My friend Amanda who I grew up with in grade school recently started her own jewelery making business called Simply Jo Designs! Her artful jewelry are mainly pieces of sterling silver engraved necklace pendants with inspirational words, sayings, and other phrases her clients like. My personal favorites are  the necklaces with freshwater pearls and swarovski crystals dangling! I am so proud of her, she is a young entrepreneur and I am glad to see that she is doing well!

Her jewelery creations are simple but truly elegant! I am yet to purchase a necklace from her, but cant wait to pick something that is unique to me and to be peacefully wearing it knowing Amanda made it 100%.

Check out Simply Jo Designs HERE

Do these look like the real thing or what? Easter marshmallow Peeps are a staple each year in our house, they are probably not the healthiest of treats with its fluffy sugar coated marshmallow.

Thanks to Fizzy Bubbles for making our favorite childhood treat into a soap! This company makes a few other novelty bath treats like soap cupcakes, popsicle (soapsicle), and caramel popcorn! Who said treating yourself once in a while had to be so sinful? You can feel good about these sweet treats!

With TV and video games taking charge in some homes these days, geting kids excited about reading can be somewhat of a challenge. I am fortunate at my center to have our local library drop off a tub full of books to us every two months! The kids get so excited about getting a new book tub every two months and we look forward to our daily story time together where the kids learn the importance of reading and use their imaginations while at it.

Below is a cute sign you can print off at home in full page size and have your little ones color in to hang in their room or a cozy place they like to read! Provided FREE from the Jasper County Library in Indiana.

Click HERE to print off yours!

Check out this yummy GREEN recipe from Amazing Moms.com

I thought about making virgin Green River drinks for St.Patty’s Day, but this Lucky Lime Drink looks more kid friendly and has items that are easily found in the grocery store!

Ingredients:

• Lime Sorbet
• 7-up
• Whip Cream
• Green Sprinkles

Directions:

Put one or two small scoops of lime sherbet in a clear glass ice-cream
cup or beer mug.  Pour 7Up over the sherbet. Add a dollop of whipped cream, green sugar sprinkles and a green maraschino cherry

Keeping in the theme of GREEN for the month of March, I found Katie over at Katie’s Nesting Spot made Bell Pepper Shamrock Prints! I have done Apple Prints with my kiddos in the past in the fall when we do apple tasting, but I have never thought of trying bell peppers as shamrocks for March.

Supplies:

• 1 Green bell pepper
• Green paint
• white cardstock/construction paper

If you are an organizer freak like me but like to do your business in style then you will love Whisker Graphics FREE printable File Folders! They are a fun modern design playing around with the basic shape of a square. These will work great in my file cabinet at home and I know Jeff wont mind because they aren’t freakishly girly and they work!

Click HERE to get yours!

This is such a fun and creative way to make a St.Patrick’s Day treat using a familiar ingredient such as Lucky Charms! Thanks to Jewel of A Book for mustering up this neat treat I love the idea of this and I know my kids will gobble them up ASAP.

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons butter or margarine
25 large marshmallows or 2 ½ cups miniature marshmallows
5 cups Lucky Charms cereal

Directions:
1. Grease a 9x9x2 inch pan.
2. Melt butter and marshmallows until smooth, either over medium heat or in the microwave.
3. Stir in Lucky Charms cereal until well coated. Press into pan with buttered hands.
4. Let cool until firm enough to cut, yet still pliable.
5. Cut into 8 equal bars.
6. Push a popsicle stick up into the bottom of each bar (about halfway), then press down slightly with your hands to mold the treat around the stick.
7. Place bars on wax paper and let cool completely.

Variations:
-Dip one end of each Lucky Charm Treat Bar into melted vanilla Candi-Quik that has been tinted with green food coloring, then coat with multi-colored sprinkles.
or
-Add green food coloring to the marshmallow/butter mixture before adding the cereal.

Ever reach your hand back into your freezer and find some Ziploced tin-foiled block that who knows what it is and how long it has been in hiding? We have all so been there, no need to waste good food because Martha Stewart has FREE printable freezer labels! Just print them out on adhesive-backed paper (available at office-supply stores) and adhere to any container or Ziploc to store away in your freezer! What a nifty idea, this will save such questionable moments when finding tomorrow nights dinner.

Click HERE to download yours!

I just fell in love with this Easter Egg wreath! The pastel colors are so simple and sweet. I saw a similar one today at Target but it was more on the cheesier side with brighter colors and spendier too. Of course I planned to make a more craftier and personalized one myself but didnt know exactly how to go about it until I found this great tutorial at Save On Crafts.com

Now I’m on the lookout for the perfect eggs!

Materials :

• 1 Styrofoam Wreath ring, 12″ x 1 1/4″ x 3/4″
• 40 Styrofoam Eggs, (3″ Size)
• 1 Styrofoam Sheet, scrap of 1″
• 1 Cloth-covered floral wire, 36″ length
• 1 Posterboard, 22″ x 28″ sheet
• Acrylic spackling compound or ready-mixed plaster
• Gesso
• Acrylic craft paints: pastel yellow, pink, blue, peach, green and lilac
• Varnish, matte finish
• 3-2/3 yds. 2-1/2″ wire-edge sheer ribbon or pink satin ribbon
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Foam plates
• Sandpaper, medium and fine grit
• Paint brush, 3/4″ flat
• Toothpicks
• Yardstick
• Tack rag
• Low temperature glue gun

Instructions :

Sandy over at Just For Fun made bird wating binoculars with her kiddos! With a few extra toilet paper rolls laying around the house,this product is easy,quick, and 100% recycled!

Supplies Needed:

• 2 toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls
• yarn or string
• markers and other decorative items to embellish

Directions:

1. Color two toilet paper tubes with crayons or markers.

2. Using some yarn, tie the tubes together and make a string to wear them around the neck. (use caution when wearing them around the neck)

3. Quietly watch for birds in your yard.

*To add a little extra something, try using colored plastic saran wrap!