My wonderfully creative friend and fellow blogger Dot of Dabbled.org created an awesome tutorial for making your own super creep-tacular vintage undead photos just in time for Halloween. Reminiscent of the spooky decorations found at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom ride The Haunted Mansion, these pictures are sure to garner interest at a Halloween gathering. One could also create a few of these from existing photos of friends and family and tuck them around the home for a discreetly dark vibe.

via dabbled.org

A friend of mine found this post and I thought it was just gorgeous.  I have personally always been fascinated with terrariums; tiny little worlds unto themselves. I hope I can find some time to make on of these for my tree this year and maybe, if I am really lucky, make a few to give as gifts.

Photo by Yuka Yoneda

via DIY: How to Make a Terrarium Christmas Ornament!

Hint: Keep reading for free stuff!

I had the distinct pleasure of being invited to my first blogger party a few days ago. That’s right world, watch out I’m going places! My friend Nancy, who runs the awesomely creative and crafty Dabbled.org, was asked to host a party for some local Atlanta bloggers and friends to promote Tiny Prints Mother’s Day card collection. They treated us, all mothers in our own right, to a wonderfully catered meal, a very generous wine budget, a manicurist, a masseuse, and a beautiful array of their most popular Mother’s Day cards. Suffice to say, we all had a wonderful night.

Being that Mother’s Day was the theme, there was lots of talk about our personal experiences with motherhood. Comparing horror stories, battle scars, and tales that make your heart melt, all while indulging and being pampered. I can say for sure, there are plenty of worse ways to spend a Wednesday night. Being a fairly new mom myself (my baby is almost 17 months old), I had a great time listening to the wisdom of those more experienced, and also being able to interject on occasion with my own particulars. I always love the reactions I get when I describe the projectile poop my daughter sprayed me with when I was changing her at about 4am when she was less then 2 months old. Nothing like standing in the shower, before the sun is up, washing liquid poop out of your hair.

Courtesy of Dabbled.org

Now, all that being said, TinyPrints really did impress me with their card quality and massive selection. I have already made 2 cards, one for my mother and I went ahead and got a jump on Father’s Day and did one for my Pops too. I scanned through their other occasion cards also and am looking forward to making some for birthdays and other upcoming holidays. For the same price (or in some cases less) that you’d pay at the grocery or pharmacy for a name brand *cough*Hallmark/American Greetings/Etc*cough* card, you can create a personalized card featuring pictures of your family, friends, pets, or whoever. Enter your own message, or use one of their many suggestions, and then they will print it and mail it either directly to the recipient or to you for a personal signature. Overall, the interface is easy and intuitive. You do not need to be a computer wiz to figure out how to upload your pics or get them onto the cards, it walks you though step by step. All this without having to trade elbows with other last minute card shoppers while having to pick over the card reject graveyard. TinyPrints is MUCH easier and doesn’t cost you any gas!

I am very much looking forward to seeing my finished card and seeing my mom’s reaction when I get to give her a card plastered with her grand-baby’s pictures. If the quality is on the same level of the cards we got to see at the party, I am sure to end up with an excellent finished product.

Courtesy of Dabbled.org

Now for the best part: FREE STUFF FOR YOU! You can create your very own FREE Mother’s Day card just by clicking Like on TinyPrint’s Facebook page. There will then be a link in the menu on the left with instructions on how you can get your free card. Be sure to order by May 2nd, to ensure delivery in time for Mother’s Day.

I got the idea for this craft project after making my silk-dyed eggs and deciding that they were so pretty I wanted a way to display them for more then just the Easter holiday. My seasonal centerpiece was in desperate need of an update for spring, and I thought turning it into a little spring garden would be a great way to accomplish both things.

Supplies:

• Tall glass vase
• Moss (or some type of grass-colored fabric)
• Decorative eggs (insides removed)
• Seasonal flower stems  – I used Hyacinth, Daffodils, and Pansies, but you could use Gerber Daisies, Iris, Tulips or any spring flower you fancy.
• Optional:
  • Depending on how wide  your vase is,  you may need something to help support the flower stems. I purchased a cylindrical piece of florist foam. Turned out however, I didn’t need it.
  • Decorative enhancements: in this example, I found a very pretty and life-like butterfly while I was tootling around the craft store and thought it would add a nice touch.

Steps:

1. If your flowers come in bunches as mine did, use wire cutters to remove each individual stem for them group.
2. Add a layer of moss in the bottom of the vase.
3. Position your decorative eggs on the top of the moss. Again depending on how wide your vase is, you might need to add the florist form at this point to help support your eggs against the outside of the glass and keep them from falling towards the center.
4. Once your eggs are positioned, start adding your stems. I worked from the middle out, positioning my largest stems first, then filling in the remaining space with the smaller stems.
5. Add any other decorative items to the arraignment.

Click on the individual pictures for a larger view:

This is a visually appealing and very simple craft project that could be easily adapted to a variety of holidays or special occasions. I made this for Easter, and I couldn’t find a suitable bowl, so I just decided to buy a cheap indoor plant pot and I think that carried the bouquet theme even further.

Sandra Lee’s Cupcake Bouquet Instructions

My Easter Cupcake Bouquet:

You’ll notice I had to fill in the top with some silk flowers that I thankfully had left over from another project. My recipe for 24 cupcakes did not quite make 24 for some reason.