Shell Crafts
Seashells you find while walking on the beach can be beautiful reminders of summer vacations. Recreate memories of your seaside holidays after you get home with these simple crafts and decorating ideas — all made with your treasures.
Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding
Makes: 6 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Chill: at least 2 hours
Cook: 12 minutes
Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (plus more for dusting)
Pinch ground nutmeg
3-1/2 cups milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream or whipped topping, for serving (optional)
Linen Daffodil Pillow
With just a bit of thread, floss and linen, you can make a sunny spring accent pillow.
Supplies:
Pre-made pillow in removable linen casing
1/4 yard each of yellow and 2 shades of green pre-washed linen fabric
Thread to match the linen fabric
1/2 yard Wonder-Under two-sided fusing
Scissors
Embroidery needle
Pins
Orange floss
Toilet Training – Topic Overview
When should I start toilet training my child?
Your child must be both physically and emotionally ready for toilet training. Most children are ready when they are between 22 and 30 months of age, although every child is different. Toilet training usually becomes a long and frustrating process if you try to start it before your child is ready.
Before children can use the toilet, they must be able to control their bowel and bladder muscles. Some signs of this control are having bowel movements around the same time each day, not having bowel movements at night, and having a dry diaper after a nap or for at least 2 hours at a time. Children must also be able to climb, talk, remove clothing, and have mastered other basic motor skills before they can use the toilet by themselves.
Bead-Studded Table Runner
Materials:
1 fabric table runner; this can be handmade to match the proportions of an existing table or bought at a housewares or craft store
Approximately 150 half-round, half-oval and/or half-teardrop-shaped plastic stones or pearls in various colors and finishes, sized from 8 millimeters to 15 millimeters
Pearl-Studded Cushion
Materials:
1 beige silk dupion cushion cover, 18 inches square
1 cushion insert, 18 inches square
Clear-drying, washable fabric glue such as Gem-Tac (available at craft and beading suppliers)
45 plastic 16-millimeter half-pearls
55 plastic 12-millimeter half-pearls
90 plastic 10-millimeter half-pearls
20 plastic 8-millimeter half pearls
Healing Honey
Coughs, sniffles, sneezes, runny noses: Colds and other nasty lung infections are especially common in winter. To fight the misery, many people swallow syrups and pills that claim to clear stuffy noses, soothe sore throats, stifle coughs, and improve sleep.
Growing evidence, however, suggests that these medicines don’t really work. What’s worse, they can have unpleasant—even dangerous—side effects, especially for young children. That’s why some doctors are now recommending an ancient remedy for their coughing patients: honey.
Mother’s Day Basket
What you’ll need:
*Plastic strawberry baskets (Your local grocery store will be happy to have you take them.)
*Crepe paper streamers, ribbon, or strips of material. (I used crepe paper also gleaned from a local supermarket when they were done with their Easter decorations.)
*Pipe cleaners in assorted colors.
Shrimp Scampi Pasta
Makes: 4 servings.
Start to Finish:20 minutes
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14 ounce) chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons flour
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
12 ounce linguine, cooked according to package directions
Red-pepper flakes (optional)
Floating Flower Centerpiece
Create an easy and beautiful centerpiece for your table with floating candles and flower blossoms.
Supplies:
Floating candles
1 dozen flower blossoms (pansies, primroses and hyacinths all work well)
Glass compote, bowl or cylinder
Water
