let’s get crafty

5 fantastic herb garden ideas

May 8, 2012
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Yay it’s May!  In Michigan that means we can start thinking about getting back in the garden.  I primarily stick with planting flowers, a couple tomato plants & herbs.  Normally I have a section in a corner of my back yard where I grow herbs, however every year I fight with this aggressive ground cover that continues to battle for more space.  This year I’m going to let it win & take my herb garden to a new spot.

Now I just need to decide where.  Here are a few clever ideas I’m considering…

Re-purpose a simple shoe storage hanger into a very cool vertical garden from More Design Please

Get in on the upside down planting trend DIY style with these crafty containers made from coffee cans.  Get step by step instructions from Persephone Magazine

Sticking with the can theme… create a herb wall on the side of your garden shed or fence from Ewa in the Garden

All you need is 3 different sizes of galvanized tubs and/or pails to create this charming tiered herb planter.  Tasty seasonings for your summer meals can double as outdoor decor from The Vintage Wren

Gutters can do a lot more than just drain water.  How cute would these be along your back deck or fence?  Get step by step DIY instructions from Hands Occupied

Like clever & crafty projects that are outside of the box?  We love sharing our finds. Don’t want miss out on our future features… simply sign up to receive these blog posts in your email in box.

7 cinco de mayo party ideas

April 30, 2012
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Looks like Cinco De Mayo will be landing on a Saturday this year & that’s a good enough excuse for me to have a party.  Here are a few festive  finds that are sure to give your get-together an extra punch of fun.

We made these mini margarita cupcakes for girl’s night out last year & they were a HUGE hit!  I’m sure if you brought these to the office Friday, you’d get to wear most popular person crown all day long.

Margaritas are one of my favorite drinks, so why not let the kids a enjoy a tasty non-alcoholic version of this Mexican delight?  Recipe from Cooking with my Kid

Nothing says fiesta like giant tissue flowers greeting you at an entry way.  Aunt Peaches is the queen of creating colorful creations like these.

These creamy chicken taquitos make the perfect finger food for any party.  Recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Give the traditional tomato salsa a break & bring a pineapple & some red peppers into the mix with this super tasting combination.  Recipe from Make it Work Mom

Greet your guests with this great wreath created from colorful cocktail umbrellas. DIY instructions from The Jaderbomb Blog

And how cute are these?  They may look fancy, but they’re just store bought sugar cookies so all you have to do is frost & dip the edges!  Instructions from Random Thoughts of a Supermom

Like delicious recipes & crafty projects that are outside of the box?  We love sharing our finds. Don’t want miss out on our future features… simply sign up to receive these blog posts in your email in box.

coloring more than easter eggs

April 8, 2012
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Inspired by Hey Jen Renee, I picked up some Kool-Aid packets to dye eggs with Tessa for Easter.

I can’t say I was thrilled with the outcome, but they made the kitchen smell fruity & turns out Tessa loves Kool-Aid (something they don’t have in Germany)  After our little egg experiment, our conversation turned to dying hair with these fantastic bright colors.  Tessa had been admiring a schoolmate’s blue tipped hair & wanted to know how to get a similar rainbow effect on her locks.

So she surprised her friend with this colorful plan & after watching this video they were ready to go.

 

We’re not completely sure how long the color will stay since we’ve read reports varying from days to over a month, but none the less it was a fun & frugal activity to do for a girl’s night in.  Obviously it works best on lighter colored hair, but you can still get cool hues with darker toned hair.

 

The girls were happy with how their locks looked… and we even got Tuesday in the mix.  Nothing like a turquoise tipped tail to get in the spring spirit.

Like to get a little creative now & then?  Simply subscribe to this blog and we’ll email you a few of our snazzy ideas.

How do you celebrate 6 years?

April 4, 2012
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That was the question I had to answer when it came to putting together a going away gift for our Rochester manager, Dena.  It’s just a lot harder to answer when the gift recipient’s job was all about finding the perfect gift for all occasions.

After some pinterest brainstorming sessions, I was inspired by these vacation memory jars.  So I started a little collection of goodies that represented Dena’s time with us.

The items I included all had a meaning behind them.  I wrote little stories about each goody on a paper that I gave along with the jar.

It was a bit of a challenge to fit everything inside, but a including a photo definitely makes for a nice backdrop.

I think this idea could make a fantastic gift for any milestone event or new season of life.

I originally planned on including the butterfly inside the jar, but realized it was too big & since it was magnetized, it rested perfectly on the jar lid.  I also like how it represents change & beauty… just like Dena pursuing her creative passion full time.

Love finding new ways to make days brighter for your family, friends & team members?  Simply subscribe to this blog and we’ll email you a few of our snazzy ideas.

out of the box easter eggs

March 28, 2012
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Want to give your eggs a little more personality than what you can find in a PAAS dye box this Easter?  I’m leaning towards trying my hand at the doodled variety, but melting crayons looks pretty fun too.  I haven’t dyed eggs in while, but since Tessa is still a little kid at heart she has been hinting for us to create some egg hunting festivities for Easter ;-)

Watercolor Easter eggs from Alisa Burke

I also like Alisa’s doodled variety… no mess at all- just a black Sharpie.  Can you picture these using some of the other sweet colors Sharpie has to offer?  I think I need to go to Office Depot & pick up a dozen markers this week ;-)

You don’t need vinegar & your kitchen will smell super fruity with these Kool-eggs from Hey Jen Renee

Tissue paper & parsley Easter eggs from Aunt Peaches (this gal has a BIG personality & always makes me laugh)

This little magical Easter project is great for all the hipsters out there that frequent thrift shops.  Find all the fine details at Our Best Bites.

Triple dip your eggs with some rubber bands to get this eggcellet effect from Inkspired Musings.

Messy, but mighty fun ~ melted crayon Easter eggs from Full Circle.

Like to get a little crafty every now & then?  Simply subscribe to this blog and we’ll email you a few of our snazzy ideas.

flower filled fool’s fun

March 28, 2012
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A few weeks ago, Tessa & her friend were looking for something to do Saturday night other than watching a movie, cruising facebook or painting their nails.  After some brainstorming, I suggested a little mischievous fun.  I remembered one night in middle school when I convinced my best friend to help me with the art of tee-peeing a few of the cute boy’s homes in our neighborhood.  It was an exhilarating experience & a night I will never forget.  In that same vein… I proposed they make giant tissue flowers & attach them to the front doors of nearby friend’s homes.  They liked the idea but must of been hungry for some sweets so they made oreo pops instead of the flowers.

Then they wrapped them up in iridescent cellophane & attached a sweet note & placed them in their friend’s mailboxes.  They had a great time being sweet pranksters & no doubt made memories that will trump any movie night.

I do love unexpected lovely surprises… maybe that’s why I’m so smitten with the recent trend of yarn bombing.

from the fancy

from street color

And here’s our very own Yellow Door artist Jennifer Xerri of Starlily Creations yarn bombing Royal Oak store, Saffron.

So you probably wonder where I’m going with this?  Being that April Fool’s Eve is on a Saturday night this year, how fun would it be to pull off some pranks that would brighten your friend’s or neighbor’s day?

Since I don’t crochet or knit (and I suspect with the time it takes to yarn bomb – you might get a visit from a policeman ;-) I thought flower bombing could be the next best thing.

Imagine seeing this when you open your front door to get the Sunday paper on April 1st?

The neighbors may think that the land of Dr. Seuss paid a visit.  These tissue pom pom flowers a fairly easy & quick to make.  I did a simple tutorial on how to make them in a previous post.

Cheers to making mischievous & merry memories this April Fool’s Day.

(fancy flower photos compliments of instagram – early bird setting ;-)

Love finding new ways to make days brighter for your family & friends?  Simply subscribe to this blog and we’ll email you a few of our snazzy ideas.

valentine bling rings

February 10, 2012
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I loved this clever valentine goody as soon as I saw it.  Chocolate & a faux diamond ring in one?  I needed to make these for my girlfriends this V-day.

Just pick up  a package of shiny pipe cleaners at your local craft shop & a bag of kisses.

Flip it over & your kiss or shall I say sparkly chocolate diamond should be secured.

Then all slip the edible bauble on your finger…

Tie a sweet message to them to turn them into a Valentine card.

Happy Heart Day!

Like to get a little crafty every now & then?  Simply subscribe to this blog and we’ll email you a few of our snazzy ideas.

 

wanna help us play cupid?

January 19, 2012
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It’s that time of year again where we like to share some love by giving Valentine cards to the kids at The Children’s Hospital of Michigan.  So we invite you to put your crafty hat on & whip up some sweet sentiments for kids who could use a smile on February 14th.

Here’s a few clever card ideas we found that were TOADally awesome…

Print these quirky cards at Crap I Made

Buy a book of Mad Libs & tear out sheets for these very funny cards ~from Family Fun

Like to play with clay?  How about these salt dough hearts from The Long Thread?

Google eyes always makes things more fun don’t they? ~from Family Fun

Hey matie… aren’t these some grrrreat cards? ~print them at mer mag

Pretty pencil toppers from Alpha Mom

Whooo do you love? ~from Family Fun

Valentine cards from the hardware store?  Who knew paint samples could make such brilliant bookmarks?! ~from Lu Bird Baby


And for those of you who like to color, you can print this cheerful coloring sheet HERE  (if link doesn’t automatically open try hitting the refresh button)

We’ll be collecting and displaying your handcrafted cards at our Berkley & Rochester locations until February 12.  And if you don’t live near by and want to participate, please send your cards to: catching fireflies 3117 W 12 Mile Berkley, MI 48072.

A note from The Children’s Hospital:

When making your cards, please consider not signing the cards so family members and/or staff could personalize the cards themselves and give them to the patients. It means more to the patients to receive a card from someone familiar vs. a stranger. The patients also like to be able to give cards to their family members or the nurses and staff caring for them.

Also if you could avoid messages like “Get Well” or “Feel Better Soon,”  as well as anything with a religious connotation. Some of the patients here, unfortunately, have life long illnesses like cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, etc. that they won’t necessarily be “getting well.” We service so many different cultures and religions that we try not to offend any of our patients/customers.

As a thank you for bringing or sending in 3 or more cards, we’ll give you this joyful heart necklace with any purchase to thank you for helping us send smiles to kids who aren’t feeling too well.  We may not be doctors or nurses, but we can still prescribe the best medicine around… LOVE.

Thanks again for helping us spread JOY & LOVE to those in our community!

(for online orders, please mention your participation in this project so we can include the free sign in your shipment.) *1 free necklace per family

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twig ornament tree

December 20, 2011
By

One of my favorite seasonal decor tricks is dressing up branches from my back yard.  In the spring, I added whimsical leaves & birdies.  Around Thanksgiving I created a gratitude tree filled with flags of thanks.  And for the winter, I got a silver can of spray paint & prettied it up with Christmas bulbs.

It’s really an inexpensive way to add a lot of holiday flair to your home.  I just ran out & bought these vintage looking ornaments but I imagine it would look even more spectacular speckled with real vintage bulbs.

You don’t need much… just prune a small tree in your back yard, grab a few bulbs, ribbon & spray paint.  One of my weaknesses is not prepping adequately for my crafty visions so I’m sure there’s a better way to spray twigs without also covering the ground with silver paint too :-)

I love hand-dyed silk ribbon but any string, tinsel or ribbon would work just fine too.

That’s all there’s to it… hardly a need for a tutorial, but the results ~ fantastic!

I intentionally chose more wintery colored bulbs so I can leave them up through February.  Happy Holidays!

Like to get a little crafty every now & then?  Simply subscribe to this blog and we’ll email you a few of our snazzy ideas.

make it yourself mistletoe

December 18, 2011
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I’m definitely a crafty gal, but during the Christmas season I tend to turn it up a notch (hence all these DIY posts that are popping up lately).  My slight addiction to Pinterest has also been and inspiration ~ that’s where I found this cute felt kissing ball by ohdeedoh.com

We’re having a couple holiday parties so I thought it would be fun to hang it in our main entry way to the kitchen since that’s where everyone gathers most of the time… because a few extra kisses during this festive season is always a good thing.

Get some green felt, white pom poms & ribbon.

After you glue the two sides together, you’ll have to do some more hot glue handy work by adhering some of the petals from each side together to create more of a ball shape.  Then after you’re happy, add a few clusters of white pom poms.

And here’s a little mistletoe trivia for ya from the Farmers’ Almanac…

Decorating with mistletoe during winter is an ancient tradition, dating to the time before Christianity spread through Europe, when it was viewed as a symbol of fertility.

According to some versions of the kissing lore, the proper etiquette for kissing under mistletoe requires a man to remove one berry when he kisses a woman. Once all of the berries are gone, it becomes bad luck to kiss beneath that particular sprig.

Like to get a little crafty every now & then?  Simply subscribe to this blog and we’ll email you our latest creative endeavors.

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April McCrumb

I'm April McCrumb ~ a creative gal from Michigan that loves to share clever gift ideas, simple recipes, my favorite tunes & all things crafty.  Thanks for stopping by my whimsical world. I hope you enjoy your visit.

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