Super Easy Bunny Ears

Pipe cleaner bunny ears. Super easy & pretty cute.

All you need to make one set of bunny ears, are 6 pipe cleaners. 

First, take two pipe cleaners and measure around your child's head, then attached them together creating a small crown.  Then take two more pipe cleaners and twist them together to create the shape of an ear. Then twist one end around the crown to secure it on. Do the same thing with the last two pipe cleaners.

You can always make the bunny ears smaller by using one pipe cleaner instead of two.

You can leave them just like that, or if you want to reinforce the headband, you can wrap it with strips of fabric (pictured below). 

 Total time to make = 5mins. Amount of time my girls wore them = 5mins. I call that a successful craft!

Valentine's Day Love Bugs

I wanted to find an easy craft (duh!), one that Ryan could help me do, one that kids would love and that didn't involve chocolate or candy!  Then I found this awesome Valentine craft from 

dandee designs. I know right?! Super cute.

If you are limited on time, you can use the free printable of the jars from her site. Then all you have to do is cut them out and add your bug of choice.  I opted to make my own jars & went to a trusty ol' dollar store to pick up these squishy little spiders.  

Place them in a see through bag, and there you have a super easy and cute Valentine.

Pom-pom Garland

If you have 5 minutes, then you have time to do this super easy and colourful craft.  All you need are some pom-poms (mine were purchased at Michael's), a large darning needle, and some yarn.

Thread the needle with the yarn and start creating your very own pom-pom garland. It really is that easy.

 I made one for Andy's room.

And one for Ryan's room.

The girls love them. Now I want to make one for every room in the house!

Easy Fabric Headbands

I am back with yet another super easy, inexpensive, mess free craft! Yay!

For those of you who don't know yet, I am a lover of DIY that takes minimal time and effort. You know, the kinds of simple projects for the laziest and most inept of crafters - ME.

So, if you have 10 mins, some scraps of fabric, a few buttons, needle & thread and are able to do a braid, then this craft is for you!

Cut an old t-shirt or scraps of fabric into 3 even strips. Make sure that it will be long enough to be tied around your head. 

Then simply start braiding the pieces.

Leave room at the either end of the headband, and either with a sewing machine or by hand, sew the ends together so it won't unravel.  

Then sew on any buttons, or flowers or other scraps of fabric to the the braid.

And there you have it! 

The true test; the girls love them and I was able to get them done while they sat and had their afternoon snack! 

Hallowe'en Mummy Craft

This is a super easy and relatively mess free craft to do with kids.  

Easy + mess free = 1 happy Mummy! 

All you need are popsicle sticks (or coffee stir sticks), plastic or wooden spoons, glue & strips of fabric.

Glue the popsicle sticks to the handle of the spoon for the legs and one across for the arms.

 While you are waiting for the glue to dry, find an old t-shirt to rip in strips.  This was a great activity for the girls. It kept them amused and away from the glue! 

 Once the glue has dried, start wrapping the mummy. I found it easiest to start with the head and finish with the arms.

 Draw on some eyes, and Ta-Da! You have a mummy!

This one happens to be my favorite. 

Trigger Happy

I have a confession to make. I have a slight obsession that may require an intervention.  It started out innocently enough, and now, as my husband would say, it's 'out of control'.  No, it has nothing to with my love of libations!  Hello my name is Beth, and I love to spray paint. 

To me, spray painting is like getting a tattoo - extremely addictive and hard to stop after one! The up side, it's pain free and commitment free.   

What can you use spray paint for you ask? Well, my dear friends, the real question is what CAN'T you spray paint?  The possibilities are seriously, endless. Thanks to the good people who manufacture this wondrous and instant gratification satisfying paint, there are numerous colours & sheen's to choose from so you can refresh and re-love almost anything (warning: do not attempt to spray paint animals or loved ones!). I know right?! Spray paint is truly amazing.

If I haven't convinced you yet to get out there and join the spray paint enthusiast club, then here are a few pictures of projects that I have found online.

frames

fun colours

toys

Here are some random items that I have spray painted.

before

after

before

after

before

after

before

after

 Now get your trigger finger ready for some unadulterated colourful fun! And I would love to hear what items you find to transform.

Butterfly Wreath

Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.  ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Butterflies. Beautiful. Delicate. Colourful.  It's no surprise that my girls have taken an interest in them. Just like a page from a fairytale, our backyard has been transformed into an enchanted garden, beautifully adorned with dozens of butterflies. We would watch in amazement, as the Red Admiral butterflies would dance in the sky. Occasionally taking a short break, resting on the side of our fence, to take in the warmth of the sun.  According to recent news, there has been an explosion in the butterfly population due to the warm winter we experienced.  So to welcome our new friends, we decided to make a butterfly wreath. 

I purchased the wreath at Michael's. Wrapped it with ribbon, then glued on the butterflies. Super simple!

 The girls each painted an old picture frame.

The final product.



May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond.
~Irish Blessing

a little decadence

My mom and I made these super yummy, easy and decadent lovelies when I was last in Montreal.  All it takes are small chocolate cups, some creme fraiche and berries. That's it!  This time when I went to make them I couldn't find any creme fraiche, so I just mixed mascarpone cheese with some whipped cream instead. YUM!

These chocolate cups were purchased at Cook's Fine Foods and Coffee but can also be found at your local grocery store.  If you are the Martha Stewart/super ambitious/avid do-it-yourselfer, a)what are you doing reading my blog? and b)you can obviously make your own cups.

I love the taste of both creme fraiche and mascarpone cheese by themselves, but for a touch of sweetness you can add some sugar or whipped cream to the mix.  And of course, choose whatever berries or any other fruit you like to top it all off. Voila!

Whatever you choose, I guarantee the end result will be delicious.  My husband loved it so much he automatically assumed that they were store bought! I took that as a hit to my culinary skills and as a compliment. {But mostly a hit}

Note: although the image above depicts what was left over from my daughter, rest assured it found a wonderful home in my belly.

How awesome and easy is that?!