70 Ways to Fill an Easter Egg Without Candy

by Melissa // April 20, 2011 // No Comments

Planning holidays makes me nuts. It seems like no matter what the occasion, the prime rule is THERE MUST BE CANDY and A TON OF IT. I have four boys now. Some of them have problems with cavities. Some of them are pretty young for that much sugar. Some of them are just a little bit crazy. I’d rather not hand my boys each a bushel of candy several times a year.

However, I love the fun, the excitement, and the laughter that these occasions bring. I love delighting my children with little gifts and surprises. When it came to filling our Easter eggs, though, I was stumped. I’ve made it a point to come up with a long list of things I could put in the eggs instead of jelly beans and M&Ms.

Babies and Toddlers

Teddy Grahams
Animal Crackers
Dry Cereal
New Pacifier
Pacifier Tether
Small Wrist Rattle
Socks
Goldfish

Kids

Stickers
Balloons
Coins – heck, maybe even a dollar!
Small shaped/recycled crayons
Finger Puppets
Small plastic animals
Home-made playdough
Self-inking stamp
Small cookies (like Mini Oreos or Mini Chips Ahoy)
Coloring page or maze, folded up
Bouncy Balls
Magic Grow Capsules
Gumball machine prizes
Mini koosh balls
Fun Magnets
Chalk
Bubbles
Temporary tattoos
Mini box of raisins
Silly Putty!
Character Band-aids
Small top
Mini yo-yo
Fun shaped erasers
Whistles
Unusual rocks
Small seashells
Marbles
Hot Wheels (this depends on the size of the car and the size of the egg)
Legos (pieces or minifigures)
Nerf Darts
Plastic rings
Slap bracelets
Barrettes
Hair bows
Bracelets or necklaces
Lip gloss
Stick-on earrings

Grown-ups

Seeds
Small flower bulbs
Nice earrings
A check (if you’re rich, hah!)
Cuff links
Tie Tack
A locket with a photo in it
Gift cards (you’ll probably need extra-large eggs for this)
Tea candle
Small jars of spices
Embroidery floss
Small decorative soaps
Thread cutting pendant
Stitch markers
Row counter
Keychain
Memory card or stick
Digital photo keychain
Small container of cosmetics like eyeshadow
Tickets to a movie or event
Earbuds
Bucky Balls
Small watch
A note

I hope I’ve given you some good ideas! It was useful for me, too. My kids will be getting Hot Wheels, Teddy Grahams, Stickers, and Bouncy Balls in their eggs this year, and I bet they’re going to love it.

Rummaging Around the Blog

by Melissa // April 19, 2011 // 4 Comments

I’ve been doing a lot of crafting recently that has nothing to do with crocheting (or knitting) which was originally the focus of the blog. As a result, I decided to make a page to help sort of organize the tutorials for them. Check out the Tutorials tab at the top of the page to see instructions for non-yarny projects I’ve done in the past.

In other news, my kids have a new obsession. Recognize this guy?

I’ll give you a hint: he’s a semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal of ACTION! His name is Perry the Platypus (but you can call him Agent P) from the Disney cartoon Phineas and Ferb. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it – we watched two full seasons of it instantly on our Netflix.

Max and Charlie are obsessed with Agent P. See how they’re both wearing all-blue clothing? They’re taking turns with the hat and beak. We had the hat from last Halloween when Charlie was Indiana Jones and I made a temporary beak from a paper plate, construction paper, and yarn. It didn’t work very well. I’m thinking I may try making a felt one (since I’ve been using so much of it lately)!

So, the boys have been demanding Perry the Platypus coloring pages, and they have done so many that they have exhausted the supply on the internet. I’m not kidding. So you see, I really had no choice but to start drawing them new ones:

I particularly like this next one: Dr. Doofenshmirtz looks so happy!

Whenever I draw one, they both want it. Fortunately our printer is also a scanner/copier, so I can just copy the picture and have as many as they need. I decided that since I’m sticking them through the copier anyway, I might as well upload them for other people to use. I can’t be the only mom in this predicament, right?! Check out the new ‘Printables‘ tab at the top of the page to see when new pictures or other printables become available.

Felt Toy Number 2

by Melissa // April 18, 2011 // 1 Comment

Well, Easter is this weekend, so I had better get cracking! You know, I’m sure I’d be getting these done faster, but I have to do all my work at night when the kids are in bed so I don’t spoil the surprise. Then of course I have to take pictures during the day without them seeing that, either! Fortunately I’ve already finished the next Easter basket toy:

a little sheep. I think he’s pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Felt is so much fun to work with, because you don’t have to worry about finishing edges or turning seams. Just sew it together and go! It takes embroidery pretty well, too…

…which is fun. I enjoy amigurumi as much as the next girl, but it’s a little hard to embroider expressive faces across single crochet.

And hey! I drew out the pattern again.

Click on the pattern picture for a printable pdf.

You Will Need:

2 sheets white felt
1 sheet black felt
Needle and thread in desired colors
Stuffing or Fiberfill
Scissors

Cut out your pattern pieces.
With contrasting color, sew eyes to face and embroider nose.
Fold ears in half. Sew face to body, inserting ears at appropriate places and sewing into place.
Match up legs in pairs. Sew around edge of legs except for flat side where they will join the body. Stuff legs.
Sew around body, stuffing as you go. Don’t forget to insert legs at appropriate places and sew into place.

You’re finished! Enjoy your sheep.

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