Show off these flower beauts that will last year long that are made out of fabric and stuffing!

Read the full tutorial HERE at Lillie Mae’s Crafts

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I didn’t really know what exactly to call this project, but it can be used for many different things which is the beauty of making crafts because you can personalize to what you need!

A few weeks ago I made a trade with my friend/boss Julia, the deal was she had to bring me my supplies to my site if I made her something. In return by using things that I had leftover on site (empty wood tea box), I created this desk organizer box thingy which I really wanted to keep for myself but I had to stand up on my part of the bargain and give it to her.

Supplies:

• Wood Tea box or  (other container you have on hand)
• Decorative Paper
• Decorative Stickers
• Black permanent marker
• Tacky Glue
• Scissors

Directions:

1. Glue decorative paper of choice on to all sides of box

2. Trim off any excess paper so all edges are smooth

3. Using black marker, fill in tops where is too small to glue paper

4. Add decorative stickers

This past week we read the book Flat Stanley, an eccentric book about a boy who becomes flat when his bulletin board falls on him during the night! Because of Stanley’s now skimmed proportions his family is able to send him though the mail to visit friends and far away places! The kids thought thi book was a hoot, something that is obviousally fictional, but funny to think what they would do if they randomly become flat one day. I highly reccommned this book to have in every home and on all bookshelves, there is no other book like it and it brings so many laughs that other books done come close to.

Following the story we made our own Flat Stanleys to take home and snap a picture over the weekend () while out and about and bring back to class to showcase on  the bulitten board and see where the other Stanley went! I have heard from other sites and classes that they have made one Stanley and sent the letter someone thought the U.S. Mail and taught their kids about the Post Office, how much a stamp costs, and other fun tidbits about the mail system.

If you would like to purchase he book Flat Stanley visit Amazon

Our Flat Stanleys that we made were our of leftover brown paper grocery bags, but if you want more of a “template” then check out the image below that I found at Letters From Home.

Click {HERE} to print yours!

Get creative in your next date night with your hubby or special someone and try a few ideas listed below from SheKnows.com

Below is a beautiful spring picture of what is look like in our neck of the woods in Portland, Oregon.

1. Visit a botanical garden
A romantic stroll through the winding paths of a botanical garden, marveling at the multi-hued varieties of flowers, is the ultimate spring date. It’s inexpensive, leaves ample room for conversation, and allows you to take advantage of the thawing temperatures and cool spring weather.

2. Hit the gym together
Bikini season will be here before you know it, so if you and your beau both want to shed some winter pounds, why not make it a gym date and do it together?

3. Exercise alfresco
Or if you’ve been cooped up inside for too long, enjoy some fresh spring air by planning a bike ride or going hiking together at a local park. Spring is also a great time for bird watching with many flocks migrating south.

4. Enjoy a trip to the zoo
People aren’t the only ones coming out of hibernation in the spring. Make some furry new friends at the zoo and ooh and ahh at the cute baby animals that make their debuts during the spring months.

5. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
Who says Valentine’s Day is the year’s most romantic holiday? Whether your ancestors hail from the Emerald Isle or if you just enjoy wearing green, fete the Irish spirit by checking out a local parade, going on pub crawl, or just drinking some Guinness together.

6. Aruba, Jamaica… Ooh, I Want to Take Ya
Spring Break isn’t just for college co-eds. Take advantage of the low airfare prices by packing your bathing suits and planning a romantic get-away to somewhere in the tropics.

7. Check out a farmer’s market together
Spring showers bring May flowers, but they also bring berries, grapes, and other fresh produce to your local market.

8. Do some spring-cleaning
If spring had a motto, it would be “Out with the old, in with the new.” Take a day trip to some outdoor flea markets with your honey to scour for new treasures.

9. Buy some peanuts and crackerjacks
A crowded baseball stadium makes for the perfect setting for a date. Even if you’re not a baseball expert, men will leap at the opportunity to impress you with their baseball knowledge. (Or, to up the cuteness factor and skip any explanations of the complexities of defensive strategy, attend a little league game.)

10. Make it a picnic
Before the temperatures make their ascent to sweltering peaks, pack some wine and sandwiches and enjoy a picnic lunch together under the stars.

This fun spring craft takes mini flower pots and and transforms them into a cute centerpiece that has a picture of your child in the center! I’m thinking about making these for Mother’s Day gifts with the children at my center, I have most of the supplies already on hand and the craft looks as if most ages can do the project almost fully on their own. Create this keepsake with a full tutorial below thanks to Beads & Quilt Blog.

Here is your supply list:

1. Sheets of Card Stock
2. Acrylic Paint Set
3. Paint Brushes
4. Tongue Depressors
5. Small Clay Pots
6. Floral Foam
7. Scissors
8. Craft Glue or Hot Glue
9. Pictures of Kids

Instructions:
Have the kids place their hands on the Card Stock and trace them with a pencil. Cut the traced hands out with scissors. Once the hands are cut out give each kid their hands plus two tongue depressors and a clay pot. Have the kids paint their traced hands, tongue depressors and clay pot with the acrylic paint however the please. The paint may need a couple hours to dry. While the paint is drying get a medium sized round glass and the pictures of the kids. Place the glass over the part of the picture you wish to cut out and trace it with a pencil. Now use scissors to cut the circle out of the picture.

When the paint is dry you can assemble the pieces. Using glue or two sided tape fasten the palms of the hands together ensuring you have a nice pocket in the middle where the photo will show. Glue the “hand flower” to one of the tongue depressors. Cut the second tongue depressor in half and glue each to the “stem” depressor so the rounded ends are pointing up and out. Shape a piece of the floral foam so it fits the clay pot and is about 3/4 from the top of the pot. When the glue is dry press the “stem and leaves” into the foam until it is stable. Use two sided tape to fasten the circle picture cutout to the center of the hand flower. You can top off the decoration by gluing polished stones or gluing some Spanish Moss inside the pot to cover the floral foam.

Photo collages and refrigerator art is outdated compared to this new form of showcasing your child’s creations, transform your child’s art into a piece of wearable art with Poloppos T-Me DIY t-shirt kit. This easy to use kit puts your kids favorite drawing on a T-shirt so he can show off his crativity in cute style!

The Kit Includes: $32.50 ( one shirt kit)

• 10 mini-markers
• square paper
• a catalog of t-shirts
• and a pre-paid return envelope so kids can send in their artwork and get it printed on a t-shirt of their choice – for themselves, friends, siblings, and even mom and dad.

Click HERE to visit Poloppos and purchase yours

Yummy homemade sugar scrub, which makes a great gift or a personal shower treat for yourself! Full directions and supplies needed to make this delight is below from Elizabeth Anne Designs. Don’t forget to print off the label template (listed as a link below) so you can uniquely display your concoction in chic style.

You will need:

- 25% Vegetable Glycerin (or coconut oil)
- 25% Grapeseed oil (optional – you can use just vegetable glycerin)
- 50% white sugar
- one or two drops of essential oil (I personally love pink grapefruit)
- Glass or plastic container (I bought mine at Walmart, but there’s a similar one HERE)
- ribbon, to decorate

*Mix up all the goodies and voila!

Amanda from Vintage Glam Weddings was also kind enough to post her label, which can be downloaded FREE {here} for 2.5″ x 1.75″ size

With the economy testing our wallets more than ever, going “green” and being more Eco-friendly can help lighten on our monthly spending and the mother nature too! Try some of these easy ways to go green from Good Housekeeping.

Also check out this book
By:Alex Wilson. This book is written for homeowners planning a new home, intended to improve the overall environmental performance of new houses being built, the book sets out to answer some questions relating to having a home designed and built-and getting what you want.

13 Easy Eco-Friendly House Tips

1. Save money in the bathroom
Buy water-efficient showerheads. With low-flow models, a family of four can cut water usage by as much as 280 gallons a month — and yet not feel much difference in water pressure

2. Bring home superhero plants
Certain greens can help remove indoor air pollutants like formaldehyde and benzene. Don’t have the gardening gene? Golden pothos, English ivy, and peace lilies are all easy-to-grow toxin fighters.

3. Recycle rechargeables
Cell phones, digital cameras, and camcorders have made these batteries more popular than ever, but in certain states — Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Vermont — it’s illegal to throw them away.

4. Adjust fridge and freezer temps
Refrigerators eat up the most electricity in the household. Maximize efficiency by keeping the fridge at 37° F. and the freezer at 0° F.

5. Lighten up with energy savings
Consider using compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). They cost a bit more than regular bulbs, but you’ll lower your electric bill and pay less in the long run — CFLs last up to 10 times longer than traditional ones. (Worried that fluorescents will fill your house with a greenish glow? That’s no longer a problem.

6. Recycle smart
From furniture to electronics, one person’s trash is another’s treasure — so when you want to dispose of an old item, don’t make the dump your first stop

7. Mow-ercise!
Today’s non-gasoline-powered reel lawn mowers are easier to push than the old models. Their eco-: zero emissions (plus, you’re getting great exercise). If you prefer a power mower, consider a quiet, battery-operated model from Black & Decker.

8. Warm up to solar energy
You may not be ready for a totally sun-powered home, but you can get a taste of the technology by using solar-powered lighting in your yard or on your patio.

9. Go native
Plant flowers and shrubs that are well suited to your climate (the staff at your local nursery can help). The : You’ll use less fertilizer and pesticides.

10. Buy a laptop
It uses considerably less power than a desktop computer.

11. Get off junk mail lists
Register with the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service (dmaconsumers.org) and you’ll see a significant reduction in mail after three months.

12. Double up on printing
Configure your printer so that it prints on both sides of the page. You know those extra pages you get when printing out one simple email? Turn them over and put them back in the printer for reuse.

13. Protect the earth while you picnic
At your next outdoor party, ask people to write their names on disposable cups so they’ll use only one (to make it easy, put out markers). If you use disposable dinnerware, buy the kind that won’t clog landfills or kill trees.

Cleaning Green:

Here is a list of Cleaning Products that are safe for the environment and often made from natural ingredients available to most though grocery stores or online:

Seventh Generation

Clorox Green Works

Simple.Pure.Clean

Simple Green

J.R. Watkins Natural Home Care

Oxy Boost

Kiwi Green

EcoPath

Eco Touch

Hoppy Easter from TwoHeartsTogether! Enjoy God’s blessing on this day and share his love with others around you!

Easter is a promise,
God renews to us each spring,
A promise that we’ll always have Him there,
And like the flowers that bloom so bright,
And birds that sweetly sing,
We always will receive His tender care,
A promise that He’ll hold us up,
Each time we start to fall,
And see us through each hour of care and strife.
Easter is God’s promise,
That His love rules over all,
And through Him,
We will have eternal life.

–Amanda Bradley

Below is a FREE digital greeting card from Tempus Fugit. Just insert your pictures and send it to your beloved ones!

Growing up I am sure we were all familiar with the saying “April showers bring May flowers” this project says just that with a cloud shaped mobile with dangling raindrops! I have seen a few other variations of this project on other craft blogs but the one below is our version we did today!

Supplies:

• 2 Sheets white construction paper
• Scissors
• Crayons
• Pencil
• Blue paint ( I used two different colors of blue but any will work)
• White cotton ball
• Paper plate to hold paint
• Yarn
• Glue

Directions:

1. Freehand draw a cloud

2. Cut out the cloud using scissors

3. Sqirt some paint onto paper plate

4. Dab cotton ball into paint and dab onto cloud shape. Repeat as desired

5. Let dry. Using the other pieces of white paper, color entire sheet with blue crayons

6. Cut out raindrop shapes out of the crayon drawn blue sheet

7. Cut out strips of yarn and glue raindrops to the end

8. Glue yarn to the bottom of the clouds

9. Hang to display