Easy Easter Craft How-To

Here is an easy Easter craft that I did and thought I would post a tutorial on it! 

It's kind of a no brainer, but for the people who just don't get the whole "crafty" thing, I broke it down into a few simple steps! It took no more than 30 minutes to make and it was a lot of fun!

*Happy Easter Banner*

Tools that you will need:

- 11 sheets of 8.5X11 cardstock (colors of your choice)

- 3 yards of ribbon or string

- Computer

- Paper trimmer of scissors

- Hole punch

1) Pick a font on your computer to your liking and enlarge it considerably.

       You may need to run a few tests on plain paper to see if you have the correct sizing. Play              with colors! I chose a dark gray instead of flat black. It seemed a little less heavy with the            brighter colors I chose for my paper.

       (I had to enlarge mine 2000% for the right size!)

2) If you are using multiple colors of paper, make a key as reference. As you can see, the                  words spell out "happy easter" from left to right. To make it easier, I printed 1 letter at a            time while avoiding paper jams from the use of heavy card stock. After printing off one                letter, I would simply delete it on the screen and type in the next letter according to the              key. Feed printer coordinating paper as each letter is typed.

* Each letter will take up one sheet of paper *

3) Measure out how large you want your squares to be, making sure your letters are centered.         I just measured how far the letter automatically printed from the top and left side then               matched it on the bottom and right side. If you want to get real creative, you can use                     pinking shears or patterned blade scrapbooking scissors instead of a straight edge.

4) Make a template of where you would like your holes to be for weaving your ribbon or                   string through. Be sure that these are centered as well! If you want to add any                                 embellishments, this would be the time (i.e. spray glitter!).

5) Finally, weave your ribbon through each hole!

Voila! You are done!

Today!

Despite the poo poo weather we are having today, I have a few things around to keep me happy!  I am easily affected by the weather so when I woke up to snow after a couple of GREAT days working in the yard and playing outside, I told myself that I was not going to get down and out because "this too shall pass"! 

The apricot tree in our backyard is starting to blossom! I trimmed a few branches off yesterday right when it was budding and I woke up to a few full blossoms this morning!  It makes me so happy to see these beautiful little flowers! It is only going to be better tomorrow! 

We failed to send out Christmas cards last year so we are thinking of sending Easter cards out instead. I found these great vintage Easter cards online today and printed them out. They were free! Now I am brainstorming of how to make them a little better and I am thinking of something good for the family photo to put inside! Wes is SOOOO excited for family photos! (hehehehe!)

I love lathering up with this body wash that Wes bought me for Christmas. I was groggy and tired this morning, but whenever I climb into the shower I am immediately invigorated! This wash is made with eucalyptus, rosemary, CHOCOLATE, mint and Thyme! Mmmmmmm. I am often tempted to just squirt it in my mouth! Best part is, it's not fancy at all...you can find it at Target! 

I love to sew and took advantage of the opportunity to stay inside and mend a few things and make a pattern off an existing skirt that I own, because I want to make a new one! I find that sewing frustrates me almost as much as it mentally heals me. The end result, when finally accomplished, is pretty rewarding however! 

Another thing that made me happy today was noticing that E had enough hair to trim! It is finally growing in! He was bald for so long and when it did come in it was as fine as cotton candy! And it was BLONDE! How did that happen? I had to take the scissors and trim the wisps of hair that grew over his ears and the tiny mullet starting to form in the back. I kept it and put it in a little plastic baggy for remembrance! 

Interesting, to say the least!

Lately, we have been tourists in our own town! We especially like the free things! Yesterday we took advantage of the great weather and ventured to a place that is unlike any other! I think I could easily say this place is one of the most unusual and most interesting places in Salt Lake County. The place is called Gilgal Gardens. It is located just across the street (north) of Trolley Corners and is a hidden gem! I would recommend going here just to be blown away, laugh a little and be thoroughly impressed with how a certain artist's mind works! 

Gilgal Gardens is a work by Thomas Child. He was a mason, a philosopher and an artist. The garden includes 12 sculptural arrangements and 70 stones engraved with scripture, poem and philosophical text. Child started the garden when he was 57 years old. He was also a great leader in the downtown community and a bishop of the LDS 10th ward for 19 years (can you even imagine!). His garden consumed much of his time and most of his money until he died in 1963. He said of the garden, "You don't have to agree with me, you may think I am a nut, but I hope I have aroused your thinking and curiosity." 

Mission accomplished Mr. Child!

The garden was passed into new hands after the death of Child in 1963 and a group was formed to prevent development on the site and was turned into a public park in the year 2000. The park is now funded by Salt County, the LDS Church and the George S. and Dolores Eccles Foundation along with other private donors. I may just have to be a donor, now...this place is wicked awesome!

Here is Wes sitting on a representation of a sacrificial altar! The brick oven would be used to burn the sacrificial offerings. After the burning, grease would be collected from the oven and poured into the bowl and used as a "lamp of truth". How lucky we are to be living in civilization! 

Me.

E.

This is a self portrait of Thomas Child. I love his brick trousers and stone jacket! He is holding a bible under one arm and blueprints under his other arm. He really was a fascinating man! So...I thought I would give him a little love! 

This sculptural display represents the last chapter in the book of Ecclesiastes. "...and the grasshopper shall be a burden...". I'm not sure what the head means, but it was kind of creeping me out!

This large cornerstone in the arch symbolizes the gospel of the LDS church.  I'm not sure if it is just floating up there or if it's bolted together for safety purposes, but I was a little nervous of my son walking around it and climbing on it! 

Wes is leaning against the 4 cast stone books which represent the 4 books used in the LDS religion: The Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. They rest on a large boulder that symbolizes the "rock of revelation on which the LDS church was built upon". Wes thinks that the large books help to make him look smart!

This was by far my favorite sculpture!

 The Sphinx represents Child's belief that the answers to life's great questions cannot be discovered with the intellect, but only through faith. The Sphinx is an ancient symbol of riddle and mystery, therefore, Child carved the face of the LDS prophet Joseph Smith into it to depict that the priesthood reveals to mankind the answers to life's mysteries! If course...why didn't I think of that!

Just one of the many, many carved garden stones! 

This is a sculpture of the captain that appeared to Joshua in the Bible. The captain gave him a plan to assure the Israelite's victory over Jericho. Child never meant to carve the rock used as his head. He wanted to take advantage of the liberties of modern art. The 12 rocks formed in a circle at the base of the statue represent the 12 tribes of Israel. Also, this is where the Garden got it's name. Gilgal meaning "circle of sacred stones".

One of the REALLY great things about the garden is that it is nestled directly next to the Wonder Bread Factory. The whole time we were there, we could smell bread baking and yummy treats in the making! After our stay at the garden, we walked around the corner to check it out.

The sign reads: Bakery Thriftshop. Those are 2 of my most favorite words and when put together, they make my heart smile!

We opted for the cupcakes. Wes: orange. Me: chocolate.

......as you can see!

P.S. If you are wondering where I got my vast knowledge of the garden, I actually just picked up the tour book at the front gates and wrote from it! 

Create!

Oh how I needed to hear and see this! Such wonderful words from a wonderful man!

                         

Daylight Savings Checklist

We all know what a chore it is to go around our house and change all the clocks for daylight savings every 6 months. Not to mention the difficulty in trying to figure out how to change the one in your car and DVD player! As we turn our clocks ahead tonight, here are a few other things to remember to do biennially as well:

1) Rotate mattresses (flip and turn!)

2) Touch up all marks and scuffs on walls and baseboards

3) Check and replace batteries in smoke and CO2 detectors

4) Purge closet of any unused clothing and donate or sell (Host a "Recessionista Party"!!) 

5) Clean coils on your refrigerator

6) Shampoo carpets

7) Seal your grout and tile (kitchen, entryways, bathroom etc...)

8) Make all appointments for routine exams (dental, physical, and don't forget pets!)

9) Rotate tires on your cars

10) Go through 72 hr. kits and update/replace expired items

"Everything is Amazing, Nobody's Happy"

This guy cracks me up! He has such a funny take on things so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did....kind of puts things is perspective!

(Sorry, you will have to go to the bottom 

of my page to turn off the music so you can hear this clip!)

A New Adventure

Well, we just got back from our trip to the coast! The coast of the Great Salt Lake, that is! A few days ago Wes and I were talking about how he has lived here all his life, and I have lived here for 13 years, and neither one of us had ever actually been to the Salt Lake! WHAT!? The weather was so nice today that we thought we would take full advantage of it by spending it outdoors and playing on the shores! I had no idea the lake had such great sandy beaches and how it really does remind me of the ocean - the smell, the sounds and there are even spots when looking out to the water you cannot see any land! It was water for miles! We also went to Saltaire, which was unfortunately closed until Summer. I didn't know very much about this historic place until I got home and researched it a bit. What a kiss of death! I loved what Saltaire used to be and wish we had something like it now. The old pictures of it are incredible! I really do have a whole new appreciation of the Great Salt Lake and after reading more about it, I can't wait to go back and explore it even more! 

*

 I highly recommend learning more about this immense body of water by reading here or if you are interested in the ever so cursed Saltaire you can read about it here!

Hiding my poorly neglected winter feet in the soft sand!

Are you sure this is not the Oregon Coast!?

That's right! We make good babies!

My love looking so stellar in his vintage Ray Bans!

Emerson had a blast picking up the sand and throwing it! So did mom!

My boys on the rocky shore! I loved these concrete slabs...this spot would make for a good photo shoot someday!

He had a hard time walking on the sand at first and would laugh as he slid around!

I love his guts!

Dad and son throwing rocks into the water

The sand is so soft! When you pick it up and look at each little grain, you can see that they are PERFECTLY round tiny pebbles! 

The marina. I loved seeing the boats docked here and then looking up and seeing the snow capped mountains behind them. That is not something you see everyday! 

"When you saw only one set of footprints....that was when I carried you."

HaHaHaHa!