Sarchix Finds

I have been trying to think of something my youngest (age 4) can do for his class in pre-school for Valentine’s Day.  When I saw this over at Chica and Jo (an amazing crafting site) I knew I had found it. They include both the recipe and the template for the bag!

Jo posts her take on V-day Kettel corn for the kiddies and it really seems simple.  It took a bit to track down  a place that sells a “wirlly pop” in the area since I really don’t want to have to wait for delivery (Target sells it online only) but alas, I did have to resort to mail order.  I can still remember the days of my parents making popcorn in my Mom’s old stainless steel pot and then the air popper.  The idea of going back to the stove top to make popcorn is refreshing and brings me back to childhood while taking the Microwave out of the equasion.  At least its better than movie theater popcorn, right?

Chica and Jo – Valentine Popcorn Treat

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I’m sure that everyone has seen the home made coffee cozies all over the place.  I’ve seen them knitted, sewn and crocheted.  Felt, cloth, quilted, wool.  They are everywhere!  Having your own coffee (or tea or coco – don’t want to discriminate) cozy is a great thing because it does keep the waste down but still protects your fingers.  Its a hard habit to break but it really is worth it.

I have my own issues with the commercialization of the holidays but, I really do feel if you craft it, there is more thought and meaning to the gift or the personal accessory.  So it’s okay in my book.

Lavender and Limes has a great little tutorial to make your own coffee cozy that is super easy to make.  She adds a few hand sews a few hearts on it and voila, and seasonal cozy.  Can you see where I’m going with this?  Shamrocks at St Patrick’s Day, eggs and bunnies (ooh, peeps) for Easter, flags for Memorial Day and the 4th of July, Flip Flops for summer… I could keep going on with these.

Lavender and Limes – Coffee Cozy

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Holiday Gift giving can be a challenge especially for the big dilemma of what to get the teachers.  For the most part, it hasn’t been too difficult for me because most of my children’s teachers have been women.  This year, my daughter has a guy teacher (who is awesome) so I find it difficult to find something for him without it being too frilly or girly.  And I can’t repeat anything since my older son has already had him too.

I love this idea of repurposing soda bottles and their holder into a cute gift.  This would work for either male or female teachers, it just depends on the paper and ribbon used.  I found this at Nap Time Journal and it really seems easy to complete.

She uses cream soda bottles since they are clear and you can see the goodies inside them and it is very important to clean the bottles very well.  Nap Time Journal also reuses the bottle caps to cap it.  I may not do that because 1) I always mangle the bottle caps when I open them and 2) I happen to have a bottle capper just “lying around” and hundreds of unused bottle caps.

Such a fun idea!

Nap Time Journal - Soda Bottle Treats

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Reusable shopping bags are all the rage.  I try my best to use them as much as possible.  I carry one in my purse and really do use it.  The ones from the grocery store are wonderful but there is not too much style in them.

Lion Brand Yarns has a few patterns (both knit and crochet) to make bags that can be used shopping but look a lot nicer than the boring black ones I got at Wegmans.  A knitted bag would be wonderful to carry around the local farmer’s market or just walking down the street while doing some local shopping.  I really like this one – their Green Living Tote.  I probably won’t get the recycled cotton yarn that they suggest but will use something out of my stash.  I’m thinking either a cotton blend I have or an acrylic so its easily washed.  This is not something you would want to use wool, unless it’s superwash wool.

The best thing is, this pattern is FREE!  All you have to do is register at Lion Brand’s site and you have access to this pattern and hundreds more.

Lion Brand Yarn – Green Living Tote

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I don’t know what it is but I have a thing for decorated eggs.  I’m not talking about the super fancy ones,  but the hand crafted ones, like my Great Aunt Anna used to make.  My daughter is a bit of a magpie and loves all things shiny.  When I found these two sets of instructions for eggs and I couldn’t resist.

Kristen over at DomesticFluff.com has a nifty way to decorate eggs with polka dots and glitter.

The best thing is, she has come up with a more kid-safe/less sparkly method of doing this too!  I don’t know about you, but I would rather not have glitter in my egg salad.  I’ll keep the secret on how she does this but it is brilliant!

Now, if you are looking for the ultimate “bling” for your eggs, Lumpy Page Designs, has topped the charts.  I’ll just post the pic and let you read how she did this.  Granted , the egg is blown so this is NOT a project for a hard boiled egg.

How fabulous would that look as a centerpiece?  And the hardest part of the whole thing is probably waiting for it to dry!

Hoppy Easter Everyone!

Domestic Fluff – Sparkly Dot Eggs

Lupmp Page Designs – Glitter Eggs

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With Easter right around the corner and now that the birthdays are over (for now), I thought it would be good to post a quick and easy crafts for Easter.    I found two great ones over at Can’t Stop Making Things.

First one up is “Bunny Tails“  My kiddies love marshmallows and this is a cute one.  If you are having many little folk over for Easter, this would be a cute one to put at their place settings.  Chances are they will not last though the meal but its still very cute.  Even the kids can help make these up.

Now, the next one is also cute and easy for the kiddies to also help make up.  Re-labeling a box of tick tac’s as Easter Egg Seeds would be great if there are some older kiddies attending or for the kids to make for the adults.  This would even make a cute little teacher’s gift.  If you felt really crafty and had some of those food safe markers, you could even decorate them a bit to make them a bit more colorful or mix in some other flavors.

Hope you have fun with these two Easter crafts!

Can’t Stop Making Things – Bunny Tails and Easter Egg Seeds

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Forget New York and their Waterford Crystal Ball for ringing in the New Year.  I’ve found something better!

Bethlehem, PA lowers a giant Peep to start the New Year!  I just adore Peeps of any shape but there is something about the classic Peep shape that is so cool.  (And I love it when a box magically appears on my desk at work too.  Thanks Dad!)  Making it out there next year might just be in my plans.

Read here to find out more.

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After a crazy holiday season, I finally have time to post again on the last day of 2008.  It’s been a nice time spending with family and friends and I hope everyone has enjoyed their time with too.

The season isn’t over yet with this being New Year’s Eve, at least in this time zone and I wish only the best for everyone in 2009.  We’ll be back and going strong with all kinds of great finds.

2009 is going to be the best year yet!

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Happy Hanukkah.  Enjoy the time celebrating!

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