FAIRY GARDEN EASTER EGG FILLERS

Filling the plastic Easter eggs... It can be such a tedious task.

I wrestle with what
is the "right" amount of candy

...deciding if it's too risky to
put chocolates inside the eggs...

Have you ever seen what the
warm springtime sunshine can do 

to a chocolate filled plastic Easter egg??

 I think about safeguarding those
spiffy, new Easter outfits...

and then back to the
 the sun-warmed chocolates...

I also never want to fill the eggs with unwanted trinkets 

and things that the kids really don't want or need.

I usually end up with a mix of small
do-dads, a little candy, 

and a few dollars in change... 

BUT not this year...

I did something completely unexpected!

This year, I had a marvelous,
 fantastically fun idea that
 turned into a smashing success... truly.

 I filled most of the little plastic eggs with an
assortment of fairy garden pieces!!  

FAIRY GARDENS...the perfect Easter egg filler!

...what a great way to fill the eggs.  

No excess sugary candies,
No more of those silly unwanted little toys
that I will be tossing out before too long...
and
Maybe best of all,...no melting chocolates...

Everybody WINS!!

It was so great, an activity and a craft all rolled into one!!  

The fairy garden is so perfect for spring...
the kiddos can add to it through the summer months.

I don't know about you, but my children
are always in the market 
for fairy garden paraphernalia. 

"PLEEEASE, Can we get a fairy,
a frog, a gnome, a glass bead... 

a whatever little bobble that would be soooo cute,
Please Please??" 

My kids are absolutely enthralled
with the idea of these gardens. 

When we visit the local nursery,
like any good marketing expert...
the store has set up the most amazing fairy garden displays...
my kids are the perfect targets of the fairy garden marketer.

...and after all the fairy gardens are pretty darn cute,
it's no wonder they want one so desperately!

 It seems that fairy gardens are really IN right now,
so there is no shortage of tiny fairy accessories at almost every store.
 I found quite a deluxe selection at Michael's Crafts,
Hobby Lobby and our local nursery.

I picked up small terracotta pots as
 the home for each fairy garden.
Another great choice would be thrift-store baskets,
lined with plastic and filled with a little soil and moss.

A marigold for each garden.
Filled the pots with a little soil.

The Easter eggs contained all the  necessary
makings of a fabulous fairy garden:
 glass beads,
stepping stones
garden tools
miniature watering cans
little ceramic woodland animals
 tiny mushrooms
an itty-bitty flower pot
and of course a fairy...
and a gnome for my son....

The kids had THE BEST time setting up their little gardens...

and I had THE BEST time
watching them have a magical Easter.

Not one kiddo asked about the candy... or the melted chocolates.  

Thanks for stopping by to read...

I'm thrilled that you do.

~Karri

P.S.
Just below... a few more springtime 
inspired posts full of Easter decor and an award winning recipe!!
...these are some of my favorites!! 

 Enjoy!

Easter Egg Corn-Hole

Another FUN way to keep the kiddos
busy and entertained...a truly fun way to spend a sunny afternoon!
Hop over an read how to make bunny sacks for: Bunny Sack Races

Make these adorable bunny ears

and this super sweet tablescape: Garden Party

Make these AMAZING faux flower napkin rings...
literally start with a paper towel cardboard tube!
Flower Napkin Rings

Have the CUTEST chairs in town this Easter...
Bunny Ears Tutorial
How to Make Bunny Ears

Table Setting 101...Make an adorable table this Easter
Easter Table

Visit our Easter brunch for
a little more springtime-inspired decorating.
Easter Brunch

A cute Easter mantel is ALWAYS in style:

Easter Mantel

My VERY favorite tips to making a fabulous
and functional holiday table.
10 BEST Table Tips

Award Winning, Blue Ribbon Carrot Cake!!

First Place Carrot Cake

MY "EXTRA SPECIAL" LUNCH DATE

Making the "everyday" a little extra special, that's what we did on a recent lunch date.  I love going out to lunch with my kiddos.  They are great conversationalists.  I learn so much from our lunchtime outings.  Stories about playground games and classroom antics that somehow get lost during the weekly hustle and bustle of homework and practice schedules, finally bubble their way to the surface...  The simple act of going to lunch, no electronic devices, no video games, what fun.  Just us, great food and of course, their charming outlook on life.

We chose Dewey's, a local pizza place that makes the pizza in a large glass-front window, so kids of all ages can enjoy the artistry of pizza making.  The food is great, the pizza making is part entertainment, part education.

Dewey's offers red cream soda... a family favorite that also happens to be

the perfect

pairing with a fresh mozzarella pizza.

Afterward, we decided to pay a visit to Bluebird Bakery for dessert, a little bakery that we had never been to, but had heard wonderful things about... It's been on my to-do list for quite awhile now and today seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it out. 

Being a tourist in your own hometown is wonderful.  If you haven't tried being "a visitor" in your own town, I highly recommend it.  It's a great way to uncover new favorite places, and it gives you a fresh perspective of things you may be overlooking.  The bakery is a throw back to days gone by,  with well worn wooden floors, and gleaming bakery cases filled with decadent desserts, cookies, brownies and macaroons.  Little antiques sit on the shelves and in the window sills...I was right at home.  The bakery turned out to be just as darling as it was described to be. 

Deciding what to choose can take a few minutes...there were bad choices...

We even brought home a brownie for Dad!

While we enjoyed our sweet treat, we got to see a train go by and we saw a black squirrel...I think the kids were most excited to see the black squirrel...that may have been the highlight of their entire outing.  Spending a few hours enjoying my children's company was the highlight of my day... we'll have to make a point to doing it more often.

Easy Easter Mantel

I'm busy decorating the house for Easter... and I put together a simple Easter mantel.

I used an OLD chippy window frame, I think it's been tucked away in our garage for easily 10 years.  I can't believe I'm just now getting around to utilizing it's amazing decorating potential... better late than never.  It was dirty, clearly 10 years of grime was on this thing of beauty...

I cleaned it a few times and gave it the once over with the wet dry vac, helping to remove all of the most disgusting debris... it was pretty bad... I'm no fan of spider eggs and there were plenty...it was super gross.

Yep... it had potential though...

Much better.

I set the chippy window frame on the mantle.

Using a preserved boxwood wreath in front... (layering is always good)

Adding a few assorted Easter decorations and we are pretty much done.  I think I may still add some sprigs of forsythia and a bird nest or two... if I do I'll update the post... for now, 

it's looking Spring-y!