Tag Archives: DIY

Lemon Glazed Pumpkin Pear Teacakes (Gluten-Free Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg- Free) for Mother’s Day Tea

May 6, 2015 Leigh

My dairy, egg, and gluten-free recipe for Lemon Glazed Pumpkin Pear Teacakes began as an experiment to concoct an original healthy and allergy-friendly cake. It can be fashioned into your choice of layered cake, cupcakes, and teacakes. The level of sweetness can be controlled by the amount of glaze you choose to top it with, and almost four cups of pumpkin and pear make this a yummy but guilt-free treat for all to enjoy. So for this Mother’s Day, let them eat teacakes!

Pumpkin Pear Cake Ingredients:

4 cups gluten-free baking mix (brands vary greatly… I used Arrowhead Mills)
2 egg replacers (3 teaspoons + 4 Tablespoons water = 2 eggs… or just use eggs)
1 cup of canned pumpkin (or use homemade purée)
2 ¾ cups pear puree (blended ripe pears, or other fruit purée)
½ cup melted coconut oil (or butter)
1½ cups sugar (or alternative granular sweetener)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (or other citrus juice)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (not imitation)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon allspice

Lemon Glaze Icing Ingredients:

4 tablespoons lemon juice (or any citrus juice)
1 cup confectioner’s sugar (or use powdered)
optional: dust with more confectioner’s sugar (or use powdered)

Instructions:

Mix all the dry ingredients together.

Add in the wet ingredients to make a super sticky batter.

Spray a 2 tea cake pans, 1 muffin tin, or 2 cake rounds with coconut oil… or use a jarred stuff to grease them the old fashioned way. Do not dust with flour afterward.

Pack the dough into your pans. If you’re making muffins, shape rounded tops with the back of a spoon. If making cakes or tea cakes, smooth the mixture flat with a spoon. (This is a sticky dough that will retain more of its shape than the more fluid batters.)

Slide your filled pans into a non-preheated 350ᵒ oven. (This is because gluten-free vegan goods bake a bit differently than the wheat and egg types.) Bake according to your oven’s temperament, for about 40 minutes.

Let them cool off a little before popping them out.

To make the glaze while you’re waiting for them to cool completely, simply mix the ingredients well in a bowl.

Spoon the glaze onto cooled teacakes.

Confectioner’s sugar may also be dusted over the top if you like. (Confectioner’s is a dusting sugar without corn additives.) Top these teacakes with raspberries for a delightful sight.

They were a delicious allergy-free addition to my Spring Garden Mother’s Day Tea.

I hope they bring a smile to your face too!

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

Recipes

Easy to Mold Naturally Colored Pink Sugar Shapes Sweethearts Recipe = a Spoonful of Sugar for Your Mother’s Day Tea

May 6, 2015 Leigh

Celebrate Mother’s Day the Mary Poppins way with a spoonful of sugar in your tea! This no-cook recipe for pink sweethearts utilizes natural beet juice instead of artificial food coloring, but you can substitute any color of juice you like. Plus, they’re really easy to make and mold into any shape you desire. They’re a “supercallifragilisticexpialidocious” alternative for decorating your baked goods as well, because they contain no corn syrup. It only takes a matter of minutes to mix and mold, then let them dry overnight. They are “practically perfect in every way”.

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar (I used evaporated cane juice)
3 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon bottled beet juice (or other juice… or gel food color + 1 teaspoon water)

+ flexible silicone molds in your choice of shape

Instructions:

Gather the ingredients, and measure them precisely.

Mix them together very well, until the pink color is evenly distributed.

Use spoons to dispense the sweet mixture into each well of the mold. Pack it down tightly, flattening the top with the back of a spoon. (This recipe filled two of my heart molds.)

Let them sit out to dry overnight, and unmold them gently in the morning. Keep them stored in an airtight container until you’re ready to use them.

Here they are at the Spring Garden Mother’s Day Tea.

One must be allowed to indulge in girliness every once in a while.

These are so much cuter than plain little squares of white sugar.

So how about you… one lump, or two?

“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and – snap – the job’s a game!” –Mary Poppins

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

Recipes

Cherry Pecan Chicken Salad (Soy-Free / Egg-Free with Stuffed Tomato & Gluten-Free Shaped Finger Sandwich Options) for Mother’s Day Tea

May 6, 2015 Leigh

Skip the watercress and cucumber, and opt for heartier fare for your Mother’s Day Tea with this easy allergy-friendly recipe for Cherry Pecan Chicken Salad. Serve this delicious soy-free and egg-free delight with gluten-free bread or crackers for all your guests to enjoy worry-free. Or just make a nutritious lunch of adorably shaped finger sandwiches for the kiddos and a stuffed tomato for yourself. Either way, try some today!

Ingredients:

1 oven baked chicken breast (see my recipe for this here… or use a can, leftovers, or even turkey)
½ cup pecan pieces (or walnuts, almonds, etc.)
½ cup diced green onion (or leeks, onion, etc.)
½ cup dried cherries (or dried cranberries, raisins, etc.)
¾ cup soy-free veganaise (or mayo, vegan unsweetened yogurt, etc… or mix these ½ and ½)
sea salt to taste (or salt free substitute)
ground peppercorns to taste
optional: heirloom tomato to stuff, gluten-free crackers to top, artisan lettuce to fill, gluten-free bread for tea sandwiches, etc.

Instructions:

Bake and cut a chicken breast into cubes. (See my roasted cocorico chicken with root veggies recipe here, and my chicken with sautéed mixed greens recipe here.) Wash and dice the green onion.

Measure and mix all of the ingredients. Add sea salt and pepper according to your taste and sodium requirements.

Here I cut the top off of a large red and purple heirloom variety tomato, and then scooped out some of the center. Then I spooned a good portion of chicken salad into it and garnished the top with ground red peppercorns and green onion.

The green and purple artisan lettuce it’s resting on, also makes a wonderful carb-free wrap for the chicken salad. Those are gluten-free vegan Mary’s Gone Crackers in the Super Seed variety… yum!

The chicken salad was the perfect filling for the gluten-free tea sandwiches I served at the Spring Garden Mother’s Day Tea.

To go beyond tea sandwich triangles, simply press a cookie cutter into the bread, and fill with chicken salad. (Tulip, daisy, and butterfly shapes were my choice for the tea, but you can see bunny bread here with my carrot crouton recipe.)

Thanks Mom, for all the chicken salad you’ve made me over the years!

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

P.S. If you’re looking for another easy version of this, try my turkey salad recipe here.

Parties & Tablescapes

Spring Garden Mother’s Day Tea Party Tablescape Décor Ideas (+ Free Printable Card & Invitation)

May 5, 2015 Leigh 2 Comments

You’re invited for tea at my nest where enchanting tablescape décor awaits, where butterflies will carry you to a flower filled spring garden complete with the melody of birdsong. Delight upon delectable teacakes, treats, tarts, and tea sandwiches while sipping mint scented tea sweetened with pink sugar sweethearts. Celebrate with handmade gift crafts conveying heartfelt sentiments along with free printable invitations and cards sending your warmest wishes for a beautiful Mother’s Day!

Harken your ears to the call of birds whistling a merry tune of invitation to the spring garden. Two nests double the blessings bestowed upon the day as finding even one is said to be the harbinger of prosperity.

Notice the greeting of butterflies rising from moss laden purses filled with the yellow roses of friendship and tulips representing strength and life itself.

Take a seat cushioned with pastel patchwork pillows provided for your comfort.

Touch the threaded texture of a tablecloth hand embroidered generations ago.

Release baby pink vintage napkins from their handcrafted tapestry and lacework rings.

Sip mint scented tea from delicate vintage china teacups ornamented with floral motif.

Sweeten your tea with pink sugar sweethearts delivering a spoonful of sugar in the perfect dose.

Stir in flavor with silver tea spoons that have been lovingly held by previous generations.

Sup on tea sandwiches packed with cherry pecan chicken salad, whose butterfly and floral shapes echo the garden’s delights.

Try almond crusted chocolate tarts balanced with healthy red raspberry fruit.

Taste pumpkin pear teacakes dripping with lemon icing, dusted with confectioner’s sugar, and topped with more fruit.

Cleanse your palette with pink peppermint almonds held in small antique silver bowls.

Sink your teeth into juicy plump strawberries offered amid vintage salt and pepper shakers.

Replenish your china plate from a grapevine heart topped tower of treats wrapped in lengths of tapestry and lace.

Gaze upon sunlight reflected from gleaming antique silver service layered with vintage doilies atop layers of vintage lace and patterned cloth.

Feel the impressions of vintage buttons encrusting a jewelry box gift sheltered by a lofty spring floral arrangement.

And at last, read the Mother’s Day card that will hold the memory of the cherished event for years to come.

Sincerely wishing you the happiest of Mother’s Days!

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

P.S. Right click on the small image below, and select print to make your own invitations (at the left) and cards (at the right) free (for personal use only). Print them on photo and color settings for the best results.

P.P.S. Click on the links below for teacake, chicken salad, and sweetheart recipes as well as crafting instructions for the jewelry box, keychain, and napkin rings.

Quick & Easy Tapestry Napkin Rings, Upcycled Button Jewelry Box, & Keychain Gift Crafts Tutorial (for Mother’s Day Tea)

Easy to Mold Naturally Colored Pink Sugar Shapes Sweethearts Recipe = a Spoonful of Sugar for Your Mother’s Day Tea

Lemon Glazed Pumpkin Pear Teacakes (Gluten-Free Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg- Free) for Mother’s Day Tea

Cherry Pecan Chicken Salad (Soy-Free / Egg-Free with Stuffed Tomato & Gluten-Free Shaped Finger Sandwich Options) for Mother’s Day Tea

Arts & Crafts

Quick & Easy Tapestry Napkin Rings, Upcycled Button Jewelry Box, & Keychain Gift Crafts Tutorial (for Mother’s Day Tea)

May 5, 2015 Leigh

This tutorial will teach you how to quickly craft elegant tapestry and lacework napkin rings for your Spring Garden Mother’s Day Tea Party, then easily make cross keychain gifts and an upcycled jewelry box encrusted with vintage buttons. These are great last minute projects that are actually pretty inexpensive to produce, but would cost a pretty penny if purchased from a boutique. So craft along with me… the best is yet to be!

Let’s begin our crafternoon by making 6 napkin rings so that our tables may be set early.

Start with 3 feet of any variety of woven tapestry ribbon. (I always snatch these up when I find them on clearance, because they are just so versatile. I’ll show you more craft ideas to use it with in the future.) Also look for 6 feet of lovely lacework in a small width.

Cut all of your ribbon and lace into 6 inch lengths.

Glue the ends of the tapestry together overlapping them slightly. Use hot fabric glue or clamp a cold fabric glue to dry… or sew it if you’re so inclined.

Glue one length of lace to either side of the ring, layering it over the serged seam of the ribbon to conceal it.

Fill with any coordinating cloth napkin to suit your event’s color scheme.

Next, let’s craft a cross keychain gift to extend our best wishes for a blessed life… or one with a heart full of loving-kindness.

Begin with any variety of coordinating beads of various shapes, a shape pendant, a key ring, thin fishing line, and a small split ring. (These can almost always be purchased on sale or clearance.)

Slide the small ring onto the key ring. (This will enable keys to be added to the ring later.)

Slip one end of the fishing line into all the beads first then through the pendant.

Now feed the line back up through those same beads.

Tie the two ends sticking up out of the beads onto the small ring with your choice of a double knot or surgeon’s knot. (Try triple looping the ends then triple looping them again in the opposite direction. Pull the ends really tight to bring it together. This is a great knot to keep keychains secure.)

Cut the dangling ends close but with a little bit sticking out of the knot to keep it from unraveling.

Package it with an apropos and sincere message.

Think about buying extra beads to make one for yourself as well!

Now I’ll tell you how I made an upcycled jewelry box, so that you can think about making your own quickly and easily. It would be lovely to enclose that keychain in it as a complete gift… because it’s bad luck to give away an empty jewelry box.

I actually began this upcycled project many years ago as a gift for my grandmother. I hot glued vintage mother of pearl, glass, and pearl buttons to a vintage powder puff box. I then used tacky glue to adhere white grosgrain ribbon to the sides and inside of the box. I added silicone feet to prevent table scuffing along with a button closure.

I never felt that it was quite good enough for my liking, so this year I decided to embellish it further with some ivory lace.

I simply hot glued dots onto the points of the lace then gently tapped them down onto the ribbon. I continued all around the box, and then cut and glued the end corner.

To finish it, I simply inverted another length of lace and glued it all the way around as well.

It looks so much more finished now, so I am happy to present the new and improved version back to my grandmother. To make your own, upcycle any old but pretty box or paint a new paper maché one. Cover it with vintage buttons or newly purchased ones. Glue on silicone or wooden feet. It’s an easy project that makes a beautiful gift.

Now you’re on your way to a fantastic Mother’s Day!

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

P.S. Get free printable cards and invitations, plus see the napkin rings and box placed in the whole Tea here: Spring Garden Mother’s Day Tea Party Tablescape Décor Ideas (+ Free Printable Card & Invitation)

Parties & Tablescapes

Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Tablescape Party Décor Ideas (with Easy DIY Craft Links)

May 1, 2015 Leigh 2 Comments

Take an armchair vacation to Texas and join me for a Cinco de Mayo celebración exploding with color. Then recreate the fabuloso fiesta in your own home for any occasion calling for mirth and margaritas! So slip on your serapes and sombreros ‘cause we’re gonna have a hot time in the old town tonight!

Sunlight streams through the vibrant papel picado banners crisscrossing the window. Handmade tissue paper flowers hang between each cut panel.

A burro piñata presides over the extravagancia, standing atop a small serape adorned with its own bouquet.

Extrema pink and green fiesta flowers drip from the chandelier in an overhead centerpiece that leaves room on the table for brillante woven baskets.

Tortilla, chip, and buñuelo baskets sit squarely at the center of the celebración flanked by paper flower buds and upcycled luminarias providing illuminación.

Vivid confetti outlines the fringed caliente pink placemats bordered with Mexican Lotería game place-cards.

Paper parasol toting wine glasses, tied with yellow jute and Lotería charms, await sangria sipping.

Exuberante cloth napkins are ringed with handcrafted sombrero capped raffia rings ornamented with red chilis.

Brillantes yellow plates evoking the sun are topped with multi-hued dishes suggesting serape patterns.

Even the chairs participate in the festividad by wearing their own serapes belted with rope.

Now tie a serape on yourself and sip some sangria for your own dose of party perfección!

¡Feliz fiesta ya’ll!

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

P.S. For details on just how to fuel your own fabuloso fiesta, see my other Cinco de Mayo articles:

DIY Upcycled Can Tea-light Luminarias (+ Free Printable Template) & Tissue Paper Flowers Crafts (for Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Décor)

DIY Sombrero Napkin Rings & Serape Invitations + Loteria Wine Glass Charms & Place Cards Crafts (for Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Tablescape)

Healthy Tex-Mex Cilantro Chicken Spinach Quesadilla Recipe (Dairy, Red Pepper, Corn, & Gluten-Free) Easy Appetizer for Cinco de Mayo Fiesta

“Nacho Average Fiesta Dip” & Spicy Nachos Compuesto (Dairy, Corn, Red Pepper, & Gluten-Free) Easy Appetizer for Cinco de Mayo Fiesta

Arts & Crafts

Easy DIY Upcycled Can Tea-light Luminarias (+ Free Printable Template) & Tissue Paper Flowers Crafts (for Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Décor)

April 30, 2015 Leigh 2 Comments

Light the Cinco de Mayo night by upcycling cans into tea-light luminarias (easy with the help of my free printable template), and adorn your tablescape with DIY fiesta tissue paper flowers. These crafts are perfect to bring the whole family in on, with luminarias for the strong folks and flowers for the kiddos. So hang on to your sombreros senoritas… we’re about to craft a fiesta!

As a kid, I was delighted by long rows of luminarias lighting the way to fiestas. I wanted to bring some of that enchantment inside by making miniature versions with tea-lights for the table.

I love upcycling free elements into something useful… and I do mean free because this project cost me nothing as the cans were just a leftover bonus from my dinner menu. The project made perfect use of the small tomato paste cans used in my recipes. (See my Meatloaf Cupcakes here, and my Nacho Average Fiesta Dip Here.) Waste not, want not… right?!

The best way to open the cans is by using an opener that doesn’t create a sharp edge, but rather a smooth top separated from the sides. Several well known brands sell this type of safe can opener. After washing the cans well, fill them with water, and place in the freezer overnight. Yes, you read that correctly. The ice is so much easier to hammer into rather than the traditional wooden branch.

While they’re freezing, print my piercing template (free for personal use). To do this, right click on the small image and select print. (You can also forgo employing the template, and use a permanent marker to freehand draw your own shapes onto cans before the freezing step.)

My mother actually came up a great tip for keeping your paper’s ink from getting soggy… try wrapping the iced can in clear plastic wrap before wrapping with the paper template. ¡Gracias Mamá!

Cut out the 3 identical templates featuring arrow pierced hearts and festive zigzag patterns. Wrap each one around an ice filled can and tape the edge.

Use identically sized nails to hammer into each dot on the template. (This is what makes it a good craft for the hombres in your life!) You only need to hammer the nails in far enough to make a hole, leaving them in or pulling them out as you go. Begin with the top of the pattern, because ice will chip out as you work on it. If too much pops out, simply add water and refreeze.

When the dots are done, so are you! Let the ice melt out into the sink then dry the can well. (Just be careful not to cut yourself on the sharp edges on the inside of the cans.) Now light them up compadre!

The luminarias add ambiance to a lunch of Tex-Mex Nachos made with my Nacho Average Fiesta Dip Recipe.

They also look lovely with another one of my recipes, Gluten & Dairy Free Chicken Spinach Quesadilla.

Here they’re featured in an upcoming San Antonio styled Fiesta tablescape next to some cascarones I’ll demonstrate how to make.

I think they look really lovely next to my fiesta flowers too… let’s make them together now!

Use any new store bought tissue paper, or upcycle some former gift bag tissue into something spectacular.

The size of the sheet you use will equate to the size of the flower you end up with.

Here I’m beginning with one sheet cut into two halves, one placed over the other.

You can actually stack as many layers of tissue as you like to add fullness. Here is a fuller flower next to one made with less layers.

Accordion fold these into a fan, short side to short side. (This part is a great hand-eye craft for the kiddos!)

Next, fold the bar over in half.

Cut an upside down V into the ends… this will make a prettier flower.

Take those trimmings and cut them into tiny pieces, then separate the layers. You just made matching confetti for the table… for free. You can also use this confetti for cascarones crafting in the future!

Green fuzzy pipe cleaner sticks make the perfect stems.

Wrap one around the folded portion and twist. You will be able to use the stem to hang the flowers with later.

Next pull apart all the layers.

Pull these slightly taut, in an arrangement that appears pleasing to the eye.

Wrap one end of the fuzzy stick around the base to secure your arrangement of the petals.

I tied some of them between panels of traditional papel picado in a fiesta banner for the window. The light streaming through them was much prettier in person.

I also used them to further adorn a burro piñata decorating a side table.

The larger flowers were easily strung onto a chandelier as an overhead centerpiece, leaving room for tortilla, chip, and buñuelo baskets on the table.

Now complete your tablescape with my Easy DIY Sombrero Napkin Rings & Serape Invitations + Loteria Sangria / Wine Glass Charms & Place Cards Crafts (for Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Tablescape).

Time to go ¡Fiesta! forever…

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

Arts & Crafts

Easy DIY Sombrero Napkin Rings & Serape Invitations + Loteria Sangria / Wine Glass Charms & Place Cards Crafts (for Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Tablescape)

April 30, 2015 Leigh 4 Comments

¡Fiesta! Forever… or for at least one fantastic evening with easy décor crafts for your Cinco de Mayo tablescape. Toast the party with sangria filled glasses fitted with DIY wine glass charms featuring traditional Mexican Loteria images. Then, use those same images to make place-cards for the table. Dress colorful cloth napkins with handmade sombrero napkin rings, and craft matching serape invitations that shout, “Grab your sombreros for a Cinco de Mayo that’s nacho average fiesta!”

One inexpensive Mexican Loteria game will provide you with loads of craft material for the future. I’ve previously made beads with them (see how to do this here in my Halloween Necklace Craft)… glued them into collages and assemblages (see how to do this here in my Valentine Gift Assemblage Art Tutorial)… and I have some easy crafts up my sleeve to demonstrate in the future.

All you need to begin is a single game card sheet, scissors, a hole-punch, and Plaid Mod Podge Dimensional Magic. Cut the game card into single images as pictured.

Punch holes into a top corner of each piece.

Drizzle the Magic stuff over one side of all the pieces, then let it dry overnight. (Set it on some form of plastic to keep it from adhering to your surface.)

Flip them over and drizzle the other side, then dry overnight.

If needed, trim off any dripped over edges, and attach small metal rings to the holes.

Instead of using a jumbo jump ring to attach the charms to the glasses, I simply tied them on with jute bows. You can also skip the first metal ring, and just tie these if you’d like less dangling.

Here they are featured on a clear glass vessel topped with a paper umbrella.

The same charm and umbrella look different when placed on a purple goblet (from my upcoming San Antonio styled Fiesta tablescape).

The charm is an easy addition for a charming lunch of my Gluten & Dairy Free Chicken Spinach Quesadilla Recipe.

Matching Loteria place-cards for the table are really quick and easy to make.

Use the actual game cards or make a color copy of a set of them to cut out. I chose the latter so that I can remake them whenever I like… without buying a new game.

Cut paper cardstock strips to use as easel supports, and fold in half to make a V.

Then cut two slits to either side of the Spanish words. Slip a V strip into the slots you cut.

Then simply write your guests names on them with a marker. These would also make great food labeling cards for a buffet.

The Loteria cards add extra pops of color to the tablescape… and you can never have too much color at a fiesta!

The sombrero napkin rings are some of the cutest in my collection, yet were some of the quickest to make. Craft them yourself with braided raffia ribbon and tiny doll straw hats.

Transform the hats into sombreros with strips of fabric and dollhouse chili peppers. (I never use chilis in my recipes, but they do make delightful décor.) Use hot glue to attach a few peppers, and then wrap a fabric strip as a band.

Cut a six inch length of raffia ribbon for each ring. Slightly overlap the edges then hot glue them.

Glue the sombrero over the seam covering it completely.

Fill the rings with colorful fabric napkins.

I think they look really adorable on the tablescape… if I do say so myself!

Here the card and napkin ring add color to a lunch of Tex-Mex Nachos made with my Nacho Average Fiesta Dip Recipe .

They bring additional ambiance to another meal with my Gluten & Dairy Free Chicken Spinach Quesadilla Recipe.

Make fiesta invitations to match your napkin rings easily by following the earlier steps to turn a straw doll hat into a sombrero. Cut a 5.5 x 8.5 inch piece of textured cardstock and a 4.5 x 7.5 size of serape scrapbook paper. Print or write invitation instructions on vellum, then cut it to a size smaller than the scrapbook paper (like 4 x 7).

Hot glue the layers at the center of the top, and then glue the sombrero over it. I made some of these for a bridal shower years ago, and they mailed just fine. I got such a glowing response from the project that I decided to show you how to craft them yourself.

Next, bring more light and color to the celebración with my Easy DIY Upcycled Can Tea-light Luminarias (+ Free Printable Template) & Tissue Paper Flowers Crafts (for Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Décor).

¡Viva la fiesta!

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

Parties & Tablescapes

Leaping Bunny Topiary Spring Indoor Garden Party Décor Ideas for Easter or even Showers, Luncheons, & Brunches

March 26, 2015 Leigh

Say goodbye to winter storms and hello to spring splendor with a vivacious indoor garden party resplendent with leaping bunny topiaries! Put away the pastels and embrace vibrant carrot oranges and greens echoing this time of growth. Add apropos messages spelled out in hedgerow letters declaring the true reason for the Easter season. Give lettuce-edged napkins the bunny ear treatment as a tongue-in-cheek homage to all those cherished family photos. Layer chevron patterning with textural fibers to modernize the fête’s décor, forming an ensemble proclaiming, “Hello Spring!”

Crisp orange and white chevron fabric awakens the senses, making it the perfect underpinning for this little soiree. (My mother actually made this tablecloth, which is amazing for someone who has repeatedly stated, “I don’t sew.”)

Layered on that are round raffia mats placed as chargers. Rustic sage green plates are topped with orange salad bowls filled with fresh garden salads of baby greens like kale, spinach, and chard, with orange heirloom cherry tomatoes, English cucumbers, fresh parsley, sprouted pumpkin seeds, and crunchy carrot croutons. (Find the easy recipe for it here.)

Daily flatware is used, with the exception of the knives which have been exchanged with lovely patterned versions. (Mixing patterns is not only okay, but fantastic!)

Orange burlap bunny ears napkin rings hold lettuce-edge napkins matching the sage plates. (Learn how to easily make your own rings here.)

Understated water glasses were chosen as the only simple elements on the tablescape. Carrot lollipops with jute bows sit in place of dessert spoons. (Find them on sale at affiliate Oriental Trading Company. The link in the side bar adds a coupon with free shipping to your cart automatically.)

Baby leaping bunny topiaries sprout from burlap covered carrot pots above each place setting. (Learn how to craft them easily here.) Tiny printable carrots act as place-cards for each invitee. (Snag my free printables here.)

Big bunny mama springs from the center of the table in declaration of a beautiful life.

Orange twine wrapped Easter eggs sit on the grass beneath her. Twine and crepe carrots suggest growth of one’s soul.

Faith stands as the center of the celebration both literally and figuratively. (The hedgerow letters are bandaged with burlap and jute symbolizing that one may be battered, but not broken when one has such faith.)

The side table holds another hedgerow spelling Believe. It sits with an additional egg enmeshed in a swirl of vibrant chevrons and burlap lilies.

A green trunk elevates another bunny constructed of grapevines holding both faux farm eggs and green bird eggs.

Above that a carrot wreath with my topiary printable hangs next to my banner. (Find the carrot wreath at affiliate Cost Plus World Market whose sale link is in the sidebar.)

The end of my printable bunny and carrot banner sits close to a burlap carrot sign extending an honest welcome to all enter. (Get my free printables here.)

Take an idea or two, or use all of my craft tutorials and free printables for your own indoor garden party that declares, “Hello Spring!”

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

P.S. The Easter Bunny approves this message.

(This is one of the wild backyard bunnies visiting my porch!)

Arts & Crafts

Easy DIY Leaping Bunny Topiary Craft Tutorials with Free Banner, Wreath, Place-card, Invitation, & Thank You Note Printables (for Easter, Showers, Luncheons, & Brunches)

March 26, 2015 Leigh 1 Comment

Make your own tabletop garden full of leaping bunnies for your next indoor garden party. DIY these easy projects 3-dimensionally or with my free printables… or mix and match the crafts as I’ve done here. Choose your own color and theme to embellish the bunnies with, or follow my lead and make burlap carrot pots to sprout your menagerie from. Better yet, keep the wraps, rosettes, and ribbons nonpermanent so the bunnies may be used again for another theme. Let these rascally rabbits transform your spring fling into a colossal cute –fest today!

I’ve seen faux foliage covered bunny and bird ornaments as well as topiary picks at several stores locally, and online the choices are endless. Using one of these ready-mades is the quickest way to craft a 3-dimensional creature topiary. (I’ll tell you how to make 2 other types later.)

Wrap small terra cotta pots with burlap fabric or ribbon, and cut after the overlap. Use dots of hot glue to adhere one side to the other. Avoid gluing the burlap to the pot if you’d like to reuse these with another theme, as I’ll be sure to do in the future. Trim the excess length off with scissors so that the pots sit flat on the table.

Add a length of ribbon around the top and tie it in a taut bow. This is not only decorative, but is a trick to keep the burlap securely in place without having to glue it permanently.

Fill each pot with a chunk cut to fit, from a large block of stryofoam. Wedge little chunks of stryofoam in between the large block and the wall of the pot until the large block has no wiggle room. This keeps your creation from drooping later.

Glue ground cover to the top of your moss. Do this by cutting the green edges to fit the pot, and gluing those edges to the rim. I used faux earth meant for a table runner, but I’ve seen similar stuff in the form of placemats as well. Other options are faux Easter grass, moss ribbon, Astroturf, green burlap, or grass printed scrapbook paper (for the printable topiary).

Cut stems, sticks, or dowels to jab into your ornaments, and wrap them with brown floral tape. If your animals are already on sticks, simply cut them to size with good sheers.

It’s easier to embellish your bunnies before potting them. Double-wrapped a length of jute (or yarn, ribbon, twine) around each bunny neck and knot it loosely. Slip a burlap rosette under the jute so that it sits securely without glue.

Make a pilot hole into the center of the green stuff. Do this carefully with any sharp point from an awl to a screwdriver. (I used a scissor side… but I have a tendency toward crafting dangerously.) Lastly, jab the bunny stick into the pilot hole.

Continue crafting the rest of your rascally rabbits.

Another option is cover a carved styrofoam shape with moss, as I have done with the larger bunny centerpiece. I’m not going to cover that in detail here because it took a lot more time, energy, and patience. If you choose to go that route, you can either purchase a ready-made animal shape, or carve one from a block of stryofoam yourself. Foam cutting knives are available that will make the job slightly easier.

One way to add foliage is to cover your creation with moss ribbon as I have done. This is a kind of moss covered carpet tape. Cut it into pieces and round the edges, so that the animal shape may be completed in an unseen patchwork. Adhere the patches with hot glue, pressing firmly.

Embellish it with a burlap ribbon collar and flower, and pot it in the same way as I showed you earlier. I wanted to reuse the bunny topiary again for future themes, so I did not glue the collar to the bunny. I simply glued the flower to one end of a length of ribbon, and then wrapped the ribbon around the neck. I began with the blank end and looped it underneath. The weight of the flower resting on top of the opposite ribbon end kept it firmly in place. It will look completely different with a another color of base wrap and type of collar embellishment.

The following are my leaping bunny printables (free for noncommercial use). Right click on the image you want to use, and select print. Choose color and photo settings for your printer, and print them on sturdy white cardstock.

To make a paper topiary from my printables, begin by printing and cutting out the two opposite facing bunnies.

Glue them together, back to back with a stick or popsicle stick in between. Pot the stick, as shown previously, and embellish it further with paper rosettes and ribbons.

Cut out the carrots to use as place-cards that rest on your newly crafted topiaries. I printed mine, 2 sheets to a piece of cardstock, so that they would be smaller than the banner carrots.

Another option for folded place-cards, is to print out the 5×7 invitations / thank you cards and fold them in half. Embellish them with tiny bows or paper flowers, and write guests’ names on them.

Adding my leaping bunny topiary printable to the center of an existing wreath is an easy way to update a piece you already own and make it fit perfectly to your theme. (This carrot wreath came from Le fidèLe Design’s affiliate Cost Plus World Market. Find a link to them with up to date coupons in the side bar.)

Make a banner with the bunnies and carrots by simply arranging them in a pleasing manner and taping the backs to jute, ribbon, twine, or yarn. I chose to criss-cross the carrots between the bunnies.

A loop at each end makes it easy to hang with clear thumbtacks.

You can also attach the carrots to readymade treat bags like the orange chevron one here. It’s filled with sprouted pumpkin seeds as a part of a healthy and tasty lunch. (See more of this along with the recipe here.)

(Find the bunny ears napkin ring tutorial here.)

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

P.S. The Easter Bunny approves this message.

(This is one of the wild backyard bunnies visiting my porch!)

Living Faithfully ~ Embracing Creativity