Southwestern Colored Easter Eggs {A very simple easy way to add a little more color and depth to your Easter eggs}

I'm always looking for simple ways to shake things up. Let's face it, in our world of craziness, there's just not always time to be "Martha." Last year while visiting my in-laws, we dyed Easter eggs as part of our holiday festivities. When my mother-in-law broke out the brown eggs, I thought she was certifiably crazy. "Like those are really going to take on any color..." I thought quietly to myself. Thank goodness I never uttered my thoughts aloud, because not only did they take the color, they turned out beautifully. Perfect for Sante Fe styles of Saint George, where we were enjoying the sunshine coloring eggs outdoors, as the eggs turned into different southwestern hues. Instead of the pastel or candy colored eggs we're accustomed to, the brown eggs ended up in deeper sapphire, ruby, emerald, and other jewel colored tones.  I laughed when my son saw these eggs and exclaimed the very same thought that I had the previous year, "Mom, you really think those brown eggs are going to actually change color?!?"

It has thrilling to watch as he experimented with the eggs. He'd dye a white egg one color, and then a brown egg the same color just to see the difference. He was delighted when the brown eggs did actually turn colors, and had such a great time comparing and contrasting the differences between the two.

The eggs in the top row started as white eggs and were dyed using the same color as the brown eggs on the bottom. See how much deeper the colors are?

Not only did he end up with a basket filled with tons of different colors, traditional and southwestern, he set his little brain to work, and made quite the experiment out of our Easter festivities. 

There's not much of a tutorial for this one - simply boil some brown eggs either with or instead of white eggs and color your eggs as directed on dye package.

We've also had fun making speckled eggs and also using vinyl to personalize our eggs. What tips and tricks do you have for coloring Easter eggs?

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Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss (Green Eggs and Ham Candy Pretzel Treats}

Friday, March 2, is Dr. Seuss' birthday! By chance, my son was assigned to bring snacks to school and wanted to keep with his tradition of bringing something festive to celebrate his favorite author's special day (he still thinks he's the cat with the tall hat). I had seen these once made with yellow M&M's for April Fools Day, and thought they would be perfect made in green as Green Eggs and Ham. We had a great time making these together (which I love). He is thrilled with the way they turned out and can't wait to share them tomorrow. They are quick and easy and great for last minute treats!!!

Green Eggs and Ham Candy Pretzel Treats

1 pound almond bark
Peanut butter M&M's, larger bag
Stick pretzels

Cover baking sheet with wax paper. Spray with cooking spray.  Place pretzels in pairs spaced evenly across the wax paper. I would aim for 30 pairs, since we ended up with about 30 treats. Separate about 30 green M&M's from the rest of the bag and place in a bowl. Set aside. Melt almond bark as directed. Using a tablespoon, pour almond bark over pretzel pairs. Swirl with the spoon a little to help it puddle in an egg shape. Place M&M upside down in the center (they don't have to be upside down, but I'm a little crazy about details sometimes).  Place baking sheets in the refrigerator until the treats set up. Enjoy!

*Note - you don't have to use baking sheets, and can place the wax paper directly on top of your table. BUT they will set much more quickly and be a little more difficult for sampling fingers to find in the fridge. Trust me, I know.

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How Does Your {Fairy} Garden Grow?

Do you have a fairy garden? We planted our this weekend. It adds so much charm to our yard. If you want to create a special place for the fairies in your garden, you probably need to know a few things:

1~ Fairies love flowers. They use them for all things and are even named for their favorites. They make beds out of them, hide in them, jump on them, and even use some to drink from. Use lots of different plants in your garden.

2~ Fairies like all things shiny, gems, glass, glitter, and mirrors. They love anything sparkly, so make sure to leave some pretty things  in your garden.

3~ Like all magical creatures, fairies love sweet things. We like to leave out crumbs of bread or cake with frosting or honey. Just a little goes a long way because fairies are not very big.

4~ Fairies love color almost as much as they love sparkles. They like bright pieces of fabric and ribbon or any other colorful things to decorate their spaces with. Make sure to add a splash of color sometimes, you will find the fairies may leave things in your garden as they add to the beautiful place you have made for them. We find gems and other new things all the time.

5~ Water, fairies need water.  You can create a small pond, or use a thimble or milk cap to leave some water out for them. 

6~ Fairies like fun music, but they don't like loud noises, so if you are outside hollering or fighting with your siblings, you will scare them away.

7~ If you don't believe in fairies, they won't come to your garden. They want to be celebrated and loved and won't waste their time where they are not treated well. 

 We used some accessories that Grandma Daisy bought from our local nursery. I love the miniature gardening tools, beehive, and birdbath. My little man loves the boy fairy statue. My son wanted a river, so we used some blue glass gems from the dollar store. He collected rocks from the yard to make a stone path from the  house and across the bridge. Isn't it lovely!?!?

When you make your garden, find a container with a large surface area. This way you will have lots of space for all the fun things you wan to put in it. You could use an old wagon, washtub, or a planter shaped like a bowl. Make sure it has good drainage. We punched holes into the bottom of our washtub with nails and a hammer to make sure the water could drain well. Try to find plants with little flowers and leaves, and that don't grow too big, or you will outgrow your space. We used thyme, lobeilia, bacopa, and blue spruce seedum among others. Use your imagination when looking for plants. Look for small plants that might look like tress to fairies or for ground cover that will spread and look like a green meadow. Use your imagination, anything is possible!!!

Do you have a fairy garden? What things do you include? Do you have any tips? We'd love to know more~ if you would share your thoughts we would be grateful!

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*Autographed* Aliens All Mixed Up {Crazy Fun Children's Book}

***Sorry, Giveaway Closed***

Aliens All Mixed Up is out-of-this-world and might easily be the coolest book you will ever read! Each Alien is divided into three sections, head, body, and feet, which are themselves accompanied by their own pieces of the story. You end up with a different hysterical choose-your-own-alien story every-time you read it. In fact, it's tough to "read" this book the same way twice, thrice or even ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY EIGHT TIMES! With his clever mix-and-match format, Justin's newest book holds more than 1,700 different alien combinations. Whimsically hip Matott illustrator, Laurie McAdam, who collaborated with Justin on the Grandparent books and Oliver Kringle, outdoes herself in Aliens! Trust me, you're kids are going to flip over this book {you might have just as much fun with it as well}! As if it could get any better, Justin Matott has offered to sponsor a giveaway for  Crazy Daisy readers by providing and {Autographed} copy of Aliens All Mixed Up! Here's how to enter:

(1)Like The Works of Justin Matott on Facebook for one entry. 

(2)Follow Justin's Blog for another entry.

Make sure to leave a comment telling me about each option that you do or your entries may not count.

This giveaway is only open to Crazy Daisy followers (Google or Facebook)~ if you haven't already, click follow or like AND only to US residents. You have until 11:59 PM Sunday, April 24, 2011 to enter. The winner will be announced after eligibility is confirmed and 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be drawn.

Good Luck and Happy Reading~ we're off to Starbucks with our copy!

This giveaway is linked here.

Disclosure:  I was provided with a copy of Aliens All Mixed Up as part of a Facebook promotion and offered to host a giveaway. I did not receive monetary compensation and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.  All opinions are my own.

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Would You Like To Make Speckled Easter Eggs? {Tutorial No. 1}

The Bunny's already hopping around preparing for his big day! He's filled his basket with all sorts of Easter treats, chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, little trinkets and toys, and of course, colorful eggs. He's going to be so jealous when he sees these~ aren't they fabulous!?! I saw them in Phyllis Hoffman's Celebrate magazine, (no link available) and had to try making them myself. Basically, I followed their directions, but I found some tips along the way that made the process a little easier, and a lot less messy. Here's what you'll need to do {again, sorry I don't have step-by-step pictures, but that whole lefty thing just doesn't work very well when trying to take pictures with a camera made for righties while using colored dye and vegetable oil at the same time. What can I say, I feared for my camera's life... }:

Procedure

 First, boil your eggs as normal. Drain and cool. When you are ready to start coloring your eggs, line your working space with paper towels. Mix your dye as directed on the package and ADD about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to each container of dye. Using a spoon or fork, swirl the dye and dip the egg into the color. Gently lift it in and out a few times to disperse the dye. Let it sit until you are happy with the coloring and remove it from the dye, holding it over the cup for a moment to let the excess liquid drip off. Set your egg on the paper towels to dry. My eggs didn't ever look completely dry so I waited until the color had set, and either rolled the eggs around on the paper towels, or wiped them off with one, to get rid of the extra oil. Now, repeat with as many colors as you want. Your eggs should end up looking like these...

Happy Egg Coloring! 

If you're loving these eggs, 
you don't want to miss whats coming up! 
Click here for more Easter egg fun...


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Books and Brew {Celebrate Reading With A Starbucks Book Date}

"The more that you read,

 the more things you will know. 

The more that you learn, 

the more places you'll go"

.... Dr. Seuss

Literacy is one of the most important gifts we can give our children. As a mom, and a teacher, I believe this from the bottom of my heart. And yet, I know that in the commotion of our lives it can be difficult to find the time to read with our kids, let alone to actually celebrate it. So one day I had my son load up his favorite books and we headed for Starbucks. He with his cocoa (and mini-donut), and I with my latte, cozied down into one of their posh chairs and lost ourselves in the adventures of his favorite books. Between Starbucks' pampering ambiance and comforting drinks, and my kiddo's enchanting story books, and loving companionship, we found perfection. A few hours after our date my son said, "Do you know what dates are for? Love!"~ mission accomplished. What a wonderful tradition to bring into our lives. I foresee many more Books and Brew dates in our future. Why not grab your kiddos, a pile of their favorite books, and head out on your own reading date? What could be better... unless Starbucks got wind of our campaign and offered kids free beverages when accompanied by an adult and their favorite book? One can dream, right? But seriously, where would you go to have your own book date? Or do you already have your own reading traditions? 

PS - Would you like to add to your home library? Justin Matott, is offering a chance for facebookers to earn one of his books for free! All you have to do is ask your friends to visit The Works of Justin Matott, like the page and leave a comment telling them that you sent them! Get ten friends to follow through, and he will send you one of his books. Go check it out! I would appreciate it if you started your campaign by clicking like, and letting him know that I (Crazy Daisy) sent you ~ its a click and tell!**Sorry, this book offer has expired!**

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Leprechaun Crossing {They are really sneaky!!!}

Are you ready? Last year, our house was a regular Leprechaun Crossing. We tried to catch them with our Leprechaun Traps, but they escaped, taking most of our gold bait with them. They did leave us with some chocolate gold coins, instead. I guess it's their way of trading. When we were eating breakfast we discovered those little green tricksters turned our milk green! When my son arrived at preschool, his classroom had been turned upside down and everything was in the wrong place - TRICKY! At least we didn't have green toilet water like our friends... We are not sure what to expect this year, but we are busy getting our traps ready! Hopefully we catch one. We will let you know if we do! 

What is your experience with leprechauns? Do you have any Saint Patrick's Day traditions? 

PS - I am going to surprise my kids with Leprechaun Pie on St. Patrick's Day. It looks fabulous. Click here to check it out!

Image by Oopsey Daisy

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Leprechaun Traps

It's time to get those traps ready!!!! Did you know leprechauns come out once a year to steal gold from your house to fill their pots with? That's right, March 17th, they sneak in to see if there is some shiny gold laying around that they can build their own collection with. How else would they ever have enough gold to fill the pot they hide at the end of the rainbow?  Legend has it, that a leprechaun who is caught honest and fair, will surrender his treasure as a bribe for his release. So, my boys try every year to catch those little green men with a special trap that they build. Those silly leprechauns manage to slip away every year, but every year we try again! Even though we haven't caught one yet, we are getting closer. We have learned a few things along the way that might just help us trick them yet! Here's what we know: 

First -  Leprechauns love GREEN! In order to lure them to your trap, you must use green. It reminds them of the rolling green hills from their Ireland home that is so far away!

Second - Leprechauns are pretty CLEVER, so you have to be tricky. We like to hang signs that say things like, "Leprechauns Welcome" or "This is not a trap!" We have even tried to make ours look like a little Leprechaun home.

Third - Just like any magical creature, leprechauns love sweets. So leave a treat of some kind. We like to leave a little crumb of bread with honey. Really anything sweet works, but you know how much the little green men like gold things, so honey seems to be a good choice.

Fourth - you must make your trap. There is something about a trap from the store that tips them off. They seem to smell those traps from miles away. They won't even get close. And every trap has to be differentor else they get suspicious! Anything you make works though! Try Legos, shoe boxes, oatmeal cartons, nets... anything! How will you trap yours?

Fifth - BAIT! You have to leave bait. What do you use for bait? Why GOLD, of course!  Again, anything seems to work.  The shinier the better! We have tried pennies, gold ribbon, sprinkles, honey, confetti... be careful though! Don't use anything very valuable because, if that rascally leprechaun escapes, and chances are he will, he just might take your beautiful golden bait with him! Now, we have been lucky and our leprechaun has always left chocolate gold as a treat for us (even though they are tricky, a leprechaun is honest and fair and won't take your gold without leaving something to trade with.) We have found gold wrapped coins, rolos, and even peanut butter cups. I have been told they sometimes leave a trail of green glitter or gold dust. And one year, he even left a tiny green footprint behind with a note that said, "Ha! Ha! Fooled you again!" 

This is what  our traps looked like last year

We are busy making our new traps, we'll keep you posted. 

Maybe this will be our year!


Do you have any fun St. Patty Day traditions? We'd love to hear about them!


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Valentine Stockings & Stuffer Ideas

Do you have Valentine Stockings? We do, and my kiddos love them! Ours are pretty simple, I just sewed two felt hearts together, turned them inside out, glued felt initials on them, attached a little ribbon loop, and hung them from wreath hangers on our bedroom doors. I live in a house of boys, and so this is as fancy as they would tolerate - but had I had girls under my roof I could see letting them decorating them with felt flowers and hearts, gems, ribbons, buttons, and lace. And, I suppose anything would work - even decorating and hanging manila envelopes. The point is to have something accessible to trade notes, cards, and small treats with. This year, I even found these cute monkeys at the dollar store to hang with the stockings for a surprise. My kids have a blast getting paper, crayons, scissors, and glue out making notes and cards to surprise everyone with. Sometimes, we leave thank yous when someone has helped us, and sometimes the mood just strikes and we want to share our love. Sometimes I sneak little treats, a sucker, or snack size candy bar in for a little sweet fun! And lately, I have found so many wonderful free printables out there, I have been using them as stuffers as well. Here are some I thought I would share with you. Make sure to say hello for me when you go visiting!

Just Because I love You

I Wheelie Like You

I Carry Your Heart With Me

I Dig You 

Valentine Free Printable Round Up

Wouldn't it be fun to print a bunch and keep them in a basket for everyone to share at will? I think that is on my agenda next!

PS - Did you notice the funtastic giveaways listed on the top of my blog? Be sure to check them out!

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Printable Lunch Box Notes

Image by Crafts and Sutch

Little things can make a big difference. Sometimes all it takes is knowing someone is thinking of me to totally turn my day around - a text, note, or even a simple hello can do the trick. Which is why I often leave a little note in my son's lunch box hoping to add a bit of happiness to his day. So when I stumbled on to these fun lunch box notes from Crafts & Sutch today I fell in love with them and just knew that I had to share them! What an extra special way to spread a little sunshine! Who wouldn't love to find one of these tucked away with their peanut butter and jelly sandwich? If you'd like to use them, head over to Crafts and Sutch, and grab their free printable. While you are there, give them a little extra comment love and make sure to say hello for me!

PS - Who says these are just for kids? They would totally be fun to slip on a teacher or co-worker's desk or even to sneak into your hubby's pocket... a little sunshine goes a long way! As a matter of fact, one of my favorite songs says...

"When it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile"

What an easy way to show someone your smile! In fact, it's going to be pretty warm out there after all these smiles start turning up!

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Felt Playhouse - CSI Project Repost

I have been waiting and waiting to share this with everyone! Not too long ago, I found the neatest little etsy shop, Imaginative Play Toys, that specializes in fabric felt playhouses! Way too cool! They  are made to slip right over a card table (or a PVC pipe frame, if you would rather build one) and are totally portable! There is a theme for every child! You can choose from a cupcakery, petshop, bluebird cottage, train station, post office, animal sanctuary, contstruction site, fire station, and much more! Seriously, you've got to check the store out to see all the themes! They have even added patterns and playhouse kits to their inventory, which was perfect for me because I was willing to sacrifice a little, maybe a lot, of time to save some money. I purchased a cottage kit, complete with pattern, fabric, thread, and iron-on adhesive, because I knew I wouldn't be able to find all of the necessary materials in my little corner of Wyoming. I was able to choose all the colors and the pattern was easy to follow! AND it's finally finished!!! Bare with me, that darn wind would just not cooperate while I was snapping my pictures!

Have I mentioned these playhouses are interactive? Felt letters slide into the mailbox, the fruit can be picked off of the the tree and put into the basket, the watering can is removable, and the curtains tie open. How much fun is that?!?!

This project has be re-posted for participation in The CSI Project! Check it out!

I have been waiting and waiting to share this with everyone! Not too long ago, I found the neatest little etsy shop, Imaginative Play Toys, that specializes in fabric felt playhouses! Way too cool! They  are made to slip right over a card table (or a PVC pipe frame, if you would rather build one) and are totally portable! There is a theme for every child! You can choose from a cupcakery, petshop, bluebird cottage, train station, post office, animal sanctuary, contstruction site, fire station, and much more! Seriously, you've got to check the store out to see all the themes! They have even added patterns and playhouse kits to their inventory, which was perfect for me because I was willing to sacrifice a little, maybe a lot, of time to save some money. I purchased a cottage kit, complete with pattern, fabric, thread, and iron-on adhesive, because I knew I wouldn't be able to find all of the necessary materials in my little corner of Wyoming. I was able to choose all the colors and the pattern was easy to follow! AND it's finally finished!!! Bare with me, that darn wind would just not cooperate while I was snapping my pictures!

Have I mentioned these playhouses are interactive? Felt letters slide into the mailbox, the fruit can be picked off of the the tree and put into the basket, the watering can is removable, and the curtains tie open. How much fun is that? 

This project has been reposted for participation in The CSI Project and was awarded Jen's Pick! Check it out!

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