Decorate….Naturally

November 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Natural Garland

Natural Garland

 

 

This is a simple and truly elegant way to decorate your home for the fall or just for fun! You can change up the decorations every year and the best part is the materials are free. You can use these materials in garlands, to glue on to old home decor to make it look fresh and new!

Materials:
Pine-cones
Leaves
Acorns
Rocks
Twine or rope (what ever is lying around the house)
Hot glue gun

Directions:

1. Figure out your designs first. If you are using all of the same material for each garland separately this will be quick but if you want to change it up and alternate it is best to place it out first so you don’t get mixed up later.

2. Wrap and knot the twine around each pine-cone (you can use a dab of hot glue to make sure it stays). You should hot glue items like rocks, leaves, twigs or acorn’s.

3. Wait for the hot glue to dry. You can add glitter or pain to your fabulous new garlands. Dab them with essential oils so they can double as room fresheners as well (except for the pine cone which might smell on their own). Find my famous old broken hairclips, pins or buttons that you were needed an excuse to use and glue away!

4. Start hanging!! Place your garlands around your house to add some fall cheer to your rooms.

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Jug-O-Lanterns

October 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Jug-O-Lanterns

Jug-O-Lanterns

 

 

Halloween!!!! I cannot wait it is almost here and I am still decorating for it! I love this idea. You can use any empty jugs really even if they are colored I think it would add to it! So here is how you do it:

 

 

 

 

SUPPLIES:

Clean plastic gallon jugs

Black permanent marker (you can get creative and use whatever color you want too)

Knife or Scissor

String of 50 low-wattage holiday lights (you can use white lights but what fun is that, if you have holiday lights at home already use them. Icicle lights would be perfect for this project for example:Led/Energy Saving Holiday Lights)

DIRECTIONS:

1.Draw eyes and mouths on the jugs. Be creative it is Halloween so go scary, silly or just plain realistic.

2.Use the craft knife to cut a half-dollar-size hole in the back of each jug.

3.Arrange the jug-o-lanterns near each other and string the lights between them, stuffing several bulbs into each of the jugs.

4. Optional: Glue things to your jugs like bat wings, or stems and leaves. Decorate them anyway you want. Use colors or make them ghosts. These crafts can be saved and reused so make them original.

This is a super fun craft for a Halloween party. Kids can take these home to show their parents and make more of their own.

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Pumpkins Gone Batty

September 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Pumpkins Gone Batty

Pumpkins Gone Batty

 

 Materials:
Eco Green Acrylic Paint Black
Mini pumpkins (you could also try gourds for fun to make vampires, witches, spiders) from a local farm if you haven’t grown your own.
Black and white craft foam
Wings,ears & eyes template (just google it)
Hole punch
Glitter
Hot Glue

 

 

Directions:
1. Paint the pumpkins.
2. Sprinkle your bat with glitter (if you want)
3. Allow the pumpkin to dry completely. You can paint them any color you want. No one says bats can’t be green or pink right?
4. For each bat, choose a type of wings and eyes from your templates you like best.
5. Trace and cut out eyes from the white craft foam. Use the hole punch to make pupils.
6. Use the glue gun to stick the eyes to the pumpkin.
7. Cut the ears and wings from the black craft foam.
8. Attach the ears using a thin strip of hot glue.
9. Attach the wings using another thin strip of hot glue.
10. Let all attached pieces set. If the wings and ears look floppy you can use toothpicks (colored black) to stick to the backs to make sure the wings and ears hold their shape.

You can also wait until the end to sprinkle glitter on your entire finished pumpkin and spray it with adhesive. It is up to you. You can add pipe cleaners and make your creation zany! Use your imagination that is the most important part.

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New Face For Eggs

August 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
New Face for Eggs

New Face of Eggs

Ingredients:

* Organic Free Range Hard-boiled eggs
* Organic Round crackers (any shape will do but round tends to be the easiest shape)
* Organic Vegetable and herb garnishes
* Organic Cold cuts, organic pepperoni or organic bacon (vegetarian options also)
* Organic or non-dairy cheese (sliced or grated anything that will add some fun)
* Condiments (mustard, mayo, ketchup, Sriracha anything to add the fun)

Directions:

1. Slice hard boiled eggs evenly and thinly.
2. Place the egg slices on crackers
3. Place out the herbs, garnishes, veggies, cheeses, meats or anything else you want to use for decorating.
4. Have fun, be creative and go healthy!

How are these for a super fun snack? Let your kids be creative and healthy while doing it!  Not all children may like eggs so lunch meats can be a great alternative! Allergies are always an issue too but these days there are excellent substitutes. Keeping your children interested in being healthy is a constant challenge so do what you can to keep them having fun with their food.

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Super Cool Sandwich

August 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Super Cool Sandwich

Super Cool Sandwich

Back to school season is here for everyone and even some are already in school! Crazy! The summer just started I feel like. Either way here is a super cool sandwich idea to cheer up your child and maybe brighten up the boring old lunch routine.

Ingredients:

* Cups (that you can put food coloring in)
* Organic Milk
* Natural or Organic Food Coloring
* New Paint Brushes
* Organic Wheat bread (white bread may yield better results but it isn’t very healthy)
* Toaster

Instructions:

1. Fill each cup with two tbsp. of milk.
2. Add a few drops of food coloring to each cup.
3. Paint any pictures or designs on the bread using the colored milk and brushes.
4. Toast your food art lightly but make sure the bread doesn’t burn.
5. Once the bread has cooled off a little make put the sandwich together.
6. Add a little note to let your children know how much you love them!

You can use this project as an after school snack also! Experiment with other breads or even wraps and pitas! You could even use pizza dough and make super cool pizzas! You will be the coolest parent ever with this simple yet creative lunch idea!

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Super Summer Beach Craft

July 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Super Summer Beach Craft

Super Summer Beach Craft

Supplies:
Shells
Rocks
Sea Glass
Seaweed
Plaster of Paris
1 1/2 cups plaster of Paris in a quart-size resealable bag
Water (salt water or fresh water)
Chopstick
Any other odds and ends you have around at home that you might want to use to decorate.

Directions:

1. Comb the beach for super cute treasures for this craft or if you have some beach fun at home that you have been looking for a reason to use bring it with you.

2. Put your hand into damp, hard packed sand. Make sure to leave about a 2 inch clear impression.

3. Put all of the fun beach stuff you found or brought with you inside your print and decorate anyway you like.

4. Add a cup of water to the plaster of Paris in the plastic bag. Knead the mixture until the plaster and water have fully combined.

5. Slowly pour the plaster into your print. Use a chopstick to lead the plaster into the hands and thumbs if the plaster doesn’t flow into them.

6. Once the print is filled and smoothed out, place the chopstick at the bottom of the palm print and let sit to dry. Make sure the chopstick is in the plaster deep enough to be able to hold the plaster once it has dried.

7. The plaster must sit for about 30 mins at least. To remove your print dig out carefully around the hand, than use the chopstick to lift the print carefully out.

8. Wrap up in something soft when transporting back home. You can make multiple prints and put them in vases or to use as summer decorations laid on a table top. You can display them anyway you want.

If you really want to make this craft green teach these little print makers the importance of the beaches and oceans and keeping them clean. Talk to them about erosion and make this an all around project that has meaning and a lesson. Look up the items collected on the Internet to find out what they are and where they came from.

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Fun 4th Craft

June 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The 4th of July is almost here! Get ready for backyard BBQ’s and block parties galore! Don’t be left out of the fun. Fireworks are not good for the environment so make your own fun with everyday items you have around your house.

Fun 4th Craft

Supplies:
Craft knife
Thick rubber band
Paper clips
Sticker stars
Bendy straw
Glitter
Stickers/Glow in the Dark Stickers
Paint
Markers
Odds and ends from around the house

Directions:
1. Use a craft knife to cut a small X in the center of a plastic coffee lid.
2. Push one end of a rubber band up through the opening and stretch it around the center of a paper clip to keep it from pulling back through. Decorate the lid as patriotically as you want.
3. Cut the straw one 4-inch straight length and one 4 1/2-inch length with the bendable portion near the center. Shape a second paper clip into a small hook. Then slide it into the straight straw part & use it to pull the other end of the rubber band through.
4. Insert one end of the bendy straw through the protruding loop of the rubber band for a handle.
5. Then start to play!

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Veggie Date

June 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Veggie Date would have been really helpful to me years ago. I am lucky enough to have found an eco/ethical person that shares my interests anyway. Veggie Date is an amazing idea I am surprised I haven’t looked for a site like this sooner.

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At Veggie Date you pay a one time fee of $49.95 and you are set to go meeting single veggies of all sorts. Veggie Date isn’t only for dating but meeting other people that share your same values about our environment and animals.
I ready many of the testimonials and must say that most people seem to have gotten married and those who haven’t do not seem disappointed in the least. I love sites like this! Please check out Veggie Date for yourself and let me know what you think.

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Donate to Tornado Disaster Relief

May 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Tornado Disaster Relief

Tornado Disaster Relief

In light of the tragedy in the South we have an opportunity for ultimate reduce, recycle and reuse! Send items whether it be clothes, kitchen items, toys or anything you were going to get rid of because you didn’t need anymore to people who really do need it.
This weekend I went through our closets, kitchen, basement and attic to see what we have been holding on to that we should really be sharing. I even found pet items my pets either never used or won’t ever use. We should all be thinking how we can help because if it were the other way around you would need the kindness of strangers. I found a list of places to donate here:

Disaster Relief
c/o First Baptist Church of Moody
902 Church Street
Moody, AL 35004

If you would like to send a monetary donation, please memo your check as Disaster Relief.

Other places to donate:

You can send a monetary donation to:

Salvation Army Disaster Relief
PO Box 100339
Atlanta, GA 30384-0339

Red Cross is taking text donations. Just text text “REDCROSS” to 90999 to donate $10.

Also check out:
http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2011/04/donations-for-tornado-victims.html

The Veterans Site

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Re-furr-b’d Bunnies

April 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Re-furr-b'd Bunnies

Re-furr-b'd Bunnies

Supplies:

Spoon or funnel
Dried lentils
Sock (even old ones with holes in them you can patch them up later)
Rubber band
Ribbons
Scissors
Felt or fabric from around the house
Pom-poms or cotton balls
Eco Glue

Instructions:

1. Use a spoon or a funnel to add dried lentils to a sock, filling it up just past the heel.

2. Close the sock with a tightly looped rubber band.

3. For the head and neck, tie a ribbon around the sock just below the heel.

4. Add more lentils but don’t completely fill them. Then tie off the head with enough left at the top for ears.

5. Cut the sock’s cuff into two ears, rounding the edges to give them a bunny ear shape.

6. Cut a nose, teeth, and eyes from fabric or other items you have from around the house.

7. Attach the facial features and pom-pom or cotton ball tail with glue.

* Don’t for get to make these bunnies your own! Add hats or jewelry or anything you have that can decorate these bunnies! You can color them with markers or give them patches with old fabric. Make them clothes anything you want! Be creative. They can make excellent toys or projects for parties! Use your imagination!

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