A Homemade Easter...

It was a gorgeous long weekend….full of sun, family, friends, Easter bunnies, birthday parties and a whole lotta homemade fun.

Here's a look at our handmade weekend, in a nutshell eggshell….

Bunny cards:
I loved making this craft, not because it was challenging or the end result amazing. I loved it because my toddler was able to participate every step of the way. At the moment, crafting with Winn mostly consists of crayon scribbles and stickers everywhere.... I am always looking for something new and fun and creative, that we can do together.

We worked on this craft for 3 days, bit by bit, when time allowed and the moment was right..…

Day 1: Wet on wet watercolor painting. A simple, fool proof toddler activity.....besides the obvious mess! The wet on wet painting leaves you with a pretty, pale, stained glass effect that’s hard to mess up.

Day 2: Beads, Buttons and Glitter. No long weekend would be complete without them…..

Day 3: Tails, googly eyes (not pictured) and silly inscriptions…like “Hoppy Birthday!” and “For some bunny special”…..

The finished product.....tucked into birthday packages!

Spring Hats!
These are adorable. The pattern is from Leila and Ben, available at Magpie Patterns. They have great shape and are super easy to make.

The first pink hat I made was supposed to be a 2T but definitely does not fit my 17 month old's head. The blue hat, made for Winnie’s close friend O (also 17 months), is a 3-5T, and is a much better fit…..


So there’s another, larger, pink hat in the works and a teeny pink hat with no home. Thankfully, I know someone who might be needing this tiny pink creation very soon! You know who you are!! I’ll pop it in the mail….

Homemade Play dough.

I get cuckoo for any holiday where you get to wake up in the morning to a surprise. To this day, my siblings and I still get excited (can’t sleep kind of excited!) at Easter and Christmas. So you can imagine how much fun it is to watch my own little one discover the joys of our most cherished holiday traditions. Though I was sure she was completely unaware of the “Easter bunny”, I decided to ask Winnie what she hoped he (?) would bring…..without missing a beat, she looked up at me and said “dough?” (translation: play dough).

With that sweet little request in mind, at 11:30 pm Saturday night, I whipped up a batch of homemade play dough….it just had to be waiting for her when she woke Sunday morning. To her delight, it was…..and she hasn’t stopped playing with it since!

This 5-minute recipe is from Mommy Footprint, a great resource for eco-friendly tips and crafting ideas!

More spring dresses:

Two very special dresses for 2 very special birthday girls.

Click here for info on the pattern.

I think I am finished with this pattern for now......I’m looking forward to new patterns, and challenges, in the coming weeks!

Last, but not least, Easter Nests:

This idea came from Nigella Lawson’s “How to Be A Domestic Goddess” cookbook, though my sister and I changed the cookie recipe completely. I think that these are so unhealthy that they don’t actually warrant a recipe on this blog, but I couldn’t resist giving them a mention!

They're cute. They’re kitschy. Kids love ’em…..dentists (and responsible naturopaths!) don’t.

Hoppy Easter to ME!
Saturday afternoon I went to the post office to pick up a package…..filled with beautiful new fabrics!

Straight from Alewives in Maine, accompanied by a very sweet personalized note, this package was a highlight of the weekend! I only wish I'd ordered more! Note: I re-used the packaging from the fabrics for the birthday gifts!

I can’t wait to get started. I think it might be time to redecorate a room…..

Have a great Monday....