Spring Craft Blog Hop - Easter, Mother's Day, and Spring

Welcome to the third in a four-part spring craft blog hop challenge for the spring season! This hop will run from March 18th - May 25th and will be the longest and biggest of the hops. We're challenging you to create a craft project that reflects Easter, recycled crafts, Earth Day, Mother's Day, Teacher's Day, May Day, Cinco De Mayo or a General Spring theme. Please join us in this challenge and link-up your crafty creation at the bottom of this post and have it shared on 19 blogs!

I'm so happy to be a part of the Spring Craft Blog Hop, be sure to check out my Patchwork Polka Dot Easter Eggs below for a quick and easy craft to get you in the spirit of Easter. Be sure to visit all of my fabulous co-hosts to see how they shook out the last of winter and welcomed spring!

 

Meet all 19 hosts!

Each host will be sharing their own craft to kick off the Spring Craft Blog Hop challenge, so make you visit each host to see their fabulous creations!

Patchwork Polka Dot Easter Eggs

If you are stopping over from the Spring Craft Blog Hop, hello and welcome! What's more fun for Easter than pastels, polka dots, and Easter eggs? I'm kicking off my Easter decorating right now, starting with these Patchwork Polka Dot Easter Eggs. Let's shift from green and shamrocks of St. Patrick's Day to patchwork and polka dots as the Spring officially starts Friday.

 As always, this craft is fast, inexpensive, and super fun! I covered Easter eggs with squares of polka dot cotton fabric to create a patchwork of colors, perfect for decorating with. I picked up a large container of plastic eggs (the kind you stick candy in) for under $5, and got plenty to fill Easter baskets and do a few crafts and activities with. The fabric quarters I picked up at Jo-Ann's Fabrics, so I had them in my stash.

St. Patrick's Day Printables for a Mini Gallery Wall

St. Patrick's Day is less than 2 weeks away, so it's time to get decorating, right? I have seen some great decorating inspiration on the Spring Craft Blog Hop, from all the co-hosts and the almost 100 entries so far. I have always wanted a fun gallery wall full of photos, printables, and other decorative things, so for St. Patrick's Day I though I would start one! I bought a variety of white frames in 8x10 and 5x7 sizes. I created a couple of printables, and finished the look off with green polka dot scrapbook paper and a swatch of themed fabric.

I plan on changing out the printables and fabric with the seasons, and eventually they will be filled with family photos, so I felt like I will get a lot of bang for my buck that I spent on the photo frames. Since it's March, I went with green and shamrocks as my uniting factor. I was lucky enough to have the scrapbook paper and fabric already, so the only thing I had to buy for this project was the photo frames.

 

 



Sweet(heart) Welcome Sign #SCBH2015

This post is part of the first Spring Craft Blog Hop featuring Valentine's day and Mardi Gras crafts, DIY, and décor! We would love to have your posts added to our link up. Link up runs through February 17th, and is shared on 18 wonderful blogs.

When I think of Valentine's day, the first thing that comes to my mind is candy hearts and chocolate boxes. What can I say, I love food! But of course, I'm trying to watch what I eat to lose some extra weight, so I won't be enjoying TOO many sweets and treats this Valentine's Day. What I will be enjoying is this sweet heart-shaped welcome sign, reminiscent of everyone's favorite 1,000 calorie box of goodies.

Valentine's Day Decor Round-up - Wreaths and Banners

Welcome February! Will the groundhog see his shadow today or will we be blessed by an early Spring? It has been a dry winter, so I hope spring brings rain. Lots of rain. Enough rain to help boost California out of this drought would be nice. 

 

Speaking of spring, have you linked up the Spring Craft Blog Hop yet? Get your Valentine's day, Mardi Gras, or President's day inspired craft or DIY tutorials seen on 18 blogs. It's not too late to link up! This blog hop will run until February 17th. I have been enjoying all of your links so far, so keep them coming!

 

 

Need inspiration for decorating for Valentine's Day? I've included 12 fun wreaths and banners that celebrate the theme of Valentine's day. Like what you see? Please visit the blogs and share some love.

 

Spring Chalkboard from an Up-Cycled Mirror

 

 

See my updated version of this project! 

 

I had family come over yesterday for a barbeque, so I have been cleaning my house trying to make it look halfway decent. With a very active toddler, there is only so much I can do during the week. I managed to take some bags and boxes to Goodwill to donate, but before I did, I rummaged through them one last time, just to make sure that the kids had only thrown donate-able items and not broken toys or clothes with holes in them.

 

I'm glad I did too, because I found this gem in there! I don't know where this mirror came from, or what its purpose was, but I had previously set it aside "to do something with" years ago, and put it in the Goodwill box when 6 months or so had passed. I'm glad I discovered it again, because this time I had a purpose for it!

 

I made this cute little chalkboard, perfect for dressing up the mantle or entryway!

 

Here was my inspiration:

$2 Trash to Treasure Chalkboard by Making Home Base



 

 

Mirror

White acrylic paint or primer

Chalkboard paint-See Note 

Mod Podge

1 square of scrapbook paper (I went to Michael's and got 1 for $0.59)

Brushes

Painter's tape

 

Not pictured:

Rubber scraper for smoothing out air bubbles in the paper

X-acto knife for trimming the paper

Sandpaper for smoothing the edges of the paper after trimming

 

Note: I recommend finding chalkboard paint specifically for use on glass or glazed ceramic. I used the Martha Stewart chalkboard paint, and it was difficult to use on glass. Live and learn, I will use it for other chalkboard applications in the future.

 

1. Prime the frame using primer or white acrylic paint. I covered the mirror with painter's tape first.

2. Add the chalkboard paint. Follow the directions on the bottle. Most will need to let cure for at least 24 hours after it is dry before using chalk on them.

3. Time to Mod Podge. I applied Glossy Mod Podge to the back of the scrapbook paper, then smoothed out any bubbles with a rubber scraper (found at your restaurant supply store for $0.79).

4. I used the X-acto knife to cut out the mirror/chalkboard and to trim around the edges. This way I didn't have to be as accurate when applying the scrapbook paper.

5. Apply two coats of Mod Podge to the top to seal everything. Once dry, lightly sand the edges.

6. Your new chalkboard is now ready to be part of your Spring or Easter décor!

 

 

See my updated version of this project 

 

This was my first attempt using chalkboard paint, I definitely learned some things! I will be decorating my mantle for Easter in the upcoming weeks and I plan to feature this. As you can see, I am not the best artist, so my stick figure people and fried-egg flowers will just have to do!

 

I remembered I don't like writing in chalk (memories of grade school writing on the blackboard). I have ordered a chalk pen that I hope will make writing easier.

 

 See how I made a super easy picture frame hanger!



St. Patrick's Day Kiss Party Favors

Happy St. Patrick's day! I have been having fun these past few weeks putting up a few decorations and making sure I have something green to wear. I made these little favors for fun, but you could use them to decorate a mantle or surprise your kids/spouse with a bit of chocolate goodies. These would also make a cute place card/favor for hosting a dinner party. I had all the supplies on hand, making this a no-cost craft (my favorite kind!).

First things first, the supplies.

• Tall shot glasses: I bought these at Target in the dollar section a few years back. Try your local dollar store, thrift store, or even a restaurant supply store for inexpensive shot glasses.
• The printable: if you are following this blog you might recognize these from my St. Patrick's day photo props. They are the perfect size for this!
• Craft sticks, glue, and a bit of tape: to put the printable "on a stick"
• Hershey's Kisses and mini M&Ms: I simple separated the green ones out, or you could pick up a bag of green M&M's from your local party store. Really, any small green candies would work in this.

1. Stack 3 Hersey's Kisses inside your shot glass.
2. Pour some green M&M's on top, gently tapping to get them all the way to the bottom.
3. Stack another 3 Kisses on top.
4. Pour in another handful of M&M's, tapping them down a bit.
5. Add your printable on a stick, and there you have it. Super simple, super cute party favors!

 

 

 

Decorating for St. Patrick's Day: Photo Prop, Free Printable

With St. Patrick's Day coming, I think most people are a little "green" with envy. But why should those with Irish blood have all the fun? Here are two printable photo props so we can all have a little fun! I got the inspiration for these from last month's Valentine's Day on a Stick.

Kiss Me I'm Irish Printable

 

 I'Rish I was a little bit Irish printable

Cut them out, fold them over a craft stick, and get snapping! Or use them to decorate around your house, maybe stick them in a potted plant, or in a candy dish on the mantle, or hide them somewhere for that special someone to find!

 

See how I used these printables to make fun party favors!

 





Decorating for St. Patrick's Day: Lucky Shamrock Bunting

Wow, what a whirlwind weekend! My youngest turned 2 years old, we had family come for a visit. Since we will be having a joint birthday party at the end of the month for S and Big Brother, we just had a low-key birthday dinner with cupcakes for dessert Saturday night. This weekend, Elder Scrolls Online hosted a beta event, so I stayed up a bit later than usual. Yes, I play video games on occasion. More like I try to play video games but at the end of the day, sleep usually wins out.

 

I also created this bunting to decorate for St. Patrick's day, using items I had on hand. Remember our marble painting from last week? I told you I was going to use them in a St. Patrick's day craft, so here they are!

Our green and gold marble painting were perfect for this. They got a little curled after they dried, so I flattened them out under a stack of heavy books overnight. I created a template from a quick search on Google images and traced it onto some cardboard. I punched holes in either side, and strung it up on cream colored yarn. I made the bunting to fit my fireplace, but then moved it to the windows in our breakfast nook to keep little hands off of it. I made two smaller bunting for the small windows using a similar template. The length of the larger bunting is 56", the smaller ones are 26". I hung them all using small Command hooks, that way I didn't have to use unsightly tape or drill holes in the wall.



It is really difficult to take pictures of my breakfast nook during the day since it is completely backlight. Here you can see what the finished product looks like, as well as see the two smaller buntings that I added to the side.

I love the way it turned out! It was a lot of tracing and cutting (17 four-leaf clovers and 10 three-leaf), but otherwise a simple craft to take an afternoon on, and a great way to showcase my son's art!

Valentine on a Stick Craft and Free Printables

These cute valentines on a stick are perfect to put anyone in the Valentine's day mood! You can use them to decorate your candy bowl, or add a small touch to a bouquet. Make a lot and hand them out to friends and family. Slide a lollipop inside, instead of using the craft stick, for a sweet something extra, or attach a bag of Kisses with a bit of curling ribbon for some whimsy.

Happy Valentine's Day!
Renee
 



"Kiss Me, I'm Yours" free printable

 

"Be Mine, Valentine" free printable

 

Step One: Print. Each template comes with 3 copies on a page, so you can make lots of valentines!

Step Two: Cut out the template around the edges

Step Three: Fold along the line. This is your back and front.

Step Four: Tape a craft stick on the back (white side) of one half.

Step Five: Glue together and let dry. You can now pass out your valentines, or use them as decorations.

You can share your Instagram pictures with me using hashtag #creativemamamessyhouse. I look forward to seeing your creativity!