Resurrection Eggs

Welcome Back Gal Pals!

Spring is in the air and Easter is just around the corner.  Like many of us, I come from a family with different holiday traditions.  My birth side of the family celebrates Easter with church, egg hunts, the Easter Bunny and a special family dinner.  My husband's side of the family, opted several years ago to not participate in eggs hunts nor do they recognize the Easter Bunny.  Instead, they chose to focus on the more religious aspects of this day and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.  So, much like Christmas and Santa Claus (as mentioned in a previous post), the quandary yet again becomes, how do we handle Easter with our daughter?  How do we celebrate this holiday without focusing too much on the commercialized, fluffy bunny, chocolate covered aspects of this holiday, but still make it fun for a little one, especially when half of her cousins are going to receive a visit from the Easter Bunny and participate in egg hunts? 

Well, in a recent meeting with my mommy group, I was introduced to this cute and clever spin on the traditional Easter egg.  They are called resurrection eggs and we made them at our last meeting.  Here's how it works. 

Handmade with Love

Hi Gal Pals!

Been real busy since the New Year!  Seems like the month of January just got away from me!  Can't believe its already Valentine's Day. 

As you all I know, I'm big on holidays, almost a fanatic in some instances and since this is my daughter's first official Valentine's Day, I thought what better way to celebrate than to make some cute cards for her daddy & grandparents.  Being a one-year-old, there is only so much Hannah can do arts and crafts wise.  I came across this cute homemade hand print heart idea online a couple of weeks ago so we made them for some of the relatives.  They turned out real cute.  Here's a photo of the one she made for her daddy.

Creative Cakes

Friday is finally here everyone!

Time to have a little fun & what could be more fun than cake?!  I have such fond memories from my childhood of the custom cakes my mom would make each of us kids for our birthdays.  So fond that cake decorating has become one of my favorite things to do.

Cake decorating does not have to be difficult. (Disregard the above photo.  I just couldn't resist including it because I thought it was such a beautiful cake).  In fact, I think some of the cutest cakes are those that require very little effort at all.  The possibilities are endless with a little imagination.   Even if you are not a professional cake artist, don’t let that stop you.  It’s amazing what you can do with very little skill.  Items such as plastic figures, toys, candy, candles and flowers can do wonders for any cake!  Check out some of the simple cakes my sister & I have created over the years.   (The two bottom photos are grocery store cakes, but you can easily recreate these simple cakes on your own.  See the two weblinks included below for edible photo printouts).

BABY SHOWER RUBBER DUCK CAKE

ELMO BIRTHDAY CAKE

TINKERBELL BIRTHDAY CAKE

SCOOBY DOO BIRTHDAY CAKE

 

HALLOWEEN SPIDER CAKE

GRADUATION CAKE (EDIBLE PHOTO)

 

                BRIDAL SHOWER LUAU CAKE 

(plain sheet cake with flower makes for an elegant decoration)

For further ideas and inspiration check out these websites (the last two links are for ordering edible photos & printing supplies):
http://www.ehow.com/topic_2899_kids-birthday-cakes-basics.html
http://www.wilton.com/
http://www.easy-cake-ideas.com/
http://www.jollybebakery.com/
http://www.orderediblephotos.com/
http://www.icingimages.com/

So next time you have a special occasion, don’t be intimidated by the thought of making and decorating a cake at home.  With a little imagination and some store bought props you can impress your guests with your own confection masterpiece & save some money while your at it.

HAPPY BAKING! 

Helpful Hint: Here's a little trick I learned in a cake decorating class I once took.  Remember, there is always a backside to a cake.  If you make a mistake, that side of the cake can always face the wall.  If all else fails, flowers can do wonders for covering up an unsightly icing mishap. 

Personalized Photo Gifts

 

  

Good Morning Everyone!

Today I’d like to share one of my favorite hobbies/gift ideas with you all.  These days, with digital cameras and handy online photo applications, the possibilities are endless when it comes to making a nice personalized gift for that special someone.  With websites like Shutterfly & Vista Print (and many more for that matter), you can create great photo gifts (as well as beautiful invitations & announcements) with just a few clicks of the mouse.  Welcome to the wonderful world of personalized photo gifts!

From coffee mugs to calendars and stylish totes to beautiful photo books, the possibilities are endless.  I especially love creating a memorable photo gift for those hard to shop for types.  It’s my old steady stand-by when I have no idea what to get the person who has everything. (aka Grandma & Grandpa – HA!  HA!)Here’s a few samples of some of the great little photo gifts my family members & I have made as gifts over the years. 

(Following Photos: Sepia print was Father's Day Gift for my brother-in-law; Sample of an office calendar that I make each year for employees; Aloha Invitation I made using Vista Print for my sister's bridal shower; coffee mug my sister made as a Father's Day gift)

I especially love using the cropping tool, red-eye removal tool and sepia/black & white formatting options.  You can take what might seem to be a somewhat ordinary photo and practically make it look like a frameable piece of art. (Well, okay, obviously somewhat amateurish with my examples above, but you get the point!  I appologize for the poor quality of the photos I included in this post.)

So what are you waiting for?  Surprise that special someone with a personalized photo gift.  It is so easy, inexpensive & it will surely warm the heart and bring a big smile to the face of the recipient.

Helpful Money Saving Tip:  Always select the standard or slow delivery option and save money.  I speak from experience.  Any item I’ve ever ordered from these websites seems to show up at my doorstep far ahead of the estimated delivery date. 

You've Been Boo'd!

Here’s a fun & thoughtful idea to get the Halloween spirit going.  Play the Boo Game.  This is fun.  I’ve done it with my coworkers at the office before & I’ve had friends who have played in their neighborhoods.  Here’s how it works.

STEP 1. 

Purchase Halloween candy/goodies and put in festive bucket, basket, etc.  Include a simple picture of a ghost (you can find this online) and the following Letter:

The air is cool, the season fall,

Soon Halloween will come for all,

The spooks are out, without a doubt!

In fact, a secret spook brought this just for you!

So enjoy your special treat while pondering, WHO???

The excitement comes when friends like you,

Will copy it & make it two,

We’ll all have smiles upon our faces,

No one will know who “BOO”ed whose places!

Just a few days to work your spell,

Remember keep it a secret, hide it well.

Please join the fun, the seasons here.

Just spread these “BOO’s” & lots of Halloween cheer!

Include these directions:
Enjoy your treat.
Place a picture of your BOO on your front door/office cubicle.
Now you have 24 hours to copy this twice, make two treats and two Boo's and secretly deliver them to two neighbors who do not have a BOO on their front door.  Then watch how far this spreads before Halloween!

STEP 2.

Now it's time to deliver your Boo's. Sneak up to two of your neighbors/coworkers houses/cubicles and leave their treat buckets in front of the door. Knock and RUN!  Hide someplace and you'll hear the giggles and "We've been booed!"

STEP 3.

Now it's your neighbors’/coworkers’ job to keep the fun going.  So sit back, relax and wait for your Boo to arrive. 

This game is especially fun for the kids & is a great way to teach them the concept of giving.  They will also be excited to go for a walk around the neighborhood to see who has been “boo'd”.

So what are you waiting for?  A knock at the door?

Get out & have some fun before the spooky season is done.

After all, there is nothing more dandy than a bucket full of candy.

The fall season is here & what better way to spread some cheer?

Truly a fun way for neighbors to unite before the long-awaited Halloween night.

BOO!

Quality Time With Kids

I remember when I was a young child how exciting this time of year was: the pumpkins, costumes, candy, etc…  Just because I’m all grown up now doesn’t mean that I can’t relive that experience again.  And one of the ways to do this is to have some fun with the kids.

There are so many opportunities this month for fun with the little ones.  Even if you don’t have any children of your own, you most likely know some children that you could muster up some good times with.  It doesn’t even require spending a lot of money to put a smile on a child’s face.  All it takes is a little bit of imagination and your time.

This past weekend I spent an afternoon of fun with my niece and nephew, Julia and Jack.  We spent the afternoon making Halloween ornaments and a Halloween tree for the ornaments to hang on.  This took very little money.  I was able to purchase the craft supplies and buckets, which functioned as gift bags, for about $6 per child.  I topped off the gifts with some candy from the dollar store.  Not only were the kids excited to receive their “surprise”, but the real fun came when I spent the afternoon with them working on the craft projects.

        

When it comes to children, it is not about the money.  What’s important to them is spending quality time with an adult and having some fun.  The possibilities for fun fall activities are endless.  You could go for a walk and collect leaves, pick out a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch, make some Halloween sugar cookies, rent a fun Halloween movie to watch together or read them a spooky story.  The point is to simply take some time out of your busy schedule, whether it be one hour or a whole day, and plan a fun activity for a child you know.

 THIS WEEK’S THOUGHTFUL MISSION

Take some time out of your busy schedule and plan a fun fall activity with a child you know.

You’ll Be A Better Person for It!