Dollar Store Project: Birds Nest Wreath

We needed some more springtime decorations around this place, so I came up with this quick craft for my boys to make. Everything for this project came from the Dollar Tree, which is my new favorite place for coming up with inventive craft ideas. It was fast, easy, and the grand total for two wreaths was a whopping $4 (and we still have half a bag of moss left!).


Here's what you need to get started...


Wreath forms (these come in three or four different sizes, all for $1 - the ones we used were the smallest ones), a 2-pack of birds, a bag of moss (we ended up only using 1/2 a bag total), a glue gun, some white glue, and a bag of miscellaneous twigs, leaves, etc. that we collected at the park



Start by spreading a generous amount of white glue on to your wreath.



We used the small tubes of Elmer's School Glue, and the boys managed to squeeze every last drop from the tube.



Grab a handful of your moss and start sticking it to the glue, making sure you press hard to get it all to stick. This is the part where I should mention that it would be in your best interest to put down newpaper or whatnot under your work area. Clearly, I learned this the hard way when I had to scrape up glued-on moss off of my glass table.



The kids loved squeezing and spreading around the white glue, but in the end I had to go back and reattach some of the moss with the glue gun.



Time to add the fun stuff! We broke down our large sticks into smaller pieces, and then we got out the hot glue gun. I had Sawyer hand me whichever stick he wanted to use, and then I applied the glue and placed it where he wanted it. If it was a really big stick and he was insistant upon doing it himself, I would put a dab of glue in the middle and let him glue it down himself, making sure he was only holding on to the ends of the stick. I just don't trust my kids with hot glue lol



When you're all finished with the sticks and leaves, use hot glue to attach your little bird.



Sutton & Sawyer's finished wreaths adding some Springtime cheer to our house :)

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Easter Egg Banner

This Easter egg banner is a great craft for quickly creating a holiday decoration out of little more than paper scraps and glue. First, you'll want to gather up the supplies you need:

This was actually what I gave my kids to keep them entertained while I made my banner, but short of an Easter egg template (I got mine here), this is pretty much all you need. I'd recommend using better scissors than the ones my 3-year-old was using though ;)
If you have an oval cutter and an Xacto knife it will make easier work of creating the inner shapes. Stamp pad and/or ink is optional for a more vintage look.

I didn't think about making a tutorial until I was quite aways along in the project, so I apologize that there are some steps not photographed.

* Print the egg template on heavy cardstock and cut out the egg shape using an Xacto knife. Be careful to cut the egg shape out without cutting through any of the edges as this will be used as a pattern from which you'll cut all your large egg shapes.

* Choose 7 mix-and-match papers (approximately 5"x7") for the large background eggs. Using your cardstock egg stencil pattern, draw the egg shape on the back side of the papers, and cut out.

* Cut seven mix-and-match interior egg shapes. This is the part where an oval cutter really comes in handy.

* Using Microsoft Word or a similar program, print the letters "E-A-S-T-E-R" in any font of your choice. Cut out the individual letters, and use double stick tape to adhere the border of the letter to a smaller scrap of paper. Using your Xacto knife or scissors, carefully cut out your letters using the printed font as your guide.

* Using a coordinating font, print and cut out the word "Happy." Using double stick tape, place the last small egg on top of the cut out word, and then use another piece of double stick tape to adhere both pieces to a brightly lit window. Using the backlighting and a black marker, trace the word onto the egg.

* Assemble and embellish as pictured:

* Now it's time to embellish! You can really go crazy here adding all kinds of trims: glitter, seed beads, ribbons and such. I opted to go for a quick finish since I was trying to complete my craft in the duration of my boys' naptime.

* For my finish I chose to ink the edges of all the layers with a black stamp pad. I only have a large stamp pad, but I don't mind if it gets a little messy. If you do decide to do an ink or chalk edged finish, you'll need to treat each layer before you assemble them together.

* Lay out a length of 7/8" ribbon (approx. 5' long) and space your letters along the ribbon however you wish. When all of the letters are in place, use your Xacto knife to cut a small slit through both the top of the egg and the layer of ribbon underneath it. Use a decorative brad or fastener to attach each egg to the ribbon.

All finished - quick and easy!

I love these little faux chocolate bunnies

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