How to Organize an Easter Egg Hunt

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One of the most enjoyable activities for kids each Easter is an egg hunt! The idea is simple enough: just hide a few eggs and get your children to find them. Invite other families around and turn it into a social occasion. Here are a few tips to get the most out it.

Be Prepared

Think about how many children will be participating, and make sure you have enough eggs and treats for everyone. Often, each child will be given a basket or bag to put their eggs into as they find them, so have enough ready beforehand. You can buy colorful bamboo baskets very cheaply online.

Real eggs can be used (usually hard boiled and colored, in keeping with tradition), and if you decide to do this, just make sure you keep a note of where they're hidden. You don't want hidden eggs lying around for weeks! More popular nowadays, however, are foil-wrapped chocolate eggs, and candy-filled plastic ones. Allow a few for each child participating, and a few extra to keep back for kids who might be a little less successful in the hunt than they hoped!

Hiding The Eggs

Secretly hide all the eggs, and jot down where they are. Weather permitting, hiding them outdoors is the most fun, and it will give kids the most exercise. However, always have an indoor backup plan, and keep an eye on the weather forecasts.

Make the hiding places as interesting as possible, and think about clues as you go. If you're feeling especially creative, draw a treasure map, and make copies to give to all the participants!

Setting The Rules

The basic rule is for each child to find as many eggs as possible. Beyond that, you're free to add your own limitations to suit the children! You really want each child to have some measure of success, but if a three year old is competing with an ambitious seven year old, that can prove difficult.

Consider making teams, either by pairing older and younger children together, or else allowing kids under a certain age to be accompanied by an adult. Another good idea is to restrict what eggs each child can collect. For example, assign each child a color, and tell them to only find matching eggs. Or give each child a different map or set of clues. Alternatively, you can simply put a limit on the number of eggs each child can collect, and encourage them to be honest by giving special prizes to those who reach their targets first!

Enjoy Your Day!

An Easter egg hunt is best enjoyed with friends and family. Have a selection of snacks set aside, and try and get everyone involved. It can be a very sociable family day that everyone will enjoy!

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Soy Candle Making Supplies - What is Special About Soy?

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Soy candles are a relatively new product on the market. Although they are becoming easier to find in retail establishments, they are still considered at the high end of the market. However, those that know their candles know that soy candles have advantages over paraffin candles that, for some, make the extra cost worth it.

Soy based candles are healthier. Paraffin candles are a petroleum based product and burning petroleum releases a large number of harmful chemicals into the air, making them unhealthy for those with chronic breathing problems.

Soy candles have another element that makes them unique. Soy based candles burn at such a low temperature and the soy has such a unique make up that they can be used as a massage oil. In fact, this is one of the newest treatments at some of the finest spas in the country.

Soy based candle making supplies also have advantages over paraffin candle making products. Most soy candle making supplies are easier to handle than their paraffin counterparts. Paraffin wax comes in large blocks, which makes measuring and melting harder than soy. Soy wax comes in flakes which means that there is no trying to cut large blocks of paraffin, just simply measure out the amount that you need.

Soy based candle making supplies also benefit American farmers and other industries that process the soy beans. Soy candle making supplies are just one of the environmentally friendly and healthy products produced from soy beans. There has been a lot of talk in the news lately about reducing our country's dependence on foreign oil supplies and by using soy candle making supplies we are making a small stride toward oil independence.

When making soy candles, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, soy candle making supplies can only be used with each other, meaning that you can't use paraffin primed wicks with soy wax or use paraffin colors in soy wax. So if you decide to make soy type candles, you'll need to buy exclusively soy based candle making supplies.

Soy based candles can be scented with all natural essential oils. If you are making the candles to be used as massage candles, then this is the best way to scent them. These essential oils will be absorbed through the skin providing a variety of health benefits that cannot be derived from synthetic fragrances. It is also advisable if you plan to use your candles for massage that you leave them color free. Adding color to massage candles will make the person you are massaging look like an Easter egg.

Soy based candles offer a variety of benefits to the environment, the economy and the user. These are still relatively unknown products in the major market and often if you want to find soy candles, you need to purchase them mail order or through a specialty holistic or metaphysical store. If you can make your own soy candles, you'll not only have complete control over what goes into your candle as well as it's size and shape, you'll also save money and in this economy that's something everyone can appreciate.

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Preschool Easter Crafts For Kids Are a Great Way to Get Them Active This Easter

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Working with preschoolers is great as they are usually very enthusiastic when it comes to making stuff and creating lots of arts and crafts projects within the classroom. They are usually about 3 or 4 years old, which means they have been jaded by the harsh world around them and still have great optimism. They usually want to please and get praise from adults and teachers so they try hard at all that they do.

This enthusiasm extends to preschool Easter crafts for kids in the classroom too. No matter what activity you place in front of them, you can usually bet that they will give it a good go. Anyone that works with children will pretty much tell you the same thing.

This is why Easter is a popular time in the classroom when it comes to being creative with arts and crafts. The good thing about Easter is that there is a ton of things that can be made ranging from Easter baskets to decorating Easter eggs.

Some Cool Easter Craft Ideas for Preschoolers

You are really only limited by your imagination and the tools that you have in your classroom when it comes to devising preschool Easter crafts for kids this year. Of course, you have to make sure that these young ones are supervised if using scissors, and that they have the appropriate safety blades.

You can start your preschoolers off with a simple Easter arts and craft idea that is always popular at this time of year. Take some different colored card, reds, pinks, blues etc. and cut them into long strips. Then using sticky tape of safety glue, instruct your class to weave the card together to create a simple Easter basket shape. You can also bring in some tissue paper to line the bottom of their baskets. Another piece of different colored card can be bent into shape to form an ad hoc handle too.

If your preschoolers have access to computers then they can go online (with some help) and print off some Easter themed pictures like Easter bunnies, Easter Eggs, Easter chicks etc. that can be printed out and used as decoration for their Easter baskets.

An Excuse to Talk Easter

Whilst your little ones are busy crafting their Easter baskets, you can be telling them all about Easter and what it means to you so that they can understand a little of the background of why they are making their baskets.

Who'd have thought that preschool Easter crafts for kids was such a great way to get your pupils actively participating in a great activity that promotes group work and good communication skills.

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Easter Crown Bread

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Easter Crown Bread is a traditional European Easter sweet bread that's plaited into a rope, formed into a ring and studded with eggs. The bread derives its name from Christ's crown of thorns as the shape of the bread with its egg decorations sticking out resembles the thorn crown. Though the eggs are also the symbol of hope and re-birth.

This is very decorative bread and makes a wonderful centrepiece for an Easter table. It can then be consumed with coffee or a sweet wine on Easter Sunday evening.

Note that you need five raw eggs for this recipe. The shells should be coloured before inserting them into the plaits of the bread.

Easter Crown Bread

Ingredients

650 to 700g plain flour (divided use)

50g granulated sugar

1 packet active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

160ml warm milk

2 tbsp softened butter or margarine

2 eggs

90g chopped, mixed, candied fruit

50g chopped, blanched, almonds

1/2 tsp anise seed

5 uncooked eggs

Non-toxic egg coloring

Vegetable oil

In a large mixing bowl, combine 200g of the flour with the sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the milk and butter and beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes on medium speed. Then add the eggs and 100g flour and beat on high for 2 minutes. Stir-in the fruit, nuts, and anise seed, mixing well. Then stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn this out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 6 to 8 minutes). Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).

About 30 minutes before the dough has finished rising, color the 5 eggs (leave them uncooked) with non-toxic dyes. When dry, lightly rub them with vegetable oil.

Knock back the risen dough and divide in half. Roll each half into a 24-inch rope. On a greased baking sheet, loosely twist the two ropes together then shape into a ring and pinch the ends together. Gently split the ropes and tuck the 5 colored uncooked eggs into the openings. Cover and let rise again until doubled in size (about 30 minutes). Bake in an oven pre-heated to 180°C for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet and allow to cool on a wire rack.

It is time that this very traditional form of Easter bread re-gained its rightful place of prominence on the Easter table.

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Beauty of Kindness - Rechenka's Eggs

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Holidays recognized beyond our immediate borders fascinate me. Traditions carried through the present are mysterious. Consider the Easter Egg. In a Russian folktale, Rechenka's Eggs, the ornately decorated egg is taken to the Easter Festival by Babushka. Patricia Polacco recreates the historical event through her story valuing friendship and kindness.

This is a book review for Rechenka's Eggs by Patricia Polacco. The ISBN is 0-399-21501-8. To gain the most from the reading of this book, I present to you some simple steps.

Read the book quietly and alone for your own enjoyment first.
Then, choose a time and place in which you wll have your child's attention.
Be prepared to engage your child in a conversation about your values concerning traditions and Easter.

The Summary of this book: Babushka treats the wild animals with kindness. An accident occurs in which all her beautifully painted eggs are broken. However, a special goose gives something with even more beauty back in return.

When reading a book to children there are three opportunities to learn about your child's understanding of the book. I have suggested a prompt for discussion before the book is read, during the reading, and after the reading. Asking your child a question before the reading helps set the expectation of the book's message. Asking the child a question during the reading helps the child focus on the ideas being presented. After the reading allows the child to connect the story to themselves more directly.

Before reading: What do you know about traditions?
During reading: What do you notice about the behavior of the animals?
After reading: Why is kindness to others of value?

Challenge for Parents: Help your child recognize the many traditions in which your family participates. And, discuss how many of these actions involve kindness toward others. Stretch the thinking beyond the events of the holiday currently near on the calendar.

During Easter many messages are being sent to your child. While this story tells about the tradition of the Easter Egg in Russia, what do you want the most important message to be? To be an influence in our children's values and beliefs, conscious steps must be taken to guide our children. Why not use a beautifully written and illustrated book?

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Weaving Easter Traditions Into Easter Cupcake Decorating Ideas

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When many of us think of Easter Traditions we think Easter eggs, hot cross buns, Easter bunnies. It's true that these have all become part of Easter without realizing their significance. Have you ever asked the question "what do bunnies have to do with eggs and Easter?" As I show you some Easter cupcake decorating ideas I will attempt to explain what the tradition behind the symbol.

The Easter Bunny

For thousands of years the rabbit has been a symbol of fertility. The Goddess Eostre (also known as Eastre among other variants) was the Great Mother Goddess of the Anglo-Saxons. The Saxons worshiped her through her earthly symbol of the rabbit. The name of the goddess was derived from the ancient word for spring.

Having started as a pagan festival predating Christianity the bunny tradition was brought to America by the German immigrants in the 1500 and 1600. The immigrants would tell tales to their children of the Easter Hare who had laid eggs for children to find. Cakes were also baked in the shape of bunnies.

Easter bunny cupcake decoration idea. Ice your cupcake with a pastel shade of pink. With white icing make two cheeks, placing them just below half way. Use a jelly bean for the eyes and nose and small marshmallows cut and shaped for the ears. To make the pink inner ear, dip the cut side of the marshmallow into pink sugar. The final touch is to pipe two or three whiskers from the cheeks.

The Easter Egg

As with the Easter bunny the Easter egg also predates Christianity. In many cultures the egg symbolizes rebirth, new life and fertility and is used in Spring festivals.

In Medieval times eggs were not allowed during Lent which traditionally ends on Holy Saturday -- the day after Good Friday. Eggs laid during the forty day period of Lent were often boiled or preserved and the egg became a mainstay of Easter meals.

Many traditions have developed around the Easter egg with the coloring of eggs becoming an established art -- the most elaborate decorations coming from Eastern Europe. These days there are many chocolate eggs with colored foil to represent the painted egg. Eggs are used as holiday games such as the Easter egg hunt and the egg roll. The most famous of these is the egg roll which usually takes place on the White House lawn each year.

Easter egg cupcake decoration idea number one. Ice your cupcake with smooth paste such as glace (water) icing and pipe designs or use edible paint. You can also two or three different color icings without actually mixing them but to make a marble effect.
Idea two -- bird's nest of eggs. Ice your cupcakes with chocolate frosting making the edges a little raised. Grate chocolate or sprinkle chocolate hail to represent the bird's nest. In the hollowed centre place mini chocolate eggs or candies that look like eggs.

The Hot Cross Bun.

It may come as a surprise that once again the sweet fruit yeast bun with the cross is thought to predate Christianity having formed part of Anglo-Saxon festivities celebrating the goddess Eostre. The cross is thought to represent the four quarters of the moon.

According to Wikipedia the term "Hot Cross Bun" was first recorded in 1733. Today the hot cross bun has become a part of Easter tradition with the cross standing as a symbol of the crucifixion. Although in our household they are eaten well before Easter the tradition is to serve them on Good Friday.

Hot cross bun cupcake. This is the simplest of the decorating ideas as all you need do is choose your cupcake icing and pipe a cross on it. To make the cupcake look like a spicy bun with fruit you could add the spices and a small amount of current. Why not use chocolate?

Perhaps you have had some surprises when considering the traditions that we have come to associate with Easter. Who knows the creating of new Easter cupcake decoration ideas may become a new tradition.

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Party Favor Ideas For Inexpensive Gift Giving

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Party favor ideas include small, yet meaningful gifts for the party guests. Gifts can also be given to people that have helped in party preparations. For instance, at a children's birthday party all those who attend might receive a small bag with several small items in it. Kids party favors can include a fancy pencil and pad of paper plus a candy or other treat.

These gifts vary in price depending on how much the person buying them has or would like to spend. At a wedding reception, the bride and groom usually buy a gift to present to the best man and the first bridesmaid for their help. Bridesmaids might receive a piece of china or a cut glass figurine. The best man could receive a pen set or a watch. Party favor ideas depend a lot on the type of people you are buying for. At a baby shower you might give little blue, pink or yellow bunnies away depending on the gender of the child to thank guests for attending.

At a Halloween party, party favors might include a spooky noise maker and a plastic or rubber spider with several treats. At a Christmas party, party favors can be candy canes, Christmas squares and perhaps a small ornament that your guests can hang on their tree. New Years Eve party favors may not include an actual gift, but might be a New Year's hat, noise maker, streamer or any other little token toy.

During the spring, party favors may include Easter eggs, small potted flowers, or a small stuffed animal, such as a chick in a basket as a memento of the party. Items that could be included as party favors for guests are endless. All you have to do is pick some items, based on your budget, that will match the theme or time of year of your party.

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Czech Gifts - Top Ten List of Czech Themed Gifts

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If you're of Czech heritage or if you know someone who would appreciate a great Czech themed gift, we've got a Top 10 List for you. Best of all, most of these gifts are inexpensive, with many under $20. Here are the top ten gifts for the Czech in your life...

Czech T-Shirt: There are literally dozens of great designs for t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, tank tops, and more. Some of the most popular are Czech sayings, the country's flag, and an outline of the Czech Republic.

Hockey And Soccer Jerseys: These two sports are the most popular in the country, and many great hockey and soccer players began their careers in the Republic. Specialty online retailers can personalize a jersey of the national teams. A great way to show off some nationalistic pride!

Garnet Jewelry: Many visitors to Prague seek out jewelry adorned with fiery red garnets mined in Bohemia. You can find them in pendants, rings, and necklaces.

Czech Republic Flag: What better way to honor your heritage than with a flag? Or, if a flag won't fit your decor, get a flag design on any type of apparel.

Bohemian Crystal Glassware: Bohemia, an area of the Czech Republic, is world famous for specialty glass production. Glass making is one of the country's most time honored traditions, and numerous intricate designs are a trademark of these craftsmen. Wine glasses and drinking glasses are the most popular.

Czech Republic Vacation Package: For a bigger splurge, there are numerous specialty vacation packages available for those wanting to explore the Czech Republic. Among the most popular are the Prague Christmas tour and a special genealogy tour of the country.

Bohemian Crystal Vase: Just as with glassware, crystal production is well known as being a Bohemian specialty. A beautiful decorative vase is the perfect housewarming or wedding gift.

Easter Eggs: Easter is an important holiday in the Czech Republic. It is much anticipated, with many special Easter traditions being carried out for generations. One such tradition is hand painted Easter eggs made out of wood, porcelain, or other suitable material.

Puppets And Marionettes: The art of puppetry is a wonderful tradition, and nowhere is it more revered than in the Czech Republic. A puppet or marionette is a perfect gift for a youngster, as it will spark their creativity and artistic talents.

Fire Polished Beads: A perfect idea for the arts and crafts lover in your life. Fire polished beads can be used to adorn artwork, jewelry, and ladies garments. Beading is one of the most popular crafting hobbies in the world, and these beads are known as the very best.

So there you go, the top ten Czech gift list. Enjoy!

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A Chilling and Fun Halloween Party For Kids

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Organizing a Halloween party for kids can be both extremely enjoyable and at the same time challenging. There are a number of items that you will need to prepare beforehand and a whole bunch of things that may perhaps possibly go wrong. Plus, you're talking about planning a ghoulish Halloween party for youngsters whose attention span can be as short as a candle wick. The party can easily go out of control with kids getting boisterous, trying to best one another with their costumes, treats, etc.

Although having some sort of control would be a great but also remember that this is a children's party, an iron hand rule would be overdoing it. Now there are a number of ways to make your audience listen. One way would be to keep them busy by having them participate in party games. There are quite a number of party games that you can organize that would certainly grab the attention of your kids.

If you're familiar with the game called Mummy Wrap, you know the kids will be glad to participate with this one. As the name of the game implies, it involves wrapping someone with mummy wraps which in our case equates with a roll of toilet paper. The game is simple. You just need to group the kids into small groups and have them designate someone to wrap. At your cue, the wrap the "mummy" with toilet paper from head to feet. The group that were able to wrap fully their mummy the fastest would be the winner.

Several Halloween games I know are just variations of exiting party games. We have the Halloween musical chairs and the freeze dance. Both I'm certain you already know. It doesn't hurt to be a little creative with your chairs. You can easily make the children feel it's a Halloween game it you make the chairs ghoulish looking like maybe making them appear like tombstones or using darker colored chairs and adding some cobwebs.

And don't forget the music. You can easily find Halloween music in the nearest record store or in the internet. For further enjoyment, you can ask the kids to dance in a "monstery" or ghoulish kind of way. You can even give a prize to the kid that will give the best monster dance.

Don't forget to give prizes to your game winners. This will persuade them to participate in the next games.

A different game which seems to popular is the building a scarecrow game. This entails having numerous groups of children make their scarecrow using pillow cases, old clothes, newspapers, cardboards, tapes or adhesives, and markers. You will have to set up some old clothes for this one. The children will certainly enjoy making something that often see in television and books.

You can also have a Halloween candy hunt which basically is a departure of the Easter egg hunt. By this time, we just hope that the kids haven't discovered yet the candies you hid around the area.

Don't forget to have a scary story telling time as well. Ask one of your guests or friends to tell a story to the kids at the party. Avoid making the story too scary though.

There are other ghoulish Halloween party games that can still do. Just remember that this is the children's day and your objective is to have them enjoy the day.

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Christmas in July - Plan Ahead

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It is never too soon to start planning for your next Christmas. It's only July but this is a great time to begin stocking up on many things you need and want this holiday season. When you buy Christmas items early, like in July, it allows you to find them at a lower price because it is off-season. Sometimes you can save an incredible amount when you buy your holiday items in the off-season. In addition to saving money, you also have a better selection when you shop early because there are fewer people shopping for the same things.

When it comes to planning for your Christmas early, what are some things you need to do? First, you want to know what you need. You can start by making a list. You might want to make two different ones- one for holiday decorations and other items and one for holiday presents and gifts. Then you can use these lists to help you prepare for your holiday shopping. Start searching for anything on your list that is not perishable and that can be stored and used when the holiday arrives.

There are many Christmas gifts that you can purchase early instead of waiting until the holiday season arrives. You can just keep them somewhere in your home until Christmas. In addition to gifts, if you buy Christmas decorations and holiday décor early, it will be less expensive and you will have more selection than waiting until the holiday season arrives. If you are using an artificial tree, you can even search for your Christmas tree early. Decorations for your tree and for both the inside and outside of your home can also be purchased early and stored until the holiday season arrives.

Christmas in July allows you to prepare for the holidays early so you have less stress at Christmas and more time to enjoy things like you are supposed to be able to. Start making your list. Start checking it twice. Then your Christmas season can be stress-free and nice!

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Celebrating Easter Beautifully on a Budget

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A headline this morning said that even Easter celebrations are taking a down because of the recession. While money may be tight and jobs are pared down or in short supply, Easter can still be a true celebration - ringing in Spring, putting the Easter Bunny in the spot-light, and making your home the place to be for this honorary day.

If you are like me, mass produced just never made it to my choice for home decor or holiday celebrations. Right now is a great time to go through your attic, basement and garage and hunt up old Easter baskets. You could invite your family members to do the same. You might be surprised when a basket you cherished as a child just might appear again to be used and enjoyed.

Fill your Easter basket with shredded colored paper, such as tissue paper or wrapping paper. In pastel colors, these are more than reasonable in dollar stores and discount stores. If you like to bake, then make rabbit, chicken, or egg shaped cookies that are decorated with royal icing. Fill your basket with these edible delights and while a "few" may disappear on a daily basis, filling them back up should only take a bit of time. Assorted colors of blue, pink, yellow, tan, and purple will brighten any table in your home.

Tag or garage sales are coming alive, and there you can find some very "spring type" fabric and lacy embellishments. Cover pillows in your family room, porch, or living area. They can be as simple as "envelope" type coverings which slip on and off very easily and can be saved from year to year so that when Spring is fast approaching you have pillow covers to blend in with the colors of the season and the Easter holiday.

If you have young people coming to your home for festive entertaining during this time of year, simply take a TV table or other small table and cover it with a fine white cloth or Easter kitchen terry. Place a tray or large unbreakable platter on top of the covering . Cover the platter with shredded yellow, pink, and light green shredded paper. Using white chocolate, milk chocolate or healthy dark chocolate, take candy molds and fill them with the melted chocolate, cool, and pop them out. Nestle these little bunnies in the "grass" yard you created. Foil covered chocolate Easter eggs, peanut butter eggs, and even sugar cookies made to resemble carrots, and bright Easter eggs can be added to multiply the fun and adventure to your home-made Easter welcome tray. Guests can help themselves as they leave to a goodie or two to take home. With little children, let them pick their favorite after they finish dinner. However, you use this garden of goodies, this will be a token that your guests will remember for years to come.

If you are having an Easter get-together, send your invitations by using "seed" packet envelopes. You can get copies of vintage seed packets on the internet or in the library, in some craft books. Glue the pictures of the seed packets together and form an envelope. Place your invitation inside and hand deliver or mail your invites in pastel colored envelopes that are less than $3.00 for about twenty-five envelopes in a dollar store.

Don't forget to have your digital camera or standard camera ready to take pictures of the Easter Egg hunt in the back yard, the adult egg-toss game, and the fun of your Holiday festivities. After your guests have left, make copies of the pictures and pick up a favorite one for each person at your party. Taking the same vintage pictures of seed packets, glue the picture in the middle, allowing the flowery sides of the pictures to extend about 1/2 to 1", forming a border. Mail these "Thank You For Coming" gifts to family and friends. Keep some for yourself and place these picture perfect Spring items on bookcase shelves, or on the mantel.

When you are serving dinner, place a small-size terra cotta pot that you fill with jelly-beans or even a cloth napkin that you have decorated with sparkles and ribbon. Not only will each place setting items make the table shine with holiday spirit, so will your guests' smiles beam and light up the room.

However you celebrate Easter this year, remember it isn't the amount of money that you spend to make your guests enjoy the day, it is your thoughtfulness and creativity that will make them remember Easter at your house. Something to think about.

©Arleen M. Kaptur
March, 2009

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Choosing the Right Affiliate Marketing Niche (I)

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An affiliate marketing niche is the field of specialty that you intend to market product, services or information in. Examples of some specific niches are dog grooming, kitchen furniture and exotic recipes among others. Choosing a niche is an important aspect of learning how to make money online because choosing the right niche helps influence your probability and rate of success in the field of internet marketing. Choosing the wrong niche on the other hand might lead to you quickly getting disenchanted with everything affiliate marketing stands for and feeling that you will never be one of the successful people that make enough money online to quit their day jobs.

This said how exactly one can go about choosing a successful niche. A lot has been said about this on the Internet. Most people recommend choosing a niche you find exciting, something you are passionate or knowledgeable about etc. The reason why this is often suggested is because if you choose a niche you have no excitement about, the chances are that you are bound to get bored very quickly. Making money online takes a period of patience first before success shows up at your doorstep and if you are working on something you hardly find interesting, you are bound to get so bored you just give up.

If you choose something you do not know anything about, people will catch on to your lack of knowledge and you will not succeed in winning any followers over. If you are passionate about something and you don't know much about it, it is usually advised that you fully immerse yourself in order to acquire that knowledge.

Pick about three or four things you are passionate and knowledgeable about first, when you are done with this process the next thing is to research your niche to make sure that you will get enough traffic or visitors on the web for that niche. A niche which is too popular might be very competitive ( e.g. online dating) so you tend to find out that ranking favorably in such a niche is a very difficult task, a niche which is too obscure (e.g. collecting Easter eggs) might not have as many enthusiasts to make it a viable source of income.

So how exactly do you determine how popular a niche is or is not? Well, there are a number of ways people use to sort out this particular problem. One of such ways uses search engines to query niche keywords and see how many results and sites that pops out.

For example you can use the online dating keyword as an example, enter it into Google and see how many results are listed. Do the same for collecting Easter eggs; this should give you a comparison of what is relatively too competitive and what is not competitive enough. Even though you have a list of four niches you think you can handle, do not assume that you will not get the whole process of getting the right niche on your first try, you might have to play around with a longer list of niches and test them for popularity before you finally have what you want.

If you want to learn more about how best to choose a good niche, then visit the blog with the link in the resource box and learn freely without any obligations.

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Christmas in July - Fun Facts and History!

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The Australian 'Christmas in July' celebration is a somewhat unusual and some suggest even slightly eccentric festival that now attracts international travellers to the land down-under! Christmas in July' or Yulefest as it is also known is believed to have been born by accident one snowy wintery night in July of 1980 at an award-winning boutique hotel 'Mountain Heritage' in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. A group of Irish guests noticed the irony of winter weather in July and wanting to recreate the feelings associated with winter back home, asked the hotel proprietor if he could organise a few Christmas-style food and festivities for them that night. Thus was born Christmas in July sporting Christmas decorations, snowmen, mulled wine, carols, roast dinners, mince pies, plum pudding, egg nog, bonbons, Christmas crackers, log fires and the occasional snow fall amongst a magical winter Yuletide wonderland of festivities.

The idea spread fast and now in July, the peak season for the Australian snow fields, Christmas decorations and special events are meticulously planned to attract visitors for snow themed Yulefest celebrations. Many families now enjoy winter holidays at the snow fields where they build snowmen as they watch Santa Claus in the distance zip zagging through the snow slops HoHOho-ing!

Interestingly, the earliest reference for the phrase 'Christmas in July' was in July 1933 at a girl's summer camp in North Carolina USA. The term later gained momentum with the release of the Hollywood movie comedy 'Christmas in July' in 1940. Later in 1942, the Calvary Baptist Church in the USA celebrated 'Christmas in July' featuring a sermon 'Christmas Presents in July' which also included the erection of a Christmas tree, which by the end of the sermon would be covered with donations and gifts from the congregation. The donations and gifts are then distributed to missions worldwide. In 1946 this annual service began to be broadcast over local radio. It was not until the 1950's that American advertisers lead the way for "Christmas in July" themes for sales.

While the Yulefest has become an incredibly popular annual Australian non-official holiday season, Christmas in July in Copenhagen, Denmark at Bakken is quite unique, featuring the annual World Santa Claus Congress. Bakken is a popular amusement park where hundreds of Santas, Mrs Clauses and elves from around the world come together to be jolly at this festival each year. They hold parades and love to go to the beach for an annual beach paddle. It's known to be quite amusing to see all these Santas at the beach. The King of Santas for the year is named during this 'Christmas in July festival' and many challenging issues are discussed like what is Santa's true homeland and what size presents should be given! There are even belly shaking chuckle competitions as part of the festivities at this fun event.

Here are some universal thoughts on some of the symbols related to Christmas in July:

- Red is the main colour of Christmas in July - represents the magical flow of life, the blood that flows within all of us - so remember to let your love, passion and energy flow. Commit to show your love a little more each day and do what you do, no matter how insignificant you may consider it, with a little more love and enthusiasm each day and you will discover a new passion for life within you and a new flow of energy.

- The second colour of Christmas in July is green - greenery reminds us to honour the everlasting transformative element of nature. Everything is radiating energy. Energy does not die it merely transforms. Green soothes our heart knowing we are part of an endless cycle that disburses and rebirths anew.

- The combination of Red and Green on the colour wheel - red and green are opposites and opposites create balance. These two prominent colours of Christmas in July draw us to a deep unconscious connection to harmony and peace that we all seek within. The Christmas wreath has both red and green and is tied with a ribbon to remind us that we are all tied together; we belong to each other!

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Creative, Inexpensive, and BIG Value Marketing Gift Ideas

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"Tis the season to be jolly!" A great attitude is easy to have when you design your gifts with a lot of thought and don't allow the experience take you to the cleaners.
One of the traditions I like at this time of year is remembering all the people that were there for me this past year. Especially those that didn't receive anything in return for it -- in the smallest or largest way.
Meaningful gift giving does not have to be expensive. In fact, some of the most precious gifts are the ones that cost very little, but mean a great deal because of the time and effort it took to select, or create, and mail.
Here are eight ideas I have used over the last few years. You can use these as Christmas gifts; add them to your "leave-behind" marketing package, a referral thank you, or "thanks for helping me" gift.
It does make a difference if your logo or advertising information is on the gift. It does affect the perceived value on their part and can make a difference in your relationship. Make the choice to add your information or leave it off with their perception in mind. Remember, marketing is all perception and not product or service.
1. Purchase discontinued note card sets from Hallmark and other card shops during the year. If you call and ask your nearest store as to the time of year when they discount "previous season" items, they will gladly tell you. You can save from 50% to 75% on these items.
2. Create a logo candy jar. You can purchase candy jars with different seasonal markings. Then create a stencil with your company logo or web site address (I prefer the web site address). You can buy the stencil supplies and the empty candy jars at your local craft store like MJ Design, Michaels, or online. They sometimes have the mailing boxes to match. Add a bow with your business card. Keep the jar nice so they want to keep it out in the open for that season. Jars for the Easter season are great with the miniature eggs in them and are not likely to get completing jars from other suppliers. After dinner mints are great for the contents. If you return frequently, bring a refill with you.
3. Give a business journal. Borders and Barnes and Noble have all sorts of sizes and designs. For business journals or marketing journals, I usually buy the 8 ½ x 11 size (usually under $10) at Borders and then I write three or four marketing ideas in the journal that specifically apply to them.
4. Give a gift they can take home to their child(ren). Most business or marketing gifts are for everyone at the company or for them. Sometimes giving without a "marketing angle" attached increases the impact. Especially if you remember their child's birthday.
5. Create a family cookbook with 10 or so of your favorite (or personal family) recipes. Add your contact information on the back. Use the software, Clickbook (www.clickbook.com) to transfer it from your word processing software into a real nice booklet fast and easy.
6. Give them a subscription to one of the favorite magazines. I love writer's magazines and writing, so receiving something I am so passionate about along with the gift of learning is perfect for me. If you get two, call the company and turn it into a two-year subscription. You can add to your card this idea if they already have a subscription. Do they have a hobby? Do they have a goal or working on a particular project? There are tons of magazines out there. You can also add to the card a list of web sites they can find more information on the topic. You can send a card with the subscription information in it separately so they know to expect it and to contact you if they don't receive it.
7. If you have great penmanship or creative on the computer, buy blank note cards and add their name on the front of the each card, like "From the desk of..." "A personal note from..." The fact that you took the time always makes an impact. Want to add a little more? Place a stamp on each envelope for them.
8. If they have a home office and you are into crafts, cross-stitch a wall calendar holder. It has a hook, nice border that shows past the large calendar size and business card sewn in with a place for them to hang their favorite wall calendar or you can send them a calendar with it the first year.
It is normal to value the gift to the value of the client/customer. You can just send everyone the same gift or you can match the gift value to the value you received from him or her.
Don't forget your bartering exchanges or the people that just "opened your doors."

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Sunday School Easter Ideas

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The Second Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Easter is second only to Christmas as the most exciting time of the year for a Sunday school class. Not only does Easter mean chocolate and candy, it also gives an opportunity to reflect on the last days of Jesus' life and the sacrifices he made. When looking for Sunday school Easter ideas, try crafts that are suitable for children of varying ages. That way, once the older children have finished their crafts they can start helping the younger ones.

Egg-Tastic Colored Eggs

Many Sunday school Easter ideas revolve around the egg, since it's the most visible symbol for the holiday, with the most common Easter-related craft being dyeing eggs. To prepare the eggs for dyeing, hard-boil them in a pot of water for 12 minutes. Make sure the eggs are laying flat in the bottom of the pot or else they might not boil correctly. Remove the eggs from the pot with a slotted spoon and plunge them into a pot of cold water for approximately one minute.

Just before the egg dyeing is about to begin, prepare the dyes. Some like to use store-bought egg coloring kits, while others prefer the homemade food coloring and vinegar approach. Fill a number of small cups about half full of warm water. Add 1 teaspoon of vinegar and enough food coloring to produce the desired color.

Plunge the eggs into the dye using a tablespoon and let them sit for a few minutes to absorb the coloring. Remove the eggs from the dye and dry them with a piece of paper towel. For additional shine, wipe the eggs with vegetable oil.

When working with dye, always cover the surface of the table with newspaper to prevent any unwanted stains. If the dye does find its way onto the floor or someone's shirt, rinse immediately with cold water and scrub at the stain with some soap to prevent permanent damage.

Dying to get rid of Dye?

While coloring Easter eggs is a popular and fun craft, many don't like to work with actual dye because of the potential for stain. Try one of these other Sunday school Easter ideas that involve decorating eggs without dye. Tissue paper makes an excellent alternative to dye because it's inexpensive and comes in a variety of fun colors.

To begin, cut the tissue paper into two-inch squares. Dip hard-boiled eggs in cold water. Cover the eggs with the squares of tissue paper, using a variety of overlapped colors. If the tissue paper isn't wet enough, spritz with water from the plastic sprtizer bottle. Once the eggs are fully covered, set them aside in a bowl to dry. When the eggs are dry, the tissue paper will fall off, revealing a strained-glass like colorful effect on the shells of the eggs.

Instead of working with real eggs, which can be messy, try making these beautiful Styrofoam Easter egg decorations. The great thing about working with Styrofoam is that the possibilities for decorations are nearly endless, whereas working with real eggs limits the potential for flair.

Gather a selection of lace, beads, sequins, silk flowers, strips of fabric, and anything else that might look nice on an Easter egg. Use either straight pins or glue to attach the decorations to the Styrofoam eggs. Once the decoration of the egg is complete, cut a small length of ribbon and attach it to the top of the egg using either a straight pin or glue. Hang the eggs from trees or plants at home for a decorative Easter touch.

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Group Travel - How to Organize It

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This article is intended to help you organize successful group travel; whether you are new to group travel organisation or are simply looking to improve on your experiences. It is aimed at a variety of people in mind. You may be an allocated tour committee member, Social secretary, Club president; or you may be a manager having been asked to organize a corporate trip. You may also be a best man organizing a stag 'do' or simply organizing a holiday for a large group of friends.

Where to Start
If you have not organised group travel before you are probably thinking where do I start? If you have organised group travel before and it did not go so smoothly you should be asking - where should I have started last time?

The first thing you need to decide is who will be responsible for what, make sure those roles are clearly defined, and that the individuals understand their responsibilities. The number of people who need to be involved in organizing group travel will vary depending on your group and destination. For small and informal groups you may decide that you will take responsibility for all the tasks. For large and more formal groups it is often best to assign tasks to multiple people.

You should consider:

Who will be responsible for collecting money?

For sports or performing arts groups - who will organize kit and clothing

Who will sell the tour to your group and convince them to go.

Who will organize your group - make sure they all have up-to-date passports, organize rooming lists, and carry out any other administration that needs to be done.

Fundraising- if required

Idea brainstorming
Once you have decided on these responsibilities you need to come up with some general ideas of where your group should go and what they should do. In some cases this will be easy as other factors will have already pre-determined this. If you are a sports group and are organising a trip for a sports tournament, your destination and main activity will have already been set. In this situation you should consider what other activities you may also want to do in order that you get the most enjoyment out of your trip.

In many cases brainstorming will be a much more involved process. If you are a music group wishing to go on tour then the options are almost endless with regards to destinations, concerts and itineraries.

You will probably need to do some research into ideas for your group and the brainstorming process could take several weeks. Why not get some ideas from the experts! There are a number of professional group travel organizers out there who will be full of ideas and have probably done something similar before. Contacting a professional group organizer will not cost you anything and will enable you to pick their brains. A number of group travel organizers also provide a large collection of pre-built itineraries on their web sites. You may be able to take one of these directly or adapt it to meet your needs. You can also do research in to destinations on the web by using web sites such as 'Trip Adviser' or 'In Europe' to help get some ideas. If you are traveling in Britain then use visit britain. This is a great web site with lots of useful information. As well as destination and itineraries you will need to think about approximate date of travel, likely numbers, accommodation type, and extra excursions that you might want to do.

Budget
A group's budget is very important. If you create an over priced trip or holiday then no one from your group will be able to come. Equally if you set the budget so low, then you will end up in accommodation that no one wants to stay in, which again may put them off coming.

You need to agree a price range that you think your group can afford and create your trip based on that. If you want to go on a week's tour to Europe but realize that your group can only realistically afford £100 each then you will need to consider fundraising or making an adjustment to your tour in terms of time length, destination or itinerary.

Remember any group can afford a tour it just takes the right amount of planning, creativity and preparation. Some members may have a particularly difficult economic background. You may want to consider subsidizing these members from the clubs funds and fundraising. Some people may also be prepared to pay more in order to reduce the cost to others. You should also take into consideration free places for yourself. In most group bookings you should be able to get a free hotel bed for every 25 members in the group although coach prices are not normally affected.

Getting your group together
The first step is in persuading people to go on your group trip. There are three main factors that decide this. Does the trip appeal to them, is it at a price they can afford and how charismatic are you at selling them the idea! If you can get these three things right then you should have no problem in getting most of your group to go on the trip.

Administrating group travel can be quite time consuming and challenging. You can find your self having to ring people multiple times because they are not in. Chasing people up who have not done something you asked them to do, dealing with people who have dropped out or adding new members on to the tour who now want to come. You must be prepared for a complex and time consuming operation if you want to do everything your self. You can significantly ease the burden by using a professional group organizer. They can help to deal with these problems on your behalf. Depending on which company you go with and what you have agreed with them. If you want them to do everything then you should expect to pay a little extra. But this would free you up to do other tasks that might other wise be more costly to you by ignoring them.

Raising finance and fundraising
Ok, if your group is going on a stag do then no one is going to give charitably to support your drunken antics! If you're a corporation organizing group travel, then the only way you are going to get some one else to pay for it will be if you offer commercial benefits to them.

With most groups though there is a multitude of ways to raise finance for your group travel. You can organize generic events, fun days or organize something based on what your group does. General events and fun days could include: - sponsored marathon/competition, Car washing at a local supermarket or School, Coffee morning for you local retirement home, put on a disco, create a night out, or organize an Easter egg hunt. The list is really only limited by your imagination. Also you should try organizing something that relates to what your group does. If you are an orchestra then organize concerts for your local community. You can quite quickly raise the money you need for your trip; all it takes is a little enthusiasm and it can be lots of fun.

The thing people are most reluctant to do is part with their money. At the early stages it is important that you collect a deposit from every group member who has confirmed they are coming on the trip. With out this there is no commitment or incentive for them not to drop out at the last second and this could be embarrassing. By doing this, your trip will become far more manageable. You should make your members aware that the final amount due may be liable to change slightly if group members drop out or new ones join. A coach booked at £400 divided by 30 people is going to cost more per person than dividing the cost between 40 people. You will normally find that quotes are given in price bands as group travel operators will be aware the people may drop out or you may get additional travelers. You must also make people aware of cancellation cut off dates. Normally if you cancel with a hotel within 30 days prior to departure you will be liable to pay the full amount.

Law and the package travel directive
There have been changes in the Law relatively recently that you need to be aware of. If a consumer purchases more than one travel component, it is considered a package. As such, you must place this money into a trust account and cannot access the money until your group members have traveled. This applies to all non regular group travel organizers. However the definition of what is non regular is not clearly defined and has not been tested in court yet. To avoid the risk of breaking the law on this matter it can be easier to use a professional group travel organizer who already has systems in place to deal with the travel package directive.

Industry bodies
If you do use a professional group travel organizer you should look to see that they are a member GTOA (Group Travel Organizers Association) or the ETOA (European Tour Operators Association) if you plan on making a European trip.

Travel Insurance
As a group travel organizer or initiator for your group you will be viewed as responsible for everything that happens to your group members. Unfortunately from time to time things won't go quite as planned. You must there for ensure you and your group members are protected against such instances. This is especially true with school and youth groups. Often travel insurance is not that expensive and it can be a legal requirement in many situations.

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Great Tips for Preparing Deviled Eggs

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Can you guess which is the most common meal prepared at Easter dinner? Before answering, you should have in mind that something has to be done with all those eggs you boiled and colored. Deviled eggs are an easy to prepare meal, which you can serve at Easter dinner. The deviled eggs are simple to cook because they are just halved hard-cooked eggs with the yolk mashed with mayonnaise and seasonings and returned to the white.

We all love when our joyful event is decorated by the colored eggs. The Easter eggs are so lovely when they are dyed spring colors of blue, green and pink. However, the Easter Bunny always leaves too many eggs. These eggs can be used to prepare deviled eggs. Nevertheless, the deviled eggs cannot be cooked just for Easter.

Deviled eggs can be served for all kinds of occasions. At Christmas, you can put deviled eggs beside the honey-baked ham. Thanksgiving while the turkey is occupying the center of the table, you can serve the deviled eggs as a complement. You can even offer them as a snack when someone comes for a visit. Probably all people will love to see deviled eggs on the table.

Preparing deviled eggs is as easy as to boil an egg. I tell you this to know that if you have never cooked deviled eggs, it will not be a hard task for you. Here are some of the products you will need while preparing deviled eggs: several eggs, mayonnaise (or white salad dressing if you prefer), dill, mustard or sweet pickle relish (your choice) and sweet or hot paprika.

Before you start preparing the mixture for the deviled eggs, you will have to boil the eggs. The important thing is to make sure that you have fully cooked eggs. The making of deviled eggs requires fully cooked eggs. The pot you are going to use must be big enough so that all the eggs and the water will be able to fit in. see for yourself that in the pot there is enough space for the eggs, the water, and extra boiling room. Put the eggs in the stockpot. Then fill the pot with water so that the water surface will be at least an inch over the eggs. Place the pot on the stove. Turn the heat on high.

When you notice that the water become to boil, place a lid on the pot and turn the heat on medium low. Now, you should leave the eggs for fifteen minutes. Then, take the pot from the stove and cautiously put the eggs in cold water. Peel the eggs when they are cooled. By now, you managed to accomplish the most difficult task of the complete preparing of deviled eggs.

The next step is to cut the eggs. Cut them in two halves in the direction of the length. Remove the yolks and place the empty white on a tray. Put the egg yolks into a bowl. Then, mash the yolks with ¼ cup mayo/salad dressing, 3 tablespoons mustard and, 2 tablespoons relish. For well-prepared deviled eggs, you should fill up the mixture into the empty whites using a nylon bag. Make a small hole in the bottom corner of the bag. Squeeze the deviled eggs mixture into the whites. Put as much mixture as you want.

When you are finished with this, powder with sweet paprika or you may prefer hot paprika but first make sure what effect the hot paprika wile have on your deviled eggs. The deviled eggs are ready to be served after you cool them in a fridge for a few hours.

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Frugal Easter Basket Ideas

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If you look forward to giving Easter baskets to your children each year but don't enjoy the high price of expensive pre-made baskets, here are some simple ideas for saving money on this fun holiday tradition. Like anything else you buy, it helps to set a spending limit - maybe $5 per Easter basket. Then have fun being creative and trying to keep within your basket budget.

Our family usually reserves Easter baskets and Easter Egg Hunts for the Saturday just before Easter - saving Sunday for church and family celebrations.

I try to shop for Easter basket fillers in advance (I use the same principle for Christmas stocking stuffers, too). You can keep a basket in the corner of a closet for storing these types of items found throughout the year. Keep an eye out for small games and toys in clearance bins at the grocery store, at dollar stores, and during any stops to thrift stores or yard sales.

In the days immediately following Halloween, bags of candy often go on sale for half price (or less), so I'll sometimes purchase several bags of family favorites and stick them in the freezer. Frozen candy will keep quite nicely until Easter.

Small, fun items that you'll probably need to purchase for your children during the course of the year can be saved to include in their Easter baskets: crayons, felt pens, glue stick, glitter glue, novelty toothbrushes, fun-flavored toothpastes, hair ribbons, barrettes, a new hair brush, bubble bath in fun containers.

Ideas for the Basket Itself:

Wicker baskets can be reused year after year (a nice tradition in itself). These can be used other times during the year for decoration or for storing small items. You can also reuse the decorative grass from year to year.


Paper bags decorated with bunnies, eggs, flowers, etc.


Easter bonnets. If you're going to be purchasing an Easter bonnet for your daughter, turn it upside down and fill with goodies.


Inexpensive colorful plastic sand pails. Include a shovel and sand mold.


Plastic mesh storage containers. Reuse to store toys, games, socks, childhood treasures, etc.

Lunch box.


New novelty pillowcase.


Flower pot (fill w/packet of seeds, soil, drainage rocks, gardening gloves, instructions for growing their own Spring flowers).


For older kids/teens, try a make-up container (including sample sizes of soap, perfume, lipgloss, nail polish, etc.), a fishing tackle box (include a few lures), a personal popcorn bowl (containing a bag of gourmet popcorn), or a new purse.


For teen-agers or grown children, try a grocery bag filled with their favorite foods.

Filling ideas:

Plastic eggs can be reused every year. Fill with jelly beans or small plastic toys of interest to the child. Bags full of fake bugs, dinosaurs, etc., can often be found at dollar stores for under a $1 per bag.


Homemade candy and treats.


Homemade frosted Easter-shaped cookies individually wrapped. You can also make cookie lollipops by adding a lollipop or ice cream stick before baking.


Crispy Rice Treats or Popcorn Balls colored with pastel food coloring and shaped like eggs.


Sidewalk Chalk Eggs: Mix 1 cup plaster, 1/2 cup water and several drops food coloring. Pour mixture into empty egg carton sections. When dry, peel away the carton and hot glue two sections together at the center to form a complete egg.


Toys from fast food children's meals can be found in "like new" condition at thrift stores and yard sales for $0.25 or less.


Rubber stamps and stamp pads.


Homemade play dough.


Crayons.


Small bag of potato chips.


Bubbles.


A jumprope.


Jacks.


A frisbee.


Chopsticks.


Fancy shoelaces.


Stickers.


Books.


Stationary, note cards, envelopes, stamps.


Coloring books or coloring sheets. Find some simple Easter related clip-art and print the picture out in black and white for homemade coloring sheets, or print out several and staple them together for a custom made coloring book.


Audio tapes you've made of yourself reading their favorite books aloud. Be sure to include a signal for them to turn the page if they'll be reading along with you.


Look for small Dover Books at your local bookstore. These books are high quality and usually under $1 each. They have paper dolls, holiday activity books, coloring books, etc.

Happy Spring!

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How to Make Great Easter Candy Using Chocolate Molds - Part One

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Chocolate and Easter go together as much as Easter eggs and baskets. Why not combine the different elements and learn how to make your own chocolate Easter candy? Your children can help make and decorate the chocolates. Making your own chocolate Easter candy is a great Easter activity to hep you enjoy more time with your kids.

Chocolate Easter candy can be made with any type of chocolate. Using dark or milk chocolate may be the easiest. However, if you would like to try your hand at making pastel eggs, choose white chocolate and add food coloring to create the shades you like. You can also purchase pre-colored white chocolate to make things easier. The colored chocolates are great for decorating, even if you prefer to make your candy out of dark or milk chocolate. You can also add extra ingredients such as nuts, fruit pieces, or peanut butter to make your chocolate candy even more custom made.

Getting Started
There are a few basic ingredients that you will need in order to make your chocolate Easter candy. Using higher quality chocolate will result in better tasting chocolate eggs; however, you can use any type you have. I find that it is easiest to purchase candy disks that were made specifically for melting and molds. Here is a short list of the basics you will need:

* Whatever chocolate you want to use
* Double boiler or microwave oven in which to melt the chocolate
* Heatproof bowl
* Candy molds in the shape of eggs, or a deviled egg tray
* Rubber spatula to stir the chocolate
* Pastry bag or plastic bag with a hole in the corner for piping chocolate
* Any decorations or extras you want to include

Now all you have to do is melt the chocolate, pour it into the molds, and release! There really is no end to how creative you can get depending on the molds and colors you choose. You can go as simple as solid colored eggs to three dimensional bunnies and more! Have fun with your choices!

Choosing the Right Chocolate Mold
When you first decide to start making chocolate Easter candy from chocolate molds, of course the first thing you must do is purchase a mold. While it is possible to use other types of food molds you may have around the house, for the best results, select a mold that was made specifically for chocolate.

Another mistake that people often make when they select their candy molds, is they go for the cutest molds with the most intricate details. In many cases this may be their first and last attempt at making their own chocolate Easter candy. As simple as making chocolate Easter candy from molds is, there is still an art and level of skill required. So for your first chocolate making endeavour, try to select molds that are of moderate size (no smaller than a quarter, no larger than a couple of inches) and that have few details, or at least those with large details as opposed to smaller finer details. The one from Fuzzy Bunny shown in the picture is a great starter mold for both variety, size and cuteness!

Use the manufacturers recommendations when using the chocolate molds, however, I often will rub a little vegetable oil on the molds before I use them (using very little oil - it should not pool in the bottom of the mold, only give the mold a shiny appearance.) You can get some great candy mold making tips here. Also, since you will be refrigerating your molds as they harden, I clean out my refrigerator of aromatic leftovers - that garlic smells good in the stew, but it won't be so great smelling on your chocolate. Also, make sure you have plenty of space to place the molds while they harden. Some people recommend hardening chocolate in the freezer to reduce the occurrence of smells as well as to speed the process, but I think the best results occur when using the refrigerator.

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What is Beltane? A Guide to the Pagan "May Day" Sabbat

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Beltane (Bhealltainn in Scotland) is the third of the Cross-Quarter Day Celebrations and falls opposite Samhain on the Wheel Of The Year. These were considered to be the two most important days in the Celtic calendar as they are the most recognized mark of the two main seasons.It is celebrated on May 1st and is also known as May Day.

Whereas Samhain is mostly about celebrating and honouring the dead, Beltane is all about life and fertility. This is when the Great Horned God and The Goddess unite to bring nature into full bloom. Animals are transferred from their winter pens out to summer pastures and this is the season for new born lambs. The Great Rite is often en-acted on this day and it symbolizes the sexual union of the God and Goddess. The ceremony involves an atheme (ceremonial knife, which represents a phallic symbol) being inserted into a chalice (the female symbol).

The word Beltane comes from the word "Bale-Fire" and, even today, fires are lit all over Britain and Ireland. A Beltane Fire Festival as been held every year since 1988 in Edinburgh and is attended by around 15,000 people each year. In Scotland, the bale-fires were required to be lit from another and at the end of the evening it was tradition to take home a smouldering piece of the Beltane bale-fire and use it to light the first cook-fire of the summer. However, the piece of bale-fire had to be taken, not asked for, as it was believed that Faeries could not light their own fires and so would attend the Beltane celebrations disguised as humans and request a smouldering piece of Beltane bale-fire. If given, the faerie would have control over the human.

Fear of faeries was rife at this time of year. It was customary for daisy chains to be placed around children's head or necks to protect them against the faeries. Bells were considered the best protection against faeries and this tradition is still seen today with Morris Dancer's bells.

Another tradition was the May Pole which was another symbol of the male/female union. The pole represents the male symbol and the ribbons represent the birth canal being woven around it by eight dancers (four couples) who represent the eight sabbats. Traditionally, the May Pole was the communal pine tree which had been decorated at Yule and then had it's lower braches removed.

This is also the perfect time to celebrate with a bbq as the firey coals could be a modern twist on the Beltane bale-fire. Other appropriate foods could be salads containing lots of young leaves, eggs, honey, dairy products and oats. Goats and rabbits were sacred at Beltane, the goat representing the Great Horned God and the rabbit representing the Goddess. Goats could be relied on to provide milk, cheese and butter and the rabbit is a prolific breeder - essential to the fertility celebration! Mead is the perfect accompaniment to Beltane foods as it is made from honey (a Beltane traditional food) and is thought to be an aphrodisiac.

Beltane is the traditional time to make love to someone you truly care about (be careful unless you want to represent the Rabbit in more ways than one!) and May/June is a popular time for handfasting ceremonies for couples who mated during Beltane.

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How to Make an Easter Basket With Green Crafting

Easter is on its way, it's one of my favorite holidays. Every year we go to my aunt's house for the greatest brunch ever. We have a french toast casserole, an egg casserole, hash browns, bacon, muffins, bagels, fresh fruit and so much more. Of course we have orange juice and mimosas as well.

My aunt likes us all to have a great time, so she gets everyone their own Easter basket and hides them around the house. Instead of an Easter egg hunt we have an Easter basket hunt. It really makes for a great day. If you're a crafty person and you're trying to keep a low-budget then here's a great way to make an Easter basket with green crafting.

The supplies you need for a green crafted Easter basket are:

* Cardboard

* Paper

* A Shoe box

* Glue or adhesive

* Stickers

* Ribbon

* Glitter

* Stapler

* Scissors

This is such an easy craft for you to put together. All you need to do is take the lid off the shoe box and cut the sides off. Try to be a little neat as the sides will be used for your handle. Once all the sides are off you can wrap it with construction paper, ribbon or any material you want. After the handle is decorated you staple it to the bottom part of the shoe box to create your basket. Get creative now with the outside of the box. You can again use construction paper, ribbon, stickers and glitter. Let your kids help you out with the decorating, they'll have a blast.

This is a great green crafting basket as all these materials are just lying around your house. Now for the really neat idea: instead of using the plastic green grass to fill the basket with you can use your garbage paper you're about to throw out, put it through the shredder and create paper grass. How cool is that? You can use different shades of green paper or whatever paper you have lying around. When your basket is full of grass you can then add all the goodies and eggs.

Green crafting for Easter baskets, you can't get smarter than that!

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Tips for Planning an "Egg-stra" Special Easter Party

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Bunnies & chicks, colourful eggs, and the hunt for hidden chocolate. It's no wonder kids await the arrival of Easter with such eager anticipation. While many families have their own private rituals to celebrate this springtime holiday, this year consider throwing an Easter party for friends and family. Wondering how? Just follow these tips for foolproof egg hunts, crafts and races to entertain your guests, and tasty treats to entice your tireless hunters to the table. This party plan is sure to please.

The Hunt

The egg hunt is the highlight of most Easter parties. However, how do you ensure even the smallest hunters get their fair share of the eggs? Here are some time-tested tips:

o Put the participants' names on the eggs in advance, and/or assign a colour to each child, if using plastic eggs.

o Assign different search areas based on age. Smaller children's eggs might be in plain view, while others are harder to find.

Looking to add a twist? Here are some variations on the traditional hunt:

o Instead of chocolate eggs, use jellybeans to add difficulty.

o Use hollow plastic eggs, each with a small treat such as a candy, temporary tattoo, a few coins, or even a clue to a larger prize.

o Working alone or in teams, each solves clues leading to other clues, and eventually to the Easter treats. Have different clue trails for each child or team.

o Have the kids hide the eggs and make the parents look for them

Activities

Keep the excitement going after the hunt by trying out some of these games:

o Egg Bowling. Using colored hard-boiled eggs and one white, roll the white one onto the lawn or rug, and see who can roll their coloured egg the closest.

o An "Egg-citing" Obstacle Course. A variation of the egg & spoon race, teams navigate their way around and through various obstacles without dropping their eggs. If an egg drops off your spoon, you can start again, or do an agreed upon penalty, such as five jumping jacks or singing a silly song.

o Egg Roll. Using only their noses, people must roll an egg across the finish line, five to ten feet away. This also makes a good relay.

Food

By now, your little guests will no doubt be ready for a snack. In addition to any other delicious treats you plan, let them decorate an Easter Basket Cupcake. Here's how:

You'll need:

o cupcakes (one per person, but a few extra are a good idea)

o your favourite homemade or prepared frosting

o shredded coconut (preferably green or yellow)

o colourful jellybeans

o pipe cleaners (one per cupcake)

o plastic knives

Using a plastic knife, have the kids frost the top of their cupcakes. Next sprinkle coconut around the outside edges of the cupcake, leaving the middle clear. Then, place several jellybeans in the middle. Finally, bend pipe cleaners into U-shapes, and poke the ends into the cupcakes to form basket's handles. Enjoy!

Easter Egg Art

Then, with only a few inexpensive craft supplies from the store or around your house, give a twist on the traditional colouring of eggs with these ideas:

o Marbleized Eggs. Add 1-tablespoon of vegetable oil to your egg dye. Lightly stir and immediately dip your egg into the liquid and remove. Let dry and repeat the process with another colour for interesting effects.

o Egg Animals. Go beyond dipping and dyeing by creating colourful critters out of your eggs. Use craft supplies to create pipe cleaners legs and horns, pom-pom noses, paper ears, googlie-eyes, feathers and more. Markers also work well. White glue or a low-temperature glue gun works well with some supervision. Themes might include barnyard animals, creatures from outer space, or even family members. Have a contest and take lots of pictures.

o Eggshell Mosaics. Need a use for those cracked or broken coloured eggs from your relays? Break up the eggshells into pieces that are small enough to lie flat, but not so small they are hard to handle. Sort into piles by colour. On a thin piece of cardboard, draw a simple design with a dark pen or marker. Spread a thin coat of white glue onto part of the design, and fill it in with eggshell pieces. Continue until the design is complete. Try not to cover up your outline. Let it dry overnight and enjoy.

Whether you decide to entertain just your family, your friends, or invite the entire neighbourhood, everyone is sure to enjoy themselves at your "egg-stra" special Easter party.

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Make Your Own Panoramic Sugar Easter Eggs

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Making your own panoramic sugar Easter eggs is not hard, just a little time-consuming. But making them with friends or family will create memories that will last even longer than the beautiful eggs themselves.

First decide on the size you want your eggs to be. Purchase plastic Easter eggs that open lengthwise in the size you desire. They are a little harder to find than the typical plastic eggs.

Gather your ingredients:

Granulated sugar
Meringue powder (find this with the cake decorating supplies at craft or discount stores)
Confectioner's sugar
Cream of tartar (in the spice section of your grocer)
Coconut (optional - use for grass in your panoramic scene)
Food color (paste colors are recommended - find them with the cake decorating supplies)

Make sure you have these supplies on hand:

Waxed paper
Spoons, mixing and teaspoons
Icing decorating bags
Icing decorating tips
Spatulas
Mixer with wire whip

After determining how many eggs you would like to have at the end of your project, plan to make at least double that number. Sugar eggs are delicate and not all of them will make it to the end of your project.

Make the Shells

Mix granulated sugar with a tiny amount of water - just enough so that the sugar will hold together when squeezed into a ball.

Fill one of the halves of a plastic Easter egg with the damp sugar mixture. Turn it out onto waxed paper. If the sugar holds together, proceed. If not, try it again. If you can't get the sugar to hold after several attempts, add a tiny bit of water.

Once you successfully turn the sugar out onto the waxed paper, carefully cut off approximately 1 1/2 inches of the narrow end. You may need to cut more off if you are using very large eggs or less if you are using small eggs. This will form the opening that you will be able to look through.

Cut a semi-circle of waxed paper that is approximately 1/2" smaller in diameter than the opening. Place this against the sugar and prop something against it to keep the waxed paper in place. A stack of pennies should work well except with very large eggs.

You will need to wait several hours for the outside crust of the eggs to harden. If you attempt to pick them up too soon, your eggs will crumble (but you made extras, so this is not a problem). If you wait too long, your egg will be too solid and you will not be able to scoop out the soft sugar inside.

The amount of time it will take varies depending on how much water the sugar initially held, and the temperature, airflow, and humidity in the room. But think in terms of hours and not minutes.

Once you are able to hold the eggs without breaking them, scoop out the soft sugar with a teaspoon, leaving a crust approximately 3/8" to 1/2" thick, perhaps a little thicker for very large eggs.

Let the eggs dry for several more hours. They should be quite hard before you go on to the next step.

Make Your Scene

While waiting for the shells to dry is a great time to make the figures for your scene. You may have decided to make crosses, chicks, or bunnies out of icing. Or perhaps you've collected plastic figures that you want to dip in icing for a handmade look. You can decorate small cookies such as teddy bears. Remember that the cookies will not last as long as pure icing decorations.

To make all-icing decorations, use the following meringue royal icing recipe. This type of icing dries hard and lasts for a very long time. You will also use this type of icing later to assemble the eggs, so make sure that you reserve some for later or plan to make more.

Meringue Royal Icing

3 level tablespoons meringue powder
1 lb. confectioner's sugar, sifted
3-1/2 ounces warm water (1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon)
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Mix all of the ingredients in the bowl of a mixer. Beat on medium high speed for 7 to 10 minutes. Any grease or oil in the bowl or on any utensils will keep this icing recipe from working, so be fastidious. Beat until the icing is firm enough to hold its shape. As soon as it is finished, cover the bowl with a damp towel. Keep it covered at all times as it dries and makes a crust easily.

Assemble Your Eggs

Choose one bottom half of an egg and assemble your scene in it. Use Royal icing in the bottom as "grass." Just use food coloring to make it green. You may also want to dye some coconut to add an even grassier touch.

Insert your crosses, bunnies, or other decorations. Be sure to orient them toward the opening.

Use white royal icing to "glue" a top in place. Allow the egg to dry before continuing.

Once the egg is dry, use icing with a decorator tip to pipe decorations over the seam and around the opening. You may also want to add a flower or other design to the top.

Allow the eggs to dry overnight before handling them again.

If your egg rolls to one side, use a file to flatten the bottom just a bit. Or pipe a ring of icing on the bottom to help stabilize the egg.

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