Chalk Decorated Cascarones (Eggs)

(*Para Español hacer click aqui*)

Every year I will save eggshells for weeks.  Once we collect enough, on the day before Easter, the kids and I (and whom ever else is around) decorate them, fill them with confetti, cover them, and wait anxiously until the next day when we can hide. find. and smash! This is a little tradition I grew up with and have incorporated into our little family's traditions. 

  

This year I decided I wanted to try something a bit different.  Decorate them by myself.   It was wonderful sitting all alone in my art studio figuring out how I was to decorate them.  No kids around, no paints splashing all over the place, no eggs crushing...peace.  I started with washi tape and although I liked the outcome, I wanted something simpler.  

I searched around and found my chalk pens.  Hm?  Why not?

Oh I love them!  The contrast between the natural brown tones of the organic egg shells and the white chalk is just beautiful, soothing even. 

A dozen.  That's what I allowed my self to decorate.  After all, I can't be a meany and break tradition by decorating them all by myself.  No. So two dozen more await for the little ones to decorate on Saturday.  I'm sure they'll be happy about it.  Yes they will.

Happy Easter!

 

DIY: Easter Wreath & Friends

(*Para Español ver abajo*)

 

A little bit of festive decorating was needed around our home.  Like the past few months, my life has been moving a bit slow, including in the making and decorating department.  Which is why I didn't make this wreath until this past weekend, and didn't post about it until, well, today.  But I say it is better late then never!  Right? Ha!  Just agree with me, won't ya?

Thanks.

As I was saying, I needed a bit more festive decorating.  Especially something to hang next to the front door.  

I had bought a bunch of glittered eggs last year on clearance and was holding on to them for the perfect project.  Then a couple of weeks ago while shopping at my currently favorite goodwill shop I found a twig wreath with cheap Halloween decorations on it and bought it for-like-nothing.

When I got home I pulled off those ugly Halloween decorations and had on my hands a nice twig wreath to work on.  A clean slate, a fresh start...but for much much later.  (Moving slow remember?)

Okay okay now, back to the wreath making.  It's pretty simple.

  

What you need:

* Plastic, foam, paper, what-ever-you-like, eggs. 

* Wood springy animal pieces. (I got mine from the dollar section at Target.)

* Small accent fabric flowers.  (You can make them like I usually do, but this time I also picked them up in the dollar section at Target.) 

* Piece of tulle or ribbon.

* Glue gun & glue sticks.

How to make it:

Begin by gluing the eggs randomly onto the wreath.  If you have varying sizes of eggs then I suggest you begin by gluing the larger eggs randomly around the wreath first.  Then the next size. Finally, using the smaller size to cover all the remaining gaps.  

I had also thought of painting my wreath a pretty yellow or a soft pink, but the rain outside didn't really help, so I opted not to...or you probably wouldn't be reading this post right now had I waited for the rain to pass, and then the unexpected snow to melt.  Yup that's life in VA.  

Once you finish gluing all the eggs you can add the wood animal pieces.  Or you can leave it as is.  I chose to add some springy friends.

Because my wood pieces where originally meant for hanging they had a tiny hole, I covered them up by gluing small fabric flowers.

Finally, add a pretty bow or make one out of tulle.

I'm still not sure I like the tulle bow, I might change it.  What do you think?  Hum.  

That's it!  Nice and simple.

Hang and...

Happy Easter!

*Disculpen amigos que hoy no les escribí el post en español.  Prometo escribir el siguiente en ambos idiomas.  ¡Hasta pronto y Felices Pascuas!

friday favoritas: after

Where I share with you photos new and old.  Photos that inspire me, photos that make me smile or cry, photos that bring out memories, photos that I LOVE!
 
Donde comparto contigo mis fotos favoritas nuevas y viejitas.  Fotografías que me inspiran, me hacen reír o llorar, fotografías que me traen recuerdos, fotos que ¡ME ENCANTAN!

 

after 

 

Cascarones are always oh so fun!  And this year was no exception.  There were more to crack around.  On cousins, on tios, on abuelitos!

If you would like to share some of your favorite photos with me and everyone else to see, you can join my Flickr group FRIDAY FAVORITAS, post your favorite photo on your blog or on your Facebook page and link it to this blog.  I would love to see what you love.

Si tu tambien quieres compartir tus fotos favoritas conmigo y los demás, puedes ser parte de mi grupo Flickr FRIDAY FAVORITAS, compartirlas en tu blog o pagina de Facebook y hacerlas link a este blog.  Me encantaría ver tus fotos.

 

Enjoy your weekend,

Simple Little Projects for Easter ♥ Proyectos Sencillos para las Pascuas

A little something I was working on last night using another old hay wreath passed down to me.  I used a similar technique to the Thanksgiving wreath I touched up this past year, but this time I started from scratch (including the felt flowers).  

Este es lo que me puse a hacer ayer por la noche.  Usando otra corona de paja viejita que me pasaron, decide de seguir la técnica parecida a la de la corona de Dia de Gracias que hice el noviembre pasado, pero esta vez use materiales nuevos e hice las flores de fieltro yo misma.    

I also made this super easy butterfly and flower felt garland.  I purchased the felt pieces about a year ago from a local dollar store.  All I did was use a pretty turquoise ribbon and sewed the pieces on to it.  Easy peasy.  You can do the same thing, pretty much with anything.  You can cut-out your own butterflies, flowers, etc. and then sew them together.

También hice esta guirnalda de mariposas con flores usando unas piezas de fieltro ya cortadas, que compre en una tienda del dolar local.  Super sencilla.  Solo use un listón color turquesa y cosí encima las mariposas y flores. De esta misma manera puedes hacer todo tipo de guirnaldas.  Corta unas mariposas, o flores, o lo que se te ocurra y cose las juntas.  Y listo.

So what do you think?

¿Que tal? ¿Te gustaron?

My Super Hero, Oh my! and more... :: Hay mi Super Heroe! y mas...

I can't believe it has been so long since I've written in my little blog. I've missed you so. Somehow life got just a bit crazy last month. There were (and are) plenty of things I wanted to share with you, but when it came down to it, I just didn't have the time -nor the energy-to sit down and write. But alas here I am, not for long, just a quick little stop to say, "Hello, I am still here thinking about you all." And also to share with you a few (ALOT) pictures, how can I not! ;)
Apenas puedo creer que tengo tanto sin escribir en mi lindo blog. Como los he extrañado. No se como pero los días del mes pasado se me fueron volando. Tenia (y tengo) tanto que quiero contarles, pero por alguna razón u otra no encontraba el tiempo, ni la energía, para escribir. Pero por fin, aquí estoy lista para compartir con ustedes aunque sea para decirles, "Hola! Aquí estoy pensando en ustedes." Y tambien para compartir algunas (o muchas) fotos, como no! ;)




This year for Easter I decided the kids were big enough to enjoy dying and crushing, confetti filled egg shells. And I was right. They really had fun tossing them and smashing them on the ground. Of course I told them that the actual way to do it is to smash them on each others head, I even volunteered their papi's head-something he was not very happy about -they wouldn't do it. Darn! great photos ops gone. By the way this tradition we just incorporated into our family, is one I celebrated as a child in Mexico. It was always so much fun to smash those eggs on each others head. Have you ever tried it? No? Well, you must, really.
Este año fue la primera vez que decoramos y llenamos cascarones de huevos con confeti, para celebrar las Pascuas. Algo que hacíamos en México de niña. Mis nenes se divirtieron mucho haciéndolo y después quebrando los en el piso. Les esplique que la tradición es quebrarlos en la cabeza de alguien mas- hasta sugerí que se los quebraran en la cabeza a papi (algo que no le gusto mucho a el. Jiji)- pero no se animaron. Ni modo, pensaba tomar buenas fotos. A la otra. Jaja.

Note: In case you are wondering about that fun Tie t-shirt he's wearing, I made it for him using the tutorial found here. Cute, huh? (I have some cool musical notes fabric waiting to be turned into a tie shirt for my music lover little guy.)
Nota: Por si tienes curiosidad de donde saque tan divertida camiseta para mi nene,
ver este tutorial que use. Padre no? Por ahí tengo guardada una telita de notas musicales que planeo usar para hacerle otra mas.

And now here is my SUPER DUPER HERO:
Aquí lo tienen, a mi SUPER HEROE:



Isn't he adorable? The best Super Hero a mami can have. Always ready to protect me and his sister (sometimes even papi) and super ready to give us huge hero kisses and hugs. What more can we ask for?
Lindo no? El mejor Super Heroe que una mami puede tener. Siempre listo para proteger a su mami, hermana y aveces hasta papi y siempre listo para darnos unos super besos y abrazos. Enserio, que mas puedo pedir?




I made this for his birthday last month. He often pretends play to be a Super Hero and what better way to make his b-day special than making him his own cape and cuffs. He loved it and so did A, she now wants one. Ha! She's so not your typical little princess girl. In fact when I took these photos we were on our way to a Princess/Super Hero tea party and she did not want to dress up. I had to bribe her. She wouldn't put her wings on (she was a fairy princess). Nope, not my stubborn little girl. She did though, have no trouble showing her brother how to pose and fly like a super hero. Love her.
Le hice el disfraz para su cumpleaños el mes pasado. Seguido juega a ser un Super Heroe y pues que mejor regalo que su propia capa y puños, para hacer su dia de cumpleaños todavía mas especial. Le encanto y también le encanto a mi linda A. Si, quiere una. Definitivamente no es tu típica niña que le guste eso de las princesas, con decirles que el día que tome las fotos íbamos a una fiesta de disfraz para princesas y super héroes, y no se quería vestir de ada. Nop, ni las alitas de su disfraz se quería poner (era una princesa ada). Mi niña necia. Pero claro, no tuvo ningún problema en enseñarles a su hermano a como posar para las fotos como un buen super héroe. Como quiero a mi nena.

Any super heroes or two roaming your home?
Y que tal en tu casa, algún super heroe por ahí?

No mami, mi Easter, no!...

I was surprised when little R said it as I put away the Easter decorations. It is the first year he notices and cares. It made me sad to put them away. I explained to him that we would bring them all back out next year and the year after and the year after that. That didn't make him feel any better. Mami was putting away his Easter. Me rompio el corazon (he broke my heart).


This was one of my best Easters ever by far. Full of smiles, full of kisses and full of Egg Hunts! Yes you heard right. Three to be exact. A and R loved every one of them. It is so different to view the holidays through your little ones eyes. There is so much joy and wonder.


We started off the Easter weekend at my local moms club Easter Egg Hunt. This was great practice for baby A. At first it was too cute to see her trying to bend and get the eggs in her pink tin can. By the last day she had it down! Que orgulloza estoy de ti mi nena (I am so proud of you, mi nena).



Then we headed out to NC to visit with Aunty N. It was a perfect clear spring weekend. Everything was in bloom and it made for great pictures.


Saturday we attended another Egg Hunt and then on Sunday we enjoyed a beautiful Easter Service at Duke Chapel. It is the second time I visit Duke University. A lovely place and a perfect place to take pictures of flowers, trees, old buildings, you name it. I wish we would have had more time to visit their gardens. But we had so much fun eating our lunch at a cool outdoor swing/gazebo type of picnic table. I know, it sounds crazy and odd and it sure is hard to describe. I should have taken pictures of it. Next time I visit.


And after lunch little R decided to run around the nearby outdoor stage. A followed and then cousin G. They were having so much fun, we stayed there for quite a while taking pictures of them playing...


...and A trying to imitate everything her big brother does. Here she is walking on the edge of some stairway (with the help of grandpa). I love those sweet chubby piernitas (legs).


I even remembered to take a picture of me. Or my feet. See my toenails? The plan was to get them polished. Never had the time. That is the story of my mami life. Get the little ones all cute and ready and then you are out the door, camera on hand, taking a picture of your feet and realize. Hijole! I forgot my toenails. Nimodo.

Photo taken by my hubby

But who cares about pretty polished toe nails when you can get besos (kisses) like this everyday all day! Yo no (not me).

Ah it was a lovely Easter indeed.