EASTER STUFF

I'm feeling nostalgic so I dug out these photos of our first Easter with Isabelle. Excuse me while I go curl up in the corner and sob my eyes out for a while. I mean, really. I seriously cannot take the cuteness.

 Look at these cuties! And my house! I miss my house so much.

Having been a boy Mom for all those years, I had never ever bought white patent leather Mary Janes or white tights with little flowers on them or baby dolls, or made Easter dresses or bonnets. I will never forget how excited I was to become a girl Mom, too.

I don't think I blogged about our Easter craft last year, but I should have- we all loved it. (I pinned the original from here.)
Step 1: Cut out a cross and a semi-circle from scrap paper
Step 2: Using cray pas, color in blocks all around the edges of the cross; use greens and yellows to go around the edge of the hill (semi-circle)

Step 3: With painter's tape, affix the cross to the paper, then the semi-circle
Step 4: Use your fingers to "push" the colors from the hill onto the paper, taking care to leave out the area where the cross stands; in other words, you'll have an empty space in the hill for the bottom of the cross  

Step 5: Remove the hill stencil and next spread out the colors all around the cross

Step 6: Paint the surrounding sky and grassy hill with watercolor paints

A close-up of pretty girl's Easter dress... I adore that pattern and love the way it fits Isabelle. I literally just made up my mind about her dress today, so I'd best get to it! I think it's going to be so lovely and pretty.

Her special belt, so, so easy to make! A little hot glue, some fabric cut into circles, then folded and glued, and then glued onto a faux ribbon bow. I love this little belt!

I also loved her Easter barrette, which was super easy to make. I don't have an exact tutorial for this, but it's very similar to her birthday brooch I posted about here. You should try one!

We're definitely going to be making these again! We are loyal peanut butter egg/cup fans, but there is just something extra fabulous about these homemade ones. They're so fresh and light and delicious, downright irresistible.

 Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs

Or...jazz up some classic Rice Krispie Treat Squares. Chop up some Oreo cookies (in pretty Easter colors, of course!)- here I used both chocolate and golden cookies. They add a little extra texture and crunch to the squares and they are so, so good. We're having these for dessert tonight, in fact.  =)

Every year I find so many wonderful and meaningful ideas for things to make together, and I simply run out of time. Or I forget. Or I have a bad day and just don't care for an afternoon/evening. (Yesterday was a horrible day.) You can see my Pinterest Easter board here...hopefully I'll be making some of those things in the next day or two!