In Review...

Did you have a lovely Easter?  We had a nice, albiet busy weekend.  We visited with my inlaws and ate waaaay too much delicious food.

I don't know about you - but I'm utterly bewildered at how it came to be April 6 already.  It's one of those times of the year where everything seems to be going in fast forward - it's a bit of a hectic dash to the finish line and I'm having a hard time keeping up!

The weather here in Michigan is sunny one day, cold the next, thunder-storming the day after that... we have holidays and birthdays and parties to plan and concerts to go to and trips to embark on in the next couple of months... coupled with a house in need of a good spring clean, yard-work waiting to be done, and a pile of laundry that's frankly too embarrassing to talk about.

I'm just craving for some creative time and am hoping to squeeze in a little stamping today.  You see, I'm working on cranking out my FINAL paper and presentation of the semester which I'll present tomorrow evening, and then I will enjoy a FIVE WEEK break from school.  Aaahh... so close yet so far away!

I assure you that after Wednesday my days will be filled with equal parts napping and crafting, with a little housework thrown in for good measure.  I can't wait!

While we wait for me to catch up, I thought we'd do a little Ready, Set, Craft! recap of the month of March.  Enjoy!

(left to right, top to bottom)

1.  Secret Card Project  2.  Flower Clips @ Maiden Jane  3.  Last Minute St. Pat's Day Treats  4.  Easter Cards 5.  Tart & Tangy Cards  6.  March Cupkins:  Double Chocolate Irish Creme Cupcakes
7.  Guest Post:  A Knitters Bag of Tricks  8.  Bulletin Board Center @ Dollar Store Crafts   9.  Guest Post:  Oversized Beach Bag  10.  Guest Post:  Creepy Crawly Fun  11.  Guest Post:  Recycled Notebooks  12.  Craft Studio Reveal  13.  St. Patrick's Day Card  14.  Flower Card
15.  Postcard Project  16.  Easter Crafts for Kids

Since my husband, in-laws and I are all trying to eat healthier and take better care of ourselves lately, I used this tutorial to put together some mini Easter baskets for them.  Happy Easter to you and yours!

Week in Review: Easter Edition!

Each weekend in my Week in Review post I share with you some of my favorite crafty links I've come across during the week, from all over the blogosphere.  This week I'm featuring Easter projects - most of which are simple enough for you to throw together if you need some last minute goodies for this weekend!  ENJOY!

Toffee Apple Cupcakes at Torie Jayne (via Craft Gossip)

Are these not some of the most beautiful cupcakes you've ever seen?  Plus they contain Cadbury's mini eggs - my absolute favorite Easter candy!

Paper Flowers for Easter (inspired by Martha) at Salsa Pie

Caroline always has quick and easy ideas that the kids can get involved with, too.  This centerpiece is so spring-like and fresh.

Peter Rabbit Nursery at Design Dazzle

Okay... this isn't a weekend project by any means, but it is absolutely darling.  You know I love me some Beatrix Potter... this nursery takes the cake!  What a great theme!

Bunny Finger Puppets at The Purl Bee

 I love their colorful ears!  So sweet!

Hanging Blown Eggs at Wisdom of the Moon
I love the use of buttons here.  So creative and unique.

Mini Easter Basket Favors by Martha (via Be Different...Act Normal)

I'm loving all of the "mini" baskets I've seen this season.  How clever and simple are these?

Happy Easter!

Easter Treats

My best friend Heather has three kids, and I love to spoil them with treats around the holidays.  I had grand plans of hand-making their Easter baskets and most of their contents this year... but would someone please tell me how it got to be April so fast?  Phew!

Anyhoo... thank goodness for Target.  I got these darling plastic reusable baskets for just 99 cents each and filled them with treats.  I love the scalloped edge of these baskets...

I tried not to make the baskets TOO candy filled.  I've got stickers, play doh, a teeny tiny sunflower grow kit and some other non-edible things in there as well...

Lily's was the hardest basket to do.  Since she's only (almost) 2 - it was hard to know what to put in there.  She LOVES to paint though, so I found an Easter themed painting book, and I always LOVED Peter Rabbit when I was a kid - I still have every book in the Beatrix Potter series actually (I think that may have been another collection from my grandmother...) so I picked her up her own copy.  Sure, she's a little young for it, but hopefully Heather will keep it safe for her.

Since we wouldn't be spending the actual Easter holiday with them... we popped over to the Hill's house last night to give them their baskets.  Of course I had to snap a few pictures!

The (gasp!) only handmade item in any of the baskets were these little hairclips I made for Lily. 

I used this tutorial... but instead of using Fabric Fusion, I used a mono-adhesive from Stampin' Up! to secure the ribbon, and a glue gun to add the buttons.  I also used double prong clips instead of single prong... because I bought the wrong kind on accident!  : )

I think they turned out pretty cute.  I mean let's face it, the girl could wear a sack and look cute - anything she puts on her cute little self turns to gold!  : )

Happy Easter to you all!  Pop back tomorrow for my weekly round up of bloggy finds - Easter style!

Awash with Flowers (and a WINNER!)

This is one of the Easter cards I sent out this year.  I used the new Awash with Flowers stamp set from Stampin' Up!  This is a brand new set that will be available in the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog but for this month only SU is giving us a sneak peak and the opportunity to purchase it, or earn it for free!

It's a set of 18 (yes, 18!) stamps and is available in wood or clear mount:

The promotion runs April 1-30, 2010 only - so don't wait to grab this new set!

Promotion Details

Hostesses

Host a $350 workshop and receive the brand-new Two-Step Awash with Flowers stamp set FREE!

Item	Description
117062	Awash with Flowers (wood-mount)
120549	Awash with Flowers (clear-mount)

Customers

Two-Step into spring with a sneak peek from the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog! Be the first to add the Awash with Flowers stamp set to your collection.

Item	Description	Price
117062	Awash with Flowers (wood-mount)	$39.95
120549	Awash with Flowers (clear-mount)	$27.95

And as if that wasn't enough... purchase spring-themed Two-Step Stampin' sets at 20 percent off the retail price--no additional purchase necessary!

Qualifying stamp sets are listed below:

Item	Page	Description	Discount Price
113824	94	Greenhouse Garden	$20.76
113734	98	Fifth Avenue Floral	$19.96
111578	101	Flower Fancy	$29.56
113258	112	Trendy Trees	$14.36

I own all of the sets above with the exception of Fifth Avenue Floral and they are some of my most-used and most-versatile sets!  So fun!

Flower Fancy

Greenhouse Garden

 

Trendy Trees

Fifth Avenue Floral

I still have openings for April workshops - so please let me know if you'd like to have one!  If you'd like to take advantage of this promotion and purchase anY of the sets above... just head over to my Stampin' Up! website to place your order!

And FINALLY... are you just dying to know who won the baking goodies?  Well, the winner (via Random.org) is...

EVIL_LINA!

Drop me an e-mail at joanneroehm@yahoo.com to claim your prizes.  Congratulations, and thanks to everyone who entered!

Week In Review: March 22-25, 2010

Each weekend in my Week in Review post I share with you some of my favorite crafty links I've come across during the week, from all over the blogosphere.  Hope you enjoy... and happy weekend!

Crochet roses (and so much more!) at LollyChops
This week was Wallflowers Week over at Lolly's place and boy did she put together some beautiful 3D wall art!  These little crochet roses were my favorite though.  All I need to learn to do is crochet and I'll be good to go!

 Felt Bracelets at Crafty Chic Mommy
These would be the perfect addition to a little girls' Easter basket, don't you think?  Great stashbuster, too!

Alisa Burke's (via WhipUp) Butterfly Wreath

 This is just visually stunning!  It would be a lot of fun to work with kids on as well.  Love the bright colors!

Pysanky Eggs at Steinway Street

 These Pysanky eggs are cropping up all over the place, but this is a great, clear tutorial.  As I've mentioned before, I'd love to try this!

Did you find a project this past week that inspired you?  Leave us a link to it so that we can check it out, too!  Oh, and don't forget to head over to Babble this weekend and check out my Easter crafts!

The wait is over!

I don't have to be secretive any more!  Check out my article on Easter Crafts for Kids over at Babble.com today.  Click here.

Sneaks!

I kind of feel like I'm cheating on you!

You see, I've been incredibly crafty all week - I mean seriously, I've been crafting my little heart out over here!  BUT - I can't share with you the fruits of my labor... just these little sneaks...

I've been contracted to write an "Easter Crafts for Kids" article, and I've designed and crafted 12 original projects for it.  Lots of work and lots of fun!  BUT it's not been published online yet... so I can't yet share with you the Easter goodness.  Once it goes live you'll be the first to know about it I swear!

What I can show you though... is this... ('scuse the poor photo quality... all that late night basement crafting you know!)

I'm working on adorning the walls of the craft studio, and this is part of one wall.  Yes - the craft studio re-do is STILL finishing up!  Are you desperate to see it?  I can't wait to show you!

I saw these little bulletin boards over HERE and was excited to run to my local Dollar Tree and pick them up.  Since they're so tiny, I attached them together in groups of three with some ribbon...

Cute, no?  I'm digging them.  Perfect for notes, reminders, project ideas, supply lists, etc.  Lovely!

I've been so busy this week that I've hardly had time to read blogs.  I'm so out of the loop!  So if I usually visit you and haven't this week... or if you've stopped by here for the first time and I haven't responded to your comment... please forgive me!  I'm setting aside a little time this morning to get caught up, that's for sure!

And lastly... several of you have dropped me notes and e-mails lately with projects inspired by tutorials here at "Ready, Set, Craft!"  If you've tried anything I've done, or used one of my projects for a basis of one of your own, would you do me a little favor and send me some pictures?  I would love to share with everyone what you've come up with!

I'll be back tomorrow and back on form with some REAL projects to share.  Until then - Happy Hump Day!  Hope it's as sunny and lovely where you are as it is here!  Could Spring possibly be on its way?

Tons of Tulle & Happy Easter - MSCE April Days 11 & 12

Happy belated Easter! I hope that everyone enjoyed good food, and great times with family and friends. We had a great weekend - and now it's over I definitely have a case of the Monday's!

On Saturday I worked on costume designs for the preschool ballet students in the June dance recital. There are five classes of preschoolers, and each class is going to be representing a flower (the ballet portion of the recital theme, if you remember, is "Secret Garden.") All of the preschool classes will be wearing pink leotards, with this skirt...

(far left)

The petals will be made from satin and the bottom layers of the skirt from tulle. Since tulle was on sale this weekend I had to make some quick decisions about which flowers which class would be, and what colors they needed. Mum and I got to work, and off I went to JoAnn's to pick up the tulle!

JoAnn's was QUITE the experience. I was at the cutting center for over a half hour, and everyone else in the store thought I was INSANE. I purchased more than 100 yards of tulle!

Here's what we came up with...

Daffodils

Lilacs



Roses



Cherry Blossoms

and Bluebells

Now we have to pick out matching satins for the petals. I know for sure that the daffodils are going to have orange petals to represent the trumpet of the daffodil.

While Mum will be doing the sewing (I'll be doing the cutting!) my project will be hairpieces for each class. For the preschool flower classes I'm thinking something like these...

Only trouble is I have zero experience making anything like this - and I have a feeling they could be tougher than they look. Has anyone made anything like this before? Or do you have other ideas for flower pieces I could make for their hair with faux flowers? I am absolutely taking suggestions! (Keep in mind I have to make 50 for the preschoolers alone, so they need to be relatively easy to mass produce!)

On Sunday we dyed eggs : ) Better late than never, right? This was my FIRST TIME EVER. I grew up in England, and we don't really get down with dying eggs there, so this was a first for me. I had aspirations of doing lots of cool dyed eggs using different techniques but time got away from me and Trav and I had fun with a cheapo boxed kit from the store, and some paint tape! I have big plans for next year though... and will get an early start!

The hubby isn't a huge egg dying fan, but he was a good sport and after showing me HOW to do it (remember, it was my first time!) he dyed one egg himself. Can you guess which one is his?

Happy Monday, folks!