear cousin.

 Not only were those two surprise losses hard to take, but my mother-in-law is suffering from one of the diseases that takes your mind before your body....and is so hard to watch transpire. 

 It is when I was standing at one of the doorways and I could see through three or four rooms that my eye caught sight of all the green. How refreshing! 

 All that green made me think of spring and the rebirth that spring also heralds. That was just what my soul needed. 

 The green was not consciously put out like I often do with colors. I must have just felt it deep down and without thinking sprinkled it throughout the house. 

 I took down the little bit of St. Patrick's things I had out and replaced them with Easter..and spring. 

 Rebirth. Renewal. Hope. All spring eternal with Spring. 

Welcome Home Spring! 


3.18.2013

Springtime Fruits of the Spirit


When I think of the Fruits of the Spirit I always think of spring.
And good things.


 And friends that walk the walk and are true examples of Fruits of the Spirit. 

 My little chalkboard-makin-student asks me repeatedly if I have "something for her to draw". So this time I gave her the Fruits of the Spirit.  She gave me back Wonderful!

 The ceilings in my house are very tall. They lend themselves perfectly for big pictures/boards/ideas on the upper part of a wall. 

 So that is where my Fruits of the Spirit has gone to live for the time being. 



 In my mind the perfect crown for a hutch decorated for spring. How better to celebrate spring than seeing a daily reminder of the fruits of a gentle, loving character? 










 It's easy to live a few of the "fruits" but harder to live all of them. It is even more hard to live them on a daily basis, not just when things are going well. That's why I love this simple but  full-of-goodness chalkboard. It speaks to me each day as I walk past. The Fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. 

As you can see, I continue to change the hutch. I added lavender to it this week. Not only is the color beautiful, but the smell is divine as well. I might have changed the hutch around, but the Fruits of the Spirit remain the crown! 
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