Easter Bread Basket

537116_589479911147837_222792202_nThis is just such a great idea – and can be made small for personal servings or large to accommodate holding eggs or other special breads to serve with your Easter dinner…. and not as hard as you believe.

Start by covering a oven safe bowl with two layers of foil. With dough rolled out and cut into strips you will make a basket as shown on the outside of the bowl. Place a braided row at the top. Make an additional braided row for the handle. Bake following instruction for your bread recipe allowing some room to give and take.

You can cook regularly or wash the outside of basket with egg wash to give a deep golden color.

Lumiary Painted Mason Jar

luminary light candle stars paint project craft mason jarClean a mason jar and dry – then wipe with a clean cloth and rubbing alcohol. This is important for the preparation of the glass to make it accept the paint. Use star stickers (or any shape stickers) and apply to mason jar in a design or random. Try not to touch the glass with your fingers anymore then absolutely necessary, the oil from your fingers can make it so the paint won’t stick. Paint with a variety of colors as an all over design or put cap on mason jar and dip one end in one color paint and dry – then dip the other in paint and dry. If you paint the bottom first and then the top and dry with the mason jar right side up the top paint can drip in streaks over paint on the bottom.  It is best to use acrylic paint but you will need to seal this with polyurethane so a design painted by a child with finger paints would work as well – and would make a nice gift for a parent or grandparent.

 

Chocolate Nest Bowl

chocolate bowl nest serve party desert treat foil neat elegant melt

What a completely elegant way to serve strawberries or some other goodies to a special someone or at an elegant party. Take a solid bowl (glass or metal because plastic bowls will tend to shift and can crack chocolate) and use thin foil to cover the outside of the bowl. Melt chocolate or candy melt/almond bark and keep drizzling over foil to create a nesting look. Make sure to get enough so it will be strong and don’t forget to get the ridges of the bowl and the bottom.You can do a two-tone effect of white chocolate/dark chocolate or three if you added a medium colored chocolate. DO NOT FREEZE as this will make the chocolate very brittle. Air dry the chocolate at least eight hours. Gently turn bottom of your new bowl so it is sitting on its bottom. Pull foil away from glass/metal bowl and then remove glass/metal bowl. Then gently pull away from your chocolate bowl.  Slight breaks can be fixed with some patching (melt chocolate and hold a piece of foil on the underside of your chocolate bowl and drizzle to repair and hold for a few minutes. Let dry completely before you pull foil away. Your new bowl is ready – would make a great way to serve Mom or Dad a breakfast of fresh strawberries for Mother’s / Father’s Day. For Diabetic’s use sugar free chocolate and if you want to lower calories the rule of the darker the chocolate is the better.

Family Handprints Art

daddy mommy dad mom baby child hand prints gift love plaque wooden

Saw this piece and wanted to share it with you. I love the idea o putting a hand print of Dad and Mom and then of each of their children on a white background and then having it framed. This would be a great idea to hang over a baby crib or to give to parents from their children on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day or for their anniversary. Would look great above a door or over a mantle for all to see. This would even be a perfect gift for two sets of parents to make for their daughter (bride) or son (groom) for a wedding present and decoration.

Mother’s Day / Father’s Day / Baby Shower Card

mother day mother's grandma craft child gift art fun plaqueWhat a great idea for a card for Mom on Mother’s Day.Fold a piece of construction paper (or card stock that you can decoupage on or color/paint a design on) and block outline the word MOM on one folded half. Make sure the top of MOM touches the top fold. This does not have to look perfect by any means – letters can be rounded out or have some waves in them. Be creative and have lots of fun. Decorate the front with stickers, glitter, colored glue, paint, etc. When done trim once again to give the edges a clean look. You can do this same design using the words DAD for Father’s Day or BABY for a baby shower or how about the name of the recipient?