Easter Blessings to You!

Easter Egg Totes

Brown and pink for girls . . . gray and chevron for boys . . . bunny pattern available from Positively Splendid . . . bunnies embroidered with names and attached with Heat n’ Bond and outline stitch . . . use any lined tote pattern . . . time for an Easter egg hunt! ♥

Happy Spring!

It’s always fun to switch out the winter decorations for spring things! Here’s my favorite pillow (and the story behind it!) and links to some other handmade goodies. Enjoy! ♥

Peeps Garland

Fabric Carrots

Fabric Bunnies

Bag O’ Bunnies

Spring Frame

Flower Pillows

Citrus Coasters

Easter Blessings

 

Carrot Math

Fabric carrot + The Carrot Seed board book + carrot and bunny fabric drawstring bag = baby Easter gift! ♥

Carrot Patch!

Soooooo . . . have you made your fabric carrots yet? I went a little crazy with mine! Now that I have enough to completely fill the tray, it looks like a little veggie patch! Find some orange and green remnants to mix and match, go to this tutorial at Clare’s Craftroom, and you, too, can have a garden growing on your dining room table! ♥

Peeps Garland!

I recently hung the Peeps garland I made last spring (out of felt, not the candy!). Here are the super-simple directions:

(1) Draw a simple bunny shape or find a free template online.

(2) Make the bunnies from felt, fabric scraps, construction paper, or scrapbook paper.

(3) Add the eye and nose dots with fabric paint, permanent marker, or embroidered French knots.

(4) Attach the bunnies to ric-rac, ribbon, rope, string, or twine using glue or hand or machine stitching.

You’ll soon have a cheery pop of color for your spring décor. Have fun! ♥

Bunny Basket

I was so happy when I got out my spring decorations and found a bunch of these left over from last spring’s bunny sewing bonanza that I promptly plopped them into a basket to display in the living room. You can find the pattern and tutorial from Angie on The Little Fabric Blog. And they’re so quick and easy that you can even make a whole Bag o’ Bunnies for a special little one in your life. Now . . . hop to it! ♥

Fabric Carrots!

Who knew that carrots could be THIS cute? I made this springy tray of rabbit food from orange and green remnants using  this tutorial at Clare’s Craft Room. I’m pretty sure that a few of them will end up in Easter baskets, too! ♥

Happy Easter!

I went out this morning to see if my miniature daffodils were coming up . . . and they ARE! They were a gift from two of my very favorite teacher friends, Carla and Denise, two springs ago. I love it that these beautiful blooms don’t mind that the mulch is weathered, the sun hasn’t been out much lately, and the latest snow just now disappeared from the ground. They just do what they’re meant to do, symbolizing all that is right with the world. And now I’m off to finish a big writing assignment (YAY!), have a rather . . . er . . . unusual date night (dinner out followed by Good Friday Service followed by KU Sweet Sixteen basketball!), finish Ally’s first communion dress tomorrow, and enjoy Easter service, friends, and family on Sunday. I wish all of you a happy, happy weekend too! ♥

DIY Bunny Bag

So, ever since my Bag O’ Bunnies post, all my sewing buddies have been making bunnies out of their fabric and ribbon scraps! And some of my blogging friends, too, like Something to Ponder About and Sew Much Choice! I’ve been giving them away in small baskets as hostess gifts and have a big basketful of them by the fireplace, but I decided to gift the rest in handmade bags. I’m sure everyone already has a favorite method for making drawstring bags, but just in case, here’s mine:

(1) Cut out fabric in a square or rectangle of the desired size.

(2) Decorate the half that will be on the front with embroidery, applique, painting, or other crafty skills. I love to embroider and needed a road-trip project last weekend, so here is my design.

(3) Fold the bag in half right sides together.

(4) Stitch the side and bottom EXCEPT (and this is important!) for leaving an opening in the seam two or three inches from the top.

(5) Press open the seam, and press under 1/4 inch on the top of the bag.

(6) Turn the top to the inside and stitch it to the bag all the way around, making sure your stitching is below the opening in the seam.

(7) Turn the bag right-side out and press.

(8) Using a safety pin, thread ribbon or cord through the opening and tie the ends.  (Click photo below for close-up.)

(9) Stuff bag with bunnies . . . you’re done! ♥

Easy-Peasy PEEPS Garland!

I love PEEPS . . . even though they make most of the rest of my family go “Ewwwwwwwww . . . !”  But who could resist some adorable PEEPS garland? It’s super easy, and as I made it, I realized I had lots of choices.  So here’s a chart!  Simply pick one thing from each column (which you probably already have around the house!), and soon you’ll have your finished garland hanging among your other spring decor. Here is mine with felt, fabric paint, ric-rac, and machine stitching. (Click on the photo for a close-up.)  Oh, and you can find lots of free templates for the bunny shape on Google images. Have fun! ♥

PEEPS Bunny	Eyes and Nose	Garland	Attachment Method
felt fabric scraps construction paper scrapbook paper	brown fabric paint brown permanent marker brown embroidered French knots	ric-rac ribbon rope string twine	machine stitch hand stitch glue

Bag O’ Bunnies

When I meet my amazing daughters-in-law or gal pals for coffee or lunch, I love to take them a little handmade gift. My newest craze is these little spring bunnies made from fabric scraps! You can find the pattern and tutorial from Angie on The Little Fabric Blog. Thank you, Angie!  P.S. The lovely tulips are a gift from our recent houseguest and friend, Nancy. The table mat is here, and the photo star on the wall is here. ♥