Here’s a great spring treat that all ages (even us adults too) can enjoy and create at home using basic lifesaver candies!

By: Busy Bee Kids Crafts

Here’s what you’ll need…• Lifesavers (7 for one lollipop)
• Popsicle stick
• Baking sheet
• Tin foil
• Oven and mitt

Here’s how you make it…

1. Place a piece of tin foil on your baking sheet, and place your popscile stick on top. Start to make your flower by placing the ‘center’ of your flower directly on top of the stick. Place another candy directly below, on top of the stick as well (these two candies must be on top of the stick or they will not melt properly).
2. Arrange the rest of your candy around in a circle. Make sure all of the candies are touching otherwise they will not melt together.

3. Place in the oven at 250F for 11-13 minutes or until the candy has melted over the stick. Let cool and peel off of tin foil.

These look great wrapped in a clear treat bag, tie a ribbon around and you have a great party favor or gift!

If you want to spend the extra money you can buy white ‘lollipop’ sticks in the cake/baking aisle at your local craft store.
Although the sticks prevent sticky fingers, you don’t have to put the sticks in. If you don’t want the sticks only ‘bake’ for 8-10 minutes, or until the candy has melted together (keep in mind that they melt a little more even after you remove them from the oven). These would look great on top of a cake!

10 Ideas to use !

1. Kitchen wall- Apartment Therapy

2. Idea Globe – MAKE Blog

3. Flower pots- Bedzine

4. Dresser- Painter Girl

5. Wine bottles- Curbly

6. Refrigerator- The Noisettes

7. Door- Blissfully Domestic

8. Storage Bins-

9. Coasters- Purpose Design

10. Laptop- BoingBoing

*Visit Martha Stewart to learn how to make your own custom color chalkboard paint!

With the help of some 4″ square ceramic tiles, turning decorative paper napkins into a set of very polished-looking coasters is easy from Curbly.com

Visit Curbly for a full video step-by-step tutorial on how to make these simple home decorative coasters.

To make a set of 4 coasters, you’ll need:

• 4-4″ square ceramic tiles (you can find these at your big box store for about 15 cents a piece)
• Mod Podge (I used the Matte-Mat)
• small paint brush
• polyurethane (I used Aqua-Zar in satin, but glossy would look great too)
• decorative paper napkins
• Squares of thin cork or felt, both available at your local craft store
• Water-proof glue, like E-6000
• A foam or stiff bristle brush to apply the water-proof glue

Directions:

1. First, brush the tile tops and their edges with a coat of Mod Podge.

2.  UNFOLD your napkin and find a pretty spot on it, center the image on your tile and then apply them to the tile, making sure you fold the napkin down to cover the edges. DO NOT worry about wrinkles!! They just add character to your coaster!!! Also, you might find it easier to cut your paper napkin into more manageable pieces before applying them to the tiles.

3. Wait 3 to 5 minutes and then carefully rip away the excess paper napkin, pulling downward as you tear. (This is illustrated in the video.)

4. After the Mod Podge is COMPLETELY dry, you can address the edges. Leaving them ripped, gives them a ‘hand painted’ look. If you want a more polished look, use a bit of sandpaper to sand off the napkin from the edges.

5. (At this point, if you aren’t satisfied with the way your coasters are looking, you can still turn back by soaking them in a bit of warm water. The paper napkins and Mod Podge will come off. Wipe the tiles off and let them dry for a re-do!)

6. Then, apply three coats of polyurethane to the tops and the sides of the tile, letting it dry completely between coats, of course.

7. Finish up by brushing on a bit of E-6000 to the bottom of your tile and gluing on a square of cork pad or felt.

8. And that’s it! Here’s another one I did, currently protecting my desktop.

I love to make my personal space reflect ME and my personality which is why I always visit the ShabbyPrincess blog each month to pick up a FREE download of a desktop calender for my computer made with digital scrapbook elements! This month’s colors are all pastels ( lavender, baby blue, soft green, and sweet sunshine yellow), SP describes it as soft, sweet, and fresh.  Not only is this month’s desktop chic, but it has the current month’s calender on it so if I ever need to check a date I just click off what I’m working on and check my desktop.

Click HERE to visit SP and get yours!

This post is somewhat of my tribute to April Fools Day. Today one of the kids at the school I work at brought in Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes for their birthday celebration! The treats were sugar ice cream cones filled and baked with cake batter then topped with frosting and sprinkles. I though that was such a cute idea to serve something familiar as the traditional classroom birthday treat (cupcakes) in a fun and unique way! This is an easy recipe that can be baked up the night before a birthday celebration or party, while sending frosting and sprinkles off with the birthday boy/girl to have their classmates decorate their own “ice cream cones”. As soon as I got home from work I was on the search for a recipe to try for my loved ones at home. This could be a good April Fools joke to serve “ice cream cones” and then have the taste tester bite into their treat and get one surprise that their ice cream is not what they expected. Funny but yummy prank.

Cupcakes By: Cupcake Bake Shop
makes 24 cupcake ice cream cones / 350 degree oven

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs

1. measure out everything but the eggs directly into your mixer bowl
2. mix on low speed just until incorporated
3. beat on high speed for 2 minutes
4. add eggs, beat on high speed again for 2 minutes
5. transfer batter into a container with a pour spout (like a pyrex measuring cup)
6. pour batter into ice cream cones, leave a good half inch between the batter and the top of the cone
7. bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean

I am so excited to have grabbed this new mini kit from ! Amanda the site creator, is well known for offering hundreds of free scrapbook/handwriting fonts for FREE and now she is offering a FREE digital scrapbook kit! Her style is cute, funky, and brightly adored by many.

This kit includes:
22 papers
5 ribbons
5 buttons
4 stitches

Visit HERE to grab the spring mini kit and have fun scrapping your way into spring!

Below is a list of local Farmer’s Markets for the Portland Metro area. In Oregon we like to support local farmers and buy local straight from the source of the farmers themselves. The food is usually picked early that morning andbrought to the market for half theprice you can buyin the stores because there is no “middleman” to outsource.

Most of the farmers markets listed below begin in early May, but some do start up in April which is next week! If you dont live in Portland but still would like to buy local, google search to see if your town is  holdinga local farmers markets this spring/summer.

Beaverton Farmers Market
Saturdays, 8am-1:30pm
Mid May – October
Hall Blvd, between 3rd & 5th Sts

Beaverton Wednesday Farmers Market
Wednesdays, 3-6pm
Mid June – August
Hall Blvd, between 3rd& 5th Sts

Cedar Mill Sunset Farmers’ Market
Sponsored by
Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District
Saturdays, 8am-1pm
Early May – Mid-October
NW Cornell, 1 block West of Murray
across from Sunset High School

Clackamas Farmers’ & Artists’ Market
Wednesdays, 4-8pm
May – October
12000 SE 82nd Ave, Clackamas Town Center

Sunnyside Grange Farmers’ & Artists’ Market
Sundays, 11:30am-3:30pm
April – October
13100 SE Sunnyside Rd

Fairview Farmers’ & Artists’ Market
Thursdays, 4-8pm
May – October
Fairview City Hall, 1300 Village St

Forest Grove Farmers Market
Wednesday, 4-8pm
Mid May – Mid October
Main St between 21st & Pacific Ave,
Downtown Forest Grove

Gresham Farmers Market
Saturdays, 8:30am-2pm
May – October
3rd and Miller St

Hillsboro Farmers Market
Saturdays, 8am-1:30pm
May – December
Main St between 1st and 3rd
Courthouse Square

Hillsboro Tuesday Marketplace
Tuesdays, 5:30-8pm
Mid June – August
Courthouse Square

Hillsboro Farmers’ Market
at Orenco Station
Sundays, 10am-2pm
Early May – September
61st & Cornell Road

Lake Oswego Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 8:30am-1:30pm
Mid May – Mid October
Millennium Park, 1st St & Evergreen

Milwaukie Sunday Farmer’s Market
Sundays, 9:30am-2pm
Mid May – October
99 E/ McLaughlin Blvd & SE Harrison

Oregon City Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 9am-2pm
May – October
2051 Kaen Rd. at Beavercreek Rd
Clackamas County Public Service Bldg Lot

Hillsdale Farmers’ Market
Sundays, 10am-2pm
May – Late November
Twice monthly, December – April
1405 SW Vermont
Rieke Elem/Wilson HS Pkg lot
parking entrance: SW Sunset Blvd
& SW Capitol Hwy

Hollywood Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 8am-1pm
May – October
Saturdays, 9am-1pm
November until Thanksgiving
NE Hancock between 44th & 45th,
One block South of Sandy

Interstate Farmers Market
Wednesdays, 3-7pm
Mid May – September
Overlook Park, N Fremont & Interstate

Lents International Farmers’ Market
Sundays, 9am-2pm
Mid June – Mid October
SE 92nd and SE Foster Road

Lloyd Farmers Market
Tuesdays, 10am-2pm
June – September
NE Holladay St Between 7th and 9th

Moreland Farmers Market
Wednesdays, 3:30-7:30pm
Mid May – September
SE Bybee and SE 14th St

Multnomah Village Farmers Market
Thursdays, 3pm-7pm
June – September
Multnomah Arts Center
7688 SW Capitol Hwy

OHSU Farmers Market
Tuesdays, 11:30am-3:30pm
Mid May – Mid October
OHSU Auditorium Courtyard (near fountain)

Parkrose Farmers Market
Saturdays, 8am-2pm
May – October
NE 118th & NE Shaver St
Parkrose HS West Parking lot

People’s Farmers Market
Wednesdays, 2pm-7pm
Year-round market
3029 SE 21st Ave
One block North of Powell Blvd

Portland Farmers Market
Eastbank
Thursdays, 3:30-7:30pm
May – September
SE 20th & SE Salmon St

Portland Farmers Market
Portland State University
Saturdays, 8:30am-2pm Mid March – October
Saturdays, 9am-2pm November – December
Fall hours (Nov-Dec) 9:30am-2pm
South Park Blocks between
SW Montgomery and SW Harrison
www.portlandfarmersmarket.org

Portland Farmers Market
Downtown
Wednesdays, 10am-2pm
May – October
SW Salmon & SW Park
www.portlandfarmersmarket.org

Portland Farmers Market
EcoTrust
Thursdays, 3:30-7:30pm
June – September
NW 10th between Irving & Johnson
www.portlandfarmersmarket.org

Portland Farmers Market
King Neighborhood
Sundays, 10am-2pm
May – September
NE 7th & Wygant
between NE Alberta and Prescott St
www.portlandfarmersmarket.org

St Johns Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 9am-1pm
Mid July – September
St Johns Plaza

Sherwood Saturday Market
Saturdays, 9am-1pm
May – September
next to City Hall & Old Time Library

Tigard Area Farmers’ Market
Sundays, 9am-2pm
Mid May – October
11834 SW Pacific Hwy
Pacific Hwy and 217

Troutdale Farmers’ and Artists’ Market
Saturdays, 10am-2pm
April – October
551 E Historic Columbia River Highway

Villebois Sunday Market
Sundays, 10am-2pm
May – September
2829 SW Ravena Loop, Villebois Village Ctr

When the weather starts to become nice and things begin to sprout in our yards, take the opportunity to walk in your neighborhood or local park/trail. So many things including plants are beginning to come to life and experience the bounty of Spring and what it has to offer. Totally Tots is getting her kids ready for Spring by reading the book
, making Spring collages with animals and other things that are “spring” themed, and my favorite they collected sticks, leaves, and other nature’s items and put them in an old water bottle as a spring bottle to view and capture the outside and bring inside! Be creative and get you and your family outdoors to enjoy the beginning of Spring and what nature has to offer.

If you would like to check out the book God Made Spring click

*Below are the directions and supplies needed for the following projects:

- Spring Collage
-Spring Nature Bottle

SPRING COLLAGE:

Supplies Needed:

• Old flower catalogs, wildlife magazines like Big Backyard and Ranger Rick, garden magazines, bird in bloom, anything with pictures of Spring things!
• Glue
• Card stock or 11×14 Poster board

Directions:

• Ahead of time cut out tons of pictures that are spring like place them in your collage box
• After reading the book get out the spring collage box, card stock or poster board and glue
• Let LO squeeze glue onto paper and place a picture on top. This is a great motor skill activity! If you think your LO will use to much glue or is if they are real young then water down some glue and paint it onto the paper like paint with a paintbrush (just make sure to soak it overnight in real hot water to remove all glue!)

SPRING NATURE WALK:

Supplies Needed:

• Empty water bottle
• Things from nature

Put on your hiking , some sunscreen, grab some water and head out on a nature hike! We are lucky we have 2 nature trails in our little town and our neighborhood has woods too so it’s super easy for us! Even if you don’t have a Nature Trail near you, just head out on a neighborhood walk and look for all the blooming flowers and baby animals!

When you get home lay them out to dry if they are moist. After they are dry put them in an empty water bottle that has dried. Tighten the cap and tape shut! If you add some spring potpourri punch a few holes on the side so you can smell spring too!

This picture from Creative Memories really inspired me and took me to a whole new level and thinking of Easter baskets. If you can, sneak out a few extra boxes on your next dinner trip to your local Chinese take out and turn them into something fun for Easter or any occasion.

Birds are little blessings that chirp to brighten our days and keep us company. Robin Rane made a few birds to keep inside and showcase on her fridge by using a few extra scraps, colored pencils, and paperclips! Although these birds don’t chirp a peep, they are still a silent soul to brighten up a day!

Supplies:

• Colorful Paperclips
• Tape
• Glue
• Scissors
• Colored Pencils
• Decorative scrapbook paper
• Heavy card stock

Directions:

1. Enlarge the bird picture found HERE and trace onto a piece of paper off of your computer screen

2. Cut out the bird (this will be your template)

3. Trace the bird template onto desired decorative paper for as many birds you want

4. Cut out all birds

5. Trace bird template onto heavy card stock, this will be the back of the bird to make them more sturdy

6. Cut out all birds from card stock

7. Make little feet out of paper clips, tape them to the inside of card stock before you glue the decorative paper on

8. Glue decorative paper to heavy card stock

9. Outline the birdy body with coordinating colored pencil

10. Make eyes, add names or words, pictures etc.. if desired

11. Add magnet strip to back to showcase on the refrigerator!