Easter Topiaries

It's time to start decorating for Easter. Yay! Bright colors.... springy themes. I'm so ready for some color and warmth after a long, cold winter.

And topiaries are a great way to start. They are easy to make and can be used all around the house from your mantle, to buffet tables and even in bathrooms. Take a look at some cute ideas I found around the web.

She's Kinda Crafty has a cute idea for an ribbon topiary using an egg-shaped

paper mache form. I just love her creations.

And this one is adorable, too, from Creek Water Mommies.... an Easter ribbon tree.

Love, Laughter and Decor has a fabulous tutorial for this moss covered Easter egg topiary.

And these beautiful moss covered topiaries are from The Creativity Exchange . Made from posterboard forms, these are a simple solution to those expensive moss creations we see in all the stores these days. Posterboard! I love it!

Twigglebox has some sweet tissue paper, egg-shaped topiaries with a tutorial.

And how about this adorable set of jelly bean topiaries from My Garden of Eden?

A gumdrop topiary from She Knows is a pretty simple candy themed topiary, too.

How cute would it look next to this sweet gumdrop wreath from Huckleberry Prairie?

I hope these ideas bring you lots of inspiration for your own Easter decorating!

Cupcake Liner Pretties

It sort of seems like everywhere I turn these days, I'm seeing photos of creative uses for cupcake liners. I love turning the ordinary (and cheap!) into something really pretty, and cupcake liners are a great way to do just that. They are readily available at stores such as Walmart, Hobby Lobby and Michaels.... even grocery stores. And if you don't see what you like there, the internet has an absolutely mind-boggling amount of choices. Two of my favorite sites to find unique cupcake liners are Bake it Pretty and Sugarcraft.

And now for some of those creative and crafty ideas.....

Urban Comfort shows how to make adorable Valentine's Cards from cupcake liners --

how fabulous it that?

Intimate Wedding has a tutorial on these sweet cupcake liner flowers. These would make beautiful and inexpensive party table centerpieces.

And this wreath from Sarah Faubus looks just like carnations -- so pretty!

Paper Crave has a wonderful topiary tree made from cupcake liners as well.

Tater Tots and Jello has another simply gorgeous Valentine wreath -- with a tutorial!

Martha Stewart uses cupcake liners to make carnation-like decorations for gift wrapping -- what a great idea.

I love the vintage look of this cupcake liner garland from 100 Layer Cake. So, so pretty!

Baker's Royale has a great idea to add a little pizzazz to your party snacks. These homemade oreo ice cream sandwiches on a stick are embellished with a pretty little red cupcake liner.

Creative Jewish Mom has two great ideas -- the first is is this terrific craft idea for kids - a field of cupcake liner flowers that they paint and decorate themselves. What a great party activity!

And the next a sweet bouquet of paper flowers. Perfect for a Valentine's teacher gift.

Ok, this one from Entertain Exchange might be a little more "pretty" than "practical" -- and a bit more "crunchy" than either of the above, but talk about creative! Can you imagine what your sweetie would say if you showed up for your Valentine's dinner in this little get up!

Hope you enjoyed the show!

Candy Christmas Trees

In keeping with all things holiday, I wanted to share a great tutorial I saw on C.R.A.F.T. today. Jamie has a wonderful, crafty website and a super easy idea for decorating your home this Christmas -- Candy Trees! Yum!

Well, OK, you really shouldn't eat them, but they are very cute nonetheless. Take a look.

Aren't they beautiful? And so easy, too. Easy enough for a little family holiday project.... that is if you can keep the kids from eating all the candy first!

These are a few of Jamie's materials.... spice gumdrops, cherry slice gumdrops, peppermint puffs and m&m's. She also uses heavy duty poster board to create the tree forms, some hot glue, a knife, a cutting board, packing tape and some marshmallows.

These are her tree forms..... she cut heavy duty poster board and formed it into a cone shape and wrapped it all tightly with packing tape.

Jamie cut the gumdrops in half to save a little on candy and it also helps with the stickiness factor.

Next she layers them down the cardboard tree until the form is covered.

She uses various candies and patterns to create a beautiful holiday display. I just love these! I think they might even last a few years if you packed them away carefully in some oversized ziploc storage bags, too.

I hope Jamie's project inspired you as much as it did me! I'm still praying for a few more hours in the day -- too many great projects and not enough time! Be sure to check out C.R.A.F.T. for more fabulous tutorials and ideas!