Ruffled Yellow Felt Pillow

I saw these just beautiful pillows on the Better Homes and Gardens site and just fell in love with them. I will have to make some of these! The colors in the picture seem so Springy but I am not sure that it will work with my furniture. Maybe I will try some different colors. The following sewing instructions are for one pillow. If you go to the Better Homes and Gardens link, the other pillow instructions are there.

Crafts Supplies:

• Felt (yellow) 
• 3/8-inch-wide velvet ribbon (green) 
• Fiberfill 

Sewing Instructions:

• Cut a strip of felt 9 inches wide and 18 inches long and hand-stitch two parallel lines close together through the center of the strip. Pull on the ends of each thread so felt strip gathers into a ruffle. 
• Make a 6-inch-wide ruffle in the same manner. Machine-stitch the 6-inch ruffle in the middle of the larger ruffle. 
• Cut two 12-inch squares from felt. 
• Machine-stitch the double ruffle in the center of one square. 
• Pin a piece of velvet ribbon in the center of the double ruffle. 
• Place the squares right sides together and machine-stitch around edges, leaving a small opening along one edge for turning. Make sure you catch the ends of the velvet ribbon in the seams. 
• Turn right side out and stuff with fiberfill. Hand-stitch the opening closed.

Stainless Steel Cleaner

Last year, I bought a stainless steel refrigerator. I love it! The freezer is on the bottom and it is so easy to get the items I need from the refrigerator on top. There is one thing that I do not like - the fingerprints that are all over the doors (actually, there are 2 things I do not like - the doors of the frig are not magnetic! Who would have thought? Where will all my magnets go?). I have tried various cleaners and low and behold, nothings seems to do the job!


I saw this DIY cleaner on Pinterest - yes I am addicted! I admit I spend way too much time pinning but I have learned so much. 


Anyway, here are the ingredients: Homemade stainless steel cleaner - In a spray bottle, I mix together 2/3 parts white vinegar, a few drops of dish soap, and 1/3 part water. Spray the frig and wipe with a microfiber cloth




Here is the before picture:



Here is the after picture (this is the picture from the tutorial):



Here is the link: Home Stories A to Z

Bite Size Banana Cream Pie

I saw this recipe on the  Food Pusher Blog and thought - Wouldn't this be great for a party or even Easter - Yes!. So I copied it here. This recipe would give everyone an opportunity to have a "little taste" of a sweet without ruining their diet. I plan to use Pillsbury ready-made crust - I know, but it is so easy. Let me know if you try it and what you think.

Bite Size Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients:

•         1 small box instant vanilla pudding
•          1 3/4 cups cold milk
•          2-3 bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices
•          1 cup heavy whipping cream 
•          1/4 cup powdered sugar
•          1 batch of pie crust (see recipe below)

Directions:

• In a medium bowl, whisk vanilla pudding mix and cold milk for 2 minutes.  
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  (I'm not sure how long. Mine refrigerated overnight.)
• Whip heavy cream and powdered sugar into stiff peaks.
• Using either a pastry bag with an open star tip, or using a zip-top bag with  about 1/4 inch of a corner cut off, pipe about half a teaspoon of chilled pudding onto each pie crust piece.  
• Place a slice of banana on top of the dab of pudding.  
• Then squeeze about 1 1/2 teaspoons of pudding onto each banana slice.
• Refrigerate the pies while you prep the whipped cream into another pastry bag (or the same one with the tip washed), and then pipe about 1 1/2 teaspoons of whipped cream onto each pie.  
• Refrigerate until  ready to serve.  
• Makes...um...I'm not sure, but I'd guess about 3 dozen bite-size pies.

DIY: Chick & Bunny Treat Holders

I saw this tutorial and thought this would be 
so nice to do with children for Easter. They are so cute!

This one’s for the kiddies… a fun little craft project + “friendly” holders for all those Easter Bunny treats!

PAPER BUNNY CUP Treat Holders

You’ll Need:
white paper cup
white cardstock
pink felt or pink cardstock
2 wiggle eyes
small pink pom-pom
medium white pom-pom (for tail)
white chenille stems
scissors, glue, glue dots or a stapler

Directions
• From the white cardstock, cut 2 large white ovals for the bunny ears. Trim one side of the oval off so it’s squared off at the bottom.

• Cut 2 smaller oval shapes from the pink felt (or paper) for the inner part of the ear. Glue the pink ovals in the center of the white ear shapes and set aside to dry.

• Cut white chenille craft stems into short pieces for the whiskers. Use craft glue or glue dots to attach the whiskers to the cup, then glue the pink pom pom on top for the nose.

• Attach the ears to the back rim of the cup with a stapler or glue dots.

• Glue the white pom pom to the back of the cup to create a cotton tail.

• Fill with a colorful Easter grass and candy treats!

*****

PAPER CHICK CUP Treat Holders

You’ll Need:
yellow paper cup
orange cardstock
orange chenille craft stems
2 wiggle eyes
yellow craft feathers
scissors, glue/glue dots, stapler or tape

Directions
• From the orange cardstock, cut a small triangle for the beak and glue it to the front of the cup.

• Glue the wiggle eyes above the beak.

• Cut six 3/4-inch pieces of orange chenille stem for the chick feet. Twist three pieces together at one end for each foot. Attach the feet to the front of the cup with glue dots or tacky craft glue.

• Staple or tape a few feathers to the back edge of the cup, making sure they peek out over the top.

• Fill with a colorful Easter grass and candy treats!

Here is the link to the blog that posted it. http://blog.hwtm.com/2009/04/diy-chick-bunny-treat-holders/

Flower Power Cake Recipe

This cake just looks so pretty and the recipe is easy! I think I might just try it for Easter!

 

Flower Power Cake Recipe

Makes: 12 to 16 servings
Prep: 30 mins

Cool: 10 mins

Bake: 350°F 30 mins

ingredients
1 2-layer-size package lemon cake mix
1 16 ounce can white frosting
Small gumdrops
Candy-coated fruit-flavored pieces
Sour fruit-flavored straw candy

directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions using two 8- or 9-inch round baking pans. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely.

2.Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread with frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and side of layers with frosting.

3.To decorate cake with flowers, slice small gumdrops in half horizontally to form flower petals. Use candy-coated fruit-flavored pieces for flower centers. Flatten gumdrops and cut into leaf shapes for leaves. Snip sour straws to desired lengths and use for flower stems.

Here is the link: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/layer-cakes/flower-power-cake/

Pattern: Firefly Jar LED Embroidery Pattern

This is an interesting addition to your embroidery projects! An LED light kit is used to enhance it. You can light it up! This is so cute!

Here is what you need:

Supplies:

* Firefly Jar embroidery pattern (download the PDF here)

* Embroidery floss in white, dark gray, dark green, medium green, light green, light blue, brown, and black

* Navy blue fabric

* Heavy-weight interfacing or t-shirt stabilizer

* LED Embroidery Kit from Sternlab.org (optional)


Tools:

* 5" embroidery hoop

* Embroidery needle

* Scissors

* Iron

* Ironing board

* Carbon/pattern transfer paper

* Tracing tool or pen

You can get the instructions at The Zen of Making with this link: http://www.thezenofmaking.com/2012/03/pattern-firefly-jar-led-embroidery.html

Peep Topiary

I saw this Peep Topiary on the Hungry Mouse Blog and just thought it was cute and easy! Here is what you need:

Peep Topiary

Peep topiary
1 6-inch pot
1 7-inch styrofoam ball (for topiary top)
1 4-5 inch styrofoam chunk (for inside the pot)
1 12-inch wooden stake or thick wooden dowel
1 box of wooden toothpicks
6-7 boxes of marshmallow Peeps
1 bag of jelly beans

Other table decorations
Assorted foil covered chocolate eggs
Plastic easter eggs
Easter grass
Assorted silk flower garlands

Makes 1 Peep topiary that will knock your socks off

 

 

Here is the link with all the steps: http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2011/04/11/peep-topiary-plus-other-easter-table-top-decorating-ideas/

Easter Egg Garland

Years ago, my step daughter made me a big egg and left part of it open so she could put in grass and Easter candies. It was so pretty and colorful! I just loved it! Here are some pictures that were on another blog and instructions how to make them. Hope you like them!

Make a stiffener mixture. I used 1 cup of liquid starch mixed with a half cup of flour. You could double or triple this recipe if you’d like.  I did.

 Next I got some string, I used embroidery floss. You could also use pearl cotton thread or crochet thread.

Then you stick your string in a bowl of starch goo, but don’t just plop it in there like I first did. Your string WILL get into a knot… and it’s not fun to try and un-snarl gooey string.  So don’t do it. Instead coil your string into the mixture and gently press it into the goo, I didn’t get one knot doing it this way. 

 

For a little egg, blow up a water balloon and wrap the gooey string around the balloon. Make sure you wipe off the excess goo and let it fall back into the bowl, it doesn’t need to be drippy.

One skein of embroidery floss was just enough for one water balloon sized egg.

It’ll take several hours for it to dry. Once it dries, pop the balloon. You might have crusty stuff in-between the string, I scraped that out with a straight pin. 

But then I decided to thread the eggs onto some more embroidery floss and made a garland out of them. You’ll need a fairly big needle to do this.

I threaded it  at about 1/4th of the way down from the top of the egg. To keep them in place, I hot glued the eggs to the string. Here is the link of the blog: http://www.craftyendeavor.com/2012/03/08/easter-egg-garland/

She also made some different size eggs.

 

10 Easter Eggs Decorating Ideas

Here are some pictures of Easter egg decorating ideas. They did not give a tutorial but look easy to figure out. Anyway, you can look at these pictures and create your own.

Photo credit: Wish on a Whisker

Photo credit: Rafał Wójcik

Photo credit: DyeDye

Photo credit: dotcomwomen

Here is the link: http://blog.luulla.com/handmade/10-easter-eggs-decorating-ideas 

Fragrant Fruit Wreath - can you just smell it?

Turn dried oranges and lemons into a circle of refreshing color. Although this wreath has evergreen and Christmas balls in it, I would replace them with Easter eggs and pastel ribbons to make it for Easter.




What You'll Need 6-inch round florist's foam wreath 

• 14 oranges 
• 8 lemons 
• Serrated knife 
• Straight pins 
• Evergreen sprigs or spring flowers
• Three small holiday balls or plastic Easter eggs
• Ribbon 

How to Make It


1. Cut oranges and lemons into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Places slices in a 150° F oven on an open rack to dry the slices. Leaves the slices in the oven for 3 hours, turning them over after 90 minutes. (Edges should not be brown.)


2. When fruit is dry but slightly moist, remove from oven and place on wire rack; air dry for 3 hours. If wreath form has flat edges, use a serrated knife to gently round.


3. Use straight pins to attach the fruit slices to the wreath, overlapping the pieces to cover the entire foam wreath.


4. Wire sprigs of greenery together, then secure the bundle to the wreath top. Wire a few holiday balls and ribbon to the greenery.

Here is the link: http://www.bhg.com/christmas/wreaths/fragrant-fruit-wreath/