Easy Easter Decorating Ideas

in , , , ,

Hello April, hello Spring! I know spring officially started on March 20th, but with the crazy weather we’ve been having, it sure didn’t feel like it! Although the temperatures continue to fluctuate, I know warmer weather is on the way. I’ve officially turned off the heat and by next week I will start to put away the winter blankets, coats and other winter gear. Yay!

In this month’s Lifestyle Friday post, I’ll share with you some fun, simple and easy Easter decoration ideas for your home.

Floral Display

Forget the soufflé…turn a casserole dish into a happy basket of spring florals for the table!

Here’s how:

  1. Cut the floral foam to fit (available from Michaels Stores).
  2. Soak in water until moist and place in dish.
  3. Use the back of a pencil and make holes in the foam for the stems then pack in flowers tightly so that there are no gaps.
  4. I chose not to add a handle, but if you want to, loosely twist two or three branches together.  
  5. Secure ends with floral wire and insert into the dish.

(Inspired by April issue of Better Homes & Garden)

Sugar Eggs

I simply love this earthy color palette – created with drops of ordinary food dye!

  1. Use egg molds #E090, #E095, #E423, #E427 available from lifeofthepartymolds.com.
  2. Mix 3 tablespoons of water with 2 pounds of ultrafine sugar until it reaches a packable consistency.
  3. Add 2-3 drops of food color until desired color is achieved.
  4. Tightly back the sugar mixture into the mold half and smooth the top as much as possible.
  5. Lay cardboard over the top of the mold, press down with one hand, while holding the mold with the other and flip.  Gently remove the mold.
  6. Let dry.
  7. To make solid eggs, fuse the egg halves together by brushing the exposed edges with egg white.

Source: MarthaStewart.com

Egg Garland

This is a cool craft idea.

You can use embroidery floss, string, yarn or even raffia ribbon.

  1. Prepare a bowl of stiffener mixture (mix 1 cup of liquid starch with ½ cup flour).
  2. Gently coil the embroidery floss or string into the bowl.
  3. Blow up balloons to the desired size.
  4. Wrap the embroidery floss around the balloon (use multiple colors if desired).
  5. Let the finished product dry for several hours.
  6. Once dry, pop the balloon.
  7. Make a garland and hang several eggs together.

Source: Better Homes & Garden

Alternatively if you don’t have time for DIY, you can always shop ETSY!

Here is a collection of some of my favorite Easter themed finds.

1.  Matchbook cards by BeMyBee 

2.  Pom Pom garland by LittleKnittyThings

3.  Fine art giclee print by kipi 

4. Cat kokedama with succulent by ArtofPlants

5. Dishcloth patterns by KnittingGuru

6. Easter Egg Decorations by SlopeGirlKnits

7. Wall Art by TamaraGarvey

Do you have a favorite Easter DIY décor idea? Share it with me in the comments below!

-Rekha Krishnamurthi

DivineNYCo

Team Finds: Special Finds for Mother's Day

in , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Prong Setting Tutorial

in , , , , , , , ,

Spring has arrived and with it comes the obligatory cleaning…sigh. Motivated by the warm weather, I decided to organize my workspace to make room for new projects. As I was cleaning, I stumbled across a pair of tiny white geodes. “These would be great earrings”, I thought to myself…and that, dear readers, was all it took for me to begin my latest project…all attempts to clean were swept aside in order to allow time to set these fair stones into prong settings:

This project assumes basic soldering knowledge as well as access to a soldering station.

What you’ll need:

  • A pair of stones of similar color, shape and size
  • 22g silver round wire cut into six (6) 20mm pieces*
  • Earring posts (without pads) & backs
  • Tiny drill bit or center punch
  • Ring clamp or vise

*The 20mm length is based on the geodes, which are 8mm x 10mm x 3.6mm high. Your length can be modified based on the size of your stones, keeping in mind that excess wire will be clipped off

Step 1: Making the setting

Each prong setting will use three pieces of the silver wire. Bend two into a U shape and place the bends facing one another. Place the third straight piece between the two U’s making sure they touch. Using hard solder, solder the pieces together.  Repeat this process with the remaining silver wire and pickle.

Step 2: Soldering the earring posts

Using a tiny drill bit or center punch, make a divot in the center of each piece where the three wires are soldered together. I lightly taper the soldering end of the post with a file so that it fits into the divot. Using a piece of soft solder, attach each earring post and pickle.

Step 3: Adding the stone

Place the earring post in a vise or a ring clamp. Gently push the prongs up, creating a basket shape large enough for your stone. Place your stone and gently bend one prong up at a time so that the prongs are vertical.

Before cutting the excess metal down, ensure you allow enough of the prong to bend over the stone to hold it in like a claw. Once the prongs are at the desired length, file the ends flat and push each prong over the stone, one at a time using a burnisher or other small steel tool. Hold the stone in place while you do this because it will move. Bending opposite prongs helps during this process.

Step 4: Finishing the prongs

To finish, use a grinding bur to flatten the bent prongs. I chose to oxidize these for contrast, but they are just as beautiful left un-oxidized. Tumble for a little shine or wear as is!

Rachael

www.etsy.com/shop/mezzestudios www.mezzedesigns.com

PS if you have the time we are taking a survey of our readers, it's a quick 10 minutes. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QQJZ5WS

DIY: April showers tees

in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“April showers bring May flowers” or so they say. Well, I say make April showers fun with a rain inspired D.I.Y project. The weather is slowly warming up and my kids are longing for those special hours of outside play. While the clouds resisted to cooperate, we spent some time creating these great t-shirts. Kids love getting crafty, so take your little ones, nieces, nephews or cousins (or just your inner child!) and gather your supplies!

You will need:

* A pre-washed t-shirt

* Freezer paper

* Acrylic paint in colors of your choice

* Textile medium

* A foam or spouncer brush

* Exacto knife

* Cardboard

* Surface for mixing colors (I use the cover of a take out container)

* April Showers stencil

1. Make your stencil. Click on the link to get the April Showers stencil. Cut a piece of freezer paper to  fit the image's 8.5" x 11" size. Feed the piece of freezer paper through the printer manually as you print the image, making sure the artwork gets printed on the dull side of the paper. Carefully cut out the drops and cloud shapes with your exacto knife. You have made your stencil.

2. Iron the stencil onto your t-shirt. Place the stencil shiny-side down on the center of the t-shirt and press with your iron on the hottest setting. Do not use steam.

3. The part the kids love, mixing colors and printing! Mix 2 parts acrylic paint/ 1 part textile medium. Textile medium is great because you can use acrylic paints to paint, stamp or print on fabric without having to spend a big budget on textile inks and your project will be washable. Place the piece of cardboard inside the t-shirt, under the stencil, so that the paint doesn’t transfer to the back. Take your sponge brush and dab it on the cloud area. Make sure you cover the whole thing. If you’re letting kids do this part, let them have fun while guiding them.

4. Move on to printing the drops. Mix different colors and dab your sponge brush. For lighter colors, you may need two coats of paint. Let the first coat dry before doing the second one.

5. Let the paint dry for at least an hour or so. Gently remove the stencil off of the t-shirt. Your stencil can be re-used a few more times so don’t throw it away!

6. Heat set the design on the fabric. Using your iron in the hottest setting, iron over the printed area for 20-30 seconds. Do not use steam. Wear and enjoy!

My kids are very happy with the results and are proudly saying “I made this”. Now they’re thinking to make them as gifts for all their friends but I’m not so sure about that... Remember to supervise children while doing this project, only adults should do steps. 1. 2. and 6.

Have fun and please share pictures of your April showers tees!

Natasha K.

*on Etsy*

*on Facebook*

Setting the Easter Table

in , , ,

Setting the Easter table I always look forward to.  I find myself to be anxious and excited for Easter brunch or dinner.  As a child we always looked for our Easter basket in the morning so by early afternoon the basket usually was depleted of all signs of candy.  Now, my nieces and nephews have a little more self control.  But there is still lots of energy in the house.  I love to put some sort of rabbit as the centerpiece.  He is the guest of honor after all.  I did some researching to come up with something new this year.  Should I go vintage or cheery cute? Here are a few finds on Etsy from sellers on our team and some not.

Above the top photo is a beautiful spun cotton rabbit carrying his colored easter eggs and ready to do his deliveries on Easter morning.  The details in his face are amazing, the colors of the organic yarn are mesmerizing.  You can purchase him from jejeMae on Etsy.

Above is a rabbit moss ball with a rabbit fern in it.  How appropriate and creative!   Art of Plants is owned by Jenny Stanley in Brooklyn.

From Romi Ceramics, a selection of vases, adding a few spring buds to each one will add some variety and dimension to your table.

Possibly my favorite are these reclaimed wood coasters.  Great to write your guests names on the back side because of the soapstone chalk.  These are from Simply Nu who specialize in sustainable products.

Simply Nu reclaimed wood coaster

Simply Nu reclaimed wood coaster

And last but not least you do need an Easter basket.  Here are some vintage wire baskets from WishboneArt.

Do you have any favorite ways of decorating your Easter table?

Have a wonderful, cheery holiday!

Tracey

https://www.etsy.com/shop/traceytoole

Health & Beauty: Is Your Skin Spring-Ready?

in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Spring is here! The sun is shining. It's getting warmer. And, we're slowly shedding the layers of clothes that have been weighing us down. 

But, has the cold, moisture-sapping Winter weather taken a toll on your skin? Leaving it dry and rough to the touch? Here are some tips to Spring-ready your skin as you begin to shed your Winter layers:

  • Moisturize right after you step out of the shower or bath. Pat your skin dry and apply moisturizer when your skin is still slightly damp to better lock in moisture. Use chemical-free and fragrance-free products since artificial ingredients can irritate the skin and inflame skin conditions.  
  • Limit your intake of caffeine and alcoholic beverages that can dehydrate your body. Drink plenty of water to help your skin stay healthy and allow your body to function properly.
  • Exfoliate once a week to rid pore-clogging, dead skin cells and to allow cells to regenerate. Use a body polish, preferably sugar-based and natural scrubs that are gentler on the skin, to let your skin breathe and keep skin soft and supple.

Remember, if you have skin conditions that are persisting or worsening, please consult your medical practitioner.

Now, let's get ready for Spring! 

~ Susan

Naturally Susan's

https://www.etsy.com/people/susan146?ref=si_pr
https://www.etsy.com/people/susan146?ref=si_pr