Easter Basket Ideas

Just like stocking stuffers, it can be hard to think of ideas besides candy to throw into an Easter Basket for your little ones. I literally just returned from Target and in under an hour's time, I got everything I needed :)

I have two boys. One is 7 years old and the other is two. Their baskets may have SOME candy. Here is what they are receiving Easter morning...

7 Year old Boy:

Baseball

Baseball batting gloves

Philadelphia Flyers Jersey

Peeps

Lemonade sugar free gum

M & Ms

Captain America Movie (The First Avenger)

MLB Book that you put some collectable stickers in (and 5 packs of the stickers)

Pack of baseball cards

Mario Bros mini figures

Mini Transformers (two of them)

2 Year old Boy:

Sidewalk Chalk (really thick)

Three pairs of socks

Sunglasses

A pack of Huggies swimmies for vacation!

Toothbrush and paste

Peeps

M&Ms

Elmo Learning Doll

Fruit Roll ups

Bubble blowing gun

T-shirt

new sippy cups

Bath toys, books, crayons, coloring books, movies, underwear, baseball caps, sand toys, water guns, face masks, art supplies, crafting projects, diaper rash cream, bubble bath, chapstick, mouth guard for sports, bike bell, gift card, games, card games, slinkies, small figurines and stuffed animals are all good choices as well.

I always wanted a little girl. I feel like their baskets would be easier for me to fill. Here is a list for little girls...

Nailpolish

lipgloss/chapstick

hairbows

doll clothes

Bubblegum Beaded Jewelry

Cds

Movies

dress up items

purse

Stickers

My Little Ponies (other small figurines)

Barbie

What were your favorite items in your baskets growing up? Happy Easter, everyone! Spend this time with your families and enjoy!

Easter Tweets

Easter baskets and dinners are all about the treats! I have been looking to Pinterest for inspiration for my Easter Baskets and desserts. I have come across some really cute ideas that I will now share with you. I have small children still and don't want to get all crazy with the sugar, personally. So I need to scale this down to a decision or two ...or three :)

First idea that I am DEFINITELY doing for my niece, nephews, sons and family alike is dipping large strawberries in orange colored white chocolate. They look like cute little carrots! Who doesn't love strawberries and chocolate?!?

What about pretzel sticks dipped in chocolate and sprinkles? Not that big of a deal or anything but still cute and not too sugary.

My son and niece are both two. They would KILL for a marshmellow. What do you think of these cute Peep Pops? I am so in love! I am thinking about maybe making "wands" for them with some fresh fruit and a peep on the top of the skewer.

You can take the same peep...dip in chocolate...and place a mini marshmellow on the back for the tail. :)

Brownies are awesome. Enough said. I have an oval shaped cookie cutter that I can use to cut out egg shapes and decorate them with whatever I want. Love this idea. Simple and cute and very festive!

Me and my older son love this idea...Why? Because it has M&Ms in it. Duh! Making the M&Ms look like a carrot on top of the icing was pretty crafty in my opinion. I like this idea.

A fan favorite would have to be these cute Peep Smores. They are just the right size for small mouths. Graham cracker, Peeps Marshmellow, and a mini chocolate. YUMMY!!!

What about these rice krispie treat eggs? I like that there can even be a surprise hidden in the middle! Fun...and kinda healthy as far as a treat goes :)

SQQQQUUUEEEALLL! These pretzel ducks are super cute and creative! How easy this must be...although...mine may not turn out that nice. I am impatient after all.

So what do you think? If you were to pick from this list, which would you choose?

Happy Easter!!! :) xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxo

Say No More, Mon Amour! It's Rex Manning Day!

We are a bit in love with Empire Records and I've had the whole movie memorized for years. Today is Rex Manning Day and I wanted to celebrate this movie and share some great music related crafts I've seen.

Here is a tutorial on how to make a notebook from an old record. I love this idea and tutorial by Stars For Streetlights. 

Next is this cool wristband also made from a record by College Candy. I've seen a ton of jewelry made from records and guitar strings and picks- so cool!

I love this coin purse made from an old cassette tape by chezlin.  I also saw a notebook made with a tape- very cute! 

DIY Fashion  shows you how to make this wallet, too! 

If you have one of those pick punches you could cut picks out of lots of different materials! Shannon once covered an entire scrapbook with them for me. I love this guitar pick table. I can think of a lot of things I'd love to cover in guitar picks. 

DIY Budget Girl shows you how to make a shelf out of an old guitar. I've seen lots of these online for sale and just think its a great idea if I ever find a cheap guitar at a thrift store.

I've seen a lot of tutorials for melting records into bowls. Here's one from Instructables.com. I have a few of these and I use them around my craft table. 

I hope you are inspired to make some music related projects - I know I'm dying to try out a few of these this weekend! The time to hesitate is through. 

How to dress like Captain America

Looking for inspiration in fashion is something everyone does. Sometimes, you just don't realize you are doing it. Today, I am inspired to dress like the one and only Captain America...Aka Steve Rogers. I have been waiting for the new movie to release and am super excited the time has almost come. I am currently piecing an outfit to wear to the movies when my husband take me on a date with the kids to see it.

First of all, if you never heard of Captain America, you must be living under a rock. But in case you are unsure of who he is, he was a soldier who during WWII went through an experimental procedure which transformed him into a Super Soldier. He is practically unstoppable and super sexy! His most prized possession must be his trusty shield because that thing has saved his life more than a few times! He never leaves home without it.

When I made my first Super Hero inspired necklace, it was my Captain America necklace. I was inspired by his shield the most and hope that you can see how I incorporated the shield into the concept of the design.

When planning my outfit, I first think of the color scheme I want to bring in from my inspiration. Captain America is TOTALLY 100% Americana so obviously red, white and blue come to mind immediately. I would also use silver as it is metallic and reminds me of his strong shield. Designs to consider would be stars, stripes and circles.

Boots would make the most sense to wear with the outfit because he is a soldier and soldiers wear boots. I would even love to see a pair of Doc Martin Red combat boots here. If you like wearing tall boots, I would wear jeans under brown boots.

When syling yourself while being inspired by something, you really need to remember your details and accessories. Nail art is super trendy right now. I am in no way a nail art artist, but it doesn't mean I can't have fun! I would keep the color scheme the same as the clothing. Red, white, blue and silver. Personally, I love glitter and would definitely throw silver glitter into the nail design. Heck, maybe even some stars! Since I am a beginner, I think I will try doing a white nail with red stripes, a blue nail with white dots, a silvery glitter nail, a star nail and lastly, captain America's shield (if i can).

I am totally in love with styling this outfit with a circle purse. It is a perfect nod to his trusty shield. Would you agree?

Captain America Week: Captain Inspired Barrettes

Want to make some cute hair accessories for your little ones (or your not-so-little ones)?
All you need is a few scraps of felt, a hair clip, and glue or a needle and thread.

Step 1. Gather your materials. I like to upcycle and use my scraps so often my project is determined by what I have on hand. These barrettes take barely a few inches of material. I used felt but you could use any fabric (though I prefer those that don't unravel easily).

Step 2: Cut out your object. For the wings, I sketched a design on paper and used that as a template. On the shield, I traced a small circular children's toy for the largest circle and did a free hand version for the smaller circles and the star.

Step 3: Once you have the pieces ready, use your glue or thread to tack them all together and attach the hair barrette. Try out the clip and see what you think. Enjoy!

Handmade Captain America Greeting Cards

My Fiance's birthday is this weekend and I'm just in luck that Captain America Winter Soldier comes out this weekend, too! He loves superheroes even more than I do so the birthday date is all planned. 

My son and I worked together on the cards, using circle punches and star punches to make the iconic shield. 

I haven't always loved making my own cards, but when they are as simple as this it is great and you save yourself $4.00. 

The second card I made was also simple and fast. I just cut different sized rectangles with my scraps from the shield and used another star. It looks a little like the old school Captain America costume. 

If you have never tried card making before, I suggest you give it a go with simple shapes like these ones.