Easy DIY Mod Podge Glitter Sand Easter Eggs Craft

Thank you to Oriental Trading Company for providing the glitter sand and additional craft supplies for our Easter craft tutorial.  All opinions expressed are my own.

If you've dyed and decorated hard-boiled eggs before, then you might be familiar with the slight feeling of sadness when it's time to discard your beautiful works of art.  On the same note, you might wish that you could display your beautifully decorated eggs all throughout the Easter season instead of hiding them in the fridge.  Having felt this way many times year after year, I decided to decorate some eggs that can be left out to be enjoyed during this year's Easter holiday and can be used again for years to come.

Today's Craft Project:  Mod Podge Glitter Sand Easter Eggs

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

basic plastic Easter eggs (any size)

glitter sand assortment

Mod Podge

craft sponge or brush

shallow trays or bowls (one for each color of sand)

wax paper (optional)

Step 1.  Be sure your plastic eggs are free of dust and hair (they tend to hold a lot of static).

Step 2.  Apply Mod Podge all around the edge of an opened egg.  Then close the egg tightly and hold in place for a minute or two until the glue sets.

Step 3.  Pour one color of glitter sand into a clean empty tray or bowl.

Tip #1:  For a uniform effect, use sand that is similar in color to the plastic egg you wish to coat.

Step 4.  Holding your egg with the tips of your thumb and index finger, apply Mod Podge to the entire exterior of the egg.

Tip #2:  Cover as much of the egg's surface as you can, then place the egg on its side into the tray containing the sand.  Carefully apply Mod Podge to the two spots where your fingers were holding the egg.

Step 5.  Using your finger tips, gently roll and turn the egg until it is completely coated in the sand.  Then place it on wax paper to dry.

Tip #3:  Your finger tips will get coated in glue and sand, but that's a good thing.  Once your fingers are coated in sand, you will be able to hand the egg without taking sand off the surface of the egg while the glue is still wet.

Step 6.  Once the glue has dried, gently brush any excess sand off the egg.

Once you have enough eggs, you can display them however you like.  I used a large silver tin pail decorated simply with ivory jute cord and a glass butterfly pendant.  They would also be perfect to display in your favorite basket, on a mantle, or as part of a tablescape.  You could even use them in an Easter egg hunt or as party favors.

I should also mention that I experimented with mixing the remainder of the blue, yellow, and light green sand together with white sand.  I used the mixture to coat a variety of different colored eggs.  The results varied depending on the color of the bare egg.  I was happier with the results using the lightest colored eggs.  If you experiment with this, be sure to let me know what you think!


If you like this easy Easter craft, be sure to Pin It for future reference:

Happy Easter from the Easter Bunny!

For quite a few years now, I have been sharing photos of the Easter Bunny, as well as Santa and the Tooth Fairy, visiting our home to our children.  This year will be no different.  Our oldest son is now 9 years old, so I'm sure pretty soon he'll figure out what I am doing (if he hasn't already).  Until then, I will continue to add that extra touch of magic into their lives with the help of CatchACharacter.com.

It used to take me forever to make the photo just right, but now I am becoming a pro at it.  You can choose your character, the character's pose and size, edit the background photo size, edit the characters color saturation, and edit the character's brightness to fit in with the background.  The photo above took me 5 minutes to make.

If you have a few extra minutes, you can test this website out for free.  It's fun to play with the Easter Bunny, Cupid, the Tooth Fairy, and Santa.  If you end up wanting a copy of the photo you've created, you can purchase a high resolution copy that you can download and save to your computer for $9.99.  I think that price is worth the looks on our children's faces when they see these photos.  It's a combination of awe and delight.


Thank you to CatchACharacter.com for providing a gift code for us to create our photo.  All opinions expressed are my own.

See's Candies Make Perfect Easter Gifts for Your Favorite Tweens, Teens, and Adults

Although See's Candies offers many adorable treats for children for Easter, I tend to look to See's for candy to gift to those with more sophisticated taste buds.  After all, people who are too old for chocolate bunnies still enjoy receiving candy for special occasions, such as Easter.  For example, I think the Sour Bunnies would be the perfect gift for a tween or a teen.  They are colorful and fun, yet not too childish.  We will be gifting these to my cousin's 12 year old son for Easter this year.  Based on the customer feedback I read, these See's Gummies are a huge hit with adults as well.

Both my husband and I each have our own weaknesses.  His is peanut butter and chocolate, while mine is butter toffee.  For my husband, I chose the Peanut Butter Patties wrapped in seasonal gift wrap.  He has been enjoying those very much.  One day the box was full and the next day 85% off the peanut butter patties had disappeared.  I cannot say that I am surprised that this See's Candies classic is sold out online at the moment.

For myself, I chose a canister of Toffee-ettes.  If you love almonds, you will likely enjoy these candies.  There are whole almonds inside the bite-size pieces of butter toffee, in addition to a generous amount of toasted almond bits all around the outside.  Although I am enjoying these Toffee-ettes, I think would enjoy them even more if there were slightly less almonds, so that I could taste the part that I love most, which is the butter toffee. These candies would make a great hostess gift because they would taste delicious served with coffee at the end of the meal.

To shop for See's Easter candy, use their store locator to find a store near you.  See's Candies would also be a sweet way to surprise the mothers in your life on Mother's Day.


Thank you to See's Candies for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Cure Spring Fever with Tea Collection's Spring Holiday Dressing

Even though Spring will be arriving in just two days, we have not seen any signs of Spring here in Massachusetts.  In fact, it is snowing outside right at this very moment.  So, how do you cure Spring fever at your house?  I usually do so by adding items to my children's warm-weather wardrobe (and maybe one or two items to my own).  One of my favorite things about March is seeing all the adorable dressy Spring clothing for boys and girls to look their best on Easter and other Springtime holidays.

Pictured above is the Tea Collection Blooming Lily Shift Dress and the Sethunya Floral Dress for girls.  For the boys, we have the Dance Print Shirt and the Two Oceans Sweater Vest.  All adorable items that look both kid-friendly and easy to wear.  After all, being dressed up does not mean your children need to be uncomfortable.  Is it feeling more like Springtime yet?  To get a bigger taste of Spring, visit Tea Collection and save 10% off your order today!

My Photos: Easter Egg Hunt and More

I realize that a whole week has passed since Easter, but I just got around to editing my photos.  Below you will find a few of my favorites, but you can see more on my personal Facebook page.  The children had so much fun hunting Easter eggs, as they do every year.  This year, it was a little chilly outside (it even snowed for about 10 seconds), so the hunt took place indoors.

(There's also a token cat photo at the bottom too.)

(Click any photo to enlarge)

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"You May Pet Me Now"

Click here to view all my past favorite photos.

Giveaway: Stun 2012 Spring/Summer Collection at Small Concept ($50 GC) [CLOSED]

Easter Sunday was a little bit on the chilly side this year.  In fact, it even snowed for about 30 seconds.  Still, my daughter could not let that stop her from wearing her oh-so-pretty new Stun Purple Rose Flutter Dress from the Small Concept children's boutique.  She was so delighted by the dress that she did not even notice the chill in the air.  The girly, but bold print of the fabric designed by Stun fit her personality perfectly.  Little does she know that her father informed me yesterday that she should never be allowed to wear a dress ever again because she looks too pretty in them and that would make his job of keeping all the boys away that much more difficult.

Our 5 year old daughter usually takes a size 5/6 and this size 6 dress by Stun was a perfect fit.  Both the waste and the hem hit right where they should.  Due to the knee-length and the cut of this lined dress, we did not have a problem with her skirt blowing up even though the wind was pretty strong that day.  Our daughter has decided that this dress is ideal for curtsying and twirling.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

As a parent, I love this cotton dress because it is lined, 100% cotton, and is machine washable (hang to dry).  Even though we did not have a problem with the wind catching the skirt of the dress, our daughter is quite active, as most 5 year old children are.  Just to be on the safe side, Small Concept suggested a pair of Monkeybar Buddies Shorts for her to wear under the dress . . . 

. . . and am I ever glad they did.  Although our daughter did not go to the playground that day, she was a little overzealous with her curtsying at times.  Thank goodness she wore the Monkeybar Buddies, which turned out to be so comfortable that she forgot she was wearing them.  These shorts are made of nylon/spandex, can be both machine washed and dried, and are available in several color choices.

The Purple Rose Flutter Dress retails for $68.  The same print is also available in a tunic and legging set.  Small Concept carries many of my favorite children's apparel brands for girls and boys, such as Tea Collection and Appaman.  I am so happy to have discovered Stun apparel on SmallConcept.com.  The brand offers such charming, but comfortably designed clothing for girls.  Here are a few more styles from the Stun Spring/Summer Collection for 2012 . . . 

Remember that Small Concept offers flat rate shipping within the U.S. for $5.95 on orders under $150 and Free Shipping for U.S. orders over $150.

Thank you to Small Concept for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing a gift code for our contest prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

My Photos: W/E 4-7-12

It's Easter Sunday!  Doesn't it feel like it was just Christmas?  What are your Easter traditions?  We usually leave out baskets for the Easter Bunny to fill.  Then I try to get a photo of the Easter Bunny in our house to show the children in the morning.  After we have a small breakfast and they see what's in their baskets, we head to my cousin's house to have Easter brunch with her family.  I'll be sure to share our Easter day photos later on this week.

Happy Easter everybody!!!

Click here to view all my past favorite photos.

8 Musts For a Fun Easter "HOP" Movie Viewing Party

For those who like to plan family movie nights with their children, the recent release of the movie HOP on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital download may inspire you to go one step further.  I had an enormous amount of fun planning a mini viewing party for my family and our children just loved having something a little different than the usual popcorn and a movie.  If you would like to do something special this year with your children for Easter, I have shared my easy low-cost party ideas below.


8 Things You'll Need for a Fun HOP Viewing Party . . . 

1.  HOP on DVD or Blu-ray - If you haven't already, you can purchase the movie HOP at retailers, such as Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and Amazon.com.  Many retailers are promoting this movie with limited time special offers.  For example, Best Buy is offering a FREE 7" Bunny Minion Plush toy with the purchase of the HOP Blu-ray/DVD combo pack.  (All special offers are only valid while supplies last.)

2.  Easter Bunny-themed books - HOP:  Chicks Versus Bunnies and HOP:  Meet the Easter Bunny are the perfect titles to include in your viewing party.  They can be used for a short storytime before the movie begins or to use as a special bedtime story later that night after the party.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

3.  An assortment of Easter candy - The candy factory on Easter Island in the film HOP will surely impress your children.  They will likely recognize some of their favorite candies in the movie, so it would be fun to serve at least some of the candy seen in the film.  I used ceramic flower pots (just $2.50 each at Target) and chalkboard plant markers (only $1.00 each at Target) to create a candy display.  I lined each pot with wax paper since I was not sure if they were safe for serving food.  The selection of candy I chose to include were classic jelly beans, Hershey's Assorted Filled Easter Eggs (filled with Hershey's Kisses, Mini Peanut Butter Cups, Cadbury Mini Eggs, and more), and Whoppers Malted Robin Eggs.

4.  An easy Easter-themed sticker craft - We had our children decorate two paper cups each . . . one for their beverage and one to hold their candy during the movie.  You can find pads of Easter stickers for about $1 each at A.C. Moore or Target's dollar section.  Our children had lots of fun with this easy mess-free activity and could not wait to fill their cups with candy.

5.  Pizza with your guests' favorite toppings - We opted to serve pizza because it is something that everyone likes and the children usually eat it fairy quickly.  They each only ate one slice because they wanted to leave room in their bellies for treats during the movie.

6.  Lots of balloons - An inexpensive way to create a party atmosphere is to use lots of balloons when decorating.  We only needed a manual balloon pump (like the ones used to make balloon animals), balloons, and curling ribbon.  Then we used transparent tape and hung the balloons over the viewing area from the ceiling.  We also put some balloons around and above the television.

7.  Bunny ears - What party would be complete without some kind of party favor?  Bunny ears would make great favors for younger children to have as a keepsake of the event.  Our 8 year old son did not wear his during the movie, but our preschoolers loved them.

8.  Freshly popped popcorn - I served movie theater butter microwave popcorn in reusable plastic popcorn tubs I had purchased from iParty last year to use during our family movie nights.  I wanted to make sure the children were full on popcorn before I let them loose on their cups filled with candy.

Of our 3 children, our 8 year old son enjoyed the movie the most.  I heard him laugh out loud on many occasion, such as when E.B. demonstrates how he can product jelly beans.  This film does contain live action and quite a bit of dialogue, so it did not hold our preschoolers' attention during some parts.  Still, everyone had a very fun time at our viewing party.

Visit www.HopMovie.com and HOP on Facebook to learn more about this film.  Also, remember to checkout the limited time special offers from select retailers of HOP on Blu-ray/DVD.


Thank you to Universal Studios Home Entertainment for providing a complimentary copy of the movie, books, party supplies and, a gift card to help us plan our viewing party.

My Photos (W/E 4-30-11)

Many of these photos were taken on Easter day.  I did share some other Easter day photos last week, but I saved several of my favorites to share for Weekly Winners.  I hope there is at least one or two that you like.

"Follow Me!"                                  "Enthusiasm"

"Gone Hunting"

"Handsome"                                   "Double Smiles"

"Wind-Powered"

"The Direct Approach"                        "A Handle On It"     

Thank you for taking the time to view my photos this week! If you'd like to play along or see more great photos, stop by to see Lotus a.k.a. Sarcastic Mom.