Easy and Fun Tips for Potty Training a Girl

Potty training your girl may seem intimidating, but it does not have to be. Little girls seem to learn to use the potty at a slightly faster rate than most little boys because they develop at a slightly faster rate, and this can work to your benefit. These tips will make potty training your daughter easy and fun.

Make it fun. If your turn potty training into an excuse for having a good time, it will be much easier to teach your little girl how to use her potty. Making potty training fun may seem like an impossible mission, but the help of dolls, books, DVDs, and charts are a great way to increase the chance your daughter will have at successfully using the potty.

Emulating using a doll is an amusing way for girls to practice what is required of them. Using charts will allow you to reward your child for a successful job done. Potty training books are also helpful when potty training because they give your child time to relax while sitting on the potty if you read some of the book while she is in there.

Clothing is an important thing to consider when potty training and some clothing items can make it a lot easier for your girl to learn. Stockings and pants that have buttons or other things that can be hard to open are a bad idea. Skirts and training pants work great, and anything with an elastic waist band will help make using the potty easy.

Girls have the added responsibility of learning how to wipe in the correct fashion, and this can make potty training a little difficult. If your little girl is having a tough time remembering which direction to wipe this tip is for you. Teach your toddler to pat herself dry instead of wiping, and she will get herself effectively clean. After she has mastered the potty you can work on wiping.

Allowing your toddler to pick out her potty will make your daughter have a better connection with the potty, and it will make her feel more comfortable using it. If you cannot let her pick it for some reason; you can let her decorate it using paint markers. This will give the potty her special touch.

These easy tips will make potty training much quicker and more fun for you and your daughter. Potty training doesn't have to be a chore it can be an easy way to bond with your toddler and have a good time together.

Two Easy and Simple Macramé Knots that Make Many Fun Projects

Macramé is a great form of art that I have enjoyed practicing. It is simple and useful. "It originated in Turkey as far back as the sixteenth century", and it was widely practiced in the 60's and 70's (O'Sullivan, 2004, p.63). It is an inexpensive way of creating that requires only cord, hemp, string, or something of this nature. It is also very useful because it is based on tying knots, and the ability to tie good knots come in hand in everyday life. You can make belts, necklaces, key chains, plant holders, purses, and many other interesting items using the macramé style. Here are directions on making two simple knots that will allow you to make many different beautiful creations.

A very basic knot is called the overhand knot. It is the simplest knot in macramé and can be achieved easily by people of all ages and skill level. To make this knot all you must do is "make a loop, and bring the end of the cord behind the loop and out through the loop" (O'Sullivan, 2004, p.142). This not is simple and used widely in macramé projects.

Another easy knot that will get you started creating great macramé projects is the square knot. It is slightly more complicated than the overhand knot, but it is also simple enough to understand and emulate. In order to accomplish this knot you will need at least 3 cords. One will be the center cord or core cord, and the other cords will tie the knot. To make the knot "pass the right hand cord over the core cords and under the left hand cords, leaving a little loop on the right; then pass the left hand cord under the core cords and up though the loop" (O'Sullivan, 2004, p.142). Now do the same action except start with the left hand cord. Remember to always pull your knot tight or your knot will be uneven or it will come undone.

You can also slip beads onto the cords at any point in time in order to create fun additions to your works. When using the square knot it is fun to slip beads onto the center cord and allow extra cord in between knots made with the side cords to create a flower like detail. The bead on the center cord will serve as the inside of the flower.

These two simple knots can make many fantastic works of art. These projects are a lot of fun to create and use, and they are easy enough for anybody to master them.

References:
O'Sullivan, J. (2004). Hippie crafts: Creating a hip new look using groovy '60s crafts. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Co.

Easy, Cheap, and Awesome DIY Gifts: Princess Treasure Box

Presents for kids can get complicated; there are a lot of toys out there that your kids will play with for a week, and then they will forget about them. If you can make a gift for your kid, it will be more memorable, and it will be more personal. A princess treasure chest is a great gift that will be fun to make.

To start you need a nice box. You can use a hat box r a Tupperware. Anything you decide to use can be altered to suit your theme. To personalize the box you can decoupage it using images of flowers and other pretty things. You can also simply spray paint it the favorite color of little girl you are making the box for. You can add ribbons, bows, rhinestones, and sequins to the box to make it special, and you can use markers or paint and stencils to write the name of the recipient on it. This box should be a little bigger than what you intend on filling it with because you want to leave room for her to add her own special items.

Some items are essential to complete this project. First you must find a lovely tiara or crown. You can make your own crown using grapevines, wire, flowers, ribbons, and hot glue. You can buy different crowns and tiaras from the local party store or dollar store.

There are many items that you can get cheaply to fill this box. I like to go to the local thrift store and dollar store when putting together these types of boxes. You can find many pretty scarves, hats, sunglasses, and jewelry at these types of store. Lace gloves and slippers are another a fun thing to throw in the box. You can also find inexpensive children makeup kits at the local dollar store, and you can get a lot of kid's hair accessories and toys there as well.

Another important item you will need for this present is a dress. You can find a dress at your local thrift store or yard sale. The dress you pick has to be perfect, and you might like to pick a few different dresses. Older prom dresses are great, and bride's maid dresses also work well. Something fancy with a puffy skirt will work well. Remember you can always hem and alter the dress, and you can add ribbon, sequins, lace, and rhinestones to fancy it up a bit.

These princess boxes are a lot of fun to put together, and the person receiving this gift will be more than thrilled to play with it for hours on end.

Easy and Inexpensive Jewelry Crafts for Girls

When I was a little girl I remember making all sorts of jewelry out of odds and ends I found around my home, and I treasured my creations. Little girls like crafting, and they like jewelry so naturally there are a lot of fun jewelry craft projects that can be made. This article will discuss some fun jewelry themed craft projects that are easy and inexpensive.

Rice, seed, and bean bracelets are fun and easy to make, and they are very inexpensive. You will need rice, beans, and seeds, glue, and a hard plastic bracelet that can be purchased at the local dollar store. To make this bracelet you can glue the various beans and seeds onto the bracelet in a pattern or you can cover the bracelet with glue and roll it in the rice, seeds, and beans. Either way these bracelets are a lot of fun, and there are a lot of dried beans that you can choose from to make a variety of bracelets.

Film container seed necklaces are a great jewelry craft project that will last for a long time, and grow into a beautiful plant. These necklaces are also great because they are reusable. You will need 2 or 3 cotton balls, an empty film canister, a short screw, a seed, and ribbon. Simple screw the screw into the lid of the film container and tie the center of the ribbon to it. Next fill the container with cotton and add water to get it damp. Now place your seed inside and reattach the lid. You will be able to watch this seed grow, and plant it when it gets big enough. This project is fun, and it teaches children about nature.

Bottle cap pendants are another easy and inexpensive jewelry craft. For this project you will need old a bottle cap, some magazines, beads, gems, or any pretty little thing you have around the house, resin, paint, glue, and a pop top from a soda can.

Paint the back of the bottle cap and allow it to dry. Next cut a tiny image from a magazine and glue it inside the bottle cap. If you want to use gems and beads you can glue them to the inside of the bottle cap as well. Next mix the resin according to the directions on the package, and fill the bottle cap with resin. Allow this to set, and when it is dry glue the pop top to the back of the cap and hang on a ribbon for a necklace.

There are a lot of fun jewelry craft projects that will allow your daughter to have fun for hours. I hope these ideas have inspired you!

Easy and Inexpensive Personalized DIY Summer Wedding Invitations

Weddings are a sacred and special time, and it is important for everything to be perfect and personalized. Many things that you need for a special wedding can be made by you at home. Wedding invitations are extremely important when planning your wedding because it is the first step that you take. It is the beginning of a beautiful thing, and should be made to express you and your future spouse perfectly. Invitations for your summer wedding can be made at home cheaply and personally.

A supply that you will find to be most necessary is a heavy cardstock of thickness, color, and design, of your desired choice. I think most common color is an off white color. You can buy bulk cardstock or you can find special paper that has already printed patterns on it. Paper also has different textures so this is important to make note of when choosing papers.

After you have chosen appropriate paper for your invitations you can decide if you want to completely print your invitations or if you want to hand write them. All you will need for handwritten invitations is some nice markers. You can choose whatever colors you like, and there are even gold, silver, and copper colored markers that will work well. If you decide to print the invitation you can find basic templates for envelopes and invitations on Microsoft word. There are also many different fonts that you can use right in the program. You can also choose to incorporate a picture you and your fiance which can be copied and pasted into the card. Some more ideas to suit a summer wedding are pictures of a sunset at a beach or brightly colorful summer flowers. Many nice sayings and wedding invitation formats can be found on the internet as well.

Other supplies that can be used for your wedding invitations are ribbon, faux flowers, sequins and pearls. All of these items can be used as embellishments for your decorations. Another fun way to embellish your wedding cards is using paper cut outs. You can cut out various shapes of flowers from different colored paper to suit the theme of a summer wedding, and you can layer them on top of each other. Adding pearls or pretty beads also make these cards pretty and special. A simple bow can be made from ribbon and it can be glued to the card to make it tool like a present.

All of these ideas can help you make your own personal summer wedding invitations. Make sure no matter which methods you decide to employ that you love the finish product, and remember to enjoy the process because this is something you will remember forever!

Paper Beads: Cheap, Easy, Eco-Friendly Crafts

Nowadays there are so many people looking for ways to recycle and reuse their waste. I think this is great, and I completely support it, and I have been practicing this habit for a long time now. I love to find awesome ways to reuse things that are lying around my home, and there are many fun craft projects that use things we would normally throw out.

If you are like me, magazines, junk mail and other assorted random papers start pile up around your house quicker than you realize. This article will discuss how to make several different beads out of paper. These projects are fun and easy for both children and adults, and they are inexpensive as well.

Paper beads come in a variety of shapes and sizes. I will first discuss the easiest way to make paper beads, and the tools for all of these beads. For these awesome projects you will only need paper, scissors, glue and a knitting needle or strong piece of wire. Gather together all of these items, and make sure to find all sorts of recyclable papers such as magazines, old mail, newspapers and papers from packaging.

The easiest bead to make is a cylindrical bead, and all you will need to do for this bead is cut a long rectangular strip from your favorite paper. Next spread a thing layer of glue along the length of one side of the paper. Now take your wire and wrap one end of the paper tightly around the wire. Simply wrap the paper until it is completely wound in a tight coil. Hold for a few seconds so the glue can dry, and you have created your first paper bead!

Another pretty bead you can make is the cone shaped bead. This is created by using the same shaped piece of paper as before, but this time you must trim the rectangle from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. This angle will give you a cone shaped bead. Just glue and wrap the paper tightly around and it will make a pretty cone shape. When creating this bead remember to start wrapping from the larger side.

An oval shaped bead is a lot of fun to make as well, and it requires a similar process as the last bead. For this bead you will trim the paper from the top left corner of the rectangle to the middle of the right side. You will repeat the same on the bottom of the rectangle. This will leave you with a point in the middle. Starting with the wider side of the rectangle, wrap the paper and glue it; remember to make sure the point ends up in the middle of the bead.

These beads are cheap, easy and fun to make; they save on waste, and they are a lovely addition to anyone's jewelry collection.

Quick Art Therapy Exercises for Beginners

 

Art therapy is a new practice that increases health and wellness; this natural medicine helps people identify their emotions, build confidence, and increase awareness. Art is a productive way to deal with trauma and emotions. Sometimes people may not feel confident about their artistic abilities, and this may lead them to avoid the benefits that art therapy can provide, but this article will give you three quick exercises that an help you break the ice with art therapy.

For the first exercise you will need a piece of paper and some crayons; this exercise is a good way to gain self awareness and perspective. Before you start this piece think about how you feel because this will be an energy drawing. Choose a color that is appropriate to how you feel, and scribble on the paper. Make any type of lines you want; they can be jagged, round, or broken. Feel your emotions and scribble; you can add more colors is you like. When you are done examine the picture and see how your feelings were portrayed in this piece. This exercise is a guide that can help you understand how you are feeling, and this understanding will allow you to move on or change your mood.

Another quick and fun art therapy project is the emotion wheel; this project will help you understand your emotions, and it will also help you recognize emotions in others. To stat this project you will need a piece of paper; you can cut it into a circle if you like, or you can draw a circle onto it with a plate or bowl. Now make several small circles around your original circle. These circles will be faces; so draw expressions on all of these faces. Remember to not make one face alike, and use details to express emotions. If you want you can write the name of the emotion under the face. This fun project can help you later identify feelings.

A self-confidence building exercise starts with your name. Simply draw your name in the middle of a piece of paper, and think about all of your positive traits. Now use images to symbolize these traits. If you are good at basketball, draw a bouncing ball; if you are a gardener, draw some flowers. Really let your imagination take over with this project. Remember to use your favorite colors when creating this name piece, and keep it hung close by to remind yourself of how wonderful you really are.

Art therapy has the ability to help many people; I hope these exercises can open you up to the idea of art therapy because it has wonderful benefits.

Dark and Stormy Night: Painting with Watercolors for Beginners

 

Watercolors a lot of fun to paint with, and there are many different styles and techniques that can be employed when using watercolors. Watercolors a lot of fun to work with for many reasons, they can be made thicker or thinner, they blend differently than most paints, and they are inexpensive. Some people like to use a dry canvas when working with water colors, and some people like to use a completely wet canvas when working with watercolors, but I have found that a combination of both is a lot more interesting and fun to work with. If you would like to learn more about wet ad dry canvas techniques this article is for you; it will teach you how to create your own personal dark and stormy night using watercolor paint and techniques.

For this project you will need watercolor paper or a canvas. I prefer watercolor paper because the texture adds to the effect of the painting. You will also need several different paintbrushes that you feel comfortable using. A cup with water, a pallet, and a rag for cleaning and drying the brush are also useful. For this project you can use tubes of watercolor paints, but you can also use the dry trays of paint that you can buy very inexpensively.

Okay now this is where the dry and wet canvas technique really comes into play. To create a dark and stormy night start by adding clean water to your paintbrush and wetting areas of the watercolor paper with it. The areas that are wet will be used for blending, and the dry areas will remain white. Keep in mind that the white areas of the paper will be areas in your picture that you want to remain white, or they will be areas that you want a different color than the sky. The white areas can make nice cloud shapes and lightning bolts. The white area could even be the moon.

Next add some water to a dark blue or purple color paint. This will be the color of your sky; you can add black or white to the color to add a darker or lighter tone to the sky in this painting. When you have added some paint to the brush lightly drop a little paint on the wet area of the canvas. You will see a burst of color as the water pulls the paint. Play with this effect to create a beautiful night sky, and when you are satisfied allow the painting to dry. Remember if you do not like the way something came out you can always use a piece of paper towel to blot some of the paint off of the picture.

After the background has dried feel free to add your details. You can paint a mountain landscape by making several hump shapes across the horizon of the painting. To make the mountains look more realistic add smaller sized humps in the back. When you color these in remember to have the mountains in the background be lighter because this will add depth.

There are many different scenes that can be added to your stormy night sky, and the wet and dry canvas technique is a lot of fun to play with. You can create many different things using this style, and you can create many different layers of color by letting these levels dry in between. So bust out your paint brushes and have fun!

Easy and Inexpensive Ways to Add Spring Themes to Your Wedding Decor

 

Spring is a popular season for matrimony, and there are so many reasons why spring is the perfect time for such a special day. Here you will find several easy and inexpensive ways to incorporate many popular spring themes into your wedding day.

Birds

Birds, bird houses, bird nests, bird eggs are all popular spring wedding ideas. Add this theme to your wedding can be done easily on a budget. Check your local craft or dollar store for fake feather birds and eggs to use as decoration in centerpieces or garlands. Small wooden birdhouses can often be found for cheap, and painting the white or staining the wood grain is all you need to make centerpieces that double as favors!

Bulb Flowers

Flowers are the best part of spring, and using spring bulbs is a fun and unique way to add these flowers to your wedding. Tulip, daffodil, and crocus are all lovely bulb flowers that can be forced to bloom in vases. These make gorgeous centerpieces when placed in glass vases so you can see them grow! This is another great spring wedding theme idea that can also be given away as a gift to guests.

You can even pack up unused bulbs in burlap satchels, tie shut with a ribbon, and give them to guests. Add a little note card about how the bulb will grow just like your love, and you have a gift that keeps giving.

Butterflies

Butterflies are one of my favorite themes for spring weddings, and there a ton of ways to incorporate them inexpensively and easily into your wedding. Butterflies can be made with feathers or bouquet at local craft or dollar stores in bunches. They can also be made using a butterfly template and pretty paper. You can also just print out butterfly images and cut them out.

Once you have a ton of butterflies you can add them to you spring wedding in several ways. Making garlands and mobiles is fun and as easy as adding some ribbon. Add tooth picks to your butterflies and stick them in deserts. Add dowels to some of your butterflies and you can have butterflies poking out of vases, flower pots, and centerpieces.

Incorporating spring themes into your wedding planning can be easy and inexpensive with these ideas. Spring weddings are unique and special because of the season. Make sure to take advantage of everything this wonderful season has to offer for your big day.

Spring Handprint Crafts for Kids Using Paper

 

Handprint crafts are easy and fun for kids to create for the spring season. Handprints crafts can be created using paper, and they teach children dexterity and coordination. This article discusses spring themed handprint crafts using paper that kids will love.

Butterfly Mobile

Butterflies bring in the spring season, and they can be the theme of a great handprint mobile. For this craft you will need construction paper, glue, markers, tape, scissors, yarn or string, a pencil, and a paper plate. Start by helping kids trace their hands onto several different colored pieces of construction paper.

Then help kids cut small circles out of black or brown paper. Also cut out the handprints they have traced already. Then use the markers to add different patterns and colors to the handprints. They handprints will be the butterfly wings. Then help kids glue the palm sections of two wings together to make a butterfly. Add the black circle to the center like a head for the butterfly.

Create several butterflies in this fashion. Also cut several long pieces of string. Poke enough holes in the plate to attach all of the strings. Stick the string through the hole and use tape to secure it. Then fold the butterflies in half lightly and tape the other ends of the strong to the inside of the fold. Hang your handprint mobile by adding more strings to the top of the plate.

Tulip Bouquet

Tulips are a wonderful sign of spring, and kids can create tulips using handprints and paper. For this craft you will need construction paper, scissors, pencils, tape, glue, green paint, a paintbrush, and sturdy plastic straws. It is also a good idea to cover the workspace with newspaper to prevent mess.

To begin help kids trace their handprint onto the construction paper. Pastel colored paper works well, but pink and yellow are also appropriate colors for spring tulips. Then kids can cut the handprints out.

Then help kids cut the last inch of one end of the straw into small strips. Remember to leave the straw strips attached to the straw. Then help kids glue the hand prints together by placing the right side of a palm against the side of the palm of another handprint. Angle the hands slightly and overlap the palms so they appear slightly curved when put together. Add two or three more handprints in the same manner. This will make a circular shape.

After the glue has dried, help kids twist the handprints into a cone flower shape. Use the tape to secure it together. Then place the straw through the hole in the center of the cone and tape the flower to the straw. The cut strips should face out of the flower. Finally let kids paint the straw and tape with the green paint, and your spring tulips are complete.

These easy crafts welcome spring and get kids excited for the season. Using paper and handprints is easy and fun, and kids will love these spring themed projects.

Easy Freeze Ahead Veggie Breakfast Burrito Recipe Awesome!

Loving make ahead and freeze meals. While making omelets for dinner about a month ago I decided to experiment with a freeze ahead veggie breakfast burrito recipe inspired by a frozen quesadilla recipe from Slender Kitchen. I finally got around to heating it up and testing it out and it was amazing! Frozen for a month and still delicious. The burrito in the photo is the second burrito at 2 months frozen. I defrosted it and pan fried it, paired with some homemade guacamole and sweet potato fries. Yum!

Here is my recipe and check out the original recipe that inspired me from Slender Kitchen 

Freeze Ahead Veggie Breakfast Burritos
4 servings

Ingredients
5 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup of left over stir fry veggies and onions
1/3 cup black beans drained well
1/3 cup corn drained well
4 slices american cheese
salt, pepper, garlic to taste
4 tortillas
Instructions

Scramble up the eggs and milk with salt, pepper, and/or garlic. Since I used left over veggies I didn't need to cook them, but I think frozen veggies would work fine if you defrosted them and patted them with some paper towel to dry out.

Break up the cheese slices and mix up the eggs, veggies, beans, corn, and cheese. Spread in the tortillas and roll em up. Put them in a freezer bag and remember to mark the date and recipe for easy future reference.

These burritos cooked up really well and can be microwaved, baked, or defrosted and pan fried.

To bake simply wrap in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then flip it and leave the foil open to crisp up the outside for another 15 minutes.   Let them cool for about 5 minutes before digging in.

Macaroni and Cheese: An Easy and Inexpensive Thanksgiving Side Dish

by Sarah Ganly @ sarahganly.blogspot.com

Thanksgiving is my favorite time of the year to eat and cook. I love to bake and make huge meals, but the problem is money and time. Over the years I have devised some recipes that are not only cheap, but also quick and painless. Here is my favorite macaroni and cheese recipe.

A great and simple side dish to make is macaroni and cheese. You can buy pasta for very cheap, and most supermarkets sell the cheese ends for way cheaper than sliced cheese. Get as many different cheeses as you like and cut them into chunks. One cup of cheese is enough for 2 cups of uncooked pasta. Multiple measurements to suit the amount of people you are feeding.

Cook the pasta in boiling water until it is soft. While the pasta is boiling put the cheese chunks in a sauce pan and add milk or cream until the cheese is a quarter submerged. Stir this sauce constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon. Make sure to keep the flame low enough to not burn the sauce. When the cheese and cream have combined remove from heat and strain the pasta. Now add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pot and put the pasta back in it. Toss the pasta in the butter quickly and add the cheese sauce while stirring to combine.

You can eat this macaroni just the way it is or you can add a few special variations. Macaroni and cheese can be made with many different ingredients added in for different flavor combinations.
One delicious variation is to sprinkle parmesan cheese on the top and bake until it is crusty and golden. You can sprinkle crispy fried onions on top and bake until golden as well.
Another healthy and colorful way to spice up macaroni and cheese is by adding sautéed vegetables such as red and green peppers, celery, carrot, or onion. Diced tomatoes can also be added to this recipe; the tomatoes do not need to be cooked. Canned peas can also be stirred in for a softer taste.
My favorite macaroni and cheese recipe involves mixing some well strained spinach with the macaroni and sprinkling the top with crumbled up crackers. The spinach dish should be baked for about 10 minutes.

Thanksgiving dinner may be a little overwhelming but this recipe and the variations I have supplied can help you save time and money this Thanksgiving. The macaroni and cheese recipe is delicious as well!

Stuffing: An Easy Thanksgiving Side Dish on a Budget

by Sarah Ganly @ sarahganly.blogspot.com

Thanksgiving is a holiday that everyone loves. You eat until you fall asleep and then you do it again. You can watch some big balloons on television or some wood soldiers marching on Thanksgiving, but the best part is the food. An important but sometimes over looked part of the Thanksgiving meal is the side dishes. My favorite side dish recipe is cheap, easy, and simply delicious. Here is the recipe for the best stuffing I have ever had.

My favorite side dish for Thanksgiving is stuffing. Stuffing can me made in several ways, but the easiest most delicious stuffing can be made from left over bread or rolls. I usually save the left over bread from dinner in the fridge for a week and a half. It is good to have a variety of types of bread because it adds different textures. I like to fill the bottom of a sheet tray about half way with the bread. Any type of bread will work, and the more variety the better. Soak the bread in water until it can be smushed between your fingers. You want the bread wet, but you do not want it dripping.

While you are soaking the bread about half a cup of butter in a pan with some diced onion and celery. You can add a bit of crumbled sausage or bacon to the mix for a heartier flavor. Add some chopped or dried sage, thyme, garlic, and cumin to the butter and cook until the onions are soft and brown. Now mix the butter concoction with the bread.

You can put the stuffing inside a turkey or you can cook it in the oven. I usually put the bread mixture in a big tray pan and bake at 350 degrees for about half an hour.

Stuffing can be altered for different tastes as well. You can add a bit of crumbled sausage or bacon to the onion mix for a heartier flavor. You can also try using some leftover fruit bread such as cranberry or raisin bread in your stuffing to give it a sweeter taste. Nuts can add a crunchier texture to stuffing so add them while you are browning the onions.

Stuffing is a great and essential side dish for Thanksgiving, and with this easy recipe and its variations you can enjoy a delicious home made Thanksgiving day meal with the best stuffing ever.

Fun and Easy Easter Bunny Cake

by Sarah Ganly

It is fun and easy to make an Easter bunny cake. This project is so fun and easy that it is perfect for sharing with children. All you need is some basic ingredients, a little imagination, and a sweet tooth.

First you will need cake mix and all of the ingredients that are required to make enough cake to fill to medium round cake pans; you can use what ever flavor cake you like, but carrot cake is always fun for Easter. Next you will need white frosting; you can use vanilla, cream cheese, or butter cream it doesn't matter. A bag of coconut, red food coloring, assorted candy such as jelly beans and or gum drops, and licorice. A handful of green Easter basket grass and a 20 inch piece of card board or platter add a festive touch to the presentation of this cake.

Now bake the cake according to the directions on the package in two medium round cake pans. Once the cakes have cooled place one of the cake rounds at the middle and bottom of the cardboard. Then cut the other cake in half right down the middle. Next place the halves sticking out of the top of the circle like ears. Now ice the entire cake. Mix some of the red dye with the icing and full in the inside shape of the ears with it. Next use the candy to create a face The licorice works as excellent whiskers, and the jelly beans are a great nose. After all of the candy is in place sprinkle coconut over the cake and press it lightly into the frosting.

The final touch is to place the grass round the cake, and sprinkle with some of the jelly beans and gum drops. This will give the cake a very Festive Easter look. This cake is fun and easy and should be enjoyed every year.

Princess Castle Birthday Cake Made Easy

by Sarah Ganly

Birthdays are a very special time of year for everyone, and one of the most cherished birthday tradition is the birthday cake. Kids' birthday parties are always special events, and many of them have themes. If you have a little girl in you life who is having a princess party this cake recipe is perfect for you!

This recipe is very simple and does not require much knowledge of baking. The construction of this cake is the important part. You will need the following ingredients:

3 boxes of packaged cake mix (choose whichever flavor your little girl likes) and the ingredients needed to prepare it
4 cans of white icing
Food coloring (red is good color, but yellow also looks nice)
A couple of toothpicks
A sheet construction paper
A chocolate bar (Hershey is preferred because it has blocks)
Assorted candy
Assorted cake pans and 1 cupcake pan

In order to make this awesome castle cake prepare the cake batter according to the directions on the box. Now in order to construct this cake I use a three 10"x12" cake pans, 2 square pans, and a cupcake pan, but you can vary the cake pans you need in order to construct the castle to your own personal preference.

Once you bake the cakes and they have cooled you can assemble the castle. On a large piece of cardboard lay the first piece of the biggest cake and ice it all around. Lay down the next two of the big pieces and ice it all like a normal cake. Next lay the smaller square pieces in the middle of the biggest piece and ice them in between and all around. Finally it is time for the cupcakes. Take one cupcake and cut the top off, lay it upside down in the middle of the smaller cake and lay the cut off type on top of the cupcake while it is upside down. This acts like a turret on the castle; feel free to add more turrets anywhere on your castle. You can put a turret in each corner of the bigger layer of cake.

Make sure to ice all of the layers together, and if the cake is dry do to coats to make sure you have an even solid white finish. Now mix the white icing with the food coloring and add some streamers to your castle. I go around the edges in loops to make it look nice. Attach little flags cut from the paper to the toothpicks and stick them in your turrets. Add the assorted candy for decoration and your cake castle is ready for the big day!

Quick, Simple, and Easy No Bake Cookie Recipe

Quick, Simple, and Easy No Bake Cookie Recipe
By Sarah Ganly

Everyone loves cookies, but not everyone has time to bake. With increasing job demands, travel time, bringing the kids back and forth from school and extracurricular activities there is not always enough time to wait for your cookies to bake in the oven. I have compiled a couple of easy, quick, no bake cookie recipes for all of those of you out there who love to make cookies but don't have enough time to bake.

The first recipe is for butterscotch oatmeal cookies. You will need one small package of butterscotch instant pudding mix; you can substitute this with chocolate, vanilla, or any of your other favorite flavors of pudding to mix it up a bit. You will also need 2 cups of white sugar, 5/8 cup of butter,2 and a 1/3 cup of instant oats or oatmeal, and 5 ounces of evaporated milk. All you have to do is bring all of the ingredients except for the oats to a boil; then you will stir in the oats. Finally you will line a cookie sheet with wax paper and drop small amounts of the mixture onto the wax paper. Refrigerate for an hour and the cookies are ready to eat!

Another quick and easy cookie recipe that does not require baking is for chocolate peanut clusters, and all you will need for this recipe is 2 cups of chocolate chips, 1 and a half cup of peanuts, 1 and ¾ cups of butterscotch chips, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, and 2 cups of chow mien noodles. In a double boiler melt the butterscotch and the chocolate chips. When all of the chips are melted remove from heat and mix the rest of the ingredients into the melted mix. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and refrigerate until hardened.

These recipes are simple, quick and require no baking time whatsoever, so everyone out there can keep up with their busy schedules and still be able to enjoy delicious homemade cookies!

5 Fun and Easy Fall Themed Crafts for Adults

1. Pumpkins Centerpieces
Fall is a great time of year for decorating your home with nature items. The autumn leaf change provides vibrant colors in all sorts of variations of red, orange, yellow, brown, and green. Acorns and pinecones are in abundance, and pumpkins, squashes, and gourds are showing themselves in the garden and grocery store. Using these items to create easy fall themed centerpieces is a great  home decor craft for adults.

2. Fall Themed Fabric Flower Bouquets

Creating fabric bouquets from felt requires only needle, thread, wire, scissors, and creativity. This fall home decor project is a great way for adults to create flowers that will last them for years to come.

3.Apples

Dried apple crafts are an obvious fall project. Apples are plentiful in the fall, and taking a country drive to see the fall foliage and pick apples is as American as well, apple pie. There are many craft projects using dried apples. Check out this article  to learn how to make a dried apple centerpiece.


4. Scarves and Hats

Fall brings the chill of winter, and the cool autumn nights will be even better with handmade scarves and hats. Whether you are crocheting, sewing, or braiding a scarf or hat for the autumn tempetatures; this is a great fall themed craft for adults.

5. Nature Wreath

During autumn we gather, and this is an appropriate time to make a beautiful fall wreath. There are so many items available; it would be silly to pass up on this fall themed craft. Use vines and branches for a base, and add acorns, pine cones, and dried berries or nuts to decorate the wreath, and don;t for get to add colorful fall leaves. 

Back to School Countdown Day 6: Time Capsule Crafts with Kids

Easy, Back to School Time Capsule Craft with Kids

Making an easy, back to school time capsule with craft with kids is a lot of fun. This kid craft is a great way to get ready for the year to come. It is also a wonderful way to remember the past. This article will provide you with detailed instructions for creating an easy, back to school time capsule craft with kids.

When creating an easy, back to school time capsule with kids you will need several personal items. For this craft start by having your kids think about all the things they are interested in at the moment. Pictures of their favorite celebrities, clothing, colors, food, and movies are all good ideas for this time capsule craft. More items that go well in a back to school time capsule is money, cds, jewelry, and other personal item that your kids would like to keep safe in this craft.

It is also nice to include a letter written by your kids to their future self. Including information about what they expect in the year to come is a nice addition to this letter. Remind kids that the will not see these items until the next time they are going back to school, and it is important that they include any information they would like to find later on.

To complete this craft you will also need a coffee can or large plastic bottle. You will also need duct tape. When choosing the duct tape you will use, be creative. Duct tape comes in a variety of colors and patterns. Be sure to choose tape that your kids find interesting.

To complete this time capsule craft with your kids put all the items in the can or bottle. Then close the lid tightly. Seal the entire can shut by covering it completely in duct tape. Add a second layer to make sure it is sealed well and water proof. Then dig a hole in your yard and bury the time capsule with your kids the day before they go back to school.

This easy craft is fun to complete with your kids. A back to school time capsule is fun to open up at the end of the year and see how much your kids have changed and grown. Create this easy, time capsule craft with your kids in honor of going back to school, and you will have a great time.

Easy Home Decorating Crafts With Cds

Easy Home Decorating Crafts With Cds