Make a Mother Forever Card

Courtesy of Melissa Phillips

Hi Friends,

Declare unending love for your mom with this charming handmade card.

Materials and Tools:
light green card stock
cream card stock
pink floral-print paper
green floral-print paper
glue dots, white glue or glue stick
cream velvet rickrack trim
rub-on sentiment or one printed from computer
green button
hemp twine
butterfly die-cut or draw then cut out your own
small silk blossoms
ivory acrylic paint and foam brush
distressing ink
sewing machine
scissors

Steps:
1. Cut green card stock to 7-1/2" x 5" and fold in half. Round right corners with scissors or a corner-rounding punch. Lightly brush the front of the card with ivory acrylic paint to create a subtly weathered look.

2. Cut pink floral paper slightly smaller than the card front and round right corners. Ink paper edges and glue to center of card lining up the paper's left edge with card's fold.

3. Cut a 1-inch strip of green floral paper, edge with acrylic paint and adhere to bottom of pink floral paper. Use sewing machine to straight-stitch down card's left edge twice.

4. Attach velvet rick-rack trim to the bottom of card, just under green floral paper. Apply rub-on sentiment (or use computer to print font) onto cream card stock, cut out and glue message just below center of card. Poke a small hole in the card's fold and wrap hemp twine around the front of card, feeding the twine through the hole in fold. Thread twine through button and tie in a knot.

5. Using a die-cut machine, cut two butterflies from coordinating paper. Stack butterflies on top of each other and attach to the center of card just above message. Bend wings up slightly to make the top butterfly stand out. Glue two small flowers to the center of top butterfly to symbolize mother and child.

Mothers and Mothers-To-Be will really appreciate the time and care invested in this beautiful keepsake...

Mothers and Mothers-To-Be, Happy Mothers Day from your friends at Interior Design!

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Live well,
Yvonne

Create Layers on Shelves

By Leah Hennen

Hi Friends,

In addition to height, consider depth when decorating shelves. "Stand up trays, pretty plates and pieces of art to use as the backdrop for your arrangement (and) then work your way out from there," says Mary Carol. After you've placed the largest, tallest items as anchors at the back of the shelf, "layer smaller, shorter objects in front of them," says Nancy. The resulting assemblage will invite viewers to linger a while, discovering new layers in the decorative diorama with each glance.

Check back for more ideas and enjoy your newly decorated shelves!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne

Layer It - Beds in Bedrooms

By Anne Krueger

Hi Friends,

Contrary to what you might think, small spaces don't have to forgo a bed with lots of linens and fabrics. Layers and an elegant mix of colors, prints and pillows can make a space seem airier and give depth to what is almost always one of the biggest pieces in the apartment. The layered look also equals luxury, and that's a small-space strategy in itself.

Check back for more ideas and enjoy layering your bed in style!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne

Top 10 Rules for Growing Vegetables & Fruits

By Marie Hofer

Hi Friends,

Growing fruits and vegetables isn't rocket science, but it does involve science. Here are easy tips to help ensure your success in growing food in the garden.

1. Find the sun. Most vegetables want six hours of direct sun a day — and more if they can get it. Exceptions include lettuce and radishes, which can get by with less.

2. Start small. If you're beginning your first garden, help yourself avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed with weeding and general maintenance. You can grow a surprising amount of food in a bed just 10-foot square.

3. Build up your soil. The foundation of a healthy, productive garden is a rich, well-draining, crumbly soil that has good tilth. Liberally add organic matter such as finished compost, bagged humus and straw.

4. Time your crops. Soil temperatures matter as much as air temperature when you're planting. Even peas, which are spring crops that are resistant to light frost once they're growing, won't germinate when the soil is below 39 degrees.

5. Be ready to supply cover if a late frost hits. Here, early-spring veggies grow under plastic.

6. Mulch, mulch, mulch. You wouldn't think twice about mulching your ornamental beds, so do the same with your veggie and fruit plantings. Keeping a layer of organic mulch over this radicchio's shallow roots helps conserve moisture and suppress weeds.

7. Anticipate animals pests. To a raccoon these young corn plants mean dinner in the making, once the ears are fully developed. Talk to your neighbors and try to learn what pests to expect in your area. With the right kind of fencing, you can deter raccoons, rabbits, groundhogs, deer, dogs and other unwelcome visitors.

8. Mingle your plants. Too much of the same kind of plant in a grouping sends "eat here" messages to bad bugs. Here, squash, peppers and beans share the space.

9. Stay on top of the harvest. Pick produce when it's ready. Removing beans as they mature allows more of the plant's energy to go into supporting the later fruit that forms.

10. You don't have to hide your vegetable garden. Where you can, find a way to integrate your fruit and veggie garden with an area of your yard where you tend to hang out. When the crops are close at hand, you're much more likely to pluck off a bad bug or give a thirsty plant a drink.

Check back for more ideas and enjoy your vegetables and fruits!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne

Happy Easter!

Courtesy of Sassy Cats

Happy Easter Friends!

May the simple joys fill your day, hope light your path, the many blessings of Easter stay forever in your heart, and the Origin of The Easter Bunny make your day.

Origin of The Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny is a symbol that originated with the pagan festival of Easter. The goddess, Easter, was worshiped by the Anglo-Saxons
through her earthly symbol,
the hare or rabbit.

The date of Easter is determined by the moon whose symbolism is strongly tied to that of the hare. In fact, the hare is the symbol for the moon. Ever since the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., Easter has been celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after March 21st.

The Easter bunny was introduced to American folklore by the German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 1700s. The arrival of the "Oschter Haws" was considered "childhood's greatest pleasure" next to a visit from Christ-Kindel on Christmas Eve. The children believed that if they were good the "Oschter Haws" would lay a nest of colored eggs.

The children would build their nest in a secluded place in the home, the barn or the
garden. Boys would use their caps and girls their bonnets to make the nests . The use of elaborate Easter baskets came later as the tradition of the Easter bunny spread through out the country.

Happy Easter from your friends at Interior Design!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne

Make An Easter Basket From A Paper Bag

Courtesy of Kathryn Kattalia
Photo by Lia Griffith

Hi Friends,

A grocery bag is all it takes to make this beautifully woven paper basket, which is just the right size for kids to tote around during a backyard Easter egg hunt. Or, fill it with candy for an extra special treat. Either way, it's exactly what you'll need come Easter morning (which, in case you forgot, is tomorrow). So, make sure you have one for everyone!

To do this project, you will need a paper bag, a glue gun, some clothes pins and a bright piece of ribbon. Start by drawing 20 strips across the width of your bag that are 1.75 inches wide and cut them out. Then, fold each strip into thirds. For the body of the basket, weave 12 strips together into a square shape, with six strips running in either direction. Glue the strips in each corner to keep them secure and fold up the ends to form a box. Next, cut two extra strips in half and glue the pieces to three normal size strips to make them longer. You will use these to weave around the sides of your basket later.

Twist two more strips together to make your handle, securing it on both ends with clothes pins to make sure it doesn't come unraveled while you work. Trim down two center strips on opposite sides of you basket's body and glue your handle into place. Then, weave the longer strips you made around the sides of the basket, gluing them at the ends. Tuck in any ends poking out along the top, tie a pretty ribbon around the handle, and you have a basket all ready for Easter.

Happy Easter from your friends at Interior Design!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne

How to Make an Egg and Moss Wreath for Spring

By Marian Parsons

Hi Friends,

Create a moss and egg wreath with paper mache eggs and light green Spanish moss for a simple and natural spring look.

Materials Needed:

12" grapevine wreath
light green Spanish moss
12 paper mache eggs
beige acrylic paint
dark brown acrylic paint
water-based glaze medium
1" artist brush
empty egg crate
toothbrush
hot glue and glue sticks
latex gloves

Paint Eggs

On a protected surface, apply two coats of beige acrylic paint to each egg with a one-inch artist brush. Tip: Acrylic paint dries in about 10 minutes; paint one side and allow to dry, then turn the egg over and paint the other side.

Speckle Eggs

Mix dark brown acrylic paint with water-based faux glaze in a 1:3 (paint:glaze) ratio. Don gloves; dip a clean toothbrush into glaze mixture, then run your thumb through the bristles to splatter glaze onto the painted eggs. Turn the egg to splatter all sides and place it in an egg carton to allow the glaze to dry. Tip: For a realistic look, splatters should vary in shape and size. To achieve this effect, vary the amount of pressure you place on the bristles.

Apply Moss to Wreath

Preheat hot glue gun. Apply hot glue to the wreath in small sections. Pull Spanish moss apart into loose handfuls. Immediately push moss into hot glue and hold it in place until glue cools. Repeat the process till front of wreath is covered.

Glue Eggs to Wreath

Decide placement of eggs on wreath. Gently create a hole in moss to nestle eggs into. Apply hot glue to wreath and attach eggs where desired. Tip: Eggs will look best when placed individually or clustered together in groups of three. To display, hang wreath on the wall, front door or over a mirror. It will also add a cheery spring touch propped on a bookcase, foyer table or buffet.

Check back for more DIY craft ideas and enjoy your Egg and Moss Wreath.

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne

Making a Ukrainian Easter Egg

Courtesy of Eve Butterly

Hi Friends,

These treasured Easter eggs show dedication to the craft of pysanky. As a child, Eve Butterly would sit at her grandmother's side and learn the art of pysanky - painting eggs with wax and dye. She loved the art form but for her it was never more than a hobby. She went on to create a career as a film script supervisor all the while perfecting her pysanky on her off days. That was until a writer friend wrote and published an article about Eve and her meticulous art form.

Materials and Tools:
chicken eggs
vinegar
egg blower
large paper clip
bleach
egg lathe
pencil, paper, cotton swabs
aniline dye
canning jars
freezer
beeswax
wax mixed with pigment
vegetable peeler
kistka stylus tool
latex gloves
paper towels, dish washing soap, soft toothbrush
candle, lighter, egg dipper
drying board with wires
Golden MSA Gloss with UV varnish
soft brush
turpentine
rotary tool
ribbon, beads, scissors
purchased decorative egg stand
drill
hypodermic syringe

Steps:
1. Plan the design for the egg and make a sketch. Research desired designs in books or online.

2. Scrub the egg with vinegar and water and then dry. The egg must be clean of all dirt, and oils to take the dye. Using a strip of paper, measure the "longitude" of the egg (around lengthwise). By folding the paper in half, find the exact top and bottom, the north and south "poles" of the egg.

3. Drill a hole in the bottom of the egg using a small drill. Blow out the contents of the egg. Rinse the inside of the egg with water. Using an old hypodermic syringe, squirt some bleach into the shell to disinfect it. Rinse again with water to remove the bleach. Insert a twist of paper towel into hole to help wick out the water. Let dry.

4. Mix the dye powder in canning jars with boiling water and vinegar according to the manufacturer's directions. Let cool.

5. Use a vegetable peeler to make beeswax chips from the beeswax patty.

6. Put the egg into a special egg lathe and draw the equator. Measure around the circumference of the middle of the egg and divide it into fourths, making the necessary marks. Depending on the shape of the egg, the visual center may be different from the mathematical center. Adjust as needed. Draw four longitude lines onto the shell. Draw additional lines as needed depending on the design.

7. Heat the kistka tool. Add the wax chips to the tool. Mix in small amounts of pigment tinted wax to be able to see the wax lines more clearly. Draw the lines for the white elements in the design with wax on the egg.

8. The kistka tool deposits wax onto the egg. Wherever the wax is deposited, the colors of the dye will not penetrate through the wax.

9. Seal the blowhole with a bit of wax and use the kistka to seal it watertight.

10. Wearing rubber or latex gloves, dip the egg into the yellow dye and pat dry with a towel.

11. With the heated kistka tool, apply wax to the areas that will remain yellow.

12. Apply green dye with a cotton swab in the small areas to remain green.

13. With the kistka tool, apply wax over the spot areas to remain green.

14. Dip the egg in the orange dye and pat dry with a towel.

15. With the kistka tool, apply wax over the areas to remain orange.

16. Dip the egg in the red dye and pat dry with a towel. Wax over all the areas of the design that will be red.

17. Wash the egg in dish washing soap and water and pat dry with a towel.

18. Dip the egg in vinegar for a minute. This will dissolve a thin layer of the shell and remove the soap residue. Use a soft toothbrush to scrub off the etched layer of shell and the last bit of color.

19. Dip the egg in black dye and pat dry with a towel.

20. Light a candle. Hold the egg next to the flame to melt the wax.

21. Wipe off the melted wax with a towel until the wax is removed.

22. Wipe the egg with mineral spirits. This removes every last bit of wax.

23. Insert a special egg dipper into the blowhole. Dip the egg into the can of varnish and let the excess run back into the can. Let it drip 10 drops. Transfer the egg to a wire and place it on a drying board. Let dry.

24. With a brush dipped in mineral spirits, brush away the drips that form at the bottom of the egg for at least 30 minutes. Let the varnish dry at least 24 hours.

25. Display the Ukrainian Easter egg on a decorative egg stand.

Happy Easter from your friends at Interior Design!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne