Easter Napkin Ring Clips

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Phyllis

Phyllis

I like to coordinate my table for all seasons and holiday occasions. With these easy Easter Napkin Clips, you can use any Easter or seasonal theme. They are quick and easy to make. No special skills necessary. With a glue gun in hand, you can do it! (Tacky Glue works fine, too.)

I found several cute Easter themed felt stickers made by Creatology. They had bunnies, eggs, chicks and other related Easter and Spring items. I, also, found small clothespins. The clips happened to be colored, but plain works, too.

Materials:

The felt stickers had a paper backing, but I just left it on and glued the clothespin on the back. (I may want to change them and use them in a different way at a later date.

Even if you aren’t crafty, you can do this. On a scale of 1-10, these easy napkin ring clips rank as a #1, for easy!

Use a variety of napkin ring clips for a fun, whimsical tablesetting.

Another idea….

Instead of using clothespins, make your own Easter napkin ring with ribbon and place the Easter Stickers right on them. Go to DIY Napkin Rings for complete instructions.

The bunny napkin ring clip was used in the Easter Bunny Placesetting for Kids post. You might want to check it out, too!

Thanks for stopping by,

Phyllis

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Posted in Crafts, Easter, Holidays | Tagged Bunny napkin clips, Bunny napkin holder, DIY napkin rings, Easter napkin clips, Easter Napkin Rings, Easter placesettings, easy Easter craft, Easy Easter Napkin Clips, napkin rings, napkin rings using clothespins, spring napkin ring clips, Spring Napkin Rings | 22 Comments

Spring Idea House 2014 – Part 1

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Phyllis

Phyllis

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The Spring Idea House 2014 in our area is always a treat for creative minds! There are new decorating twists and ideas to start your own creative juices flowing. This old house is redone each season by several decorators and open for tours in Spring, Fall and Christmas. I always look forward to going to be inspired! The home reflects the current trends and mixes them with vintage finds.

There are so many ideas that I will take you through separate areas of the house for each post. This is Part 1!

The first part is the porch entrance. As you walk in there is an old rustic table set in turquoise and greens.

Notice the cute bird cages on the table and the turquoise trivets used as coasters…..

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I noticed that they used floral foam wrapped in a sheet of artificial moss. Vials are filled with astromeria and stuck into the floral foam along with rocks and an artificial bird. OK! I can do that! I knew I had most of the supplies at home.

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Here is my version although I didn’t use the vials, but just stuck the artificial greens right into the floral foam.

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Here’s my version on my table. I loved the narrow centerpiece as my table is long and narrow!

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On their table, they used a simple idea of brown paper wrapped around a napkin attached by a pin and used as place cards.

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This display was on a side table of the porch. The candles are wrapped in an artificial palm leaf. They used artificial Boxwood balls throughout the house on candle holders, in cages, window boxes, and hanging from lights.

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A salvaged window is hung as art with metal butterflies added as an accent.

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Interesting spring window box inside the porch.

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Did you find some spring inspiration for your home?

What was your favorite detail in the Spring Idea House – Part 1?

I’ll continue with Part 2 – the Dining Room and Kitchen – in another post!

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Thanks for stopping by,

Phyllis

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Posted in Decor, Easter | Tagged bird cage, bird nest arrangements, birdcage arrangements, green and turquoise decorating, idea house, spring arrangements, spring decorating, Spring decorating ideas, spring Idea house 2014, spring table decorating, spring tablescapes, Tablesettings, vintage decor for spring, vintage items, vintage windows | 23 Comments

Easter Cross Puzzle Piece Craft

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Phyllis

Phyllis

The real reason for celebrating Easter often gets lost with the bunnies, eggs, chicks and Easter baskets. I’m not against all those fun things, however, let’s get across the real message of Easter, too. This Easter Cross Puzzle Piece Craft is an easy reminder of what Easter is really about. This craft is simple enough to use for kids’ Sunday School classes, Wednesday church activities or just for a special craft at home.

The materials used are inexpensive and easy to come by simply using mis-matched puzzle pieces. Planning ahead involves spray painting the puzzle pieces. Depending on the size of the cross, plan on about 25 pieces per cross.

Materials:

2 sticks per person

I used craft sticks that I had on hand. They were 8 inches long. I cut the horizontal stick to 5 inches.) Crafts sticks may or may not be painted. Popsicle sticks work, too! If you are doing this cross on just a piece of paper, no sticks are needed!

Small Puzzle Pieces and spray paint (Yellow)

Step 1

Glue sticks together to form a cross.

Step 2

Glue puzzle pieces on the vertical stick.

Step 3

Add puzzle pieces to the horizontal stick and repeat so that each area has double pieces. Try to use the border pieces with a straight edge on each of the ends as the final piece.

Glue onto a piece of cardstock and add the words. (Print the words out on computer, cut and add.)

Talk about how God loved us so much that He gave His son to die as a payment for our sin. We have the gift of salvation by accepting what Jesus did for us and living for Him! It is not a “puzzle”, it is a gift!

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. Whoever believes in Him, has life everlasting!

Display the Easter Cross Puzzle Piece Craft to remind you of the free gift of salvation that Jesus offers to us!

Happy Easter!

Phyllis

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Posted in Crafts, Easter | Tagged Cross Craft, Easter Craft, Easter Craft for Kids, Easter Cross craft, Easter Cross Puzzle Piece Craft, Puzzle Craft, Puzzle Cross, Puzzle Piece Craft, Sunday School Craft, Using puzzle pieces | 8 Comments

Easter Bunny Placesetting for Kids

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Phyllis

Phyllis

What child wouldn’t be delighted with this Easter Bunny Placesetting ? It is so quick and easy to do, too! The ears are wearable and the face is edible,! Watch their face as they sit up at the table to this cute Easter bunny placesetting!

Materials:

Bunny ears – found at Dollar Stores or Target

Dessert Size Plate (preferably white)

Candy:

Black licorice Crows

Black licorice rope

Strawberry Starburst

Place the dessert plate over the ears and add the face……

Two black crow candies are the eyes.

One strawberry Starburst, pressed into a circle, is the nose.

Cut the licorice rope into very thin small strips. They don’t bend easily so place in the microwave for about 10 seconds to make them soft and pliable. Now curl, bend, and cut into desired lengths and shapes for the mouth.

That’s it! Now you have a cute Easter Bunny Placesetting for a special child (children?).

How many young kids will be at your Easter table?

Check out the cute Easter bunny napkin ring clip.

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Thanks!

Phyllis

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Posted in Easter, Holidays | Tagged Bunny placesetting for Easter, Bunny Plate, Bunny tablesetting for Kids, Easter, Easter Bunny, Easter ideas, Easter placesetting for kids, Easter tablesetting for kids, Placesettings for Kids, Rabbit | 16 Comments

DIY Spring Centerpiece

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Phyllis

Phyllis

I didn’t have the right vase or pot, but wanted to make a DIY Spring Centerpiece! I had some burlap on hand so decided to use it instead of going out to find the right vase. It was more cost friendly anyway!

I started by cutting a square piece of floral foam around 3″ by 3″. Vary this size if you want to make it larger. I , also, had some artificial greens on hand with different textures and shades of color. OK, now to put it together.

Materials……

Floral foam

Variety of artificial greens

Burlap

Bird or butterfly (optional)

I just started cutting and poking the greens into the floral foam. Vary the heights of tall, medium and short. Start with the tall, add some medium and finish with short around the edges. Add a little bird, if you wish.

When it was full enough, I cut a large square of burlap. (enough to fold up and gather together ) From a larger piece of burlap, I pulled two strings to use as ties.

Place the floral foam base into a plastic bag. This will keep the floral foam from sifting through the burlap and making a mess.

This DIY Spring Centerpiece was quick, easy, and very inexpensive. When you see the cost of floral arrangements, it certainly saves money to make your own. Doesn’t it?

I needed a little touch of Spring on my side table. Quite a difference from the white snow background outside! Spring is sure slow to come this year!

Try making your own DIY Spring Centerpiece. Make it any size to use as a centerpiece on your table or as an accent anywhere you need a touch of Spring!

If you make it larger, add a flat weight of some sort under the floral foam. Another idea is to add some small rocks or kitty litter inside the baggie to keep it anchored down. Finish off with the burlap covering it all.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Happy Spring!

Phyllis

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Posted in Crafts, Decor | Tagged centerpiece, Centerpiece with bird, Centerpiece with burlap, DIY, DIY Crafts, DIY Spring Centerpiece, Green centerpiece, quick Spring Centerpiece, Spring, Spring Centerpiece | 19 Comments

Spring Tablesetting with Birds

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Phyllis

Phyllis

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So tired of winter that I needed a taste of Spring. To me, the sound of Spring is when the birds are singing again. This “Spring Tablesetting with Birds” accentuates the greens of Spring and displays a few of my birds. I’ve used some of my green depression glass pieces along with vintage water glasses.

This little bird I found at Michael’s on sale for $1.00! Couldn’t pass them up! I just simply placed the birds on the napkins.

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This one is from mainland China – a souvenir from a trip some years ago.

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I have a passion for hummingbirds. With feeders around in my gardens, they are active all summer. If I don’t have my feeders out before they return, they come to my window and just look at me to let me know they’re here! Can’t wait until they return! Meanwhile, I have this hand carved piece to remind me of them!

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Just another little bird that I liked…..

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Whatever collections you have, incorporate them into your tablescapes or tablesettings to make it interesting.

One fact about the color green, almost any shade works with another. Look at creation with all the shades of green!

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Thanks for stopping by! Hope I have inspired you with my Spring Tablesetting with birds!

Now, if Spring would only hurry up and get here!

Phyllis

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Posted in Decor | Tagged birds, Decorating a Spring Table, Depression Glass Tablesetting, Green Tablescape, Green Tablesetting, Spring Centerpieces, Spring Table, Spring Tablescape, Spring Tablesetting, Table settings, Tablescape with Birds, Using Birds in a Tablesetting | 33 Comments

Easter Story Cookies – Resurrection Rolls

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Phyllis

Phyllis

Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus and God’s plan for our salavation. Telling the story to children with these “Easter Story Cookies”, is a hands-on devotional that makes it meaningful for them. I’ve included a second idea of Resurrection Rolls, too.

These Easter Story Cookies are to be made the night before Easter. Through the making of the cookies, the Easter story is told along with the reading of the corresponding scripture passages.

Ingredients:

1 c. whole pecans

Zipper Baggie

Wooden spoon

1 tsp vinegar

3 egg whites

Pinch of salt

1 c. sugar

Tape

Bible

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. This is very important. Don’t wait until you are half done with the recipe!

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let the children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the roman soldiers. Read John 19: 1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 teaspoon vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 10: 28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life in order to give us life. Read John 10: 10-11

Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23: 27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing……

Add 1 cup of sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because he loves us. he wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalms 34: 8 and John 3: 16.

Beat the egg white mixture with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain the the color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1: 18 and John 3: 1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto baking stone. (or use a baking sheet with parchment paper) Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. Read Matthew 27:: 57-60.

Place in oven, close the door, and turn the oven off! Give each child a piece of tape and seal the door. Read Matthew 27: 65-66.

Go to bed!

Explain that they may feel said to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were sad when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! on the first Easter, Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9

Resurrection Rolls

Ingredients:

8 large marshmallows

4 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. Cinnamon mixed with 3 Tbsp sugar

1 can of refrigerated crescent rolls

Lay the eight triangle rolls out.

In three separate bowls, place the marshmallows, melted butter and cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Dip a marshmallow in the butter and then roll in the cinnamon/sugar.

Place the marshmallow in the center of the crescent dough and fold around the marshmallow leaving no open spaces. Pinch together the edges tightly.

Put the roll into a slightly greased muffin tin.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 min.

Crescent rolls should be lightly browned.

Cool!

When you open the roll, the middle is empty.

Talk about how they discovered the empty tomb on Easter morning. Jesus is Risen!

Both the Easter Story Cookies and Resurrection Rolls will remind kids of the true meaning of Easter!

Happy Easter!

He is Risen!

Phyllis

This post is linked to the following sites…..

Posted in Easter, Holidays | Tagged Easter, Easter Activities for Kids, Easter devotional, Easter devotional for kids, easter devotional. Easter devotions for young familiies, Easter object lesson, Easter project, Easter Story Cookies, Kid's Easter devotional, Resurrection Rolls, the Easter Story | 31 Comments

Chihuly Exhibit in Arizona

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Phyllis

Phyllis

I am diverting from my usual posts to show some amazing designs at the Chihuly Exhibit in the Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens. We took a warm respite and traveled to Arizona and visited the Chihuly Exhibit while there. The glass designs were lit at night, but they were just as beautiful during the day against the textures and beauty of the desert plantings.

There is a permanent Chihuly exhibit in Seattle so if you’re there, take it in! It is quite amazing what he does with glass! Go to his site to learn more about Chihuly.

Here are some memories….. Remember, each design is all blown glass!

At night, it looked like this….

More designs!

There was a gift shop with a display of his beautiful bowls for sale. Notice the price on the one bowl. Needless to say, I didn’t go home with one! Here are two of my favorites…..

More photos of the garden pieces……

On this next picture, the exhibit that was up on the mountain shows, too! Tell me how they got it there in one piece!

Do you have a favorite so far?

This would make quite a Christmas tree! WOW!

This kind of “snake” I don’t mind!

The grand finale!

At night……

I didn’t include all my pictures, but wanted to give you a taste of how beautiful it was. This was held in February 2014 for 10 days at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, Arizona.

When we arrived back home, it was zero degrees! Quite a shock! Looking forward to Spring!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Which one was your favorite?

I always appreciate you taking the time to stop by!

Phyllis

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Posted in Misc., Uncategorized | Tagged blown glass art, Chihuly, Chihuly at Desert Botanical Gardens, Chihuly Exhibit, Chihuly Exhibit in Arizona, Chilhuly in Arizona, glass artist | 18 Comments

Easy Cheesy Potatoes – “Shreds”

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Phyllis

Phyllis

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In my book, when you serve ham, you’ve got to have cheesy potatoes to go with it! They just naturally go together! The easiest and best cheesy potatoes are called “Shreds”! They take hardly any time to put together and taste fantastic! I’ll give you a couple of versions of them and you can choose which you think is best! I use the first one more often.

Both kids and adults are crazy for these potatoes! Don’t plan on lots of left-overs!

Easy Cheesy Potatoes – “Shreds”

Recipe Type: Side Dish for Breakfast, Brunch, or Dinner

Cuisine: American

Author: unknown

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour 15 mins

Serves: 12

Easy and Cheesy!

Ingredients

2 packages of 28-30 oz. frozen hash browns
2-3 cups of shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup of grated swiss cheese
2 pints of heavy whipping cream
2 small chopped onions – sautéed
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Place 1/2 layer of hash browns in a 9×13 pan. (This looks like it won’t fit, but it cooks down.)
Sprinkle onions over the layer and 1/2 of the cheese
Repeat the same with the second layer.
Pour cream over the top covering all areas.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 60 min. until hot and bubbly in the middle

For making a smaller batch, just use 1 package of shredded potatoes, 1 cup of cheese, and 1 pint of cream.

For an even cheesier version…..

32 oz. bag of frozen shredded hash browns – thawed

2 cups of shredded or grated mozzarella cheese

2 cups of grated Cheddar cheese

1 cup of grated Swiss

1 pint of whipping cream or half and half

Onion

Salt and Pepper

Combine and place in 9 x 13 pan and bake uncovered for 1 1/2 hrs at 325 degrees.

Both versions are delicious!

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If you serve ham with the Best Cheesy Potatoes – “Shreds”, check out the “Juicy Ham Every Time” post!

YUM!

Enjoy!

Phyllis

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This post is linked to the following sites…..

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Posted in Recipes, Side Dish | Tagged Cheese Potato recipe, Easter potatoes, Easy Cheesy Potatoes, Easy potatoes, Easy Scalloped Potatoes, easy shreds, holiday recipes, potato bake, potato dish, potato dishes, Potato Recipe, potatoes, Potatoes with Cheese, Potatoes with whipping cream, Shred with Cheese, Shredded Potatoes with Cheese, Shreds | 32 Comments

Juicy Ham Every Time!

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Phyllis

Phyllis

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Are you tired of serving dry ham? Here’s the answer for a Juicy Ham Every Time!

A friend gave me this hint and it results in a Juicy Ham Every Time! I will never ever again cook a ham without doing it this way. Talk about moist! All the juices are retained and the flavor and texture are fabulous. Try it and you won’t go back to your old ways!

No need to buy an expensive ham. I buy the cheapest ham on sale and it turns out so juicy every time! Here’s the secret….

Print
Yum
Juicy Ham Every Time!

Ingredients
1 Ham - don't buy a spiral, but any other ham will do!
1 can Sprite (12 oz.)
1 oven cooking bag
Instructions
Place ham inside the cooking bag, but don't pierce the bag!!!
Place bag with ham inside a large baking pan. (I line it with foil for easy clean up)
Pour Sprite inside the bag.
Seal bag as directed and put on a low rack of the oven so that inflated bag will not touch a heating unit.
Bake as directed for the size of ham.
Remove and serve.
Note: Bag will inflate like a balloon so don't be alarmed. It will work as long as it doesn't touch a heating unit.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes
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https://grandparentsplus.com/juicy-ham-every-time/

Click on the “YUM” button to save to your recipe box.

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That’s it! Think you can handle that?

I’ll admit that I was a bit skeptical until I tried it. Now, I know it is the best way to have a Juicy Ham Every Time!

Simply place the ham in the cooking bag, but don’t cut the slits on top!

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Now, pour the can of Sprite inside the bag. Seal the bag tight and bake according to the weight.

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Out will come the tenderest, moistest (is that a word?), ham you have ever tasted. No more dry meat!

Well, that’s the method passed on to me by a friend. I am passing it on to you! Try it and you will say,

“That’s the best way to cook a ham!”

You’ll have Juicy Ham Every Time!

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Whether for Easter or any other gathering, you’ll always want to have a “Juicy Ham Every Time”!

Enjoy!

Phyllis

By the way, along with the juicy ham, you’ll want to serve the best cheesy potatoes called “Shreds”. Check out my post for another easy, delicious recipe!

You might want to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future posts.

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Posted in Easter, Holidays, Recipes | Tagged baked ham, Best Ham, Cooking a Ham, Delicious Ham, Easter Ham, Ham in a cooking bag, Ham Recipe, ham recipes, holiday ham recipe, holiday recipes, how to cook a ham, How to have a juicy ham, how to make a juicy ham, Juicy Ham, Juicy Ham Every Time, recipes | 85 Comments

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Happy Easter!

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Happy Spring!

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Ingredients:

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Resurrection Rolls

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YUM!

Enjoy!

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“That’s the best way to cook a ham!”

You’ll have Juicy Ham Every Time!

Enjoy!

Phyllis

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