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Jelly Bean Tree Centerpiece plus Giveaway

For the last few months I’ve been enjoying making some DIY home decor that fits the seasons and holidays. There was the Valentine’s framed Key to My Heart and the Christmas Card Display board. For Easter and spring it’s no different. I created this adorable Jelly Bean Tree Centerpiece for the dining table.jelly bean tree centerpiece

I’m hoping it lasts till June honestly. For the week it’s been up I’ve lost 1 tiny branch holding 1 jelly bean and that’s because I hit it by accident.

Materials
vase, jar, flowerpot, basket
stabilizer for wide mouth container (styrofoam, marbles, dirt)
branches
jellybeans of your choice
glue gun
polyurethane spray (optional)

jelly beans

Directions
Clean off your branches of dead leaves, buds and dirt.

Spray with a clear coat. I did this to get rid of the dusty look but there is nothing wrong with leaving it the way it is.  You might be able to see that I use a paper towel roll to hold the branches but keep  my hands free of over spray.

Jelly Bean Tree Centerpiece #craft #easycraft #EasterCraft
Arrange your branches in their container. I rubber-banded mine together very low so they spread out slightly.

Jelly Bean Tree Centerpiece #craft #easycraft #EasterCraft

I keep these marbles on hand for just these kind of projects. They are strong enough to keep the centerpiece in place but it’s not permanent. A block of floral styrofoam would work well. This can be topped with shredded green paper or Easter grass too.

Using your hot glue gun add small dabs of glue to your branches.

Jelly Bean Tree Centerpiece #craft #easycraft #EasterCraft #jellybeancraft

Then add your jelly beans. Do this one at a time. Hot glue is the best option as it dries FAST and clear. I DO NOT suggest adding the glue to the jelly bean because of the small surface space and the risk of fingertip burns. I speak from experience.

Jelly Bean Tree Centerpiece #craft #easycraft #EasterCraft

I went with jelly beans that had a vibrant color, I actually don’t like the way these taste. Coordinate your home and tablescape with jelly beans of any hue or just one color.

Jelly Bean Tree Centerpiece #craft #easycraft #EasterCraft #jellybeancraft

This was created with a vase I already had on hand, marbles I’ve had for many years and branches off a bush that hasn’t bloomed yet in my side yard. My only expense was a bag of jelly beans and I didn’t even use the whole bag. I though about adding more to the branches but I thought it would start to look more like a child’s craft.

 Jelly Bean Tree Centerpiece #craft #easycraft #EasterCraft

With just 6 days left until Easter, many of us are planning what to serve or bring to the big dinner, as well as how to decorate and add the extra touches that make our holidays memorable.  Colleen of Souffle Bombay and Heather of Real: The Kitchen and Beyond decided to gather 26 bloggers to share some of their Easter Entertaining Ideas with you! From Jelly Bean Trees to a Giant Deviled Egg, we’ve got you covered!  To make this even more memorable we have some amazing giveaways as well from John Boos (crafter of incredible cutting boards, butcher blocks and more) , The Spice House (THE online source for incredible spices), Wilton Armetale (maker of both beautiful & finctional serving ware), Divine Chocolates (a fair trade, farmer-owned chocolate company) & The Tree Hut (natural body products that do what they say) for a few lucky readers!  Follow along via #AllThingsEaster on social media this week and visit our Pinterest Board “All Things Easter” for more ideas.  Now if only we had a magic formula to make all those dishes disappear, Happy Easter!

Ideas for Leftover Easter Eggs

Giant Deviled Egg | Souffle Bombay

Easter Breakfast Recipe Ideas

Easter Breakfast Casserole | How I Pinch A Penny

Baked French Toast | O’Boy! Organic

Dutch Baby | The Naughty Mommy

Easter Dinner Recipe Ideas

Scallion & Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes | Musings of a Housewife

Baked Cheesy Broccoli & Rice Casserole | We’re Parents!?

Cheesy Potato Casserole | Coupon Cutting Mom

Easter Dessert Recipe Ideas

Peanut Butter Eggs | Real: The Kitchen & Beyond

Toasted Angel Food Cake Parfait | What the Heck’s a Bonbon?

Allergy Friendly Cookies | Chockababy

Individual Lemon Meringues | Pandora’s Deals

Peeps in the Pond Trifle | Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Rice Krispie Pops/Chocolate Covered Pretzels | A Grande Life

Easter Cocktail Recipe Ideas

Raspberry Beer Float | Teaspoon of Spice

The Peter Cottontail Cocktail | Can’t Google Everything

Bunnytail-tini | Mommy Snapped 

Easter Decorating Ideas

Easter Printable | Diapered Daze and Knights

Easter Centerpiece | The Vintage Mom

Jellybean Tree Centerpiece | Look What Mom Found

Easter Gift Ideas

Allergy Friendly Non-Toxic Easter Basket | Mom-Blog    

Naturally Dyed Wooden Easter Eggs | Inspired Family

Sugar Free Easter Basket Ideas | philly fun 4 kids

Easter Fun

5 Easter Activities for Kids | Mama Teaches

Pretzel Fun for Family | Homeroom at Home

Taking Great Easter Photos | Life with Kaishon

Frugal Easter Basket Ideas & Menu

Frugal Easter Ideas | Centsible Life

Easter Egg Pass | A Life in Balance

John Boos for the beautiful maple cutting board, The Spice House for their spice and baking gift sets, Divine Chocolate for their luxuriously rich Fair Trade Chocolate gift basket, Wilton Armetale for the elegant egg plate, and Tree Hut for the body scrub and lotion.
#AllThingsEaster Prize Pack

#AllThingsEaster Prize Pack
a Rafflecopter giveaway




Jelly Bean Tree Kids Craft #KidsintheKitchen

With spring comes Easter and with Easter comes the influx of sweet, brightly colored candies. Jellybeans are a staple for this season and what better way to use them (besides eating them) is making crafts like this Jelly Bean Tree.Jelly Bean Tree Craft for Kids #KidsintheKitchen

I made a different kind of Jelly Bean Tree(coming next week) but Shae wanted to make her own. Using the same jelly beans leftover from my project I thought this was a good project for her. While it wasn’t HARD it took a little more maneuvering than I initially figured. The trick is to use a thick tacky glue, NOT HOT GLUE. You don’t want to be stuck holding the jelly beans in place for a long time.

The Quick Grip adhesive from Beacon works really good for projects that use beads, candies, buttons, etc. I wish it came in a different container, a squeeze bottle would be beneficial. (not sponsored)

Materials
styrofoam balls
vase, mini flowerpot
strong adhesive
jelly beans
lollipop stick or skewer
cotton balls
decorative filler/cover, like grass or moss

Directions
Using a dab of glue, stick a styrofoam ball into the bottom of your flower pot and let set.
With another dab of glue slide a larger styrofoam ball onto the stick then into the base.Jelly Bean Tree Craft for Kids #KidsintheKitchen Distribute the glue onto the styrofoam ball in sections. We did lines at first then just filled in spaces. Be sure to hold the jellybeans in place for a few moments so they get a good grip.

Jelly Bean Tree Craft for Kids #KidsintheKitchen

(This is where a good glue is important. School Glue might work but I don’t think it dries fast enough to make this a project suitable for kids)

As one side of the ball was getting heavy we supported the stick with pompoms (or cotton balls). these can be removed at the end but Shae ended up keeping them and making them part of her arrangement.

At one point the one of our ball was filled with jellybeans making it a bit top heavy so I placed it in my hand so Shae could add the last of the jelly beans.Jelly Bean Tree Craft for Kids #KidsintheKitchen Once your ball is covered in jelly beans and set sprinkle the top of your flowerpot with “grass”. We used crumpled up, cut up scrap paper. Now it’s sitting on my shelf in the kitchen.

Jelly Bean Tree Craft for Kids #KidsintheKitchen
Come join me and my co-hosts, Sarah of Play to Learn with Sarah, Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

You’ll find so many more ideas on the #KidsintheKitchen Pinterest Board.

Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchen

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky






Paper Bag Birds Nest #kidsinthekitchen

The weather has finally changed for the better. No snow for almost 2 weeks now, that might be longest run we’ve had for the last 4-5 months. We’re noticing the birds making nests in the trees so why make our own Paper Bag Birds Nest to celebrate the great weather we’re experiencing and the new feathered friends taking over the neighborhood.
DIY Paper Bag Birds Nest #craftsforkids #kidsinthekitchen #easter
A simple lunch bag and some jelly beans makes an adorable little nest.

Supplies
paper bag
school glue or glue stick (shae used both)
jelly beans

Directions
Cut open your paper bag so it lays flat. From it cut 4 circles, 2 of them about 4 or 5″ across and 2 of them 3″ across.

Cut the larger circles into a spiral.

DIY Paper Bag Birds Nest #craftsforkids #kidsinthekitchen #easter

Starting from the middle of the spiral create a flat-ish base and wrap the spiral of paper around the OUTSIDE of itself. Add drops of glue as you go to keep it in place.
DIY Paper Bag Birds Nest #craftsforkids #kidsinthekitchen #easter
Crumple your spiral before wrapping for a more rustic look.

Glue your smaller circle on the bottom of your nest. This gives it more support and closes up any holes so the “eggs” don’t fall through.

Set aside your nest to dry for 20-30 minutes then add eggs. DIY Paper Bag Birds Nest #craftsforkids #kidsinthekitchen #easter
These would be cute placecards for the Easter dinner.

To make this more permanent go ahead and glue your jelly beans into the nest or make eggs from clay.

DIY Paper Bag Birds Nest #craftsforkids #kidsinthekitchen #easter
Come join me and my co-hosts, Sarah of Play to Learn with Sarah, Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

You’ll find so many more ideas on the #KidsintheKitchen Pinterest Board.

Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchen

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky