Daisy Cupcakes

I've got Daisies on the mind today....in the midst of getting the stuff ready for the last meeting of the year.  I am making them cupcakes again, but I just realized that I never posted this one back at the beginning of the school year when I made them. 

These come out super cute, and are easy to make.   I cheated, of course, and just used a box mix and canned frosting.  If you feel compelled to make them from scratch, more power to ya.

Daisy Cupcakes
- 1 box white cake mix and ingredients per instructions
- 1 can white frosting
- bag of large marshmallows
- yellow candy melts (round discs, available at specialty craft and candy stores)
- kitchen shears

Bake the cupcakes according to the instructions and cool completely.  Wait to frost them until you are ready to start decorating, since you need the frosting to act as the glue for the flowers.

Snip each marshmallow into discs with shears.  I cut them in half, but you may be able to squeeze three slices from each marshmallow.   Pinch the sides so they start to be shaped more like an oval.  Cut enough so that you have 5 or 6 for each cupcake, setting aside in one layer (do not try to stack them or they will stick together).

Frost cupcakes, then place a yellow candy melt in the center.  Arrange cut and pinched marshmallows around the center, pressing down to make sure they stick to the frosting.   Let sit at room temperature for at least an hour so the frosting can set before moving them. 

Happy Spring!

Easy Rainbow Craft

I made this with my girl scouts this week, and it was a hit!  Very easy, somewhat time consuming, and perfect for any rainbow themed party or occasion....even a rainy day.

I did get some heavy duty construction paper for it though, because it does require tons and tons of glue....and what kid doesn't like a craft that includes that?

Plus, this can take a while because the pieces tend to mysteriously disappear.

You will need:
- blue construction paper
- white glue (we use regular school glue)
- fruity circle shaped cereal (we used generic)

It helps if you draw the top of the arch for the first row before starting.  I did that with the one shown here, but let my girl scouts draw their own arches.  Needless to say, we had rainbows of all sizes and shapes, and more than a few that ran out of room before they got to the blues and purples.

Glue cereal on in rainbow order, using a decent amount of glue for each piece.  It takes a while to dry, so factor that in to your crafting time. 

Harvest Hand Print Tree



Handprint Tree



I made this with the kids last year and absolutely love it.  I made ones for each set of grandparents too, so that they will always have a seasonal decoration with reminders of how big (or more correctly, little) the kids were that year. 

It is really simple and inexpensive to make....well worth the effort.  When I put it up this year, it made me smile.

Materials:

- One piece of burlap, about 18 inches by 2 feet

- Ribbon or yarn, about 2 yards
- Acrylic paint in shades of brown, gold, orange and red
- Paint brush (wider, about an inch at least)
- Narrow wood dowel
- Sharpie
- Paper plates
- Newspaper

First create the pocket on top for the dowel.  Fold over the top of the burlap about two inches and thread the ribbon or yarn through, stitching about every inch or so.  Be sure that the dowel fits. Make sure to place the stitches far enough away from the edge that it won't pull through.  Leave edges untrimmed. 

Place layers of newspaper beneath burlap to protect the surface you are working on.

Paint the trunk with wide strokes, making it wider at the base. 

If you have more than one child, assign each one a color.  Put paint into paper plates in thin layer and have them rub their hand around to coat thoroughly.  Starting with oldest (biggest hands) first, start placing hand prints on the tree, trying to space evenly but leaving room for the other children.  If you have only one of two kids, mix up the colors (still assigning them though).   Layer the hand prints, fill in the spaces. 

If you have a baby or toddler, it may be easier to use their feet since they tend to squish the paint between their fingers and try to eat it rather than being cooperative.

After all the hand prints (or footprints) are places, let it dry overnight. 

Add the year and names of the kids with the permanent marker, then thread the dowel through and tie off the ribbons.