Tissue Paper Carnation

April Showers Bring May Flowers - and I'm going to get those flowers even if i have to make them out of tissue paper.

(My mom taught me how to make these years ago in Girl Scouts.)

Simple supplies: Tissue paper (any color) and something to secure (string, yarn, wire, twisty ties, floral wire, pipe cleaners, even a stapler will work). I used twisty ties in this simple tutorial

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has had a very Happy and wonderful Easter!

Go create something.

Blowing Out Eggs

I've never been a fan of hard boiled eggs, whether by them self, in salads, as deviled eggs, or any other way people devise. It was always hard growing up for my mom to find ways to use up the Easter eggs she had hard boiled for us to decorate. Plus, the hard boiled kind can't be saved for the next year and have to be kept in the refrigerator to keep them from going bad. Need a solution. Blow them out! (You can use the egg white in yolk for something else... I used them for my traditional Easter quiche.)

You Need:
Raw eggs
Needle (I used a yarn needle)
(Opt) Thin straw
Bowl (to catch the insides)

Pierce Egg gently one both ends

Using the needle, make holes big enough to blow egg through.

Gently blow yolk and white through egg into container. (It may be helpful to use the needle to gentle break up the yolk inside the egg.)

I found a narrow straw to be helpful in blowing the egg through the bottom, especially the last bits.

Gently rinse thoroughly to remove any bits of egg white or egg from the inside. Let dry.

Decorate!

Crepe Paper Carrots

My family does holidays in a big way - big family, big food spread, a big gathering. When things in your life are often big (like family and holiday dinners), it's nice to remember the details. This year, I got inspired by Martha Stewart's Crepe Paper Carrots and decided to make a basketful to share with the many bunnies in my family.

As usual, I took a bit of creative freedom and read the comments & suggestions added by people since there wasn't much to the directions I found. Then I came up with my own way of working with what I have and found. (As much love as I have for Martha and her website, some of her projects include little or no usable instructions and you have to figure things out on your own, this was no exception.) Mine don't look exactly like Martha's, but I'm not worried. I'm sure they will be appreciated just as they are.

I started with a selection of candy, small toys, and temporary Easter tattoos (most of which I picked up at a local dollar store) for the filling. (Suckers, licorice, pixie sticks, some gummy bunny teeth, bubbles, little horns, frogs, etc.)

To help give a base shape (and with an unneeded concern for running out of crepe paper),  I started with cut squares of white tissue paper that I folded in half diagonal, to make a triangle. Using a long toy or piece of candy I started the basic shape in the white tissue paper, wrapping it up in a cone (or carrot-like) shape, using dots of hot glue to secure the end. (I love my mini hot glue gun!)


Using green tissue paper I cut the leaves for the top. (I folded the paper, cutting them into strands that resembled grass, then cut the sections apart.) I secured the leaf tops to the top of the basic white cone with a dot or two or hot glue. (This was done at the top of the white tissue paper or along the side of a plastic wrapper on the top.)

Starting from the bottom, I began wrapping the crepe paper upward, tucking more candy, toys, or temporary tattoos as I went, helping to keep the shape with the bottom more narrow and the top wider. I secured the crepe paper around the top (adding dots of hot glue as needed, but remember not to overdo it), then wrapped downward. Wrapping each carrot upward once and downward once, I was able to give each carrots a center wrap tissue paper with two layers of colored crepe paper, tucking in little presents as I went. Using another dot of hot glue, I secure the tissue paper along the bottom or side, tucking as needed.

The carrots are nicely arranged in a basket (at least for now), sitting on some green netting I had on hand.

The rolls of crepe paper I got went a lot further than I thought they would. I ended up getting about 35 carrots from about 1 1/2 rolls of crepe paper and about 2 sheets of green tissue paper (for the leaves). The white tissue paper was something I already had on hand and was cut in wide strips from another project.

These are going to make great favors for our family Easter this year, adding something special to the tables.

I have this weird desire to come up with other vegetables full of little present and made of crepe paper and/or tissue paper for a garden themed party.

Flowered Bottle Necklace

Happy First Day of Spring!

In honor of this wonderful time of year, I was inspired to find a new project for some things I had sitting around here. Recycling some little bottles I had on hand I came up with this flowered bottle necklace that I am considering filling with wildflower seeds to wear carry with me. (Or to give to a friend to carry with them.) Sometimes, a person just needs to have some flowers to share with then world, even in the most powerful form of a seed. This is a super simple project that definitely helped me celebrate the coming of Spring and all it's beauty.

 I started with small glass bottle, I had left from candy making at Christmas time. (Every year I made hard candy for Christmas.) I have a small stash of these small bottles that the flavorings for the candy come in, cleaned and the labels removed. (So don't be surprised to see more projects utilizing these.)

Using acrylic painted I attacked a couple of these small bottles with greens and flowers, letting them dry between layers and then again at the end. (Of course, any theme could work.)

Once dry, I attached hemp cord securely around the neck of the bottle, knotting. (It has a nice earthy look and feel.) Using a bead pattern, I knotted the cord every so bit and added earth tone pony beads, securing the beads with the cord. I finished the end with a knot, leaving the cord long enough to slip over my head without needing a latch. (You could use any jewelry making technique, macrame knots, braid, or selection of beads. The one pictured is just the one I chose this time.)

Now, they just need to be filled with flower seeds and are ready to go. (Maybe give Mother Nature a bit of help spreading her colors.) Bring on Spring! Bring on the flowers!

(Of course, it also could be used for scented oils or something.)

Bleach Bottle Pig Planters

With thoughts of spring and planting...

I've making bleach bottle pig planters since my early days as a Girl Scout. We would make them in multiple sizes, depending on the available bleach bottles, then plant them with flowers to sit on porches or in flower beds.

The strip of pictures are from a Craft Day at the nursing home. (See references to 'The Ladies Who Craft.')The piigs were cut, painted, googly eyes attaches, and sprayed with an acrylic sealer. Once everything was dry the potting soil was added and ivy planted in each. Perfect for window sills.

The instructions below were written out to be used as an example for recycling projects out of everyday things that would otherwise be thrown away. They don't need any special supplies since pain and a a craft knife or scissors are both items most crafters have readily on hand and they are a nice size for most flowers, herbs, or other plants. Most important remember that the emptied bleach bottles must be thoroughly cleaned and rinsed to get rid of any lingering bleach as it WILL KILL ANY PLANTS in the planter otherwise. (Unfortunately, this was not something we were able to do at camp for lack of enough bleach bottles. It can take some time to save up enough for a group.)

You can cut the ears any way you want, just make sure they have the notched flap on the bottom to help keep them in place.

Check out on CutOutandKeep too!