"No Buy" Easter Decorating

I love getting excited about holidays.  And Easter is the best of them all!  But I'm not crazy about excessive materialism and the meaning of special days just getting lost in all the "stuff".  So I've avoided buying decorations for every holiday under the sun, and try to either just make things, or use what we already have.

We gathered up all the bunny/sheep/chickie stuffies in the house and arranged them - add a vase full of moss gathered from the ravine out back, and a mason jar with the chocolate eggs (okay, so I had to buy those) and voila!

Easter vignette that doesn't take up valuable off season storage space!

Cheap bulk section chocolates look so much better in a Mason jar!


I'm also a fan of finding free printables to put into frames with the change in seasons.  I thought this one from "Stay at Home Artist" was really pretty.

Yeah, I know - the praying bunny is over the top cheezy - but I've got three adorable daughters; they are in love with "cute".

I really don't need to schlep home a bunch of stuff from the dollar store to make the celebration special.

Happy Easter!

Upcycled Cardboard Tube Flowers

I wanted to make a springy/easter banner or garland with my girls, and I saw a picture somewhere (I wish I could remember where the link was since I got the idea from there!) of an adorable garland made of recycled toilet paper or paper towel tubes.  Apparantly lots of people have done this, because it was pretty easy to find a how to on the web - check it out! 

Cardboard Tube Flowers

Here's an example of a really crazy, cool one! 

We had a freak hailstorm one afternoon last week, so it was the perfect time for the girls and I to do an indoor activity.  This is a great craft for all ages - my 13 year old enjoyed mixing up all the craft paint colours, and my 4 year old sat for in a chair for at least half an hour carefully painting her toilet paper petals with a little paintbrush.  After they were painted, we let them dry overnight, pinched them & glued them into five petal flower shapes, poked a hole in the top petal, and strung them on a piece of ribbon.  Oh yes, we also painted a sheet of corrugated cardboard, cut it into circles, and glued them onto the flower for the centre.

It was so stinkin' easy, fun, and FREE!  And with the bizarre temperamental weather we've had lately it's nice to have a few flowers to brighten the doorway.

Happy Easter!

Linked to Thrifty Thursday

Daily Declutter Challenge #37 - Spring Yard Cleanup

Spring has arrived about a month later than usual on the West Coast, so we’ve been a little behind in our seasonal yard maintenance.  When a sunny Sunday afternoon comes along we needed to jump at it.  But everything can be an adventure, even spring clean up.  I have to say this counts as a Declutter, don't you?  I was highly motivated to get it done, since we were leaving on a little two night getaway for Spring Break.  This was a project for the whole family!

 Pruning trees is an excuse to use some power tools.

And branch cuttings make cheap, pretty arrangements.  I love bringing a little nature indoors!

Linked to:
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous

Crafting for the Clueless - Wax Paper Heart Garland

My little one had to miss her preschool party yesterday due to a stomach bug, so I wanted to do something special at home with her.  Decorating for the special days of the year does not have to equal going and buying another binful of stuff.  It's amazing what you can find on other people's thrifty, craft blogs!

I loved this Wax Paper Heart Garland, and this helpful tutorial as well.   I knew I had all the supplies I needed at home - wax paper, broken crayons & an old piece of ribbon.  FREE and REPURPOSED.  Love those words.  Even Martha Stewart (or at least one of her minions), has made some wax paper hearts. Yay for other crafty people who help Clueless Crafters like me!

Once Ellie was up and feeling a little better, I had her pick out some broken red and pink crayons.  I shaved them onto wax paper, covered it with another pieced, put an old towel ontop, and ironed.
I used cookie cutters to trace hearts and then Ellie helped with cutting them out.  This was great scissor practice for her since the wax paper becomes nice and stiff.  Then I hole punched in two places on the side and Ellie threaded a piece of ribbon left over from her big sisters' craft kits.  Cutting, threading....her occupational therapist would be proud.  Not obsessing over perfect hearts makes it more fun for everyone as well!

We hung the garland up over the patio window so the light would shine through and give it that nice semi-transparent glow.  (A sunny day would help with that!)  Plus, it's a little Valentine decoration for the birds who visit our feeder.  Or at least that's what Ellie said.  This took us about an hour total, but I'm sure it would take you less.  Happy Valentine's Day!