Bunny Suckers

TGIF!!!  It seems like it has been a long week this week {maybe they all seem like that?} but I am happy that Friday is here!  Do you have anything fun planned for the weekend?

So at the beginning of the week I shared the carrot treats that I had made for Matthew's class.  Connor then had to have something for his little preschool friends so I made up a bunch of these little cuties {inspired from The Mother Huddle}

Really, the hardest part of this project was finding the big round suckers!  They take a little bit of time to assemble but are super easy.

MATERIALS

• suckers
• pipe cleaners
• styrofoam balls 
• google eyes
• pom poms {2 for arms, 2 slightly smaller ones for the snout, small pink one of the nose, and slightly larger pink one for the tail}
• ribbon
• wooden hearts {for feet}
• white paint
• black sharpie
• ribbon
• glue {I used Quick Grip}
• double sided tape

It kind of sounds like a lot of materials but I had everything on hand with the exception of the wooden hearts and those darn suckers!

TO DO

• Slide the styrofoam ball over the popsicle stick.  Just twist it a bit to get it over the sucker wrapper.
• Cut a pipe cleaner in half, fold each half and stick it in the ball for the ears.
• Using a liquid glue, add the eyes, the small pink pom for the nose and two slightly larger poms for the snout.
• Paint the wooden hearts white, let them dry, and outline with a black sharpie.
• I attached the white poms for the hands and the heart feet with double sided tape.  I'm sure glue would have been fine but I just wanted to make sure I didn't somehow get glue in the sucker.
• Attach the tail to the back with double sided tape.

• Add a ribbon and you are done!  

If I wasn't making 25 of these little critters, they would be fun to dress up a bit more with cute little wire whiskers and a fun Easter tag. I was also wanting to add a little pink pipe cleaner inside of the ears but I didn't have any on hand.  I still think they are pretty sweet.

Now to keep these bunnies away from Matthew's carrot treats!

Can you believe Easter is going to be next weekend?  March just flew by!

I hope you guys all have a fabulous weekend!  Do you have anything planned for April Fool's Day yet?  If you are still looking for ideas, I have some fun ones here.

Enjoy Your Night!
I linked up with CRAFT, Lolly Jane, Design Dazzle, Thirty Handmade Days, Tidy Mom, The Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring, At the Picket Fence, Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons, The 36th Avenue, Somewhat Simple, Uncommon, Lil Luna, Today's Creative Blog, Home Stories A to Z, Tip Junkie, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Under the Table and Dreaming, CRAFT, A Simply Klassic Home, Positively Splendid, I Heart Naptime, Funky Junk, Blue Cricket Design, Be Different Act Normal and Tatertots and Jello.

I've Got Sunshine...

Hey guys! I hope you are all having a great week! Last week I posted about how I had gone dark with our bed and side tables. This week, I have a few projects to show off my lighter side!

I definitely wanted to bring in some family pictures into our bedroom.  We had a photo shoot done in the fall {from Maddiegray Photography}and I still hadn't put any of our pictures into frames.  So I dug through my stash of canvases {yes, I tend to hoard these when I find a good deal!} and came up with this.

Due to my not-so-fabulous photography skills, the colors are slightly off, but I just couldn't get it right. I'm sure you get the idea. I have also corrected the crooked "on a Cloudy Day" line {why do I not see these things until I am looking at the pictures??}  But overall, I am very happy with it and it adds a nice pop of color to the room.

MATERIALS

• canvases of your choice {one for the base and smaller ones for your photos}
• photos {make sure to order matte and NOT glossy}
• glue {I used a regular acid free glue stick to adhere my photos and Quick Grip to attach the smaller canvases}
• paint {I used Annie Sloan chalk paint in Provence for the large canvas and acrylic paint for the smaller canvases and SUNSHINE}
• vinyl or stencils

I love doing canvas photo projects - they are so easy and can be totally customized.  For this canvas I used a large 24 x 24 inch canvas as well as four 8 x 10 canvases.  I had a very small amount of Provence Annie Sloan Chalk Paint left over from some other projects {which I will show you later on!} and decided to put it on the canvas since there was such a small amount left.  I really liked the effect!

For the 8 x 10 canvases, I used black acrylic paint around the edges as well as a small border over the front of the canvas.  Although the photos were also 8 x 10, they did need to be trimmed slightly to fit on the canvas.  I also like to leave a very slight border around the photo to show a little of the black on the front of the canvas.  This tends to hide any unevenness in the canvas.  I just used an acid free glue stick to attach the photos {use lots of glue especially along the edges} and a brayer to really stick it down.  I then used the Quick Grip glue to attach the smaller canvases to the larger one.

I printed out the vinyl on my Silhouette and used the negative aspect to stencil on the SUNSHINE.   Now I get to wake up to my little Sunshines {because we definitely have our share of cloudy days around here!}

Are you singing the song in your head yet??  Hope you have a great sunshiny day!!

I linked up with Gluesticks, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Skip to My Lou, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Delightful Order, The 36th Avenue, Not Just a Housewife, Oopsey Daisy, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Coastal Charm, Lolly Jane, The Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring, At the Picket Fence, The 36th Avenue, Uncommon, Lil Luna, Today's Creative Blog, Home Stories A to Z, Tip Junkie, Under the Table and Dreaming, Thrifty Decor Chick, CRAFT, A Simply Klassic Home, Positively Splendid, I Heart Naptime, Tatertots and Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, Blue Cricket Design, Be Different Act Normal, Tidy Mom, Design Dazzle, 30 Handmade Days, The Shabby Nest, Crafty Scrappy Happy, The Shabby Creek Cottage and Somewhat Simple.

The Creative Spark {No. 36}

Welcome back to another week of The Creative Spark! Before we get to the party, I have a winner to announce! The winner of the $25 crafty swag box from Pick Your Plum {as chosen from Random.Org} is......

number 50, Michelle J!

Thanks so much to all of you who entered.  If you haven't had a chance to check out the amazing daily deals on Pick Your Plum, you should really check them out!  They have some fabulous crafty finds!

{This is what I am waiting for right now to make a little Spring mini album!}

Okay, so let's see what you've all got for me this week!  I can't wait to see what you have been working on!

  Feel free to link up anything that you have created - crafts, DIY, scrapbook projects, organization ideas, decorating, recipes - anything goes! 

Want to link up? 

• Link directly to your specific post {not the homepage}. 
• Please add The Creative Spark button to your post or blog {the code is in my sidebar}OR place a text link at the end of your post. I would love for you to help me spread the word! 
• Check out some of the other fabulous links. A few nice comments always inspires us to create more! 
• Follow along with Facebook to see if you have been featured throughout the week. I will also be back to showcase some of my favorite ideas for my Sunday Sparks.

Easy Easter Countdown

Well, the last couple of days have been a bit chaotic around here. One of our water pipes broke {after Dave attempted to "fix" a leak} so we had no water for about 24 hours.  Kids + no water is pretty fun, let me tell you.  The water is now back on but we are left with a nice hole in the basement ceiling.  Just one more little thing to add to our little "To Do" list!  

Anyways, on the fun side of things, here is our easy Easter countdown that the kids started yesterday.

I found these cute little carrot containers at Superstore {and have also seen them at the Dollar Store} and thought that they would be perfect for a quick countdown.  I put a couple of chocolate eggs and a couple  gummies in each container and added some number tags to the top of them with baker's twine.

Throw them all in a basket and we are good to go!

Now we just have to make sure we keep them away from that pesky wabbit!

Have a great Tuesday!  I hope to see you all back this afternoon to share your projects at this week's Creative Spark.  I will also have the Pick Your Plum winner for you!

I linked up with Lolly Jane, Chic on a Shoestring, At the Picket Fence, Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons, The 36th Avenue, Today's Creative Blog, Home Stories A to Z, Tip Junkie, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Under the Table and Dreaming, CRAFT, A Simply Klassic Home, Positively Splendid, I Heart Naptime, Tatertots and Jello, Funky Junk, Blue Cricket Design, Be Different Act Normal, Nest of Posies, Tidy Mom, Design Dazzle, 30 Handmade Days, The Shabby Nest, Crafty Scrappy Happy, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Uncommon, Lil Luna and Oopsey Daisy.

My Sunday Spark {No. 35}

Hello everyone!  What are you all up to this weekend?  I seem to have a million projects on the go right now {which always stresses me out!} so I am hoping to start finishing some of them off today.  Of course, the kids want to head down to the fair so I am not sure how much I will actually get accomplished...

It was another fabulous week of link ups this week at The Creative Spark.  You guys never cease to amaze me with all of your inspiring ideas!  I cannot thank-you enough for sharing your projects and I hope you all enjoy visiting around.  Here are a few of  the great ideas linked up this week.

I love this simple painted wooden bowl from Chasing Sunshine.  So Springy!!

This fabulous couch from At Home with K was made with old doors.  Amazing or what?

These marshmallow daffodils from The Seven Year Cottage are SO cute!  

Crafting in the Rain created this amazing pallet train art.  There are some great tips for aging wood too!

I really want to go on a Picnic with Angie from Echoes of Laughter.  Yellow just makes me smile!

Thanks again to everyone who shared their projects at last week's Creative Spark.  If you were featured here or on my Facebook page, please feel free to grab a featured button from the side bar.  

This week I will be finishing up my Easter crafts and may have a new post or two on some of my master bedroom projects!  If you haven't had a chance to enter the Pick Your Plum Giveaway, there is only one more day left to enter!

ENJOY YOUR SUNDAY!!!

Easter Carrot Treat Boxes

Hey everyone! I hope you are having a fabulous weekend! The sun is finally out here and it has been nice spending some time outside again.  I have been taking a little break from the master bedroom projects over the past couple of days to work on some Easter crafts.  It has been fun getting back to some easy crafts again!

I made these little carrot containers for Matthew to hand out to his classmates {inspiration from the Bo Bunny site}.  Since I had 25 to make, I kept them simple, but they would be fun to dress up a bit more too.

MATERIALS

• orange cardstock or patterned scrapbook paper
• green cardstock
• double sided tape
• paper crimper {optional}
• baker's twine or ribbon
• chocolate treats
• Happy Easter tag {see below for how to}

HOW TO

• Cut your orange cardstock to 5 x 6 inches

• Place double sided tape along one of the short edges and one of the long edges.  Place a third strip of tape along half of the other long edge {see picture above}
• Take the backing off the double sided tape on the full short edge and full long edge.  Roll up your tube {short edge to short edge}
• Pinch the end together where the tape backing has been removed. {align the seam so it is in the center}
• Add your treats! {I kept closing my carrot up and forgetting to add my treats!}
• Remove the other tape backing and pinch the open end together at a 90 degree turn compared to the other end.
• Crimp each of the ends of the container.
• For the tops, cut a green strip of cardstock approximately 2.5 x 3 inches.  Run through the crimper.  Attach to the top of the carrot with glue or double sided tape.  Cut strips in the cardstock and randomly trim the tops at an angle.

• For the tag, I cut the scalloped circle on the Silhouette and just created the Happy Easter in a basic word processing program.  I then used a circle punch to punch the Happy Easter and attached it to the scalloped circle with a large pop dot.  I punched a hole in the tag and tied it on with some baker's twine.

And the best part is, there is no way that I can get that chocolate out of them while they are waiting to be taken to school!

I still can't believe that there is only a couple of weeks left until Easter is here!  Time just seems to be flying by.


Enjoy the rest of your weekend!


I linked up with Lolly Jane, Chic on a Shoestring, At the Picket Fence, Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, The 36th Avenue, A Bowl Full of Lemons, CRAFT, Tatertots and Jello, Funky Junk, Blue Cricket Design, Be Different Act Normal, Nest of Posies, Tidy Mom, Design Dazzle, 30 Handmade Days, The Shabby Nest, Crafty Scrappy Happy, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Uncommon, Lil Luna, Oopsey Daisy, Today's Creative Blog, Home Stories A to Z, Tip Junkie, Under the Table and Dreaming, The DIY Project Parade, A Simply Klassic Home and I Heart Naptime.

Spring Cleaning with Baking Soda

Well, now that it is officially Spring, I guess I should get going on the Spring Cleaning around here!  The sun has a fabulous way of showing off all of the streaks and dust spots!  I will be starting on the kitchen this weekend and hopefully working my way through the rest of the house over the next couple of weeks.  So, since I have cleaning on the mind, I thought that I would share some uses for one of my favorite cleaning products - good ol' baking soda. 

source

 I switched to more green cleaning products a couple of years ago and baking soda has been a great tool for the cleaning bin!

1. Clean Your Dishwasher - Run a load through your dishwasher with no dishes using baking soda instead of soap.  It will give it a nice deep clean and get rid of any soapy residue.

2. Clean Your Clothes - If you have an extra dirty load, add some baking soda to your wash to tackle that oil and grease and help to keep your whites at their whitest.  You can also run a load with a couple of towels and some baking soda to help get rid of that soapy residue smell that often develops in washing machines {especially if you have a front loader!}

3. Clean Your Toilet - I do have a disinfectant {this Norwex Sanira Toilet Brush System is great} that I use for our regular toilet cleaning but occasionally there ends up being some mineral build up that needs to be removed.  Sprinkle any of the stains with baking soda, let it sit for about 30 minutes, and then rinse and scrub with vinegar.  Works great for our hard water stains!

4. Clean The Air - Probably one of the most well known uses for baking soda is to deodorize your fridge.  Simply place a bowl of baking soda or a small open box on one of the shelves.  You can also sprinkle baking soda on top of smelly trash or in your kitty's litter box.  It works great in stinky shoes or sprinkled on smelly dogs too {just sprinkle and brush}!

5. Clean Your Face - Baking soda is also a great alternative to beauty products.  I use it on my face about once a week {I find it can be a little drying if I use it more often} for a DIY microderm abrasion.  You can also use the same paste and apply it to blemishes.  Leave it on over night to help decrease some of the inflammation.

source

6. Clean Your Teeth - Sprinkle some baking soda over your toothpaste or make a baking soda paste {with water} to brush your teeth.  I swear it works at least as well as those expensive whitening strips {and I think it is better than the toothpaste you can buy with baking soda already added}  Baking soda can also help with canker sores.

7. Clean Burned on Food - Make a paste with baking soda and water {as hot as possible!} and use it to clean your pots and pans.  If it is really stuck on, add the baking soda and boil some water in your pan.  {This works on my pots and pans.  I'm not sure if it would be too abrasive for certain materials so spot check if you are not sure} The paste can also be used on cooktop stoves - just make sure you don't use too much or it gets all streaky.  

8. Clean Your Dish Rags - If you have dish rags that are still a little smelly even after you wash them, boil them with baking soda, water, and a little dish soap.  I know some people also put them in the top rack of their dish washer but I prefer to keep my smelly cloths separate from the clean dishes!

9. Soothe Skin Irritations - My youngest son has very sensitive skin and is plagued by bug bites in the summer and often has baking soda baths.  Add some baking soda to your bath water to soften and soothe your skin from bug bites, sunburn and other skin irritations.  I have heard that it can also be used to relieve pain from bee stings and jelly fish stings {okay, I never met anyone who had a jelly fish sting but who knows?}

10. Have Fun - When you are done cleaning you can use the baking soda to have a little science fun with your kids!

source

There are probably about 100 more uses for baking soda but those are probably my favorites. What are your best baking soda uses?  Have you started in on the Spring Cleaning yet?  

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

I linked up with A Bowl Full of Lemons, CRAFT, Positively Splendid, Tatertots and Jello, Blue Cricket Design, Nest of Posies, Tidy Mom, Design Dazzle, 30 Handmade Days, The Shabby Nest, Crafty Scrappy Happy, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Uncommon, Lil Luna, Oopsey Daisy, Today's Creative Blog, Home Stories A to Z, Tip Junkie, Under the Table and Dreaming, A Simply Klassic Home, Positively Splendid, I Heart Naptime, Funky Junk and Be Different Act Normal.

The Creative Spark {No. 35}

Happy first day of Spring!!!  The kids are off on Spring Break this week but it's been raining and hailing so it doesn't feel very Spring like.  Maybe Mr. Sun will pop out sometime later this week....

Before we get on with the party, did you get a chance to check out my Pick Your Plum Giveaway?  They have some amazing deals on crafty products like this fabulous baker's twine.  

Pretty much everything is better with a little twine added, right?

Okay, it is now party time and I can't wait to see what you have been up to!  Feel free to link up anything that you have created - crafts, DIY, scrapbook projects, organization ideas, decorating, recipes - anything goes! 

Want to link up? 

• Link directly to your specific post {not the homepage}. 
• Please add The Creative Spark button to your post or blog {the code is in my sidebar}OR place a text link at the end of your post. I would love for you to help me spread the word! 
• Check out some of the other fabulous links. A few nice comments always inspires us to create more! 
• Follow along with Facebook to see if you have been featured throughout the week. I will also be back to showcase some of my favorite ideas for my Sunday Sparks.

Pick Your Plum Giveaway

***UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.  The winner as chosen from Random.org was Number 50 - Michelle J.***


Good morning everyone! I don't usually post on Tuesday mornings but I have an awesome giveaway for you today!!

A $25 crafting swag box from Pick Your Plum!!!

Pick Your Plum sells one fabulously crafty item per day at an amazing price.  The items can sell out though so you have to act fast!  The daily deal is announced first on their Facebook page so make sure you like their page if you don't want to miss out!!

Now I don't know what will actually be in your little box {although I know it will be fabulous!}, but here are some products that have been recently up for grab!

Colorful tags...

and vinyl.  {You know how much I love me some vinyl!!}

Super cute scarves.

Awesome knobs {I actually missed out on this one so don't forget to check their Facebook page!}

I have some of this yummy twine waiting for me at the post office.

And my most recent purchase....

See? I told you they have great products!!  

So... want in on the deals?  Head on over to Pick Your Plum to sign up for the newsletter or check out their Facebook page to make sure you get first dibs on their fabulous deals {please say hello for me!} 

To enter the giveaway for the $25 crafty swag box, leave me comment below {and make sure there is some way to contact you!}.  The giveaway will be open until Monday, March 26th at 11:59 PST and the winner will be announced next Tuesday, March 27th.  You must have a US shipping address to enter.

I Have Unexpectedly Gone to the Dark Side

Hello everyone!! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! I have been continuing to work away on our master bedroom makeover and have finally finished painting our bed and night tables. If you saw my initial bedroom plans, you know that I was planning on painting the furniture all white. Well, things around here just never really go as planned, do they?

So the bed and side tables all got painted {in the end} with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite.  I ended up doing two coats and then another very light coat just doing touch ups before waxing it with the dark wax. In the end it is a nice soft black or dark grey depending on the light.  It actually matches the color from my Ikea desk perfectly.

The bed was quite straight forward but those end tables were nothing but trouble!!  They actually started off white {one was totally finished and the other was just partly painted} when I decided that I was just not liking them.  I think they would have looked nice white if they were not so heavy looking.  I really loved these ones

                                                                            Source: houzz.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Unfortunately, new side tables were not in the budget so I then decided to go grey.  And, of course, I hated that even more {at least I was smart this time and only painted one!}

So, in the end I went over to the dark side and painted them black.

I did some light distressing and added some glass knobs.

I also found this cute little bird on the weekend that goes perfectly with my Good Life Sign.  I think I might need to go back and get one more for the other night stand.

And here is the before and after shots for you.  We will be adding some paneling to the wall behind the bed sometime in the next week or two {hopefully!}

And that is what I have been working on for the past two weeks!!!  Yet another project that has taken me way longer than expected!  

I still have the dresser left to paint and WILL actually be painting that white!  But for now, I am happy on the dark side...

I hope you all have a great week!


I linked up with Coastal Charm, Thrifty Decor Chick, CRAFT, Tatertots and Jello, 30 Handmade Days, Uncommon, Today's Creative Blog, Under the Table and Dreaming, The DIY Project Parade, A Simply Klassic Home, Positively Splendid, I Heart Naptime, Funky Junk, Be Different Act Normal, Design Dazzle, Tidy Mom, The Shabby Nest, Miss Mustard Seed, Delightful Order, The 36th Avenue, Somewhat Simple, Uncommon, Blue Cricket Design, Oopsey Daisy, A Bowl Full of Lemons, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Tip Junkie, Home Stories A to Z, Polly Want a Crafter and Skip To My Lou.