the 10 minute tie + a few simple easter projects

I am not at all a fan of how commercialized holidays are.....from the aisles of the store to blogland itself--it's a little out of control, don't you think? We keep it very simple around here.....so simple that I just realized today that it is only a few days until Easter, and maybe I should find something Easter-y for my kids to wear to church Easter Sunday.

Enter the 10-minute tie.

My boy loves to wear ties--he feels so big, and when I can whip them up in a few minutes--he can wear them all he wants.

There are lots of really cute tie tutorials and patterns floating around the www right now, which is awesome if you sew, cut straight, and are good at following patterns.....but I terrible at all of those things.

So this one is easy because you start out with an old tie--like one of your husband's old ties that he hasn't worn in years, yet still has hanging in his closet for some reason. We've also found some great vintage ties at the thrift store with some really fun patterns for little boys--it's fun to see what you can find.

What you need:

old tie (we are using one of Robby's old ties today.....it is EIGHT years old!)

scissors

needle

thread

adorable boy who loves to wear ties

1. Tie the tie onto your boy to figure out how long you will want the finished product to be.

2. Cut across.

3. Fold the ends of the tie up in the back to form a point. You may have to do a little more trimming here--all ties are different--some are 100% fabric, and some have liners inside that you may have to reach in and trim a bit. Either way--super easy.

4. Sew the ends up, being carful no to take the needle through the front layer of the tie.

Does it look awesome in the back?? NO! I told you I am not a seamstress. But was it a cheap/free tie, and no one will ever see the back? oh yes.

5. Place tie on boy.

6. Feel really good about yourself.

that's that.

We've been adding tulips and daffodils around the house, as well as fancy schmancy maple blossoms. What are maple blossoms you ask? Why, they are the branches cut of our maple tree while they are blossoming into leaves. I love them because not only do they add lots of color, a honey-ish smell, and general "springyness" to the room, they also continue to transform even after they are cut--so it's a good way to teach your kids about how leaves are born, if you are nerdy like me.

and a few things we pulled out from last year....

Super easy Easter baskets we made (tutorial here)

And this pompom garland that I hung up again (tutorial from last year here)

And just to keep the real reason of Easter in mind.....

happy day!