Last week we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week at our elementary school.  I made my child’s teacher, Mr. King, these water bottle labels.  I also bought protein bars, and some chocolates.  With the warmer weather and their busy schedule this gift was greatly appreciated.

We have a barbecue for the teachers this Friday.  I bought several cases of water and I am using the label with the pencils that says “Great Job”

For our readers we’d like to share this printable with you

Click here to download these labels.

How To Make a Living Wreath

Making one of these living succulent wreaths has been on my to do list for quite some time.  My friend and I both made one sharing succulents from our yards.

I used clippings from a variety of succulents like Jade, Hens and Chicks, Sedum, and Ice plant.  You want a variety of colors and sizes.Take clippings and remove bottom leaves so you have a good stem to stick into the frame.  Let Succulent clippings sit for 2-3 days in a dry area.

Purchase 3 bags of moss and saturate in a bucket of water.Squeeze out excess water and place inside your metal wreath frame.  Pack it tightly. Place the second frame on top of the moss and tie with wire or string to secure.  Place more moss on top to hide the frame.

Use a pencil to make a hole for the stems.  Small cuttings can be grouped together and attached to the wreath with floral pins.  Let it sit level for a week before you hang it.

I am going to use mine for a garden party with candles in the center. Then I will hang it outside.  If it gets totally dry, take it down soak it in some water.

Enjoy your living creation!

Do you have a special, mom, grandma, or auntie who loves to garden? Here is a fun and easy Mother’s Day craft idea sure to bring a smile!

Materials:

• Wooden garden stake
• Flat wooden cutout or thin board (available at your local craft supply store)
• Tempera paint
• Finishing nails, industrial staples, or hot glue
• **Optional — Raffia to tie on as an accent

Directions:

1. Paint the stake and sign with tempera paint. Allow at least 24 hours to dry.
2. Use staples, nails, or glue to attach the sign to the stake.
3. Add a raffia bow for an extra touch!

Pair these garden stakes with a pretty plant for the yard, or as a special part of a gardening gift basket containing other gardening items such as:

• garden gloves
• garden shears
• a small gardening spade
• seed packets
• a small bouquet of your favorite flowers

Happy Mother’s Day!

We’ve created a free fiesta party invitation and party circles that can be used for cupcake toppers, bag tags, or food picks for you to enjoy.  We’d appreciate your comments or becoming a fan on Facebook if you download our printables.

                 Gracias!

Download here

Download here

For decorations, tableware and recipes for a complete Fiesta Party check out

Creative-Party-Themes.com

Celebrating May Day is a great way to commemorate the arrival of spring (finally)! Wearing and giving flowers are two fun May Day traditions. Here are some floral craft ideas to make your May Day a little lovelier.

May Day Flower Circlet Crown

Materials:

• Wire or a thin wire coat hanger
• Green floral tape
• Silk flowers
• Lengths of colored ribbon

Directions:

1. Bend your wire into a circular crown to fit the wearer’s head.
2. Twist the ends together and cover them with florist tape so that there are no sharp points in your crown.
3. Separate and trim your flowers so that they have a small stem at the base to wrap.
4. Hold a flower or group of flowers against your wire crown and attach it to the circlet by wrapping the stem(s) with florist tape.
5. Place a new flower over the wrapped part of the last flower and repeat the process until the entire circlet is covered.
6. Finish your crown by tying some long colored ribbons to one point of the circlet so that they will hang down the wearer’s back.

Garden in a Bag

We found this cute and easy craft idea at a blog called Kleas. She called then “Garden Fairy Cookies.”

Materials:

• Clear cellophane bags and ribbon ties
• Decorative tags for instructions
• Potting soil
• Flower seeds

Directions:

1. Mix a bucket of potting soil with enough water so that it is all moist.
2. Add 1-2 packets (depending how much soil you use) of wild flower seed mix and mix thoroughly in the bucket.
3. Make golf ball size scoops of seeded soil and, if necessary, set them on a tray to dry a bit.
4. Package them in cellophane bags  (5 per bag) and tie off with ribbon.
5. Add a gift tag to each bag with planting directions.

Here are some directions you might add to your tag:

1. Find a sunny spot in your garden.
2. Dig five small holes in the dirt that are 6″ apart.
3. Plant one seed ball in each hole, cover it with dirt, and water lightly.
4. Enjoy wild flower blooms all summer.

  Want some more May Day ideas? Why not host a garden party? You’ll find lots of inspiration at our website, Creative Party Themes.

Well, the end of the school year is just around the corner. If you have a special grad in your life, you might want to start thinking about graduation party ideas. Some hot trends in graduation parties this year are themed events and also personalized party invitations and decorations that reflect a student’s individuality.

There are lots of fun party themes that would be great at a graduation party.  You could kick off summer with a luau, celebrate a graduate’s star status with a Hollywood theme party, or keep things simple with a backyard barbecue.  The sky is the limit! You’ll find lots of ideas to help you plan a fantastic event on our party website, Creative Party Themes.

Then, if you need supplies, be sure to check out Shindigz.com, where you’ll find an amazing assortment of party supplies for any theme of graduation party, and get free shipping on your order as well.

Here are some fun graduation party supplies that we thought were especially great:

Graduation Big Head Cutouts

Class of 2012 Beads – available in many colors

Graduation Banners

Want to celebrate the end of school for a student who isn’t graduating? Take a look at our End of the School Year Party ideas!

For a complete Cupcake Themed Party that included ideas for tableware, decorations, and activities go to creative-party-themes.com

I am the first to admit, I don’t bake unless it comes from a box, or in this case a can.  So I was thrilled to find these cute cinnamon roll bunnies from Betty Crocker to make on Easter morning.

Happy Easter from Creative Party Buzz

No plans to head out of town for spring vacation?  No worries! We have some fun ideas to keep your kids busy.

Parties…They’re not just for birthdays.

• Luau-Turn up the heat and invite your friends over for some fun in the tropics. Find all your luau party supplies and activities here
• Camping-Don’t want to camp out in the cold and wet weather? Set up your own campsite indoors.  Make s’mores in the microwave and grab some flashlights to make shadow puppets.  Everything you’ll need is right here
• Science – Put a little education into your vacation by having a group of friends over to conduct some science experiments. Here are all your supplies.

Get Crafty…Make Gifts

• Take advantage of the down time you have at home this week.
• Why not work on that end of the school year teacher gift?
•  Mothers’ Day will sneak up on you too.  Head to your local craft store for supplies.  You will be so happy to have this task crossed off your list.

Hands On Gardening

• Take your kids to the garden store and buy some vegetable and flower seeds to sow in starter kits in the house.
• Paint flower pots

Little Chefs in the Kitchen

• Look through your cookbooks with your kiddos and enroll them in helping to make some meals you could freeze for those busy week nights.
• Follow the format of those reality cooking shows and do your own Cupcake Wars, Cake Boss, or Iron Chef night.

Believe it or not, Easter is just around the corner. Time for all Mama Bunnies to start thinking about filling those baskets! Every year we try to find some fun new Easter basket ideas for our kids. Here are a few new Easter basket goodies that we’ve come across for 2012…

Toys:

Webkinz Carrots Mazin Hamster

Hide ‘Em and Find ‘Em Egs

Shrinky Dinks Easter Craft

 1. Webkinz Carrots Mazin Hamster – Hamsters are so popular this year! This adorable little guy is not just a cute plush toy, but also will give your child access to the kid-friendly Webkinz website for fun to play some fun and educational games.

2. Hide ‘Em and Find ‘Em Easter Eggs – These fun eggs talk to you while you’re hunting and then offer a surprise inside! They shut off automatically after 30 minutes.

3. Shrinky Dinks Easter Fun – This craft kit from Creativity Kids has all the materials to make pretty Easter ornaments to hang from a sparkly springtime tree.

Books:

 There are so many great kids’ books available for Easter. Here are a few of our favorites:

Movies:

Hop

It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown

Springtime for Max and Ruby

1. Hop – This whimsical movie came out in 2011. It’s theme is overcoming obstacles to follow your dreams. Totally adorable.

2. It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown – How can you go wrong with Snoopy and the gang? An Easter classic.

3. Springtime for Max & Ruby - 12 episodes of springtime fun with the cute brother and sister duo of Max and Ruby.