Knuckle-Print Carrots

How cute are these KNUCKLE-PRINT CARROTS we made for Easter? They're not only fun to make with your little ones, but they make sweet gifts for parents and grandparents too!

Materials needed:

-paper

-orange and green paint

-little knuckles

Just a little note: Whenever doing projects like this, I like to have a sheet of paper to practice on first. Our practice paper is the big white one here, giving us lots of room to experiment with before making little Easter cards for the grandparents. 

First, paint your kid's knuckles orange. Have them stamp the paper with their knuckles. We found that it worked best if L was standing or on her knees doing this part, making sure she was well above the paper. 

Next, I marked each carrot lightly with a pencil, so we knew which side would be best to put the "leaves" on. 

Using your child's thumb or index finger, have them make little leaves atop each carrot. I had to help L with this part...as you can see in the picture below, when left to do it alone, she was happy putting green dots all over her carrots! Ha! 

So sweet! Happy Spring!

Egg Carton Flower Wreath

Can you believe this beautiful Spring wreath was made primarily out of egg cartons!?! I just love the outcome! I've wanted to make an EGG CARTON FLOWER WREATH for years! Last year we tried it, using tempera paints, but the colors weren't nearly as vibrant. I highly suggest using acrylics for this project. Our EGG CARTON FLOWER WREATH hangs inside Our Beautifully Messy House, as we await the first blooms of spring flowers outside in our garden!

Materials needed:

-3 egg cartons

-med-large cardboard piece

-sharp scissors (fabric scissors)

-acrylic paints

-hot glue gun and glue

First, cut the egg cartons into flower shapes. Get creative! The pointy, divider sections can be used to make narrow flowers or daffodil trumpets and the lids of the egg cartons can be cut into leaves.

After all your flowers are cut, time to paint with your little ones! L and I painted side-by-side...when she was finished with a flower or bored with a color, I'd let her start on another one while I filled in any spots she may missed. After all the flowers were painted a solid color, I went back and painted on some details! Although the flowers look great in solid colors, the details really bring them to life...worth the extra 30 minutes of painting!

To make your wreath base, use some large mixing bowls to trace circles onto your cardboard and cut it out. I used two separate pieces of cardboard and just taped them together. Once your wreath base is cut out, give it a quick coat of green paint. 

Next, using a hot glue gun, glue the leaves onto your wreath base randomly. 

After the leaves are in place, glue the flowers on. Try to space the colors out, but don't think too much about order. In nature, nothing is perfect and the imperfections themselves are beautiful!

Hang your wreath on a door, a wall or in your kitchen window! Enjoy!!!

20+ Non-Candy Easter Egg Surprises

Last year we put a few chocolates into L's Easter eggs, but for the most part the Easter bunny left her with NON-CANDY EASTER EGG SURPRISES and she LOVED it! Inside the eggs were buttons, a spool of thread (to string the buttons into a necklace), a lil plastic turtle, and strips of paper with fun activities for the whole family to do.

Some of the "ACTIVITIES" included:
-Hop like a bunny.
-Jump like a frog.
-Who can laugh the silliest?
-Give daddy a hug.
-Give a bunny kiss to mommy.
-Walk backwards.
-Clap and count to 10.
-Peep like a chick.
-Play ring-around-the-rosie.
-Roll like an egg.

Yes, it was silly and ridiculous, but we had so much fun!!!

Other NON-CANDY EASTER EGG IDEAS:
-Army men
-Marbles
-Puzzle pieces
-Stickers
-Crayons
-A Prism
-Coins
-Beads
-Play-dough (Recipe here.)
-Fairy folk (DIY here.)
-Shoelaces
-Plastic figurines
-Wooden Stamps
-Jacks
-Story Stones (DIY here.)
-Buttons (and thread to make a necklace)
-Mardi-Gras Beads
-Miniature Tea Set
-Rocks (like Jade, Obsidian, Pyrite, Quartz, etc.)
-Dice
-Erasers

You also might like these CRAZY COLORED EASTER EGGS...

And this DIY SOCK BUNNY RABBIT! Enjoy!!!