DIY Bunny Ears Napkin Rings

 

 

Since Easter is near I thought that I would do another Easter project that

has been on my "Projects To Make" list.

 

I noticed last year that Pier 1 was selling these

cute little bunny ears napkin rings made out of burlap, and this

year they popped up in Michael's.

So I knew that they were still popular.

 

Burlap is still HUGHLY popular

again this year.

 

*Pier 1 is again this year carrying these Bunny Ears Napkin Rings.

They are on sale for $2.36 per napkin ring.

Source:  Pier 1

 

 

I was going to purchase a pair of these

but the more I looked at them the more I thought

that I would be able to make these myself.

Plus I had everything to make these.

I didn't have to purchase a thing!

FREE, FREE, FREE.

Who doesn't love that!

 

These little Bunny ears napkin rings are another

easy project to make.  Don't let the lengthy tutorial intimidate you.

I made 4 of these last night in about 2 hours.

 

*Caution:   If you plan on making these with small children please supervise

as there is hot glue and an iron involved.

 

BUNNY EARS NAPKIN RING TUTORIAL

 

Supplies:

 

Empty Paper towel or Toilet paper roll

Scrap pieces of Burlap

Scissors

Mod Podge,  or any craft glue that dries clear

Ruler

Iron

Hot Glue Gun

Heat-n-Bond (can be purchased from Walmart for under $2.00)

 

1.  Take your paper towel roll and cut a slit down the length of the tube,

measure off 1 inch increments.

2.  Cut off at the 1 inch lines.  These will be your rings.

 

3 & 4.  Cut a strip of burlap 2 1/2 inches wide by 6 inches long.

(I used leftover 5 inch burlap ribbon from a previous craft project.

I cut it 6 inches long and then cut it in half.)

 

4.  Fold in one short end of the burlap strip approx. 1/2 inch and press with your finger.

This will give your napkin ring a nice finished edge.

Don't worry about the other end because you won't

see it.

 

5.  Place your 1 inch paper towel strip in the center of the burlap strip,

making sure that the end is tucked under the folded edge.

 

6.  Completely cover the paper towel strip with a thin coat of

Mod Podge.  Let dry for a few minutes until tacky.  Don't dry completely.

You can speed the drying process along using a hair dryer.

 

7.  Fold the long edges in towards the center and overlap.

Using your finger, press and smooth the edges together.

 

8.  Add another layer of Mod Podge along the center to

tightly seal the edges together.  This will also prevent

the burlap from fraying.  Don't worry about any stray threads.

We will take care of those later.

Let dry completely.

 



While your napkin rings are drying you can create

your bunny ears.  *2 ears per napkin ring.

 

CREATING BUNNY EARS

 

1.  My bunny ears measure 3 1/2 inches long by 1 1/2 inches wide.

*You will need to cut 2 per bunny ear*

To cut down on cutting time, I cut a piece of burlap

3 1/4 inches wide by 3 3/4 inches long and folded it in half.

 

2.  Place your Heat-n-Bond in the middle of the folded burlap.

 

3.  Pin your bunny ear pattern on and cut out the bunny ear.

 

 

4.  Once you have your bunny ears cut,

Unpin and remove the top ear, leaving the Heat-n-Bond on the

bottom ear piece.

 

5.  Iron the Heat-n-Bond onto the bottom ear piece.  Let cool.

 

6.  Peel off the paper backing from the Heat-n-Bond and place the top ear piece on top.

 

7.  Using an iron, press the two pieces together.  Let cool and set aside.

You now have a thicker bunny ear which will not fray and

will be easier to bend and hold its' shape.

 

ATTACHIING THE BUNNY EARS TO THE NAPKIN RING

 

1.  Once your napkin rings have dried completely,

trim any loose threads and  run a line of hot glue along the top unfinished short end.

 

2.  Bring the finished edge around and place on top of the hot glue,

overlapping the edges to form a circle.  Using a clip (I used a clothes pin)

to hold in place until dry.

 

3 & 4.  Grab a bunny ear and bend the bottom of the ear about 1/4 inch,

add hot glue to the underside and attach to the top of the napkin ring, making sure

the overlapped edge in on the bottom and centered.

To prevent any burned fingers, use a wooden screwer to press the

ear onto the napkin ring.  Attach the 2nd ear.

 

 

 

5.  Bend and shape the bunny ears.  Trim any loose threads.

 

You now have a Bunny Ears Napkin Ring!

 

Place a napkin in the Bunny Ears Napkin Ring and display.

 

 

 You still have time to make these before Easter!

 

Until Next Time,

Veronica

 

 

 



Whiskers and Homemade Chicken Salad

 

Lately I've been hungry for chicken salad.

I like making my chicken salad with grilled chicken breast.

This chicken salad is so versatile.  It would be good on

a bed of lettuce, in a wrap, made into a sandwich, or

placed in a dish and served with a side of crackers.

 

I served mine with Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil Triscuits.

So yummy for a quick lunch.

 

Since the weather here has been just beautiful I thought

now would be a good time for Hubby to grill some

chicken breasts for me.  Actually he grilled it

yesterday for me and I let it set in the refrigerator

overnight to absorb the grilled favor.

 

Hubby grills a mean chicken breast!  It is always so juicy

and flavorful.

 

This morning I put together my chicken salad and

let it sit in the refrigerator to chill until lunch time.

 

*Chicken salad recipe posted at the end of this post.

 

While I was letting the chicken salad chill I

thought I would create a bunny fold napkin.

 

These would be so cute to sit on each plate

for your Easter dinner table.

 

Here are the step-by-step instructions so that you too

can make these cute bunny napkins.

 

*Please ignore my dingy pressing board.  It gets used a lot for crafts.

 

1. Start with a fresh pressed square napkin.  Mine measures 18" x 18"

2.  Fold the napkin in 1/2 and iron a crease in the center as a guide line.

3.  Open the napkin and fold up to the crease line.

4.  Fold the napkin up a second & third time to create a long rectangle.

5.  Fold the rectangle in 1/2 and press a center crease line using your hand.

6.  Unfold the napkin back to the rectangle shape and fold the left

side down to the center crease line.

7.  Fold down the right side to the crease line.

8.  Fold the lower left and right sides of the napkin

up to the middle.

9.  Carefully turn the napkin over with the solid point facing up.

10.  Fold the top point down.

11.  Carefully turn the napkin over and fold the left & right

sides over to the center.  This will be the back of the bunny.

Press with a hot iron.

12.  Turn the napkin to the front and add your whiskers and nose.

I used a piece of twine and tied a knot in the center and unraveled

the ends to form whiskers.  Then I used a button for the nose.

You can either sew or glue these on.

Fluff the ears.

13.  Turn the napkin over with the ears facing down and

tuck the right side of the edge into the left side.

14.  Turn your bunny upright and fluff one final time and display.

 

Homemade Chicken Salad

2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken

4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1 (8 oz.) can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 cup quartered green grapes

3/4 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise

1/8 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

2 teaspoons minced onion

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Salt & Pepper to taste

 

Combine chicken, bacon, water chestnuts, celery, grapes and walnuts in a large bowl; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients; add to the salad and toss to coat.

Chill until ready to serve.

 

ENJOY!

Veronica



 

 

 

 

 



Meet Jack

Happy Daylight Savings Day!

 

I'm not crazy about losing an hour on my weekend,

but I do enjoy the extra hour of daylight we get each day!

 

Easter is fast approaching and I realized I

didn't have an Easter wreath to hang.

 

So I got busy yesterday and made

this wreath to hang.

 

MEET JACK

 

 

Isn't he just the CUTEST!

 

 

He measures 43 inches from the top of his ears to

the tips of his toes and he is 24 inches wide.

He's one BIG bunny!

 

He looked o.k. with just his head but I thought

he would look better with legs.

 

You'll never guess what I made his legs from....

 

 

...pipe insulation and a metal coat hanger.

 

I took the coat hanger and stuck in down the middle of the

pipe insulation and bent it at the bottom to form a foot,

and then I bent it again in the middle to give him a knee.

Then I wrapped the pipe insulation with a burlap garland

and attached the legs to the wreath form.

 

 

Hubby really likes Jack.

 

If you like Jack I am trying to get supplies to make

a couple more to sell.  I'm not sure if I will have the

supplies before Easter though.

 

If you haven't already subscribed by email to

my blog make sure you do as I will be posting

all of the information about my wreath shop here

just as soon as I get everything set up.

 

Well, I'm off to make a couple more wreaths

for my wreath shop.

 

Until next time,

Veronica

 

 

 

 

DIY Foaming Hand Soap

Do you like using those

Foaming Hand Soaps that

Bath & Body Works sell?

 

 

They usually have these on sale for 3 for $15.00, or

if you hit the sale at the right time you can get them

for 5 for $15.00.

 

I really like these and tend to stock up on them

when there is a sale.

Little did I know that they are loaded with ingredients

that I can't even pronounce.

 

 

As you probably know, I am in the process

of making our home more chemical free.

 

Did you know that you can make this

Foaming Hand Soap with just

a few simple chemical free ingredients,

and that it costs just pennies to make?

 

 

All you need is:

 

Water

Pure Castile Soap (scented or unscented)

*Castile soap is made from Coconut oil and Olive oil*

I ordered mine on-line from walgreens.com. $16.00 for 32 oz.

I buy the unscented because I like to add my own scents.

Essential Oil (optional, if using unscented)

Colorant (optional)

Foaming Hand Pump Bottle (I save mine and reuse them)

 

A few simple all natural ingredients in the Castile Soap.

 

 

Let's make some Foaming Hand Soap.

 

Fill your container to within an inch from the top with water.

You want to make sure you leave enough room for the pump.

 

*Make sure you add the water first before adding the soap.

You don't want it to foam up and fill the container.

 

Add 2 Tablespoons of Castile Soap.

Add 2-3 drops of Essential oil

and 1 drop of colorant, if using.

 

Place the pump on and give

the container a couple of gentle shakes.

 

 

This will separate after sitting for a while.

Just give it a couple gentle shakes before using

and you are good to go.

 

 

This foams up just as good as the store bought brands, plus

it nourishes your hands with the natural oils.

Not only does it feel good, it costs pennies to make.

Another win, win, homemade chemical free product.

 

Give this recipe a try and I know that you will like it too.

 

 

 

*I was at Costco yesterday and noticed that they carry Castile Soap

for under $10.00 for a 32 oz. bottle.

 

Until next time,

Veronica

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pure Luxury

 

I tend to have dry skin, especially in the winter months.

Even though I lather up my whole body

with lotion after each shower, I still have

dry skin!  I have tried so many different lotions

over the years and just couldn't seem to find one that I like.

They either left me feeling like I didn't apply any, were

too greasy, or the lotion felt like I just added glue to my skin.

You know, the kind that makes you feel tacky.

 

I've purchased lotions from high end department stores

thinking that they would be better.  No such luck there either!

I would break out in a rash because they had so much perfume

and other harsh chemicals to "help your skin stay youthful looking".

Not that I mind having youthful looking skin mind you.

 

I even went to see a Dermatologist about my dry skin.

She told me to apply Crisco shortening on my body!  WHAT!!!

 

True Story! I kid you not!

 

So silly me I did what she told me to do.  Who was I to question a Dermatologist.

I only did it a few times and quit.  It just didn't seem like a good thing to do.

I had to stand around naked waiting for it to soak in so I could put my clothes on!

And believe me that is not a pretty sight!

 

That stuff just wouldn't soak in!

The only thing that stuff soaked into was my clothes!

Now granted that was a few years ago and things have changed a lot since then.

Thank goodness!

 

So my quest for the perfect lotion continued.

 

Since I made my own bars of soap it got me thinking.

Why can't I make my own lotion?

That way I know exactly what is going into it.

So I did a little research and found out how easy it was to make your own.

If you can melt butter and whip egg whites you can do this.

 

4 simple ALL NATURAL ingredients.

 

1 cup Shea Butter

1/2 cup Coconut Oil

1/2 cup Almond Oil

Essential Oil of choice, for scent (optional)

 

 

Combine the Shea Butter & Coconut Oil in a double broiler (or you could melt it in

the microwave at 30 second intervals) and heat until completely melted.

 

 

 

Remove from the heat and let cool for 30-40 minutes.

After the allotted cooling time, it should be slightly warm still, add

the Almond oil and Essential oil.  Start with 30 drops of essential oil

and continue adding until you have the desired scent.

Transfer the mixture into your mixing bowl and place in the freezer

for 20-30 minutes until fairly solid.  You don't want it completely frozen.

 

Remove from freezer and whip with a mixer for 5-8 minutes

until it reaches the consistency of whipped butter.

 

 

Place in a container with a lid and start enjoying your new

LUXURIOUS Body Butter!

 

 

A little dab goes a long way.

 

When you first apply this you will notice the oils immediately starting to melt

from your body heat and your skin will seem oily.  Don't

worry, within minutes your body will drink this right up

and thank you with soft, silky skin!

 

This lotion is light enough that you can use it all year long.

 

I use this throughout the day as my hand lotion.  I also apply it to

my hands right before I go to bed at night.

 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS!

 All Natural ingredients and no harsh chemicals!

 

I paired this with my Sea Salt Scrub.

 

 

I was able to get 3 - 8 ounce containers from one batch.

 

Enjoy!

 

Until next time,

Veronica

 

 

 

 



DIY All Natural Dishwasher Detergent

I am slowly changing out our Household

and Beauty products to more natural ones.

 

I've already switched my Laundry Detergent

and Fabric Softener to All Natural products.

 

This week I thought that I would

focus on the kitchen area.

 

I've been using my All Natural Dishwasher Detergent

for a month now. 

 

You only have to use 1 tablespoon of detergent.

 

I was a little hesitant about only using 1 tablespoon

of detergent on my dirty dishes.

 

I did not rinse off any of my dishes before

placing them into the dishwasher, nor

did I add any rinse agent to the dishwasher.

 I wanted to see just how clean my

  glasses and dishes would turn out by

using this simple recipe.

 

I was pleasantly surprised that my glasses

and dishes came out looking spotless.

 

I couldn't believe how clean my

dishes and glasses were and that there was NO residue.

 

 

You only need 4, simple ingredients to make

this All Natural Dishwasher Detergent.

 

 

1 cup Borax

1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda - (found in the laundry aisle)  NOT BAKING SODA

1/2 cup Citric Acid (found in the canning aisle)

1/2 cup Kosher Salt

Lemon Essential Oil (optional) Place in dishwasher, not in the detergent

 

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well using a spoon.

 

 

Place dishwasher detergent into an air tight container and label.

 

 

To use:  Place 1 tablespoon of detergent into your main wash bin

and add 2 drops of Lemon Essential Oil.

 

You do not need to add detergent into the Pre Wash bin.

 

 

This recipe yields 3 cups of detergent.

I will be keeping track of how many loads I get out of this recipe.

 

Give this All Natural Dishwasher detergent a try

and you will be amazed at how clean your dishes will be.

 

Clean dishes without any harsh chemicals!

 

Make sure you check back in as I have a lot of

other ideas in the works.

 

Until Next time,

Veronica