DIY: Easter Centerpieces

By Mikes Furniture

Hop your way into Easter with this simple & charming floral arrangement. The beautiful pastel colors will give your table setting the fresh look it needs this spring. Then, with the same eggs, you can make another thrifty craft that will look just as dainty. Follow these easy steps & you’ll have them done in no time!

Easter Floral Arrangement

What you need:

·         A wire basket

·         Speckled Easter eggs

·         Baby’s breath

·         Vase

1)      Use some speckled Easter eggs, preferably in muted colors. If you do not manage to find any that are already prefabricated, purchase some wooden or foam eggs. Then paint them in muted colors of your choice. As a final touch, use a toothbrush to speckle brown spots.  Make sure to make extra eggs for the following craft!

2)      Start by adding a few eggs in the wire basket. Don’t be afraid to mix the colors for best results! Also, include yellow, as you cannot have a happy event without the color that best represents the emotion! Next, add a glass vase in the center of the wire basket. Then arrange the eggs around the vase according to your liking. Once the wire basket is filled and the vase is surrounded, add water to the vase.

3)      Finally, add some flowers to your arrangement. Most people would consider baby’s breath a “filler” for floral arrangements, however its simplicity will not take away from the beauty of the colorful eggs in the basket. On the plus side, they are also extremely inexpensive, so your arrangement will turn out to be a bargain!

This arrangement has a rustic feel to it and would be showcased beautifully on a rustic dining table. It’s simple yet charming look will complement the natural and organic elements of the wood.

Nestled Easter Eggs

What you need:

·         A cake pedestal

·         Straw

·         Speckled Easter eggs in muted colors

1)      Begin by taking some straw and shaping into a circle. If the straw is being fussy, try to wet it a little to help shape it and stick it together. If it still does not stick together at the ends, a little dab of glue from a glue gun will do just fine.

2)      Place the straw that is now shaped into a nest onto the cake pedestal. Then, take some of the leftover eggs from the previous craft and nestle them into their cozy little nest. This centerpiece would look lovely with a Shabby Chic or Vintage Casual style, as it screams effortless elegance.

There you have it! A table with dainty and egg-citing décor. It’s quite egg-traordinary! 

 Content provided by: @tailbase

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Throw a Last-Minute Halloween Party

By Mike's Furniture

Halloween is just around the corner. Are you a busy bee who can barely find the time to brush your hair, let alone plan a Halloween party? Then you`ve fallen on the golden goose of party ideas for the procrastinator.  So feast your eyes on these 3 simple steps!

Step 1: Set a date

First and foremost, set a date, compile a list of guests and give them a call. Make sure you nip this in the bud right away! In order to entice your guests to come to your spooktacular party, mention there will be fun games, special treats and a costume contest! Keep in mind that not everyone is comfortable with dressing up. Word to the wise; add that this is optional.

Step 2 – Decorate your home inside & out

Get ready to have a frightfully good time by prepping your home inside and out to celebrate in style! Here`s a list of thrilling decoration ideas to inspire you:

Outside:

1)      Transform the front yard into a graveyard.

2)      Board the windows

3)      Put a condemned notice on your front door. Try to make it look aged (you can do this by sponging a bit or tea or coffee onto the paper).

4)      Go crazy with some caution tape – this will give your guests the impression that your home is abandoned and unsafe… maybe even haunted.

Inside:

1)      Add as many candles as possible, especially if you have a visible staircase. To avoid a fire hazard, you can purchase battery operated candles at the dollar store. You can always use real candles in jars for extra precaution.

2)      Cover your furniture with drop-cloths or sheets. Nothing says condemned like a house full of covered furniture!

3)      Change the light bulbs for some vintage colored ones, to create a dim atmosphere.

4)      Spider webs – if your house is going to look condemned, don`t forget spider webs!

  

Step 3 – Entertainment

Entertainment, entertainment, entertainment!  A successful party has great entertainment and treats to go along with it. I mean, let`s face it. No one wants to see their guests yawning and looking at their watches. Here are some great ideas to keep the party going:

1)      Halloween charades.  You can find free printables on Pinterest.

2)     Murder Mystery Game. Good news – you have access to free murder mystery games online, complete with character descriptions and scripts, so your guests will dive into the game.

3)      Halloween movie trivia. If you`re a horror movie buff, and so is your circle of friends, then this is the game for you. Again, this is another frugal game idea. Yes, horror movie trivia quizzes can also be found online.

4)      Last, but not least, the costumes contest. The pinnacle of your party is the contest. Make sure to take the time to vote on whose costume won the challenge. To add a little excitement, throw in a prize. It doesn`t have to be anything pricy. A candy loot bag can do the trick!

Content provided by: +Tailbase 

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How To Spend Columbus Day This Year

By Mike's Furniture

When Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492, his voyage was an adventure even though it lasted for days! Today, some states do not have any formal celebrations, others do not consider Columbus Day as a national holiday. What exactly happens on that day?

In some states, special church services, parades and large events are held to commemorate the landing. Yet, Columbus Day has become a great time to explore the adventures of life!  Many  stores have great sales, making it a great shopping day!  How are you spending your Columbus Day?

Whether you decide to relax at home or go shopping, we just have one piece of advice for you: be an explorer!

Content provided by: +Tailbase 

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Time To Eat Smarter

By Mike's Furniture

School’s in session and that means the daily ritual of filling the lunchbox is in full swing. Now might be the perfect time to reevaluate not only what you’re packing but what you’re packing it in.

Did You Know?

Over 20 million sandwich baggies are sent to our landfills every year, and each one takes between 500 to 1,000 years to break down

Americans throw away more than 60 million plastic water bottles per day

It’s as easy as 1-2-3 to find eco-friendly lunchbox alternatives that are safe for our kids and our planet.

Step 1 – Use BPA free, non-toxic containers and reusable baggies to fill their lunchbox with goodies they’re sure to love

Make this the year you stop throwing away all those plastic baggies. Invest just once in reusable products and save yourself money and guilt for years to come. Try getting a set for every member of the family and have fun packing your lunches together. Make sure you’re getting dishwasher safe products to make clean up easy and effective.

Bento Boxes

Metal lunchbox inserts

Fabric sandwich and snack baggies

Silicone food pouches

 Step 2 – Mix it up! Start with deconstructing the sandwich

Sandwiches are OK in a pinch, but why not try putting something a little different in their lunch box this year? Pare the sandwich down to its essential elements and roll, wrap or chop them up in style! Mix and match foods to create fun shapes and combos that’ll have them emptying their lunchboxes in record time.

Homemade wraps

Sushi rolls

Lettuce wraps

Crackers and cheese

Apple slices and peanut butter

Veggies and dips

Noodle salad

Laughing Cow cheese

Fun fruit shapes using cookie cutters

Frozen bananas sliced and sandwiched with peanut or almond butter

Yogurt parfaits

Mini muffins/quiches

French toast points/mini pancakes with fresh berries

Step 3 – Drink Fix. Smart solutions to the water bottle crisis

Be the first cool parent to make the switch to eco-friendly reusable water bottles. It’s the easiest and most practical way to show kids how much you care about the planet and their future. With so many varieties to choose from, let everyone in your family pick out the one that reflects their unique personality.

Stainless steel water bottle

Collapsible water bottle

Fruit infuser water bottles

Content provided by: +Tailbase & Ashley Furniture

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