Pressed Flower Plates

For a dinner, brighten plain dinnerware with a sprinkling of cheerful blooms that coordinate beautifully with your centerpiece. All you need is a collection of pressed dried flowers to complete this temporary transformation an ideal makeover for rental place settings. Arrange the flowers on chargers, then cover them with cleat glass plates. Place cards, featuring a pressed bloom attached with double sided tape, tie it all together.

Hardworking Storage in Charming Displays

Island Storage -- Transform a basic table into a multipurpose work surface. Hang wine racks and baskets to store utensils under the surface, and build a lower shelf to hold larger items such as mixing bowls and cutting boards.

Bathroom Storage-- A metal cart on wheels keeps bath time essentials within reach. Store towels and oils on the top shelf and scrubbing supplies on the bottom. Wheel it to the tub when it's time for a bath and wheel it away when you're done.

Bedside Storage-- Refinish an old wooden vegetable bin and use it as a nightstand, Folded clothes stack neatly in each cubby. Or encourage quick cleanup and use it to sort small toys

Hand Stamped Stationery

Not everyone likes or has the time to make hand made cards from scratch. So you can design invitations and thank you notes using basic store bought cards. A notepad makes a nice gift.

You need

Grass, butterfly and flower rubber stamps/ink pads/blank cards,thank you notes or notepads

Place stationery on a large piece of scrap paper. Stamp grass motif across base of stationery,overlapping imprints if necessary. Add flower and butterfly accents. To create envelopes seals,stamp rows of perforated stamp paper. Punch put designs, and adhere to envelope with glue stick

Storage Solutions Using Baskets

Task It Baskets--- Organize household files with flair by trading a clunky metal file cabinet for a woven lidded chest. Be sure the basket's inside measurements will fit your letter or legal size files. The interior measurement of this chest is 12x12 To securely hang letter or legal size files inside,add an adjustable hanging file frame from an office supply store

Closet Solution-- Suspend a bicycle basket equipped with sturdy leather straps from a closet pole. Use it as an easy to reach catchall for hats.scarves, gloves

Seasoning Station-- Keep herbs and oils in a tidy basket tray within easy reach of the cook top. To catch spills,line the bottom with an easy to clean baking sheet. The tray is easily toted to the dinner or picnic table

Bathroom Basics-- Small bathrooms usually lack storage options,so use baskets to add storage and decoration. Here a large basket holds towels. The black grounds the room and connects the mirror and wall decor

Quick Nature Crafts

Nature Finds in a Vase -- This autumnal version of a May basket is perfect to hang on door or window locks Choose a small jar or votive cup that has a lip or ridges at the top.Wrap wire around the jar several times,placing the wire between the ridges or under the lip. Twist the ends into a hanging loop. Fill the jar with water and a collection of herbs,pods,flowers, and berries

Nature's Napkin Rings-- A simple but delightful touch comes in the form of one small leaf. Find wonderfully colored little leaves to tie onto napkins for family dinners and dinner parties.

Neutral Nature Chair Decorations-- Give a chair neutral natural elegance. Tie a jute ribbon in a bow around one chair post, Gather twigs and pheasant feathers so the feathers fan out. Secure to the chair with crafts wire. Spray paint small pumpkins and gourds white. Hot glue three or four to hide the wire. Finish by inserting white dried flowers

Cherry Stuffed Ham

Looks good , great idea for your Easter dinner.

You need

1 cup dried tart cherries chopped
1/2 cup cherry juice or orange juice
1 3-4 lb cooked boneless ham
1- 18 oz jar peach preserves
2 tbsp lemon juice

How to

Preheat oven to 325 In a saucepan combine cherries and the cherry juice, bring just to boiling. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes Drain cherries and discard juice

With a knife cut three or four 1 1/2-2 inch deep slits in ham,making cuts at a right angle to the direction ham will be sliced. Press in soaked cherries as each slit is made. Place ham on rack in shallow roasting pan. Cover with foil;Roast for 2 hours or until a meat thermometer registers 140 degrees

With a spoon transfer peach preserves into a bowl, with kitchen shears snip any large pieces.Add remaining dried cherries and lemon juice. Spoon 1/2 cup of the preserves mixture over ham. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes Heat remaining preserves mixtures pass around with ham

Asparagus Potato Brunch Bake

Thanks to leftover ham and frozen vegetables, this comforting casserole is in the oven in only 15 minutes

You need

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup sliced green onions

8 eggs

1/2 cup milk

3 cups southern style diced hash brown potatoes thawed

2 cups chopped cooked ham

1 box frozen asparagus cuts, thawed

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

How to

Heat oven to 350 Spray 13x9 baking dish. In a skillet melt butter and cook onions for 2m minutes until tender.

In a bowl mix eggs and milk until well blended. Stir in cooked onions,potatoes,ham and asparagus Pour into baking dish Top with cheese

Bake 30-35 minutes or until set

Simple Easter Baskets

Bunny Buckets -- Make your own Easter baskets to fill with goodies This fun kid's craft for Easter holds candy and serves as a decoration

You need Clear or green soda bottle/white,orange,and green craft foam sheets/2 inch wide ribbon/hole punch /chenille rickrack/glue

How to

Rinse and remove label Cut away the top third of the bottle with scissors. Glue rickrack around top of bottle

Cut rabbit silhouettes or carrot tops form the foam sheets, and place around the top of the plastic bucket

Punch a hole on each side of the bottle bucket Cut a 15 inch length of ribbon and thread through each hole. Knot ribbon ends in place inside the bottle

Recycle cans to make charming little candy containers. Embellish with vibrant colored ribbon and chenille stems to make decorative handles

Attach paper to cans with glue You can use coffee and soup cans Embellish with irresistible ribbons

Fill each can with paper shred. Top off with a handful of candy

Simple Spring Centerpieces

Egg Dish-- To make , mound hollowed out,painted eggs in a compote, and fill partway with water.Then stick stems of delphinium and pom pom mums in the cervices between the eggs

Easter Egg Vase-- Start with a large mouth clear cookie jar or canister and place a clear drinking glass in the center. Gently stack dyed, hard cooked eggs between the glass and jar,alternating egg colors. Fill the glass with water, Cut the stems of your favorite flowers to the desired length, and arrange them in the glass

Easter Nest Cookies

Sweet little cookies are made super simple with the help of cookie mix and jelly beans. these are adorable.

You need

1 pouch sugar cookie mix
1 tablespoon flour
1/3 cup butter
1 container Whipped white frosting
1 cup flaked coconut
Food coloring and jelly beans

How to

Heat oven to 375 Combine cookie mix,flour,and egg until dough forms

Shape dough into 24 pieces Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet

Bake 7-9 minutes Cool 15 minutes

Frost cookies Add coconut to a 1 qt resealable storage bag and add 2-3 drops of food color,shaking bag to blend color. Sprinkle with coconut and add jelly beans

April's Thought of the Month

Anticipate the good so that you may enjoy it.

Ethiopian Proverb

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone !!! Hope you all have a great weekend with family and friends.

Maple Bacon Breakfast Rolls

A simple breakfast roll that accompanies eggs or fruit, these maple and bacon roll ups start with refrigerated dough for extra quick prep

You need

10 slices precooked bacon
1 can refrigerated dough sheet
3 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons maple syrup
1/3 cup powdered sugar

How to

Heat oven to 375 Microwave bacon Drain Set aside to cool
Generously spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray. Unroll dough sheet on work surface Press into a 12x8 rectangle

In a bowl mix 2 tablespoons of the butter and 2 tablespoons of the syrup with fork until smooth and creamy Spread mixture evenly over dough covering to edges. Finely chop bacon, reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish. Spread remaining bacon evenly over butter mixture. Starting at short end. roll up dough;pinch edge to seal. Wrap roll in plastic wrap Refrigerate 5 minutes to chill the dough

Unwrap roll;place seam side down on cutting board. Using serrated knife,cut roll into 12 slices. Place slices,cut sides up on cookie sheet

Bake 8-13 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes

Meanwhile mix powdered sugar and remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 3 tablespoons syrup and whip until smooth. Drizzle icing over rolls. Garnish with bacon

Easter Basket Cupcakes

Gather the kids and make sweet,edible Easter baskets

You need

1 box yellow cake mix
1 container white frosty
Jelly beans/sprinkles/ green colored candy

How to

Make and bake and cool the cake according to box directions for 24 cupcakes

Frost with frosting. Use candy strips for handle on each. Decorate with jelly beans and other candies

Baby Update

This is for all of you out there that are following Jennifer's pregnancy. She had a doctor's appointment yesterday and she is doing great. Right on schedule. She has recently been able to feel the baby moving, how exciting!!! So that's all until next month.

Hiker's Trail Mix

Five ingredients and five minutes is all you need for a tasty high fiber trail mix. As the weather is getting nicer, we are all anxious to hit the road so I thought that this might be good to take along

1 cup bran cereal
1 cup Honey Cluster cereal
1/ 1/2 cups roasted soy nuts
3/4 cup yogurt or plain raisins
3/4 cup roasted whole almonds

Mix all together and store tightly

"Cracked" Easter Eggs

These"cracked" eggshells get their jagged edges from electrical tape; Use a craft knife to cut a random zigzag pattern into a strip of tape, and position it around an egg that has been dyed a pale color. Dip the egg partially into the same dye bath again,up to the tape,holding it in until the desired darker shade is reached

Super Simple Easter Decor-Know Your Place

Dainty beaded place cards direct guests to their spot at the Easter dinner table.

String a 10 inch long piece of jeweler's wire with small pastel beads,leaving about 1/4 inch of plain wire on each end
Using pliers, bend the wire into an oval and twist the ends together
With scallop edge scissors, cut a similar size oval from card stock
Print the guest's name on the card
Punch a hole in one end and tie the beaded oval and the card together with pretty ribbon
Leave enough ribbon trailing so you can tie the place card to a dinner napkin

Super Simple Easter Decor-New Leaf

Fold a napkin into quarters and pinch the center to form a point.Place the pointed end in a glass. Slip a daffodil stem in a florist tube inside;pull the corners down to resemble leaves

Super Simple Easter Decor-Glass Act

Wrap a rubber band around a votive holder and tuck in a daisy. Place in a small dish with water. March a line of these down the center of a table or place one at each setting

Super Simple Easter Decor-Zesty Setting

Bring spring blooms table side with a mini bouquet at every place setting. Cut 1/2 inch from the top of a lemon;use a sharp paring knife to cut the flesh out. Place a small bottle cap filled with water inside. Tie stems of your flowers together with twine and place in water. Perch in an egg cup or cordial glass

Super Simple Easter Decor- Easy Tulip Display

Simple and sweet, this pale pink tulip is nestled in the blown-put shell of a clean raw egg. Make the hole on top just big enough to accommodate the tulip stem to keep the flower upright. The egg is placed inside a silver napkin ring for stability, but egg cups or tiny votive holders also so the trick

Easy Home Decor Craft - Fabric Panel Headboard

Fabric panels make a quick headboard. Stretch fabric in your favorite colors over a wood frame from a crafts store. Attach the fabric with a staple gun. Make several pieces in different sizes to add drama

Easy Home Decor Craft-Jeweled Throw Pillows

Sparkly jewels add pretty detail to this throw pillow. Glue the jewels in a row to complement striped fabric. For checked fabric,glue one jewel in the middle of every other square. Add a jewel in the middle of flowers for floral fabric

Easy Home Decor Craft-Tiled Mirror

Paint a mirror to fit the color scheme of a room in your home. Add 1 inch ceramic tiles around the frame. Accent the tiles using ceramic paints

Easy Home Decor Crafts -Bedside Storage

Let a nightstand hold an accessory and let the bed skirt do all the work. Fold up one end of a fabric runner to the length desired for the pocket. Stitch the outer edge of the folded portion. Stitch through the folded portion in two places to make three total pockets. Tuck the other end of the runner between your mattress and box spring

Doily Edged Shelves

Give bookshelves a playful trim with the addition of paper doilies. Spray paint doilies to match your decor,and let dry;with a utility knife and a ruler, cut doilies in half. Affix the cut edge along the front of the shelves with double sided tape,slightly overlapping the lacy sections

Grands Monkey Bread

There's no monkey business involved in making this cinnamon scented pull apart

You need

12 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 can Pillsbury Grands biscuits
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter melted

How to

Heat oven to 350 Lightly grease 12 cup fluted tube pan with cooking spray. In large storage plastic food bag, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon

Separate dough into 16 biscuits;cut each into quarters Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan,adding walnuts and raisins among the biscuit pieces

In small bowl, mix brown sugar and butter, pour over biscuit pieces

Bake 28-32 minutes or until golden brown Cool for 10 minutes Turn upside down onto serving plate

Roll up Beach Towel

We always have a lot of stuff to carry to the pool or beach. Why not have a beach towel that will help us carry our necessities.

You need; beach towel/tape measure/pins/thread/ribbon

How to : Fold up the short end of the towel, and sew to create four pockets for your essentials. When you're ready for the beach, fill the pockets with a few necessities, fold the towel in half lengthwise, roll it up towards the straps and tie closed

Straps

Lay the towel on your work surface, right side up, so that the pockets are at the top. Double stitch the midpoints of the two 30 inch ribbons to the bottom short edge of the towel. The ribbons should be perpendicular to that edge so that one is 4 inches in from left hand corner and the other is 4 inches left of center. Form a u with the third ribbon. Turn ribbon ends under, and double stitch them to the towel edge at the points where the other two strips were sewed.

Eggshell Flowerpots

Young gardeners can use eggshells as pots to start seeds and coffee stirrer tags to foretell what will pop up where. Plant seeds according to package directions and nestle planters in an egg carton on a sunny windowsill, where they can be watered easily.

When plants have grown to about 3 inches and have at least 2 sets of true leaves, they are ready to be transplanted to the garden. Remove eggshells and plant

Paper Grass

Here's an ingenious way to recycle wrapping, construction, or craft paper; Feed leftover sheets or scraps through an electric shredder for colorful strips to use as basket grass.To transform flat strips into spirals,crumple them in your hands, or curl with scissors. Feed the short side of rolled papers through shredder to retain the curl

Easter and Spring Centerpiece

Cut Spring Blossoms-- A watering can holding cut spring blossoms will continue to nurture flowers long after the bouquet is gone

Egg Dyeing: String Technique

This easy technique yields splashy, unique designs

You need : eggs/string/acrylic paints/paper plate

How to

To create your own wild looking strokes of color,first pour small amounts of acrylic paints onto a paper plate.

Dip the end of a piece of string into the paint,then sweep the string across the egg.

Try different color of paint, and experiment with different sizes and types of string or light rope for a variety of markings

Fancy Feathered Friends

With a snip of your scissors and a bit of paint,ugly ducking cartons blossom into graceful swan cups. Use colors that match your dyed eggs for a simple but beautiful display

You need : egg carton/acrylic paint/paintbrush/glue/colored feathers/small black seed beads/dyed eggs

How to

For each egg holder,cut a cup from the egg carton as shown
Paint the cup inside and out. Let it dry, then paint on the beak

Glue on the tail feathers and bead eyes and put a dyed egg in the cup

Egg Ornaments

In Europe, Eater eggs are often hung on tress branches and bushes. Bring this custom into your home with these charming ornaments embellished with ribbon and trimmings

You need : eggs/food coloring/ribbons or rickrack/craft glue/pearl tipped pins

How to

Begin by dyeing and blowing out eggs

Attach a band of ribbon or rickrack around the shell with clear drying craft glue

Cover a hole at one end of the egg with a silk flower or a small bow Glue in place

Put a pearl tipped pin through a ribbon loop,then insert pin into other hole;glue in place

Hang the eggs from an egg tree,made from an arrangement of pussy willows or flowering branches

Dyed Eggs with Grass Appliques

For an elegant display, place these eggs in miniature off white Terra cotta pots,and arrange them on a windowsill,mantel, or sideboard.

Before decorating eggs, you'll need to make a drying rack;insert flat head pins into a piece of foam board creating evenly spaced rows. Blow out and dye eggs;set on rack to dry about 30 minutes

Cut above 10 blades for 1 egg from a flat of wheat grass. Using a paintbrush, coat part of the egg with a glue sealant such as Mod Podge. Place a few blades on this section, and apply sealant over blades. Let dry 20-30 minutes Repeat to adhere blades to the remaining sections.

Waterproof Book Covers

Protect your summer reading at the beach or pool with these stylish covers. Use oilcloth or vinyl to repel water and lotion. Place fabric, wrong side up,on work surface;lay opened book on top. Mark around book;add 1/2 inch beyond top and bottom and 3 inches on each side. Cut out. Turn under and stitch 1/4 inch hem along top and bottom edges. Center opened book horizontally,and mark the fold lines for left and right flaps 1/4 inch beyond book covers. Fold flaps over, and sew in place along top and bottom edges in line with hems