With the public holiday on Monday this week has simply flown by, which means it’s time for another Polka Dot Bride project.

I’ve already shared the cherry pie and pumpkin pie recipes, so here’s how to pull the whole look together.

Click to read the full post.

American readers, don’t laugh but I had never even eaten pumpkin pie before (it’s not a ‘thing’ here) but nevertheless I wanted to try my hand at making it.

I had to adapt a recipe a fair bit (for example, using fresh pumpkin because you can’t buy pumpkin puree here) but it worked out well. It looks a little too browned on top but it was the perfect consistency.

It got the thumbs up from the family, especially from those who don’t have a big sweet tooth.

Find the recipe over on Polka Dot Bride today!

Back when I showed you my blue and gold handpainted eggs, I mentioned that it was my first attempt at decorating Easter eggs. What I may not have told you is that it was also the first time I have put up any kind of decor for Easter.

Fast forward a few weeks and I realised I needed to work out a way to store my new holiday decorations. A recycled egg carton was perfect! They’re now protected until next year.

P.S. It’s the last day of the month, which means there’s a new Book Nook coming up. If you haven’t already, check out the review of April’s feature book Mom, Inc. and let me know what you thought of it!

The Man and I have a very busy long weekend: today (Friday) lunch with friends then other friends coming here in the evening, Saturday will be spent with my family and Sunday with his family. Monday will be chilling at home, plus squeezing in a few projects (you know me) and finishing off my Blogging Your Way course. Phew!

Wishing you and your family a safe and happy Easter. xx

Are you counting down the days til the Easter bunny comes? I haven’t had any chocolate yet, although I have eaten my weight in hot cross buns.

Can you believe I have never decorated an Easter egg?! A sad state of affairs that I had to rectify yesterday.

I started with this set of beautiful hand-painted egg shaped ornaments that I bought on our recent trip to Prague.

Never mind that they are actually Christmas decorations. I simply removed the hanging cord (don’t worry, it just slips in and out).

Inspired by their gorgeous peacock-esque colours and pattern, I set about making some coordinating eggs to fill out the collection.

I picked up some papier-mache eggs from Spotlight (I was actually hoping to get some timber ones – these aren’t as smooth but they still do the job).

I started by painting two of each in a base colour of blue, gold or white to give me a total of six eggs. I then decorated the gold ones with fine dots of blue paint. For the rest, I a used gold leaf pen, which is great because it’s easier to handle than a paintbrush and gives an amazing shimmering gold effect (way better than metallic paint).

I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get it very neat so I embraced the handmade look rather than aiming for perfection.

Once dry, I finished with a layer of Mod Podge to seal and protect it.

I’m quite happy with my first effort – what do you think?

Do you have a tradition of decorating eggs in your family?

Has Easter snuck up on you this year like it has me? It’s quite early this year so it’s well and truly time to be thinking about your plans for the long weekend.

If you’re entertaining at home, why not try this cute decoupaged egg idea?

The bunnies were borrowed from a friend (she bought them from the toy section of a bargain shop and spraypainted them), the egg cups and napkins were bargain finds from Target and the flowers are inexpensive carnations so all-in-all a very budget-friendly setup for your Easter lunch!

Find the tutorial over on Polka Dot Bride.

Looking for a St Patrick’s Day treat without the scary green food colouring? I’ve got you covered.

Mosey over to Polka Dot Bride for the recipe (you won’t regret it).

I’m off galivanting around the world for a few weeks so I have lined up some some talented ladies to hold the fort while I’m gone. Hope you enjoy!

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It might be cold over here where I am at the moment, but back home I know everyone will be gearing up for hot New Year’s Eve parties by the pool or barbecue. I can’t picture a more appropriate drink for a summer cocktail soiree than this delish pomegranate margarita slushy by Jane from one of my fave online shops and blogs emerald + ella. Show us how it’s done, Jane!  – Alicia

Earlier in the year when I was in Mexico on my honeymoon I discovered a cute restaurant that drew me in with its enormous margarita menu outside. They had mango jalapeno, hibiscus, pineapple chipotle and tamarind flavours to name a few. I loved that they had taken an already awesome drink and somehow made it even more delicious!

So now that summer is upon us I thought I would try my own little variation on this sweet and sour classic – a pomegranate margarita slushy – no slushy machine required!

Pomegranate margarita slushies

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup caster sugar

2 cups pomegranate juice (I used POM Wonderful from the supermarket)

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup tequila

Lime slices and pomegranate seeds to serve

Place the water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar. Bring to the boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Add the pomegranate juice, lime juice and tequila and stir to combine. Pour into a shallow 1.5L baking dish. Freeze for 3 hours. Break up any ice crystals with a fork. Freeze for a further 3 hours or overnight, until frozen. Scrape mixture into a blender and blend quickly until slushy. Pour into glasses and top with lime slices and pomegranate seeds to serve.

Makes 6

Tips

• If you don’t have a blender you can scrape the mixture into a large jug and blend with a stick mixer, or even break up vigorously with a fork.
• You can substitute lime juice with lemon juice if you happen to have a glut of them.
• Freeze any leftover pomegranate seeds in a small container or snaplock bag and use for fruit salads, chicken salads or on pavlova for a jewel-like surprise.

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About the guest poster:

I’m Jane, the girl behind the emerald + ella blog. I’m also a recipe writer, food stylist, shop owner, vintage collector, New Zealander, married to an Aussie boy, aspirational crafter, wine drinker, pulled pork sandwich lover and basically just a girl who likes pretty things.

In my blog I explore a world of beautiful, eclectic things to brighten up your day. We cover everything from lip-smacking recipes to sweet celebration ideas and some crafty little projects in between. I will also be getting input from some peeps that inspire me so hopefully they will give you some inspiration too. Don’t forget to check out my little shop! – www.emeraldandella.com.au.

I’m off galivanting around the world for a few weeks so I have lined up some some talented ladies to hold the fort while I’m gone. Hope you enjoy!

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Since I discovered the work of Penelope and Pip last year, I’ve been blown away time after time with everything that they produce. Artist Rachael Smith creates the most adorable illustrations on everything from cards to cushions (although the art prints are my faves), not to mention she is totally killing it on the DIY blog scene. Rachael was kind enough to design an exclusive new free printable wrapping paper just for Atypical Type A readers! What do you think guys, totally gorge, right?  – Alicia

One of the best parts of Christmas for us over at Penelope and Pip is the chance to create some cute wrapping paper.

When Alicia asked us to join in the fun over here at Atypical Type A while she was away, we knew just what we wanted to share!

Gift wrap can be so expensive and it’s lovely to have something different to the usual Santas and reindeer.

We’ve made a cute little wrapping paper just for you here at Atypical Type A that is full of birds and trees and some geometric shapes too.

You can download the paper here.

Pop over to our blog for lots more ideas on how to make your Christmas a Happy and Handmade.

We hope you enjoy wrapping all your goodies for Christmas!

(And we hope you’re having a fab holiday Alicia!).

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About the guest poster:

Rachael is an illustrator from Brisbane and the creator of the whimsical world of Penelope and Pip. She makes art prints and pretty paper goods and blogs daily about her art, craft and design inspirations at Penelope and Pip Handmade.

I’m off galivanting around the world for a few weeks so I have lined up some some talented ladies to hold the fort while I’m gone. Hope you enjoy!

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Over my way, kids are more likely to be having a game of backyard cricket after Christmas lunch than building a snowman. So while I can’t speak from experience, I can say that this budget-friendly gift idea by Grace at Sense and Simplicity looks like a whole lot of fun. In fact, it’s rather getting me excited about seeing snow in Europe next week!

Anyone else struggle with thinking of what to give preteens and teenagers for Christmas? I have a slew of nieces and nephews ranging in age from 9 to 15 years and I wanted to give them each a Christmas gift. I needed to think of something that would interest a variety of ages, was gender neutral… and didn’t cost a fortune.

I decided to make them each a snowman lab in a box. I thought it might appeal to their sweet tooth/teeth and their funny bones.

Let’s see all the snowman parts:

I boxed all the snowman parts up, tied the box with some wool (my favourite thing to tie around packages), and added a tag.

Doesn’t that seem like something teens and pre-teens would like? What are you giving to children that age on your Christmas list?

- Grace

P.S. Thanks Alicia for posting my snowman parts on your very stylish and creative blog (and allowing me to say ‘poop’).  It was a complete honour to be included in your guest post line-up.

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About the guest poster: