How to make CHOCOLATE BUNNIES

This post comes (to you) from one of my Facebook Community Fans who was kind enough to let me share her great craft project (thanks Beth!).  Like so many, she loves decorating with the faux (fake) Chocolate Bunnies during the Easter season, but agrees that they are hard to find in the stores because shoppers snap them up so quickly!  So, thanks to Beth, you can create your own and BONUS… they’re easy to make!  Less trouble than a batch of cookies.  And if you don’t have a BUNNY candy mold, that should be easy to find in your local craft store or try the cake baking dept. of any discount “mart” store.  Have fun creating!! 🙂

EASTER EGG TOPIARY

As my readers have seen (in previous posts), although they’re a little rustic, I’ve had so much fun utilizing my footed planters almost every season.  I love to recycle & re-purpose my seasonal decorations to save money.  So, once I decided to use them for Easter too, as always, I didn’t want to put too much money into the decoration.  Like everyone else, I’m watching my pennies.  It all worked out though once I decided to change the color scheme of my family room decor and then, came across these cool 8″ & 14″ Chinese egg lanterns for only $2.00 each.

Usually, I place multi-colored flowers around my huge homemade Easter tree, as you can see in this photo:

Check out my BOOK for details on how I made this HUGE tree!

But as I mentioned, I created a new (sunny, yellow bunny) theme in my family room (check out that post too – https://seasonalhome.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/yellow-at-easter-its-not-just-for-chicks-anymore/), so I also changed out the multi-colored flowers for yellow & white.  Making this change made them available for use in my outdoor display.  And of course, once I found the inexpensive egg lanterns (pictured above), my inspiration and idea was complete… on a budget, as always!

First, I added some recycled styrofoam to the inside of my planters to help me secure my flower stems and egg lanterns.  Also, knowing my eggs would be tall and lightweight, I thought it would be a good idea to add a recycled piece of PVC pipe (shhh!  don’t tell my hubby that I raided his sprinkler system stash of these).  Once I inserted the PVC pipe through the center of my styrofoam, I used my glue gun to add hot glue to the bottom inside the planter, where the PVC pipe meets the bottom (of the planter) and between the PVC pipe and styrofoam, to add more stability.

I also decided that I wanted a little more display bang for my dollar.  So, before I put my egg lanterns in place, I threaded a strand of white-wire Christmas lights (FREE, since I already had them!) through both of them and secured the female end of the plug to the smaller egg so the light strand wouldn’t slip back down.  That way, I can light my egg topiary at night to double my decorating dollar!

Next, I fed the PVC pipe through both of my (8″ & 12″) egg lanterns and used floral pins to secure the bottom egg to the styrofoam (inside the planter)  and then, used a little bit of low-temp hot glue to keep the eggs together.

Finally, I added the florals (recycled from my indoor Easter Tree) around the base of the eggs and my egg topiary was complete.    I made 2 and placed them on both sides of my front door. Cost, to me, to create these decorations – $8.00.

I also hung a few more along my front porch eaves to bring the look out even further.  I thought “at only $2 each, why not?!” 😉

I have a small, wrought iron table on the same porch, on which I made a sweet rustic bird display.  If you check out some of my older posts, you’ll recognize all of these items (from previous designs) too.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Eileen

EXTREME Easter Egg Hunt

If you want to take your family’s Easter Egg Hunt to the next level, check out my family’s  Easter tradition!  All of the details are located in my book –  Creative Family Traditions and Ideas (preview here) alongside 60 other awesome ideas.  We have SO much FUN, exercise and the Prize Baskets are incredible, yet they don’t cost me anything to create, other than my time.  We NEVER have a “no-show” at our family event.  😉

Below you’ll see just some of our past fun, a few of our prize baskets and a short video from a past Easter.  So, check out the unique and totally creative ideas in my book and take YOUR family’s Easter get-together to the next level to create a lifetime of memories!

I found one!

Basket Theme: VERA BRADLEY "Relax"

Basket Theme: "ON THE GO!"

Basket Theme: "LET'S COOK-OUT!"

The Egg Hunt Begins!

Basket Theme: "VIDEO GAME FUN!"

Here are my 2011 prize baskets and remember…… they didn’t cost me one single dime to create (details in my book).  Click on any photo to view it in larger detail:

These themes were (l to r): ECO-FRIENDLY Basket, KIDS Basket, LET’S GO TO THE MOVIES Basket and VERA BRADLEY “LET’S TRAVEL!” Basket

And here are the 2012 baskets

(cost to me – $0):

The Themes are “CHOPPED” and “GIRL CAVE”….

  

And our GOLDEN EGG gift basket themes are “FUN OUTSIDE” and “FUN INSIDE”…

 

Fun New Easter Candy for 2011

I love to look at all of the new seasonal offerings in the store, especially during Spring.  And it always amazes me to see what manufacturers come up with!  I find myself thinking “Wow!  I can’t believe no one thought of that (the product) before!”  Here are 2 of this year’s offerings, both of which I found at Target.  I know this stuff is pure sugar, but once a year, it’s fun to indulge…. just a little. 😉

For those of you who can never make up your mind about which PEEP flavor is best, they have “Peeps on a Stick” this year, featuring 4 different flavors/colors.  And if you are the Easter “Hostess with the Mostest”, you might enjoy using the edible Easter Grass to create something similar to the photo below.  I think you might find the edible grass much easier to work with – after all, it’s already peeled into strands for you! (LOL)

This nest was made out of black licorice (delish.com)

A beautiful garden on the 1st day of SPRING

I just couldn’t resist wishing all of my readers, subscribers, followers, fans and sponsors a “Happy Spring” on this 1st day of one of my favorite seasons.  I know a lot of you have had a tough winter and year, so I hope this little bit of nature in bloom brings provides you with the inspiration to begin your own new (plant) life in your gardens or patio containers…  as soon as it’s possible, of course.

My regular blog viewers are familiar with how I love to design and decorate on a budget.  I’m always happiest when I’m creating something out of nothing.  This beautiful garden design idea completely qualifies because this is my neighbor’s handiwork… ha ha… completely FREE for me to look at and admire, so I’m sharing with you – ENJOY!  🙂

This vintage wheelbarrow was a gift from one of their relatives, as a rememberance, so it is a very special part of their design, every season

 

“NO-Cal” Chocolate Bunnies for Easter! (LOL)

[CLICK on any PHOTO to view it LARGER]

I admit that I have a few holiday collections, but this is one of my favorites… CHOCOLATE BUNNIES!

I have them in all sizes, as you can see in the photos below – from tiny to GIANT-size.  And these are the best kind because they are faux bunnies, so there are no calories.  A few years ago, I even found a lighted “Chocolate Bunny Factory” (by Department 56 – check ebay to purchase) that is an adorable addition to my growing collection.

Combining my bunnies (gathered in a basket) with my lighted house (set on top of a cake plate to create a more equal height and scale) and finishing it off with a cute “EASTER” sign I found at Target creates a cute and YUMMY fireplace mantel scene:

I also found a (faux) chocolate egg topiary –

and a wreath that is the perfect accent to my LARGEST Chocolate Bunny –

In this same room, I also have a few “non-chocolate” decorations –

I placed my white bunny cookie jar on a nest of Easter grass, in the center of a large bowl, and dotted the grass with a few faux chocolate eggs.

And I love my stone bunny, so I added some blue eggs to his bowl to pick up on one of the accent colors in my rug.

Have a wonderful & chocolate-y Easter!

“Springy” Easter Kitchen & Chandelier

There are a lot of black (accents) in THE SEASONAL HOME kitchen.  That creates a slight decorating challenge for me, especially during the seasons & holidays, but one that I absolutely love!  There are a ton of colors that go great with black (lime, lemon, pumpkin, ruby, cornflower, lilac, etc.) and I am enjoying exploring them all.

For Spring and Easter, I am using yellow and green as my accent colors, in the form of  chicks and cabbage leaves.  I began with my black cabinets that I filled with a green soup tureen and other “cabbage” accents, alongside my bunnies (the silver couple are my fav).  I just had to add a little jelly bean display because it’s not Easter without jelly beans!

And I didn’t leave out my chandelier!  A few (faux) cabbage leaves, some chick-filled nests, a botanical garland, daisies and some black & white checked ribbon have transformed an ordinary light fixture into a Spring-y delight!

 

 

Handmade “SPRING” Candle Topper

When you’re buying a candle for yourself or giving it as a gift, it’s always a nice touch to also purchase a pretty, seasonal candle topper, like the adorable bunny-bear themed one shown here.  They’re popular because they look so much nicer (than a plain lid) on top of a candle jar, when it’s sitting out on the counter and not in use.  But, they can be pricey and in the current economy, it’s always fun to find another option that is less expensive.  Here is one you can try or use for inspiration to create your own idea.

This idea is so easy!  Using a hot glue gun or super glue (that works on glass or whatever material your candle lid is made out of), simply glue 3 silk flowers (daisies were used in this example) on top of the jar candle lid.  If the candle is going to be a gift, add some colorful, curling ribbon that can be removed by the recipient later and you won’t even need to wrap it!  Cost: around $1.00 vs. a store-bought, seasonal candle topper (apx. $12-$20).  I’m sure you will think of other ideas that also work and will be just as festive.  Happy Creativity!

Yellow, at Easter… it’s not just for “CHICKS” anymore!

Time to decorate for Easter!  And this year, I wanted a “HAPPY” color because it’s that time of year when everyone is ready for something new… Spring!  Pastels are pretty, but I wanted to choose something that would lift everyone’s spirits and “YELLOW” seems like the perfect color to accomplish that mission!

I know that yellow is typically paired with Easter “CHICKS”, but that would be too typical for someone like me…  so “BUNNIES” it is!  As I was spray painting my inexpensive clay pots white (as a primer) and then, yellow…

I couldn’t help but imagine how nice this painted pot would look with a textured rim.  I started looking around and thought of some great things (I had on hand) that would accomplish just that: rice, beans, bird seed, beads, ribbon, etc.    Because I already had some small yellow silk flowers on hand, I decided to use those –

which turned out great!   

Then, I got a little distracted thinking about what a nice, inexpensive gift container this pretty painted flower-pot would make… with a small Easter gift inside.  The first thing I placed in my new gift container was some pretty purple petunias.  Total cost for pot, paint, silk & real flowers – $5.00.  This would also be a nice “gift container” for a greenery plant; maybe an herb, like Rosemary or Parsley.  P.S. Don’t forget to include your best recipe that highlights the herb you are gifting!

For another gift idea, consider a “garden” theme!  Place garden gloves, gladioli bulbs, chapstick and sunscreen (all purchased at a dollar store, btw) and a a small jar of hand lotion.  Total Cost for pot, paint, flowers & items – $10.00

So, if your budget is tight, but you have some upcoming gift needs this Spring, I hope these inexpensive suggestions help.

Of course, I could continue coming up with more gift ideas, but it’s time to get back to decorating!

First, I spray painted 3 different sizes of the clay pots and stacked them (use styrofoam, plastic cups (hot glue these in place), sand, etc. inside each pot so the next pot will sit up higher inside the pot  beneath it).  Because I had decided to use some white bunny figurines (I already had), I decided to hot glue white daisies (found at Wal-Mart for 97 cents) to decorate 3 of my painted clay pots and a $1.00 roll of yellow & white gingham ribbon as an accent for the other 2.

I thought the yellow & white gingham ribbon might also make a nice “color” accent to my mantel.  So, using my hot glue gun, I put a few dots of glue – just enough to keep a length of my ribbon in place.  My mantel is painted in a high gloss paint, which is very forgiving and will allow me to peel off the hot glue, after Easter.  If your mantel’s surface is delicate, I would suggest that you use a safer product – removable velcro tabs (called COMMAND and made by 3M).  As you can see, the ribbon created a subtle, but nice accent and broke-up all of the white (of my mantel) –

I had no need to make a wreath this year because I found the perfect design at Old Time Pottery for less than $20 and added a wooden “WELCOME” white bunny sign I already had to it.  I also had an inexpensive white, yellow & green 6 foot daisy garland, which I laid across the front of the mantel, mixing in some plastic yellow & white Easter eggs, faux grass, (VERY) inexpensive fencing (from the DIY store) and a strand of carrot lights, all of which I’ve had for years. 

The orange BUNNY TREATS jar was an old Hallmark candy dish I got for free because the lid was missing, so I made lemonade out of lemons and popped a faux head of lettuce on top of it, but tied a bit of my gingham ribbon around it first, like a gift (for the bunnies, of course!)

The giant yellow daisies are a loan from my Creative Family Traditions and Ideas book displays. 

In the end, my total cost for this Spring’s design was $32.00 and I love the end result!  I hope you do too!

Don’t forget to check out my previous Spring and Easter decorations…. always done on a budget!  They can be found under the CATEGORIES of Spring and Easter, in the right hand column of this blog.  If you need an Easter gift, please check out my book.  Those ideas are all budget-minded too.

HAPPY EASTER!

Eileen

P.S.  If you don’t think lights make a difference, just check out how cozy the night view is:

Bird Watching in my Springy Foyer!

[click on any photo to view an enlarged view & don’t forget to check out my many other ideas, under the Easter & Spring categories]

Old Man Winter has FINALLY left Florida and the birds have arrived!  Every day, I have the pleasure of watching them out in my garden, splashing in the bird bath.  They are so funny because when there’s not enough water, they just sit there as if to say “Hey Decorator Lady… you’re falling down on the job!”

I’m so happy when they choose a nearby tree to build their little nests too, but I feel absolutely privileged when I get to witness their babies arrive.  Last year, I got lucky (while their Mom and Dad were out gathering food) and had my camera with me at the perfect time; I caught these new baby Cardinal’s chirping away, wondering where their food was. 

So, with my neighborhood full of fancy fliers, I was completely inspired to create my own version of  nature’s aviary in my foyer for Spring this year.  And here are a few photos, of that creativity, for you to enjoy:

 

 

 

HAPPY SPRING!