Weekend decorating?

Eggs that it is.....

Here are some easy ideas for sprucing up your egg decorating this Easter.

Lace dyed eggs – Martha Stewart

This Easter, take hard-boiled eggs to new heights by embellishing them with lacy patterns. Once the eggs are dyed and dry, pile them in a large bowl to use them as a centerpiece.

Tools and Materials

* Eggs

* Standard egg dye

* Rubber bands

* Inexpensive lace trimmings or scraps from a worn tablecloth or curtains

* Scissors

* Foam board fitted with flathead pins

How-To

1. Cut lace into strips long enough to wrap around eggs and still have extra to form a sash for holding.

2. Wrap eggs, securing lace with rubber bands. Dye eggs according to dye package instructions.

3. Lift out, cut off rubber bands, and unwrap lace. Let dry on foam board fitted with flat head pins.

Glitter Sticker Eggs

I got this inspiration from MS as well, but her directions were a bit much for me. I would use standard hard boiled eggs and add glittered stickers to them - there are so many great stickers options out there this would be an easy project for anyone to do!

Tissue Paper Eggs – Martha Stewart

Tools and Materials

*Tissue paper

* Crafter's punch

* Tweezers

* optional Decoupage gel

* Paint brush

How-To

1. Fold tissue paper four times.
2. Punch tissue paper with crafter's punch.
3. Separate layers of flower with tweezers or fingers.
4. Paint a thin layer of decoupage gel onto egg.
5. Pick up punched-out shape with paintbrush. Starting from the middle of the punch-out and working outward, gloss over punch-out using paintbrush with thin layer of decoupage gel.
6. Place egg on drying rack

Ribbon Eggs – Better Homes and Gardens

Narrow ribbons and rickrack make instant egg decorations (just adhere with glue). For even easier decorating, look for self-adhesive fabric tape in pretty colors and fun patterns -- a great find from scrap booking supply stores.

Tea Dyed Eggs
These are really different and lovely to look at. It takes a while to dye them but I think they are worth it!

How to:

1. Wash the eggs in warm soapy water to make sure there aren't any oils or soil on the egg to interfere with coloring. Hard-boil the eggs.
2. Make the dye mix. Pour 1 cup boiling water over at least 2 tea bags and steep for 15 minutes. Squeeze out the tea bags to remove all of the dye and set aside. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar to the mix and allow cooling to room temperature.
3. Different teas can be used in different bowls for variety.
4. Gently add eggs to the desired bowls. Make sure each egg has room so that liquid touches all sides.
5. Allow the eggs to float in the tea bowls for at least 1 hour.
6. Lift the eggs out of the bowl and check the coloring on the eggs. Return to the solution if the desired color is not achieved.
7. Carefully remove the egg from solution and lay out to dry. Make sure not to let the eggs touch, an empty egg carton works great here. Try not to touch the eggs until they've had a chance to dry.

Glitter Eggs
These have to be my favorite of all decorating styles – I love them in soft pastel colors.

Materials:
* Eggs

* Powdered glitter in multiple colours

* Bowls and spoons

* Paintbrush

* Craft glue

How to 1. Blow the yolk and white out of the egg.

2. Brush craft glue onto egg.

3. Gently set egg in bowl of glitter and spoon the glitter over the egg, covering the entire surface.

4. Remove from the bowl and set on waxed paper to dry

So pull up chair, get the kitchen table all set up and enjoy a day filled with decorating!

New Year Party Ideas

Here are a few ideas when it comes to planning and hosting the party of the year…thanks to BGH.com and hostess with the mostess for the inspiration!

1. Pick a theme It'll help guide your choices for everything from the invitations and decor to the food and drinks. Your theme can be as simple as a favorite color to as specific as an Old Hollywood Glam Cocktail Party, Fortune Telling Party or how about a Vegas inspired setting! Having something in mind will help make the planning process much easier.

2. Make a guest list

The number of guests you invite depends on how much space you have, your budget, and the amount time you have for party planning. Eight to sixteen guests for an intimate, full-course dinner party. For cocktail parties, twenty-five to fifty people. Anything over this number is a full-on, blow-out bash.

3. Plan in advance

With the Christmas just a week before make sure you have everything you need – and that you’ve sent out all your invites well in advance. This time of the year calendars fill up quick so plan and invite early!

4. Time it right

The most important part of a New Year's party is when the clock strikes midnight, so don't start the party too early. If you're hosting a sit-down dinner, start the party at around 8 p.m. with drinks and very light appetizers, and serve dinner around 9 p.m. For a cocktail party, ask guests to start arriving around nine and serve heavy appetizers and finger foods throughout the night.

Appetizers on Tap

A table full of finger food allows for easy munching from the party's start to the big countdown at midnight. Bring out your good china serving pieces for this elegant meal; after all, it isn't often you get an excuse to stay up until midnight to eat hors d'oeuvres and drink champagne.

5. Think bright and bold

Pick a dramatic, high-contrast color palette to liven up the night. Bring in a little sparkle with a metallic accent. How about combining deep red and shimmery silver, or mixing copper tones with a vibrant aqua color.

6. Pop the cork

Champagne is a must on New Year's Eve, but be sure to include sparkling cider or another alcohol-free alternative for non-drinkers. In addition to liquor, stock up on mixers (think club soda, pop, and juice) and drink garnishes (don't forget lemons, limes, olives, and cherries). For a budget-friendly bar, stick to wine, beer, and champagne, and serve one signature cocktail.

Beverage Table

A cocktail bar with plenty of alcoholic and nonalcoholic options serves as the centerpiece of your New Year's party. Be sure to refill guests' glasses or provide fresh drinks before the toasts. To toast after sipping or with an empty glass is considered bad luck.

7. Opt for appetizers

Focus on creative presentation to give the food table a festive look. Serve sweet potato fries in mini Chinese takeout boxes, for example or offer bite-size grilled cheese sandwiches along with tiny tomato soups served in espresso cups.

Vase of Finger Food

Non-traditional containers provide extra interest at the table. These snacks double as decoration when they're layered in a clear glass vase.

8. Crank up the tunes

Create a playlist ahead of time, set the iPod to shuffle, and let it do its thing! Mix up the styles and eras of the songs, but make the tunes in your mix mesh well -- and avoid ballads and somber songs.

9. Dress it up

Forget standard balloons and streamers. Create a chic party atmosphere with festive white lights (the more the merrier!), lots of candles, and unique, contemporary decor. Fill large bowls and vases with shiny ball ornaments, colorful vase gems, or mini disco balls.

10. Celebrate

Create a "celebration buffet" area full of party hats, noisemakers, feather boas, and costume beads for guests to dress up in. Stack piles of glittery hats in neat rows and hang paper tiaras from the rim of a tall vase. Fill bowls and other containers with different styles of noisemakers, horn blowers, and confetti poppers.

11. Say cheers!

Since the toast is the most important event of the night, don't scrimp on stemware. If you don't have enough wineglasses or champagne flutes to accommodate all of your guests, borrow extras from friends or purchase inexpensive additional sets at discount department stores.

Party Keepsakes

Toast the New Year with champagne flutes in custom-etched designs. To make your own, wrap self-adhesive vinyl around clean glasses, and use a crafts knife to cut away the design elements (wherever the vinyl remains, the glass will be clear). Apply etching cream, following the manufacturer's instructions.

EXTRA NOTE: Keep things stress-free with stylish disposable plates, napkins, and utensils that coordinate with your party decor. People are there for the party- so don’t sweat the small stuff. And why not give people a night to remember.

Party Favor Tins At the end of your celebration, present each guest with a small gift tin filled with sweets -- to be savored on the way home or saved for another day.

Enjoy and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Top hat - check, Carrot - check.....

I love making snowmen – and these snowman ideas from BHG.com bring the outdoor fun inside!

Two Eyes Made Out of Coal
Petite candy mints make for an icy and welcome treat. Draw snowmen faces and pretty script with edible markers from the cake-decorating aisle at the crafts store. To give them as a gift, arrange a grid on card stock and adhere the mints with a dot of royal icing. Slide the assortment into a cellophane bag and add a ribbon tie and tag. I think this would also work with marshmallows!

He Is a Fairy Tale, They Say
Fill a large cake plate with white-frosted cupcakes, and then fill in details of a snowman face with more orange and black frosting. Sprinkle the cupcakes with white cake sparkles for a snow-crystal finish.

We'll Have Some Fun
Creamy eggnog -- the adult or child-friendly version -- takes center stage in this Frosty vessel made from a large rose bowl. For a temporary design, paint the inside of the glass with melted orange and black chocolate coating. Or, to use the bowl and glasses next year, use glass paint from the crafts store to add the faces to the outside of the glass.

Before I Melt Away

Serve up sherbet or ice cream in real white chocolate cups that smile back. All you have to do is paint the faces using a small artist's brush and melted chocolate coating.

Look at Frosty Go

A glass of milk takes on new deliciousness with doughnut-hole snowman heads. Outfit powdered doughnut holes with eyes and a nose made of edible food clay. Pierce a hole through the center of the doughnut using a skewer and fit in a straw. Make a miniature scarf for the glass from orange yarn.Here are some other great snowman inspired treats!

I love the Krispy Kreme Holiday Doughnut set – which includes an adorable snowman doughnut!!!

I think I see these in my near future!