5 posts from April 2009

Times are though sometimes but we should not let that spoil our holidays. With Easter just around the corner, we should make sure we have everything we need without compromising our budget or feeling restricted. Although as adults we might be able to take a few cuts, kids cannot grasp the concept of “though times” and should be protected against struggles.

This is why we put together this great Easter Egg Hunt that is not only full of fun, but also practical. It will keep the kids cheerful and it will keep you, and your wallets, happy. We will show how easy it is to create and how fun it is to play. This might be the only time when putting all your eggs in one basket could be a good idea!

Easter Basket Carrot-Egg Hunt

The main idea behind this hunt is that the kids will collect plastic eggs and paper carrots that contain clues. Then, they will come together with all the clues they found and try to figure out where the treasure basket is. You can either set a time limit, and see how many clues they can find, or let the kids know the exact number of “clues” there are hidden. Before we start the hunt, we need to create the Easter basket. This is the treasure the kids are seeking, and your wallet’s little secret.

Creating the Basket

Rather than spending so much one all those items that kids collect in their own basket, be more practical this year! Create one basket by filling it up with lots of Easter paraphernalia. You can add anything from chocolate eggs to stuffed bunnies, plush chicks or other stuffed animals. If you want to ensure kids won’t get too hyped on all the sugar that day include more Easter figurines and stuffed animals. This might be even more beneficial in the long run, as the toys last long after the candy is gone. So, decorate your basket by creatively placing some plush chicks surrounded by some fun Easter eggs all around, and maybe add a cute Easter Bunny in the middle, it is the tradition nevertheless! You can embellish it by adding some Easter candy or by adding extra toys and little stuffed animals, depending of your preference.

The decoration for the basket also depends on this next step: do you want to raffle off the Easter basket contents, or do you want equal amounts of everything for each child. If you raffle them, then you can play with the toys and stuffed animals, since a toy for each child and some candy would not kill your budget. However three or four plush animals per child might be a lot. So, if you do want that each child to have an equal share of the basket, you might want to stuff it with some Easter candy and maybe a cute little stuffed chick figurine or plush baby duck per child. This way at the end of the hunt, everybody has a good time and some nice Easter gifts.

The Clues

After you created your basket, hide it somewhere you know the kids will not be able to find it. If your place is small, you can hide it on top of a cabinet and cover it with something. Just make sure is high enough for them not even to spot it, or else, their curiosity might draw them to climb to some dangerous places.

Now for the clues. You can create two types of clues. If the kids are big enough to read, use words to tell them where they should look. If not, use drawings or signs.

There are also two ways you can mask these clues. You can put them on a piece of paper inside plastic colorful eggs, or you can write them on your very own paper carrots. To create the carrots all you need is orange and green construction paper. Cut long triangles from the orange paper, and cut a thick triangle from the green paper. Glue on the top of the green triangle to the bottom of the orange triangle. Cut the base of the green triangle, in long thing parts, as if it were shredded and leave the green shreds on. There you go! You just made yourself an easy paper carrot. Now all you have to do is write the clue on it and you are all set.

The Hunt

Hide the eggs and the carrots in easy to reach places, such as under the couch pillows, under the covers of your bed, behind lamps and so on.

Give the kids either the number of clues or a time limit and watch them scoop around for the clues. When the time is out, or they found all the clues, get all of them together and help them figure out where the basket is located. After the Easter basket is found distribute or raffle of the content to each kid.

And there you have it. This Easter hunt is a guaranteed success. It is so much fun that the kids will talk about it all year round and it is easy on your budget. Have a happy hunt and a happy Easter!

There are few moments in life as precious as the ones which you spend preparing for the arrival of your new little one. You will spend ten months in anticipation of this arrival and when that day comes, you will want everything to be perfect when you bring the bundle home from the hospital.

If you know that you are having a boy, you may choose to go traditional. When I found out I was having a boy, my husband and I chose a somewhat traditional mixed with contemporary approach. We did choose a smoky blue for the color of the top half and ceiling of his room. To add a little something more to it, we chose to put white wainscoting on the bottom half of the wall topped with chair rail. This adds a little texture to the room and makes it a little more interesting. We also have a ceiling fan in the room whose blades are of dark wood. This adds to the richness in the blue color that we chose for the room. Another popular choice would be to further enhance the room by adding the name of the child in large letters on the wall. This is certainly an option and does add to the decor of the room. We chose to leave the walls relatively blank with the exception of three small decorative pieces of artwork that goes with the theme of airplanes that is expressed through the bedding for the crib.

If you find that you're having a girl, the traditional color choice is pink or lavender for the room. You may choose to do one or both of those colors in the room and buy bedding that will go with the color scheme that you have chosen. The color of the crib and furniture will add to the decor. If you have white furniture, brighter colors will work nicely. If your furniture is showing its natural colors, deeper earthy tones will probably work best. The decor and bedding that you choose for the room should compliment the colors that are in the room. If having a girl and using the traditional color scheme, a theme of butterflies or princesses or something along those lines will tie into those colors nicely.

If you either don't know what you're having or that is not a factor in your choice of design, there is a whole world of choice available to you. A room that is designed for babies in general is one that may use tones of greens and yellow. These are bright cheery colors that have no connotation of one sex of child over the other. There are plenty of themed sets of bedding that go with these color choices as well. If you'd rather not choose a “theme,” there are simple color choices in bedding that will go with the look you're trying to achieve. The important thing is to create an atmosphere that is cheerful so that you're little one can start off every day with a little cheer.

No matter the color, the baby's room should be one that creates a happy atmosphere. This atmosphere should be conducive to learning and exploring as that is what your little one will be doing for the next several years of their life. This room should be unforgettable in process and completion.

Amidst all the fun things you need to do in preparation for a new baby, is to decorate the nursery room. At times, this task might seem difficult. This is why we bundled up these great ideas for you, to help it all come together without too much trouble. We are creating a teddy bears themed nursery from scratch, just to prove that it can be easy and fun. Let yourself emerge in a world of colors, stuffed animals, teddy bears and little cute things ready to welcome your new baby!

So you’re having a baby, congratulations! Whether it’s your first child or not, being an expectant parent is always an exciting experience. There’s many things about this time in your life that are enjoyable, and one of the most fun is getting to designate and decorate your baby’s new room. Below we’ve included a couple of fun filled ideas to help you get started on this great project. And the best thing about them, is that they will fit any budget and still allow you to create an amazing nursery!

Besides these great nursery ideas, we have also included some practical tips for you. After all, it can’t all be fun and frivolous. You’ll need some useful and practical items for your new son or daughter.

So it’s time to get started. We will start by imagining an empty room, but if you’ve already painted, you’re a little ahead so just skip to the parts that are relevant to you!

Teddy Bear Nursery

What’s more popular than a teddy bear? Few toys are as appropriate for baby, and the teddy bear theme assures you’ll have a room just as cute as your new baby!

Painting and Colors

To start with, you’ll need to paint the walls. To create a fun teddy-bear theme start by painting the walls in a bright and exciting color. A couple of great choices would be green, pink, yellow, or brown, but feel free to use your imagination! Then, choose a rug to compliment your chosen wall color. For example, if you chose pink, go with a creamy colored rug. Or if you chose green, go with a dark green rug. Once you’ve got those two things picked out, it’s time to decide on furniture.

Furniture

A baby’s room doesn’t need a whole lot of furniture, but there are a couple of essential items. Most obviously, there’s the crib, as you need a safe and comfortable place for baby to sleep. You will also need a changing table and either a dresser or a clothing cabinet. The changing table is certainly essential, because you will be changing a lot of diapers! And the dresser is important too, because you will soon find yourself with plenty of baby clothes as you get shower gifts and start finding cute things on your own. Two other things, though not essential, are also recommended. One of these is a love seat or small couch, because as a parent, you’ll be spending a lot of time in that room, and it might be nice to have a place to sit! Plus, you will no doubt have a lot of guests over to see the new baby, and it would be great to have a place for them to rest their feet too as they oh and ah over the new arrival. The other thing that is recommended is a twin bed. You will need this eventually anyway as your child grows bigger and graduates from the crib. You can also add a nightstand next to the bed, and a little baby armchair, table, or little ottoman. Remember, it depends on how much space is available in the baby room.

Accessories and Decor

Now for the really fun part! It’s time to “accessorize” the room. First, find some bedding with a teddy bear theme. This bedding can be as budget friendly or luxurious as you want, depending on where you buy it. Next, start decorating the room. Get a blanket to throw over the back of the love seat or rocking chair that has a teddy bear printed on it. Then place a big plush teddy on one of the corners of the bed or on the loveseat. You can also get some smaller bears to be placed on the changing table. This will work best if you’ve placed the changing table against the wall, so the stuffed animals have some where to lean against. Not only will this look great, but it might even keep the baby from crying while he or she is being changed!

If you decided to add a nightstand, you could also place a teddy bear frame on it with a picture of your new family, once the baby comes. Another option would be to find a stuffed animal themed lamp or lamp sheet to put next to the photo frame. These things could also be placed on the dresser, if you didn’t get a nightstand. Then, finish off the room by adding some classic drapes or valances. Drapes are best if the room as too much light during the day, and valances are best if you have a darker room. Colors for the curtains should be chosen to compliment the furniture or the walls and rug.

So there you go! You have created a fun-filled (and adorable) room for your new baby. Take these suggestions and be as creative or classic as you want, and friendly to your wallet as well! Remember, with some bright colors, basic furniture, plush teddy bears and themed décor you can transform a plain room into the perfect place for baby.

It’s that time of year again: Easter! And as always, you need to create some fun Easter baskets for the children in your life. Whether you are looking for something non-traditional, or trying to come up with a basket that’s fun and yet doesn’t break the bank, or even making your first Easter basket, this article will have something for you.

Each of these baskets are inexpensive and great time savers. They are easy to construct and can be put together in less than an hour. So hop to it and go ahead and create the perfect basket; here there is something for everyone!

Forest Easter Basket

If you know a child that’s an avid hiker/camper/outdoor lover, this is the basket for them. Before you start building the basket, get these items together:

* Brown wooden basket
* Brown and green Easter grass or shredded paper of the same colors
* Construction paper in green and orange
* Your choice of plastic, chocolate or hard boiled eggs
* Animal shaped cookies or crackers
* A natural appearing plush rabbit
* Butterflies and ladybugs 3-D stickers (optional)

Once you’ve gathered together everything, it’s time to create the basket.

1. To represent soil, place the brown paper or Easter grass at the bottom of the basket. Then, layer over the brown with the green in order to represent grass. This is a good base to start with.

2. Next you can add the bunny. You can either use it as a centerpiece and place the plush toy in the middle, or you can place it towards the back so it’s a “supporting” element.

3. Then it’s time to start adding the eggs. Place them all around the bunny. If you want a very natural looking basket, don’t use too colorful of eggs. But if you like a lot of color, or only have colored eggs on hand, use them.

4. Next, you can arrange the animal cookies or crackers. Put them among the eggs, so that it looks like they are peeking around them.

5. Next it’s time to use the green and orange construction paper into “carrots. Cut long triangles from the orange paper for the carrot, and then add the green paper by cutting and shredding a small rectangle that you can tape to the carrot’s base for its leaves. You can decide how many of these you need.

6. Lastly, if you decided to get some stickers, place a couple of lady bugs and/or butterfly stickers to the handle, as if they were crawling up it. This will give the basket a very forest friendly look.

So now you have the perfect Easter basket for an outdoor lover!

Farm Easter Basket

This basket is very colorful and utilizes the traditional farm animals as symbols of Easter. For this basket you will need:

* A Small or Medium basket (any color)
* Green and yellow Easter grass or shredded paper
* Plastic, chocolate or hard boiled eggs
* 4 -5 fuzzy plush chicks or baby ducks
* Optional: Twizzlers or gummy worms
* Optional: Flower 3-D stickers or colorful ribbon

Now it’s time to build this fun basket:

1. First, you should mix together the green and yellow Easter grass until it simulates farm hay. Then fill the basket almost full with the mixture.

2. Next, take your stuffed chicks or baby ducks and place them on top of the hay. Arrange them however you see fit. This could be at random, so they’re evenly spaced, or so they are arranged in a line as if they were following each other.

3. Then place the eggs all around the plush toys. If you want to add an extra, cute touch, break some of the egg shells so it looks like they just hatched. Put some of the shells on their head or beside them.

4. Next, if you want to add more candy to the basket, because after all, Easter is a big candy holiday, set some twizzlers or gummy worms around the chicks. This way it looks like they are about to have lunch! Yummy!

5. Your last step could be to add some colorful flower stickers to the basket, because what spring scene is complete without freshly blooming flowers? Also, take the ribbon and tie it around the handle for that perfect finishing touch.

So there you have it, an adorable farm themed Easter basket! It seems that you can put all your chicks and eggs in one basket after all!

As you can see, Easter baskets can be a really fun way to flex your creative muscle, and create some wonderful new memories of one of the biggest holidays around! Happy Easter!

Many people believe that an Easter gift basket should contain the requisite eggs and chocolates but this is not the case. An Easter basket can contain anything that the giver believes the recipient will appreciate.

Food Items For An Easter Gift Basket

Some of the usual foods that you may find in the store bought baskets are items such as chocolate shaped Easter bunnies, chocolate eggs, candy chicks and the like.

You may also notice that many Easter baskets have hard boiled eggs in them that are painted and decorated with felt pens, food coloring, and permanent markers which can look pretty affective. You can never go wrong with the personal touch however. Give those store bought Easter gift baskets a wide birth for 2009 and come up with your own ideas. Last year I made an Easter bunny sock puppet that made my son laugh for ages. Little ideas like these are always the best.

You can always bulk up your Easter gift basket with some gourmet teas & coffees, cakes & muffins, and Easter cookies.

The possibilities are really only limited by your imagination when considering Easter gift basket ideas for 2009. If you have a friend that has just lost his or her job and is struggling during this financially trying time, then you can always put together an Easter basket that contains groceries. By disguising your food package as an Easter gift basket, you will help spare the feelings of the recipient who may feel too proud to take it otherwise.

I Don't Want Food for My Easter Basket

We've all probably eaten enough chocolate and cakes over Christmas to last us a lifetime. So if you're looking for some Easter gift basket ideas that aren't of the food variety then some great ones are items such as flowers, scented Easter candles, house hold items and others.

I guess it all depends on your relationship with the recipient as to how personal the Easter basket will be. I am making my daughter an Easter basket for 2009 and will fill it up with all her favourite perfumes and toiletries as she is not that keen on chocolate. You can also adopt this Easter gift basket idea for your family too.

Another great idea that usually goes down well with those who are religious is a picture book depicting Easter scenes as described in the bible. This kind of basket is obviously not for everyone, but how about some sex and the city DVDs or the latest album by Madonna for your basket.

No matter what Easter gift basket ideas you choose to adopt for 2009 you can be certain that they will be well received. Easter gift baskets are fun, simple, and thoughtful gifts for family, friends, and colleagues alike.