Monday, December 28, 2015

Make it easy crafts best of 2015



It's almost 2016 and its time to look back on last year and Make it easy crafts best posts of 2015!  Hoping 2016 is a great year for you all.  I love your comments and if you would like to see a certain type of craft or recipe please be sure to let me know.  Click on the photos for the full tutorials...

Looking for a Valentine's Day card for a horse lover?  Well then they will love this free printable Valentines Day card.

 Printable Valentine's Day card

The second popular project is the painted brick book.  This step by step tutorial will take you through all the steps to create a brick book.  Use for bookends or just a cute decor piece.



If you are looking for a great and pretty much free kid's craft the egg carton shrink plastic hair clip is the perfect thing.  This is a recycled craft.



And finally you and your little girl will adore these polymer bunny peeps earrings.  Quick and easy to create.  


Happy New Year





Monday, December 21, 2015

Quick and easy sparkle garland kids craft



Christmas is sure sneaking up on everyone this year.  It seems like it was just Halloween and now there are days, no hours before the guy in the red suit shows up.  The kids are getting impatient and you have to wrap some presents.  Take a deep breath.  Sit back and enjoy some family craft time with the kiddos.  These little garlands are great for the tree on anywhere you want a little extra sparkle.

So just sit down.  The wrapping can wait and make some family memories for years to come.

Want more easy free kid’s craft tutorials?  Check out All free kids crafts

Supplies:

  • Sparkle chenille stems in any color.  I used white and silver
  • Scissors
Instructions:


1.     For a garland that will wrap around a 6 ft. tree you will needs several packages of 12” sparkle chenille stems.  There are usually 15 stems in a package.




2.     Cut each stem in half so you will have six-inch stems.  Form the first stem into a ring and twist the ends together to secure.


3.     Insert the second stem through the first one and close like you did before.  Continue adding rings until you have reached the length of garland you prefer.












Friday, December 18, 2015

Easy Acorn Christmas ornament



Looking for a cute ornament that you can make quick and easy to dress up the Christmas tree, then this easy acorn ornament is for you.

You only need a Styrofoam egg, some twine, glitter and glue so it couldn’t be more inexpensive!  And kid’s can do this too.  It would make a great gift for a teacher or anyone you want to just give a little something.  Handmade makes it special. 

Supplies:

·      Styrofoam egg
·      Jute twine
·      Pencil or bamboo skewer
·      Tacky craft glue
·      Glitter
·      Paper or foam plates
·      Small paintbrush
·      Optional: If you want to vary the color of the acorn you can substitute light colored yarn on the bottom portion if desired.

Instructions:

1.     Roll the pointed end on a table or other hard surface and pressing lightly to round it out slightly. 


2.     Cut a 6-inch piece of jute and tie the ends in a knot.  Use a pencil or bamboo skewer to make a hole in the top of the egg.  Fill the hole with some tacky glue and insert the knot end of the jute loop pushing it inside with the pencil or skewer.  Let dry.




3.     Starting at the top of the acorn begin adding glue to the top and wrapping jute around in a circular direction and downward.  Continue adding glue and jute until you have reached about 1/3 of the way down.  Now, work your way back up over the previously wrapped jute.  Do this one more time and cut off. 







4.     Add glue and wrap around jute as you did on the upper portion of the acorn except you will only be adding one layer. (You may substitute light colored yarn here if desired)  Let dry.


5.     Thin some glue with water on a paper plate and using a small paintbrush brush the entire bottom area with the thinned glue.  On another paper plate sprinkle an ample amount of glitter on the glue area.  Let dry. 





6.     Hang on the tree or anywhere you want a cute country style decoration.



Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Christmas painted Canning jar Luminary



I like to keep a decorative light on a table in my foyer and this cute Christmas painted canning jar luminary is a perfect addition to my holiday décor.  Since my foyer is dark unless I turn on the overhead chandelier light it’s nice to have a pretty nightlight.  The LED light string I use works with three AAA batteries and has a switch that turns it on at the same time every night for six hours and then turns itself off.  Since the lights are LED the batteries last over a month! 

It’s so simple to paint on glass using gloss acrylic paint for glass that is readily available in all the craft stores.  Follow the step-by-step instructions with photos to paint your own luminary.  They make great Christmas gifts too.  Just so you know, the photo doesn't do it justice, it is so beautiful with the little lights looking like stars.

Supplies:

·      Acrylic gloss paint for use on glass in lt. blue, brown, green, and white
·      Small flat paint brush
·      Small piece of sponge
·      LED battery powered light string with on/off/timer switch
·      Alcohol
·      Paper plate to use as a palette
·      Medium sized wide mouth canning jar

Instructions:

1.     Wipe down the canning jar with alcohol to remove all dirt and oils.

2.     Put some lt. blue paint on the paper plate and use the tap the sponge into the paint.  Apply to the top 2/3 of the jar with a patting motion all around.  Let dry.




3.     Using a paintbrush apply white paint liberally on the bottom third of the jar overlapping hills. (See photo)  Continue to add paint all around the jar and let dry.  When it is dry turn it over and paint the bottom of the jar white.  Let dry.





4.     Add the pine trees.  Load a flat brush with brown paint and working with the flat brush on its side, make a line up from the snow for the trunk.  Rinse the brush and load it with green paint.  Working from the bottom of the trunk add dabs of paint from side to side, going up the trunk getting narrower as you go.  (See photo)




5.     Continue to add trees in this manner.  If you have less paint on the brush the tree will look somewhat faded giving it a far off appearance. 



6.     When the paint has dried add some white touches on the branches of the trees to resemble snow. 


7.     Add the LED light string in the jar and set it to turn on and off as desired.





Thursday, December 10, 2015

Ham and Swiss Quiche Recipe



Right before the holidays all the stores run sales on spiral hams. Since spiral hams are pre-cooked and all you do is stick it in the oven to heat, I usually pick up one for quick meals during the busy weeks preceding Christmas.
Spiral hams are pre-cooked and sliced and are great for Sunday dinners, sandwiches and so much more. The only drawback is that even small half hams are a bit large for the average family and there will be leftovers. So one of my favorite ways to use up leftover ham is in a quiche.
What is quiche you may ask? It’s a custardy dish that is great for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. Or you can make them snack size for canapés or change the savory ingredients to sweet and make them for dessert. There are literally hundreds of ways to make quiche. Don’t like ham, substitute turkey or chopped, cooked chicken.
Making a Quiche is pretty easy too! Use the store bought piecrusts you simply roll into a pan, or easier yet use frozen piecrusts. Before you know it you will be savoring a tasty Quiche.
Ham and Swiss Quiche
Ingredients:
  • Two large eggs
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup half and half
  • 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
  • 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
  • 1/3-cup sweet onions finely diced
  • 1 cup diced ham
  • 1/8 tsp. white pepper
  • Pie shell unbaked
Instructions:
In a blender or food processor add the eggs, mayonnaise, half and half, cornstarch and white pepper. Blend till all the ingredients are well mixed.
In a bowl combine the ham, cheese and onions together. Spread the ham mixture in the pie shell, spreading it out to fill the entire pie shell. Pour the wet ingredients in the pie shell on top of the ham mixture.
Place on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the quiche to cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Cut in equal wedges and serve with a colorful garnish of cherry tomatoes if desired.
Now that you have the basic quiche recipe, you can play around with the cheeses and filling ingredients.