Spring Has Sprung...at least at our house

A week or two ago, Cash and I had a day of craftiness. A couple of things I already posted, but some I held off on for days like this. The boys and I have been fighting off a nasty stomach virus the last few days. While I can't get up and move about much, I can sit with my laptop comfortably enough for a while before I start to feel sick again. Needless to say, there has not been much going on, so it's good to keep a few things up my sleeve for such an occasion.

We made lovely little Easter crayon surprises for all of Cash and Luc's friends. If you are one of these, please act surprised when you receive yours. :) It was an idea stolen, of course, from erin
who is a crafting genius. :) (Loving that shout out, eh Erin?)
Here's how it works...gather up any broken crayons you may have. This was super easy for me because I teach 5th grade. Once it's broken just a little...it's tainted in their eyes. After you gather them, unwrap them.
Cash liked unwrapping them for about a minute. Then he pronounced, "Mom, why don't you finish this part of the craft by yourself?" He proceeded to leave me in the kitchen alone. Once they are unwrapped, you can break them into smaller pieces and color sort them. I used an ice tray to make it easier for Cash to help, and he was all about this part.
Notice: Chocolate around Cash's mouth. What has he been eating?? hhhmmmm.
Just to be sure the crayons didn't stick to the tray, I sprayed a light coating of PAM.
We then placed the broken pieces in a cookie mold sheet in the shape of flowers. (Erin used ice trays, so that might be a less expensive option.) I mix up correlating colors to make a swirly effect.
Cash has his construction hat on site to make this crayon business seem more "manly." :)
Heat cookie tray in oven at 250 degrees for about 10-13 minutes. Just long enough to melt the wax.













Let the tray cool completely, then pop those beautiful babies out! You now have recycled, reused, and reduced! Good for you!
PRESENTATION: My personal favorite.
I wrapped a couple in cellophane,(there goes my points for reducing) and tied the ends like a piece of candy adding a little note.

For the Birds (Part 2)

My friend, Erin, from A Bird and A Bean gave me a great project idea for mommy/Cash time. Yesterday, Luc-E-pooh was ill, so I was home from work. He slept a lot, which gave me and Cash loads of time for fun. We knocked out a lot of projects: blooming crayons, planting flowers, and treats for birds. I will post more on the other stuff later.

As in Erin's post on this same topic, (part 1) this is an inexpensive, easy project for the youngsters.

Here's what you need:
*bread- I used the heels out of my current bags of bread.
*peanut butter
*bird seed
*yarn
*straw
*cookie cutters- this isn't a necessity, but it makes it more fun.

It's all quite simple. You toast the bread (or leave it out to get stale), and use cookie cutters to make fun shapes.
We used these train cutters, although by the end...you couldn't really tell what it was.
Next, you spread peanut butter on the bread.
Once the bread is coated with peanut butter, just press the bread pieces into bird seed.
Use a straw to puncture the bread to make a hole, and thread yarn through. Tie yarn with enough slack to hang on a branch.
Now you are ready to hang the treat!
Now, to finalize the project...give yourself and your partner a big "thumbs up" for a job well done.