Panoramic Sugar Eggs

I have been having a childhood flashback to Easter all morning, and was remembering how my mom had eggs like these, that she used to display every Easter. I LOVED them, and was always excited to get them out every year.

I found a couple tutorials on line, and am on the hunt today to find all the stuff to make one. I just hope it will turn out well enough to post! Wish me luck!

Easter Gifts

My mom and I had some time on our hands, and decided to make little Easter gifts for the kids in our classes. They were super inexpensive, as everything was from the dollar store. I thought they turned out cute!

April Fools ideas

April Fools Day is on Thursday, and I want to play a trick on my kids, and these are a few ideas I got from www.familyfun.com. They have a whole section of pranks listed on their website, and these are the ones I thought would be best for my family. What are you going to do? If you have any great ideas, please leave them in my comments section, or e-mail me: risabaker@gmail.com. Be sure to include blog links or photos. I will post them this weekend!



FAUX FISH STICKS AND PEAS

• Cornflakes
• Sugar wafer cookies
• Peanut butter

• Green taffy candy (we used green apple AirHeads)
• Seedless strawberry jam

1. For the fish sticks, place a couple of handfuls of cornflakes in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Cover 2 sugar wafer cookies with peanut butter, then toss them in the cornflake crumbs to coat.

2. For the peas, tear off and roll small pieces of the taffy candy into balls. If the taffy is too stiff to work with, microwave it for about 6 seconds.

3. For the ketchup, use a fork to stir a few teaspoons of the jam until it's smooth.

FAUX BERRY PIE

• "CHOCOLATE" MEAT LOAF FILLING
• 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon dark, unsulfured molasses
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• "STRAWBERRY" POTATO TOPPING
• 2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
• Salt
• 1/2 cup canned sliced beets (not pickled)
• 1/4 cup (or more) warm milk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1. Heat the oven to 350º. In a small saucepan, combine the barbecue sauce, milk, molasses, cocoa, and chili powder. Set the pan over medium heat and whisk the mixture until it is lukewarm and the cocoa is completely dissolved. Set it aside to cool.

2. Sauté the onions in the tablespoon of canola oil until they are transparent, about 7 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the salt, celery salt, pepper, and bread crumbs. Then add the beef, egg, sauce mixture, and onion. Thoroughly mix the ingredients using your hands or a wooden spoon.

4. Remove the pie shell from the freezer. (We placed ours in a Pyrex dish to help ensure that the pie would bake evenly.) Transfer the meat to the shell, spreading it evenly with a spoon. Bake it until the meat is cooked through, about 60 minutes.

5. While the pie is baking, prepare the mashed potato topping. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough water to completely submerge them. Salt the water lightly, cover the pot, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook the potatoes at a low boil until they are tender, about 12 minutes.

6. While the potatoes cook, puree the beets and 1/4 cup warm milk in a blender until only small bits of beet are left in the mixture. Set aside.

7. Drain the potatoes and transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and pureed beets and, using an electric mixer, whip the mixture until it's smooth and fluffy. Add more milk if needed and salt to taste.

8. Spread the whipped potatoes over the top of the cooked meat pie with a spatula, as you would whipped cream, mounding it slightly in the center. Slice and serve the pie while the potatoes are still hot. Makes 8 servings.

Easter photos for decoration

Placing photos of your kids around the house makes them feel so loved! I love to frame different photos of my kids for every holiday. I thought the Easter photos turned out really cute!

The frame with the mat is from Wal-mart for $3, and the 5x7 photo was developed from Costco for $0.39. There is no reason not to do this in your house as well! When the holiday is over, put the photos back in the box until next year, and use them again! I have done this with Halloween for a long time, and it is so fun to see costumes and other memories displayed in our house every year.

The way we got these pics was going to farm and feed stores. For you folks here in Utah, we liked Peterson farm and feed in Layton the best. They have tons of bunnies and chicks you can hold. Just be sure and bring the camera!

***Warning... your kids may beg to take one home!!!***

Crazy about Carrots!!!

I think my favorite item to decorate with this Easter season is carrots!!! I love them. They are bright and happy, and add a little more excitement to any Easter decor than just eggs and bunny's.

I got these carrots at Shopko - 3 for $5, and I can't seem to get enough! I made the garland by tying dollar store twine around the top of each one, and then threading the twine through the back of the loop.



Here are a couple more places I have them in my house:

Island in Kitchen

I thought the mirror was clean, but apparently not!

This is how I bought them. FUN!!!

Bunny Topiary

I saw this project on another website, and thought I would give it a try! This is the website of the original:
http://lessthanperfectlifeofbliss.blogspot.com/2010/03/bunny-topiary-how-to.html

This was SUPER easy, SUPER fast, and SUPER inexpensive!

Just get some foam, and some moss from the dollar store - I used 2 bricks. Hot glue it together if your bunny is going to be that big. I found a pattern on line that I liked a little better (for my taste) than the one from the blog, and printed it. I would post it, except that I don't have a copyright. Cut the pattern out of paper, and pin it to the foam.

Cut around the pattern with a knife. We did this outside, because it was super messy!
Then... glue on your moss. I found a stick in my yard that was left over from pruning, and used that to attach it.

Candy and Christine did this with me, and theirs turned out super cute as well... their pots are even from the dollar store! They wanted smaller bunnies, so they cut their foam bricks in half before cutting out the bunny. What a cute and inexpensive project!

Easter Advent Calendar

I was in Hobby Lobby the other day... where else? :) When I saw these darling felt stickers. I knew I need to figure out how to do something with them, so I decided to make an Easter Advent Calendar for my kids.

I have made them advent calendars for other holidays before, but I wanted to do something different with this one. It is a service advent calendar. Each pocket has a little wooden animal inside, and we had a family night to assign tasks to each animal, so when we pull it out of the pocket, we know what we are going to do that day. I made it 12 days long, so it starts two Mondays before Easter, and ends on Good Friday.

This is my favorite pocket! I love the cute little chicks! This did not come in a set. I bought the chicks, attached the trim, rolled a piece of felt, and attached it and the chicks with fabric glue.

The pockets with the pictures of my kids, are for days we do service for that child, like make their bed, or write them a nice note, or both!

I glued the pics of my kids in there with fabric glue. The pics were printed from my pc, and the glue made the ink run on the picture of my daughter, so if you are going to do this, just be careful.

"Cleo the caterpillar likes to pick up trash around the neighborhood. Lets pick up trash with Cleo."

"Buffy the bunny likes to bake cookies for the neighbors."

If you are going to do this project, you will need:

1) 3 individual sheets of felt, cut into fourths.
2) Backing of your choice - I used a thick white canvas type, but you could use felt or anything.
3) Felt stickers and/or shapes
4) Ribbons - I just used what I had around the house.
5) Fabric glue
6) Sewing machine and thread (optional)
7) Wooden characters, or whatever you want in the pockets

Instructions:

1) Lay out backing, shapes, and stickers in the pattern you desire.
2) Cut backing to the size you want, and finish edge weather by sewing or with glue. If you are using felt, you can leave it raw.
3)Attach ribbons to pockets, and turn edges over the sides for a finished look. You can do this by sewing or with glue.
4) Attach pockets to back, and ribbons to the top, either with glue, or sewing.
5) Attach stickers to pockets. You attach stickers after attaching the pockets, because if you are sewing the pockets on, you may have to sew over the stickers. It will look better if you don't.
6) Decide what you are putting in the pockets, and have fun!

Just a note: You can hang with tacks, or by making a fold, sewing or gluing the edge, and sticking a dowel or curtain rod inside.

Easter garland for my kids beds

I love decorating my kids rooms for every holiday, and Easter is no exception. I thought I would make this quick garland for each one of their beds. This is SO easy. You can do it with your kids. They will love it! I know they are a bit cheesy, but it's a kids room, and they love it! The best part... I spent about $4 for both projects!!!

To do this project, you will need:

1) Plastic Eggs
2) Plastic Carrots (I got mine from Dollar Tree - 8 for $1!)
3) Thick floss, you can find in any craft store. Thicker than thread, and thinner than twine.
4) Hemp or twine. I got mine from the dollar store also. (You could do ribbon, rope, or lace... the possibilities are endless!)
5) Scissors

Cut floss in about 7 inch lengths.
Tie around carrot top with a double knot.
Tie a bow above the carrot.

Thread floss through each egg, starting and ending on the outside. You can use any of the holes, and really get creative with how you hang them!

Tie a bow on top, leaving a large enough loop to be able to thread the twine through.

Place the carrots and eggs in whatever pattern you like. and thread them on the twine!

A couple variations could include threading beads onto the twine in between the carrots and eggs, and gluing buttons, stickers, letters or other embellishments on the eggs. You could personalize it, or keep it simple.

This is a SUPER easy and inexpensive project that adds color and fun to any room. You will be done in no time! We are talking INSTANT gratification!

Easter Pillows For The Porch

I decided while I was at it today, that I would make a few pillows for the porch bench. I already had the blue and green one from last year, but I wanted a few more to tie in with my Easter decor, and my flowers. So, I ran to Hobby Lobby and got the orange and the pink fabric. Hobby Lobby recently got a new line of fabric in, and I am IN LOVE with it. I was glad to have a excuse to buy some!

I put zippers in them, so I could easily wash them, and change them for the next holiday.

I LOVE spring time! I feel so happy in my heart today!

Giant carrot Easter decoration on my front door

I got this idea from my friend Kami to make a huge carrot for my front door, and I just couldn't wait. I didn't want to spend a ton of money, as I didn't even know if it would work or not. I looked around the house to see what I had, and this is what I found.

If you are going to do this project, you will need:

1 piece foam core
Masking or duct tape
Popsicle sticks
Orange Burlap
Green tulle
Green pipe-cleaners
Decorative ribbon
Paper

1) Cut foam core in 1/2 lengthwise, then to desired size and shape.
2) Hook foam core together with Popsicle sticks and tape at center seam.
3) Cut burlap strips into desired width and length.
4) Wrap burlap around carrot form, and attach with tape in back. (You could glue. I was out of glue sticks, so I taped, and it is holding very well.)
5) Poke hole in the top with a knife.
6) Thread pipe-cleaner through hole and make a knot. Depending on how long you want it to hang, you may want to attach another pipe-cleaner, and make a place at the top for the whole thing to hang. I made a circle out of the pipe-cleaner.
7) Fold tulle in 1/2, and tape it to the back. Wrap and tuck it around the pipe-cleaner. 8) Print off the sign, and mount in on whatever paper you like.
9) Attach it to a ribbon, and hang the sign on the carrot.

Feel free to print this sign.

Saver's finds for Easter

I love it when my siblings Holt or Heidi come to town, because they are thrift store shoppers like I am. Holt and I went out yesterday, and these are a few of the things I found. I am no expert, but the white vase in the back looks like white hobnail glass. I know nothing about the white container in front, except that it cost $.69, and looks like a large egg dish. I had to have it for my Easter island decor! The hobnail style vase cost a whole $1.99. I love them both, and they are a fun addition for spring!

Formal Dining room Easter table

My cute girlfriends and I decided that we wanted to make Easter trees for our houses. We didn't want to spend much money. So... when we saw a pile of pruning on the side of the road last week, we loaded the branches into the minivan, and off we went! We each got a vase out of our pantries, filled it with rocks, stuck the twigs in, and hung eggs on the branches.

Christine donated a nest to each of us, and I really think it makes the whole tree! Candy picked up the little fluffy birds from Michael's. Aren't they just SO cute?!?

I have been excited about the setting it's self for a long time now. The cabbage leaves are from Tai pan. The bowls are from DI, and I spent $1.50 each!!! The goblets are also from DI, and cost around $1. I can't remember exactly. The bunny napkin rings are from Hobby Lobby, and I made the napkins for my Valentines table, but they work here as well. I picked up the plants that are in each bowl last year from Michael's on clearance for like $1.50, I think. I love setting a cute table for a great price!

Welcome

So, I decided to start a new blog that I just put my projects on. I went private with my other blog, as I started getting strange comments from people I didn't know, and I was uncomfortable having random people look inside my life, and the life of my husband and kids. Now, I will be able to share what I do with others, and not worry how it affects my kids. I named it restlessrisa, as I always feel like I need to be doing something. Here goes...