Happy Easter!

Miguel and I went home to Atlanta for Easter weekend. Though it is wonderful to spend time with our parents, the real reason we headed home was to see our baby niece, Karis! 

Sunday morning we met up with my family for some Easter breakfast. 

My brother-in-law Jared, my Daddy, me, Miguel, my sister Sarah, Karis, my Gramma, and my Mom 

Most of breakfast we just spent admiring how cute Karis is! Everyone wanted to hold her and shower her with cuddles and kisses! It was especially fun for Miguel and me to see all the differences in Karis that she has developed since the last time we saw her right after she was born. 

Miguel loves his niece!

Kisses from Great Gramma!

Though we all wanted to hold and love on Karis, I think she loved being adored by her daddy most of all! Jared hadn't seen Sarah or Karis for two weeks and was definitely needing to soak up some baby time!

Karis loves, loves, loves her daddy!

Miguel and I were so excited that we got to spend time with Karis on her very first Easter! We were delighted to be able to give her an Easter basket in person! We filled the basket with a plush, carrot rattle, a crinkle, tag square, and a "Bunny and Bee" book with the matching stuffed Bunny.

I tried to read Karis the book at breakfast, but I think I held Jared's attention more than Karis's ;)

The Easter Bunny came three times for Karis! She is obviously very loved and spoiled. The china in the picture below is Peter Cottontail and my sister and I each have a different set. I love that my mom the Easter Bunny got Karis her very own set!

After spending the morning with my family, Miguel and I headed to his parents' house and had a lovely Easter dinner. I forgot to take pictures while we were at the Amadors' though. Probably because we were all consumed with either watching the masters or trying to learn how to play Euchre. Euchre is a card came that seems to be pretty popular up north. A bunch of our "yankee" friends are familiar with it. Friday night Miguel and I attempted to play and ever since then we have decided to learn it better so we can play with the big boys next time we're in town!

I just have to finish up by sharing some photos from earlier in the weekend...

Look how cute this onsie is that Karis wore on Saturday! It says "My Auntie Loves Me". I do, do, DO love her soooooo much! Plus, you can't beat that face... ohhhh emm gee! So adorable!

Sarah W. also came by to meet Karis! Karis was very excited to show Sarah how she can "stand up" now.

Sarah W and Karis

My parents' dog, Luke, isn't quite sure about having a baby come visit. Another thing on the floor that people talk to in silly voices confuses him. I believe he is under the impression that he should be the only recipient of that. 

We had a wonderful time being at home with family. I don't remember the last time we left Atlanta that I didn't drive away with tears in my eyes. I so badly wish I got to see everyone more often. But I am so thankful that we get to see each other as much as we do! Countdown is on for our Summer family vacation and the next time I get to see sweet Karis!!!

Easter Egg Wreath

This wreath is a fun way to brighten any room this Easter season! And it is so simple to make! 

I bought a flat, wooden, 12 inch wreath frame and wrapped it with white ribbon. Then traced the flat, wooden egg shape onto multiple colors of felt and then cut those out. 

Back of the wreath

A little bit of felt glue and glitter and I had some sparkly Easter eggs. All that was left was using a glue gun to attach them to the wreath frame. So simple! 

Egg detail

Egg detail

Egg detail

It takes a little bit of patience but I think it was fun and definitely suggest you try one for yourself! =)

Creative, Dyed Easter Eggs

No PAAS Easter egg dying kit here! This year for easter I decided to try dying Easter eggs in some creative ways. 

First, I got a large container of eggs (2 . 5 dozen) from Kroger for only $3. These are great because of the quantity and for the carton they come in. The carton is perfect for placing your eggs on while you work and for drying them later on. 

We have brown eggs in our fridge, but they're not the best for dying. Use those for your breakfast and save yourself the disappointment of mucky looking dyed eggs. 

Using Silk Ties:

You will need:

- Silk ties cut into large pieces

- rubber bands or twist ties

- raw white eggs

- 3 tbsp white vinegar

- an old, white sheet, pillow case, or table cloth

- a non-aluminum pot (glass/enamel/steel)

- paper towels

- tongs or spoon

- vegetable oil

I picked up these silk ties from Goodwill. You can also use silk boxers, scarfs, or shirts for this project.

It's important to make sure the ties or whatever garment you are using is 100% silk.

Cut the stitching on the tie and remove lining.

Cut the silk into large squares big enough to cover an egg.

Place egg in silk square with the printed side of the material facing the egg. 

Gather material around egg and secure with a twist tie, rubber band, or string. I had two silver twist ties that worked really well.. after that I tried using some that came with some trash bags and they didn't seem to work so I used rubber bands more the majority.

Next, cut a large square of material from an old, white sheet.

Wrap the sheet square around the silk tied egg and secure using a twist tie or a rubber band.

I got two to three eggs out of each tie.

Place eggs in a pot (that is not aluminum) and cover with water.

Place on stove and heat to boiling. 

Once water start to boil, turn the heat down, add 3 tablespoons of white vinegar and let simmer for 20 minutes. I've read that if you want to eat the eggs you need to cook them longer than 20 minutes. However, I would be hesitant about eating these because you don't know where those ties came from, etc. Maybe it is fine, but I'd rather not.

After the eggs have simmered for 20 minutes, use tongs or a spoon to remove the eggs from the water. I placed mine back on the egg carton.

Let the eggs cool. Then unwrap. Unwrapping the eggs from the silk is like opening a present! It was so exciting to see what each tie left on the egg. 

Some of the designs took to the egg better than others. For example, the striped tie only left the blue stripe and left the egg looking a little bare and like nothing too special. I really like the way the red and blue ones came out. 

To make the eggs shiny wipe vegetable oil on them with a paper towel.

 I really like the way these turned out. I'm going to keep an eye out for silk ties that are bright and have lots of details now. Hopefully I'll find some in more traditional easter colors.

Using Stickers and Tape:

Place eggs in a pot and fill with water. Boil, reduce heat, add 3 tablespoons of vinegar, and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove eggs from pot with tongs and let cool. I let mine cool on the egg carton for about 40 minutes.

To add designs I used masking tape. I placed a strip of tape on a cutting board and used an exacto knife and ruler to cut 1/4 inch strips. 

Then I wrapped the 1/4th inch strips equal distances around the egg. I made sure to press the tape down with my fingernails. 

To add color I boiled water and then put it in water glasses. I added 1 tbsp of vinegar and then food coloring. I placed the eggs with tape in the pink dye. 

Some of the tape came off in the water. Pout. But the effect was still nice. Take the egg out of the dye, pat with a paper towel and let dry for 10 minutes.

Next, I added horizontal tape and placed it in blue dye. 

The same type of effect can be achieved with stickers and rubber bands. 

Before:

After:

And then I stuck them back in the dye for round two.

My favorites were the plaid and the dots.