a very pinterest easter

The vibe around is that we pin things and not do or make things.

This year for Easter I was determined to make pinterest work for me.
Here are some of the things I pinned and made.

 
 Gluten free hot cross buns, I substituted dried apricots for the mixed peel and used a combination of tapioca and coconut flour for the crosses.

 Coconut cupcake egg nests

These were a big hit on Sunday at Church.

I made them gluten free and sugar free (except for the eggs) and no-one noticed!

 Easter garden -taken Good Friday,

taken Easter Sunday- look at the growth in that rye grass!

I found several photos for inspiration, here, here and here

 Paper mache eggs
here and here

 Paint chip bunting

 button cross

 Montessori activities- post coming soon about the different things we did.

But it wasn't all sunshine and roses these are the things that didn't quite go to plan.

I didn't get around to these, I was just too tired Saturday night to bother.


I tried these but they didn't work too well, I think I need more oil on the balloon.

I wanted to do this:

 
But didn't have the right size container,


So ended up with this instead.
Will be looking for a bigger vase for next year.

There were a few things that I have saved for next year, I am sure I will have more inspiration by then to add to my board.

Now I have a huge list of things to do in my school holidays:
 some sorting and labelling and decorating in my sewing room,
a wall to paint,
some clothes to make,
a dolls house to do up,
some movies to see
and I can feel an op shop marathon coming on!

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happy easter

Christ is risen.....

.... He is risen indeed!

how deep the father's love

 How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

 Watch and listen to it on you-tube here

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: 

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

ROMANS 5:8

passover

Every year we sit down to a Passover meal on the Thursday night before Good Friday.

We spent the day cleaning the house and making preparations.

The Girl snapped this photo of me setting the table.

 Here we have a jug for gravy, haroset (a mix of apple, nuts and honey) GF flat bread, horseradish, and parsley in salt water.

 I kept the table simple in keeping with the Last Supper.

 The Girl dressed and ready.

 The Girl again with the camera taking a photo of me making the gravy!

 The food, Middle Eastern Roast lamb, roasted vegetables and Brussels sprouts.

Sitting down for our meal.

We read the Last Supper in the Bible, we chose the Gospel of Luke this year.

Broke the bread and drank the wine and thought of our Lord's last hours on Earth.

paper mache eggs

 I whipped up these eggs one afternoon last week.

They were super easy and fairly quick- other than the drying time of course.

I simply took some foam eggs that I bought at one of the cheap shops and covered them with some watered down PVA glue, then covered them with strips of paper and more glue.

One I used some old music sheets that they were throwing out at church and another one I did used an old paper sewing pattern- I actually found it easier just to take a piece and wrap it around to fit because it is so fine.

Finally I used some pieces of an old bible - sacrilege I know! 

This was a Good News New Testament that I was given as a child- it wasn't even the whole bible and we don't use the Good News version any more anyway so I thought it was better to recycle and throw into the trash- I used the sections of the Crucifixion and Resurrection seeing they were Easter Eggs.

I stuck them into some bamboo skewers to dry overnight and

 

then put them into a vase.
It was messy but lots of fun!!!

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easter bunting

 

 Another little Easter thing I did was to make this Easter egg bunting with paint chips.

I picked up a heap of pastel chips at Bunnings one day- 

the children tried to tell me I was stealing, 

but I said how can you steal something that is free?

I used an egg cookie cutter to trace the egg shape and cut them out

The Girl thought she might help out with some, 

they are a little wonky but she tried her best!

 B4 helped me to sticky tape them onto some string and we put them up above my window frame in the dining room.

 We just sticky taped it to the wall- very lazy of us but just too easy!

 

Here is our Easter egg tree, I think it is our best one yet!

B4 helped me by getting the branches, 

we debated spraying them white, 

but as the jug was white decided not to.

I have had some of the eggs for years and they were starting to get fewer and fewer.

I happened to see a nice little box at Target and picked them up and when I unwrapped it I discovered the cutest little wood box with 12 holes- oh the things I can do with it!!! 

I very nearly went back for another just for the box!!!!!

I had a few smaller ones left over from an activity I organised for the little ones so they went on it as well.

I am going to put some butterflies on it on Easter Sunday.

That red wall is going though- a holiday job!

button cross

I saw some great Easter pictures on pinterest using buttons, 

 

the ones I saw were made into egg shapes but I thought I would make a cross shape instead.

When I was in Lincraft the other day I saw large packets of buttons for sale and thought these would be perfect, so I bought a packet of mixed pastels.

At the beginning of each day I get out a special activity for the 2 little ones to do while I get organised or help the older ones, as I hadn't set anything up for them I grabbed the bag of buttons and some little baskets and set them to sorting them into colours- they had so much fun- they wanted to tip them all back in and start again!

We made these instead.

What was originally just going to be a project for me turned into a family thing with the three youngest joining in.

 To start  take a piece of card and make a cross template.

Then trace the outline onto a piece of black card.

 Arrange your buttons onto the template

 and when you think it is right

 

glue them onto the black card with some PVA glue.

 Here are some of our finished ones.

I just need to get some frames and they are all set to give for Easter presents!

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