Easter Bunny Bar... with free printable sign

When it comes to holiday entertaining (or just celebrating at home), simplicity is key. For Easter, a bunny bar is the perfect way to serve family and friends. Today, I am sharing the details of my easy and inexpensive bunny bar, including a free printable sign.

To download the bunny bar sign I designed: click on the photo below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 8x10 photo.

The sign looks adorable in an inexpensive dollar store frame, don't you think? Display the sign with hot chocolate, bunny tails (marshmallows), and bunny kisses (Hershey kisses).

And an Easter buffet needs some festive cookies. You can find my favourite Easter treats here.

I also love the idea of decorating the table with some homemade Easter decor. How cute are these "no sew" sock bunnies?

Look how cute everything looks when it's displayed on a table with a dollar store tablecloth. I'm pretty sure you could put this whole buffet together for less than $20. Awesome, right?

Are you entertaining family and friends this Easter? I highly recommend setting up this simple bunny bar. 

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find more easy and inexpensive Easter ideas here.

Easter Treats for Classmates... Mazes and Bunnies (with free printable tags)

Sharing Easter treats is a fun way to celebrate the holiday. My boys love sharing goodies with their classmates and friends, but we are always concerned with allergies because we never want to make anyone feel excluded. This year, my boys picked out some cute dollar store trinkets, and I designed some super-cute packaging. Today, I am sharing their choices for this year and the free printable tags we are using.

My middle son chose these little Easter "mazes" that we found at the dollar store. We added a couple of nut free chocolate eggs, and we attached a tag that says, "I hope you have an a'MAZE'ing Easter!" Cute, right?

To download the tags I designed: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

I love how cheerful these little treats are, don't you?

My youngest son opted for these little stretchy bunnies. I packed them in clear cellophane bags, and I added a tag that says, "SomeBUNNY thinks you're a good friend. Happy Easter!" 

Isn't this a sweet Easter treat idea?

To download the tags I designed: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

Seriously... who wouldn't love sharing these adorable bunnies with their buddies?

Do your have kids like to share Easter treats with their friends? These allergy safe Easter treat options are easy, inexpensive and fun. How will you be spreading joy this holiday season?

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find more easy and inexpensive Easter ideas here.

Easter Ideas for Hockey Fans

*sponsored post*

As a seasoned hockey mom, I am no stranger to holidays that revolve around hockey. So, when Easter rolls around, hockey themed Easter baskets are a must. This year, I was inspired by Gongshow's new Spring/Summer 2019 line of awesome products. You are going to love how I made my boys' unique Easter baskets. Keep reading for all the fun details!

First, I headed to the Gongshow website and picked out some cool gear for my boys. We're going on a cruise, so I was super-pumped to find sun hats with anchors on them. They will protect my boys from the sun... and they are cool, so they will actually wear them.

My favourite finds were these t-shirts, fanny packs, and sun hats.

I also picked up some summer socks, pucks, and hockey tape.

Then, I flipped the hats upside down to make super-cool "Easter baskets", and filled them with my purchases. Cool, right??? Isn't this so much better than a boring, traditional Easter basket?

You could leave the baskets "as is", but I wrapped mine in cellophane and added pretty ribbons.

My boys LOVED their baskets. Look at those smiles!

And look at them all decked out in their new Gongshow gear. Ignore the tags! lol

If you have a hockey fan in the house, I highly recommend creating your own hockey-themed Easter basket this year. Everything on the Gongshow website is high quality, functional, and super-cool... and if you order it now, it will arrive before Easter.

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

*Disclosure - I was given GONGSHOW products for free in exchange for my honest review and promotion of the products. As always, the views expressed on this blog are 100% my own... and my boys genuinely loved everything they received.

Find more easy and inexpensive Easter ideas here.

DIY Spring Wreath Ideas... that are surprising easy to make

There is something wonderful about the arrival of Spring, and there is no better way to say goodbye to the "winter blahs" than hanging a bright and colourful Spring wreath on the front door. You can easily make something cheap and cheerful, and you don't need to be super-crafty to do it. Today, I'm sharing some simple and cute DIY Spring wreaths that are sure to keep you smiling until Summer arrives.

This umbrella wreath is one of my favourites. The supplies cost less than $10, and it takes less than 5 minutes to make. It's the perfect craft project for beginners. Find the full tutorial here.

I'm a big fan of felt flowers, and the possibilities and colour combinations are infinite. I love the combination of a grapevine wreath and felt flowers, don't you? You can find the full tutorial for this felt flower Spring wreath here.

Crafting doesn't get any easy than this birds on a twig wreath. If you can work a glue gun, you can make this adorable piece of decor. Find the simple "how to" here.

Crafting is fun at all ages, so you are going to want to check out this Spring tissue paper wreath that kids can make. All you need is a paper plate, tissue paper, and the instructions you can find here.

Another fun thing to make is this Spring color monogram. Choose your colours, and follow the tutorial here.

If boho is your thing, you are going to want to make this simple yarn wreath for Spring. It's easy to make, and the bright and cheerful colours are delightful. Find the full instructions for this DIY boho wreath for Spring here.

And I absolutely love this matching turquoise grapevine wreath. Grab a can of spray paint and some felt, and follow the instructions here.

What do you hang on your front during for Spring? If you want something that you can DIY and customize, I hope you craft up one of these fun DIY Spring wreaths. Which one is your favourite?

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like this cute DIY Farmhouse Picture for Spring. Free download included here.

AND these 5 high-end DIYs for Spring.

No-sew Sock Bunnies

Several years ago my boys and I made snowmen out of socks. They were fun to make, and absolutely adorable... so I thought it would be fun to make no-sew sock bunnies for Easter. Seriously... how cute are these bunnies?!?!

To make these adorable bunnies, you'll need:

• a spare sock (I got mine at the dollar store)
• a pink pom pom for the nose and two white pom poms for under the nose
• googly eyes
• ribbon
• rice

Then:

• fill the sock (approx. 3/4 full) with rice and secure with an elastic
• use another elastic to separate the body from the head
• tie a ribbon around the elastic (at the neck)
• use glue to attach pom poms and googly eyes
• cut the top in half to create ears and trim to be the size and shape you want

Here is the one I made using a plain white sock.

And here is the one I made using a sock with a heart-shaped pattern. I also left the ears "long and droopy" for this one. What do you think?

I love that you can get a little creative with this craft. I think I might need to make a whole herd of bunnies.

You can also check out a short "how to" video here:

These no-sew sock bunnies make a perfect Easter craft, but you could make them any time of year. I love that you can change the socks, ears, and ribbon. The sky's the limit. Get creative and have some fun!

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Don't miss out on any of the fun... follow me on social media here.

     

Find more easy and inexpensive Easter crafts, recipes and activities here.

Tips for baking light and fluffy biscuits

I bake a lot, but for years my biscuits were a bust. I tried several recipes, but they always turned out flat. It took me years to figure out what I was doing wrong, but now that I have it figured out, I thought I would share my findings with you. If you want light and fluffy biscuits, here is what you need to know:

1) Make sure your baking powder (not baking soda) is fresh. Baking powder is a leavening agent that loses its effectiveness over time. (It's usually good for 9 to 12 months, so if yours is older than that, throw it out.)

2) Mix the dough COLD. The cold (straight from the fridge) bits of butter are what is going to make the biscuits light and fluffy.

3) Use a pastry blender. Cutting the dough with a pastry blender (and not your warm hands) is key. There are tons of inexpensive options, but this one has positive reviews. You can also use the "two knife" method to cut up the dough... but a pastry blender is MUCH easier.

4) Don't overwork the dough. Just knead the dough until everything is combined. Overworking the dough makes the biscuits flat.

5) Bake the biscuits HOT. Make sure you bake the biscuits in a really hot oven. I cook mine at 450 degrees.

6) Don't roll the dough too thin. I roll my dough about 3/4" thick.

7) Use a tried and true recipe. Click here for the one I bake weekly, and I'm never disappointed.

My favourite Light and Fluffy Biscuits

Are you a biscuit pro? Would you add anything to my list? If you struggle with flat biscuits, I hope these ideas help you "up your game". Light, fluffy, and buttery biscuits are the best, don't you think?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)