Tutorial: Peep Wreath

1 inch thick foam insulation.  It's really inexpensive.  I found it at Lowe's for a few bucks per sheet, which is I think 4 X 8 feet.  I didn't have any kind of a pattern so I just used a pencil and drew right on the foam.  I started with the outside shape and you can tell it's not very even.  After I took the picture I did cut down the left side a little more so it was more even.  While it's really easy to cut with any box cutter, the blades get dull pretty fast so it's good to have more than one blade handy.  Since you'll be covering the whole thing, it does NOT have to be perfect!

I covered this in strips of pink felt - about $.25 at Hobby Lobby.  I think I used 4 sheets between both wreaths.

I thought about using different glues or pins or whatever (you can see my jewelry -super-glue on the table) but in the end decided to use hot glue because it was much easier and faster.  I just had to do all the gluing after my kids were in bed so they wouldn't be tempted to grab for the very hot little pink gun that looks like a toy.  You can see that some of the strips didn't cover the back completely.  You can't tell from the front!

Start by separating your Peeps.  This makes it much easier when you're ready to glue.   I just put a nice little circle on the back - sometimes a bigger circle - depending on how much of the Peep I wanted secured.  Generally just a little bit of glue was plenty.

  Start gluing on your Peeps.  I tried keeping it random, just doing a few of each color at first and then filling in once all the colors were there.

Keep adding Peeps till it looks full.  Wrapping the foam will ensure that you don't see any blue through the gaps, and I like the look of the pink felt as a background.  Any color would do, and the blue of the foam would match the Peeps too.

The final product.  I should have added the yarn to hang it first, but I just wove it through the peeps till it was against the foam and it worked fine.  I thought it looked bare still anyway.

The bow definitely helps.  I just tied a bow and  tried to make it wavy.  Put a dot of hot glue in the center of the bow so it won't fall off.

I thought it was finished, but it still looked lopsided to me.  I added a few more Peeps on the right side and crinkled the ribbon of the bow and I feel satisfied with the final product.  What do you think?

Left-over Peeps.  I bought 8 packages of 10 and still had a bunch left.  Not enough for another full wreath, sadly.

The center piece of foam that I cut out and the left-over felt.

Next to the scissors so you can see the size.  I just hot glued the felt onto the form after I evened out the shape.

Add your Peeps.  Without a center hole it's just an egg shape.

Add a ribbon to hang (just hot glue it to the back) and a ribbon bow and you've got a second Peep decoration.

For Sale: Skull and Shamrock earrings

The Dead Leprechaun

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, these cute durable plastic earrings will keep you both stylish and green.  No pinching here!  Available in hooks and clips.  $5 per pair.

For sale: Candy heart earrings

post "XOXO"

post "I <3 U"

alternative colors include red, orange, and yellow

bobby pins also available for $1.50 each

I love those little hearts that have stupid sayings on them.  I have to say, however, that I'm not a fan of "text speak", so when I found these, I had to make them into earrings.  Sadly, this means they are no longer edible.  Happily, it means they won't run down your neck in a sugary mess when it rains.  Main colors are pink, peach, purple, blue, and green.  As always, they're available in clips, hooks, posts, etc.  And each pair is only $3 or two pairs for $5.

Movie Review: Courageous

Anyone who watched a lot of TV in the 80's will remember Kirk Cameron.  As he got older he, well, found religion.  A few years ago he teamed up with some people to make a movie called Fireproof.  It was about a husband addicted to pornography and how he overcame his addiction and strengthened his marriage through God's help.

The people who made that movie, have now followed it up with Courageous.  This one focuses on fatherhood and family bonds.  Just like Fireproof had a lot of non-denominational religion, Courageous is a little bit on the preachy side.  The two movies are also alike in that some of the actors are less than great.  Other than those two marks against it, Courageous is an amazing movie.  It's uplifting, with genuinely funny and tender moments, real drama and danger, and it leaves you wanting to be a better parent.  I found myself having renewed faith in men, and I came away with a smile on my face.

It's not a perfect movie (my husband said it was too long), but its imperfections rest in the imperfection of the actors and in the zealous message.  And even though it is zealous in that message, if you don't mind some talk of God or some talk of fatherhood - this is a great movie.  I will be recommending it to my family - I consider my brothers to be great fathers, but everyone needs a little inspiration here and there.

I'm giving this movie an A.  It's a low A, but it is an A.  Mostly because it made me laugh and it made me cry - over and over - and its message is honest and uplifting.

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes, Game of Shadows

A-, with lots of violence, but none graphic.  Appropriate for teenagers but probably not younger.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

This is the second in the Sherlock Holmes installment by Guy Ritchie.  Looking back on the first, I would probably give that one a B-.  I did like it, but there were things about it that bothered me.  It just wasn't a perfect movie.  I have a friend that was totally in love with it and watched it over and over.  It was just okay for me.

My husband and I got a rare night out to go see part 2 and we used some groupon-acquired Fandango tickets so the date ended up being inexpensive and very entertaining.

As pointed out by one reviewer, Robert Downey Jr does a perfect British accent.  It doesn't sound like he's thinking about it, and truth is, I forgot completely that he was American.  It worked.  The style of the film is the same as the first - dark and brooding, with the same or similar music.  The thinking ahead that Sherlock does to highlight how his intelligence gives him an advantage over bigger opponents seems more appropriate this time around.  And Moriarty is a perfect (and perfectly devious) foil.

The movie is very well done and I came away wanting more.  I would recommend it whether you liked the first movie or not.