The Breath of Spring -- Recycled paper baskets

Have you felt the Breath of Spring enter your home today like the smell of laundry fresh from the line or a beautiful breeze hinted with the scent of lilac?

The breath of Spring is in the air,
The Daffodils a bloom,
With Crimson tulips bright and fair
It's Springtime's sweet perfume.

The rolling fields of verdant green,
Full rich with promise lie
Caressed by sunlight's golden sheen
Beneath a sapphire sky.

The fairy wand upon the trees
has opened to the sun
The wee brown buds, kissed by the breeze,
A miracle each one.

The little birds that joyfully sing
Their hymn until the dawn
Are bidding welcome to the spring...
And lo, the winters gone.

By Mary M. Forman


Today we made recycled paper baskets to decorate our home for Spring. The kids love filling them with many things. Here is a simple tutorial on how to make them. Enjoy!

Step 1: Make sure you have a square piece of paper. Fold your paper in half like this. Then open it up and fold it in half the other way.

Step 2: Open up your paper and fold all the corners so they meet at the center point. Unfold the paper.

Step 3:

 Fold each corner to the crease lines made by the folds in step 2. Then unfold the paper.

Step 4: One by one, fold the corners so they meet the crease lines on the opposite side of the square like so. Unfold the paper.

Step 5: Your paper should look the following pictures with all squares on it.

Step 6: Now cut along the thick lines , two squares in like the following pictures.

Step 7: Fold the sides down , the two opposite sides of the ones cut and a box will form. Then fold over the two cut sides into the middle of the box.  Tape or glue to secure your box. You can cut a strip of paper for a handle if you wish....

Here are some pictures of our boxes we made today:

 What are some ways you decorate your home for Spring?  Do you have any favorite tutorials you use ?

Patchwork egg craft

 

A craft your great grandmother may have done was patchwork quilting. During olden times, woman used every scrap of material they had saved and sewed them together. They used this patchwork sheet to create clothing, curtains or bedspreads. You won't need a needle and thread  for this patchwork project though. A dab of glue and an egg will create an old fashioned delight for you or as a gift.

Things you will need:

• scissors
• colored tissue paper or scraps of fabric
• white glue (like elmers)
• cup
• paintbrush
• blown ( or hard boiled) eggs

 

To Begin :

1. Cut colored tissue paper or scrap fabric into square or rectangular shapes about the size of a stamp.
2. Pour white glue into a cup
3. Paint an area of the egg with glue and place the tissue paper or fabric on the glued part of the egg
4. Then add more glue and overlap the next pieces of tissue or fabric until the whole egg is covered
5. Smooth out and bumpy spots with your fingers and cover any spots that are showing with additional paper or fabric. Set your egg aside to dry.

These eggs are perfect for Easter or decorating for spring.