Spotted Canary Blog

A long time ago, Christmas trees were decorated on Christmas Eve. The magic of Christmas morning was seeing the tree glimmering with lights and décor. Most of the ornaments were handmade and passed down from generation to generation. Looking at my tree this holiday season, I see ornaments that have been in my family for many years.

Velvet balls hang low to the floor, each decorated with vintage trims and jewelry pieces that one cannot find in stores. They were created by my Grandmother. She was very ill when she made these and didn’t live much longer. These were strung across my playpen to entertain me as she and my mom crafted away. Every year when I place them on the tree I think of her and how beautiful these ornaments are. She loved to make things as much as I do.

Like many of you, I have ornaments made by my children -- reindeer made from toilet paper tubes and bells made from egg cartons. Each one hangs on the tree with a date and a name to identify the wee crafter. As I hang these little ornaments, they remind me how quickly my children have grown. It seems like only yesterday they came home from school bursting with pride to show the ornament they had made for our tree. Time goes so fast.

I have dozen of ornaments crafted by my mom and her friends. Hand-chalked Joan Walsh Anglund figurines that I can remember watching the ladies create at one of their craft gatherings. Little sewn mice that my mom decided to create because she loved the ones a friend brought her from England. There are nutshell babies and clothespin soldiers covered in felt, ice cream cones with tissue flavors, and wheat woven stars hanging on my tree. Each ornament holds treasured memories from my own childhood.

With all these memories flooding my head, it made me want to have my own ornaments to pass on to my children. Each holiday we create an ornament and make it together. When that box is unpacked and opened, I see my own children elbowing each other out of the way to unwrap and hang their creations. These ornaments are more valuable than any of the store-bought ones.

Enjoy a few ideas to create dazzling ornaments with your family.

You will be amazed at how little they cost and that most of the supplies you probably have already.


Sugarplums:
You will need glue, spice gum drops, and Styrofoam balls. Adhere all the spice candy around the ball and use a pipe cleaner for a hanger. This is a heavy ornament for your tree. Start with small Styrofoam balls. With any extra spice gum drops left over, string them with fishing line to create a sugary sweet garland. This décor is so cute on a little dollar store Christmas tree. Think about a kitchen tree created with sweets. I found the spice gum drops in the candy area of the dollar store. That was a bonus in my budget!

Button and Pasta Snowflakes:
Head to your kitchen cabinets for Popsicle sticks and pasta, gather buttons from the junk drawer, and you are ready to create unique snowflakes. Criss-cross your Popsicle sticks to create the base for your snowflakes and allow them to dry. Glue buttons or pasta to cover the Popsicle sticks. Use colorful buttons with children. The primary colors look amazing on a white Christmas tree. You can find buttons in containers or plastic bags in craft stores for under $5 usually. Bring in your 40% off coupon for additional savings. I am sure everyone will be delighted to lick all those Popsicles for this craft, but you can purchase Popsicle sticks at craft stores. They are generally found in the wood section of the craft store and are inexpensive. If you glue pasta to your Popsicle stick, then spray paint the craft once it is dry with metallic paint. Use colors of coral for a themed holiday ocean tree.

or

Newspaper Snowflakes:
With the cardboard from a cereal box and the Sunday newspaper, you can create ornaments that look like they are from a very long time ago. If you love the vintage look, cover a cardboard with newspaper and cut out your snowflake shape. Add clear glitter to the newspaper and decorate the ornament by rolling additional newspaper or adding greenery. These will glimmer once the lights shine on them.

Cookie Cutter Animals:
Use your cookie cutters to trace shapes on cardboard (cereal boxes or shoe boxes). Add glitter and you have created a magical world of lovely creatures. Embellish each one if you would like or leave them plain. For the young or old, this is a craft that it simple yet dazzling. Think about using silhouette photos of each family member. Cut them from the cardboard and glitter the silhouettes. It will be an ornament treasure every year.

or

or

Each of these homemade ornament ideas do not cost much to create, but the memories created by making these together are priceless.

Happy Holidays!

~Kara (Studio Pink)

On my side of the family, the talk of Turkey dinner usually begins about three weeks before the holiday. We start discussing who will be traveling home to my parents (I have two older brothers and an older sister – all with families), who is bringing what food, and what board games will be played in the evenings while everyone is together. Thus being said, I have yet to host the meal at my house and I have never even attempted to cook my own bird! In my mind, that’s always been my mom’s job! I’m sure the “baton” will be passed to me when my mother becomes unable to continue the tradition, but again, in my mind, I can’t ever see that happening!

On my husband’s side of the family, the Thanksgiving holiday depends on where they are at in the process of harvesting of their crops. The decision is usually made at the last minute about when it will be or even if we are getting together to celebrate the day. There have been many years where my husband’s parents celebrate with his brother’s wife and her side of the family, so my family of five generally spends Thanksgiving with my parents and siblings.

No matter where I go, whether it’s my to my parents or to the farm with my husband’s side of the family, I always like to take a token of thanks to give to the host. After all, I am not the one who has to slave in the kitchen all day cooking for a truckload of people! My favorite gift is a bottle of wine with a “designer” label . Each year, I make a different one, and for my family, it usually has something to do with a past memory and is accepted with a roar of laughter. This year, I have done a wine/wine charm combo, conservative in nature so that I can share the idea with all of you. Crazy inside jokes make my labels fun, but probably wouldn’t have the same effect on those reading my post! I added a combination of beaded wine charms this year for wine glasses and for the neck of the bottle. They are easy to do and add a little pizazz to the gift. I also decorated a small box to store the charms in when they are not in use. For the label, I used earth tone paper with inked edges, rub-ons for the title and borders, and fall themed cut outs for embellishments. The beading of the charms actually took the most time, but I love the way they turned out and what they bring to the look.

Thanksgiving is the time when we can go out of our way to do something extra for the people closest to us in our lives. My mom and my mother-in-law help me so much throughout the year that it makes my heart happy to give them little pieces of my creativity whenever I can to express my thanks. This holiday, which revolves around thanks and being thankful, is the perfect time to show them just how much I appreciate them by bringing something to their table. Hopefully sharing a small group of projects with all of you will inspire you to take something to your dinner host this year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Karen (Kabby )

It finally happened! Yea! Last week I tuned into one of the more tolerable local radio stations and heard the silvery sound of jingle bells ringing. Oh the excitement that ran through me was immeasurable and I giggled with delight. You see, it’s usually about July when I start dialing up the “Holiday Happiness” playlist on my iPod. I crave the swishing and swooshing of winter songs when its 105 degrees outside. The dream of snow and frosty window panes seem to make the long, sweaty months of summer more tolerable. And it’s usually about Halloween when my family slips into a holiday-tune-induced coma and starts to remove all musical devices from within my reach. But I digress.

So one day as I was fa-la-la-la-la-ing my way around town running errands, this line caught my attention: “faithful friends who are dear us, will be near to us once more.” Now I have heard this line, sung this line and hummed this line for many a holiday season, but this year these words hold so much more meaning to me. It has been a roller coaster year in my household, and it has been a very dear group of friends who have helped me survive the ride.

Don’t get me wrong, my extended family has been great and I wouldn’t want to replace them (ok, maybe just a few of them … but that’s a discussion for another day) it’s just that these comrades of mine have blessed my life without being bound by DNA. They have supported and comforted me without any familial obligation. It has been purely out of love. Well that and maybe the possibility of being left my stash of scrapbooking supplies upon my demise  ; ).

I am thankful for the friend who was at my front door within minutes of hearing “there’s a snake in my house” on the other end of the line and who, unbeknownst to me at the time, hates snakes almost as much I do but was willing to risk life and limb to remove what I am sure was a ten-foot venomous python from my hallway.

I am thankful for the friend who patiently talks me out of the fetal position on my closet floor when I have overwhelmed myself by saying “yes” to too many commitments. She listens through the sobs and always points me to the light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel.

I am thankful for the friend who loves to sing show tunes with me and who will actually save the silly song messages I leave her so she can replay them over the Blue-tooth feature in her car. If you’ve heard me sing, you’d know what kind of devotion that is!

I am thankful for the friend who built a wooden box for my family and me to bury our sixteen-year old cat in; a friend who grieved right along with us because he had known the cat for as many years too.

And I am so very thankful for these friends who have, since my husband was laid off, calmly spent months reassuring me that all be well. They were right. It has been ok, but only because of their confidence and positive perspective.

So at this time of thanksgiving and gathering, I thought of a super way to celebrate these cherished friends. Invite them over and feed them! Feed them something apropos for the occasion; something soothing and heartening. Soup of course! And if that soup just happens to use up the leftover turkey, all the better.



My inspiration for this “Souper Supper Celebration” was a leaf. I envisioned the buffet area decoratively sprinkled with colorful foliage. But since real leaves were out of the question due to my fear of a bug infestation and, more significantly, the lack of supply, I decided to make my own. And after a few hours of DVR’d TV shows, I had traced, cut and inked my way to a pile large enough for a small gerbil to jump into. Here is the result.



Next, I selected a leaf from the pile and created the invitation. Elements were kept simple and easy to reproduce assembly line style so that with enough bribery and guilt even my 15-year old son could help.





The favor idea stemmed from the nature of the party itself. If the soups are yummy enough, people will want to know how to make them. So to save myself the embarrassment of taking two long months to finally e-mail everyone, I decided to make these recipe matchbooks.





And since people will probably appreciate knowing what they are eating, I crafted these soup ID cards. There are two versions. I love the formality of the framed one and that the frame can be used over and over.





The silverware wrap is a quick and painless project but has a lot of wow factor. Again, something that with the right amount of bribery and guilt can be done my son.



Lastly to tie everything together, and to catch spills, I made this table runner. It’s based on an idea I saw in a magazine a little while ago and is basically craft paper cut down to size and punched along the edges. Easy application, but requires hand protection and a couple of pain reliever tablets the next day. Trust me.



I hope you will take the opportunity to express your gratitude for those who love you without obligation and that in some small way the ideas above will inspire you. Whether that inspiration translates into a full-fledge party or into a simple penned note, may those you treasure know of your thanksgiving. And may your turkey leftovers be translated into many yummy and varied dishes and be finished by Sunday’s lunch. 

~ Elizabeth (ekb)
 

Are you looking for an easy handmade gift this holiday season? Why not try using old belts found in your closet to create stunning bracelets. Thrift stores and garage sales are great places to discover inexpensive leather belts. Also, asking neighbors, family members, or church groups to look in their closets for belts they no longer use can be helpful in your search.
 

 
Belts are the perfect base for a cuff style bracelet. Leather can be pricey. From one belt you can make up to 3 - 4 bracelets. Look for leather belts where the leather hasn’t been pressed together in layers. This type of belt will peel apart once it is cut. If you should bring one of these types of belts home by accident, don’t fret. Add a little glue carefully around the cut edge to prevent it from peeling apart.

You will need a few tools when working with leather. Most of these may already be in your supply bin:

• Craft Knife
• Ruler
• Cutting Mat
• Old Leather Belts
• Pliers
• Leather Needle ($1.99)
• Upholstery Thread ($3.50)
• Leather Snaps (Kit $7.00 - used my 40% off coupon)
• Leather Punch (used a heavy duty scrapbooking punch I had at home)

I did purchase a leather needle, but I could have used my paper piercer from my scrapbooking supplies to make holes in the leather for the thread. The only item I found necessary to buy was the thread. It was a wax covered thread in the leather area at the craft store. I also found something similar in the upholstery section of the craft store. When you are creating something wearable, a strong thread is important. I once had a winter coat that had metal buttons on it. The buttons would wear the thread until it would break, and I would lose one of the coat’s buttons. Once I found upholstery thread, the issue was solved and I never lost buttons again.
 
My friend, Aubri, created these gorgeous leather cuff bracelets. They were the first ones I had ever seen with crocheted flowers on them. She used scraps of leather and cut the bands to the size she desired. I love how she created a fastener on her bracelets. She uses buttons and elastic to create closures. With this clever method you wouldn’t need the leather punch tool. Aubri has such a neat collection of vintage buttons found on her pieces. She mixes crocheted flowers with silk ones and sometimes adds gorgeous pieces of ribbon to her bracelets. You will also notice that she stamps into the leather on her pieces to create designs. The leather section in the craft store carries embossing stamps for leather. You may also use a wood burning kit to add your own design, or you can paint on the leather with fabric paint.
 

 
Please read more money saving tips on Aubri’s blog, “Posh on a Budget,” 
She has more fabulous bracelets to view on her blog. Enjoy the inspiration!

 
Traveling to Silverbella had me even more excited about creating my own bracelets from belts. I purchased this stunning bracelet. It was created from a belt and had a rhinestone belt buckle slide on it. The vendor who created this masterpiece added a snap to the leather belt. Once I bought this piece, I was inspired to create my own for girlfriend gifts.
 

 
On the first one I created, I kept the buckle intact and punched a hole in the leather once I had it sized for a wrist. I added an additional punched hole in the leather close to the belt loop and tied ribbon and lace through the holes. The icing on the cake for this bracelet was the old earring placed on the knot of the ribbon.

 
My next creation was a button bracelet. Each button is stitched to the bracelet with upholstery thread. I didn’t want the knots to show or be uncomfortable for the wearer, so I added a piece of felt cut with pinking shears. Then, the snap was added. When working with leather, you need to use a leather snap tool. The sewing snap tool will not work. The leather is much thicker than fabric.
 

 
If you need a gift for a girlfriend, sister, or even a mother, think handmade. These bracelets are fun to create, take little time, and few supplies. I am sure you will see your creations worn over and over again. Spruce up your own wardrobe, or fashion a gift for others this season by recycling belts and adding personal bling to create wearable art!

Happy Creating this holiday season!

~Kara (Studio Pink)

Well, I couldn’t avoid it any longer. It was time to buy a new pair of black dress pants. No longer was my deep knee bend trick working and with tears in my eyes, whether from the thought of losing an old trusty friend or from the waistband’s vice-like grip, I came to the realization that my favorite pair of black slacks had to be retired.

For me, as I am sure for a lot of you out there, finding a pair of pants is pretty much the equivalent to a horror film. You know full well going into it what the plot will be. It’s a standard formula. But still, at the first sight of the crazed villain standing behind the unsuspecting teenager yakking on the phone, you jump out of your seat and scream. Such is the way when trying to find pants that fit. You know going into the dressing room that it will be a frightful experience. But still, at the first sight of yourself in the mirror, you get startled and scream.

So a few Saturdays ago I mustered up enough courage to go to my local department store in search of a new pair of black dress pants. It was terrifying. I screamed. I jumped. I cried. And after forty-five minutes of unyielding torture, I escaped from the dressing room, a passable pair of slacks tucked under my arm, and made a B-line to the checkout lane hyperventilating the entire way.

As I stood in line, with my blood shot eyes and runny nose (side note: I do think department stores should provide complimentary tissues, eye drops and paper bags in the dressing rooms), and waited to pay for the last forty-five minutes of humiliation, I spied the “impulse-buy-for-charity” rack. It was packed with stuffed toys and a matching book whose story involved a boy, a round-eared rodent and a circular baked good. My mood suddenly changed as I remembered the happy times spent reading this particular selection to my son. My eyes were suddenly less puffy, my nose a lot less wet and my breathing a bit more regular.

I drove home for once not agonizing over the adjustment in pants size I just had to make. Rather I thought about how engaging that story was; how much fun it was to turn each page and discover what and where the mouse would go next. He did, after all, lead that boy on quite the adventure. And so an idea for this blog post formed in my head. How about telling you a story? An adventure story. The tale (pun intended) of a CAT's (Creative Artist Team member) quest to create the holiday hostess and party favor gifts she had listed in last week’s blog. Well, here it is and I hope you enjoy it.

If You Give a CAT a Holiday Hostess and Party Favor Theme

If you give a CAT a holiday hostess and party favor theme, she’ll brainstorm some ideas and list them on last week’s Party Time Blog entry.

When she realizes a week has passed since the last blog entry was posted, she’ll panic and start putting the ideas into action.

When the CAT digs into her stash of to-be-used supplies, she’ll get overwhelmed and head to the pantry for a cookie.

When she’s finished with the cookie, she’ll go back to work cutting and punching parchment paper to eventually craft this pocket full of tags. The tags are all personalized with the hostess’ name and will be a wonderful way for her to add a special touch to her holiday gifts. 







When the CAT has cleaned up all the punched parchment paper dots, she’ll realize she’s late to a church meeting and will speed off in a cloud of smoke and burnt rubber fumes.

When she gets to church, she’ll find a fabulous alternative to her dinner-in-a-box idea. One of her uber crafty friends (that’s you Miss Paula) will have put together a dinner-in-a-drink-carrier gift and she’ll immediately start rethinking her original plan.

So on her way home, the CAT will pull into the drive-thru of her favorite beverage stop and order up two super large drinks. Two because she needs both a valid reason for her drink carrier request and additional caffeine to keep her crafting well into the wee hours of the morning (no pun intended).

When she gets home, she’ll start feverishly cutting and punching paper and here’s the result. A simply decorated cardboard carrier chock full of delicious free time for a well deserving holiday hostess.







And after the CAT’s day of crafting, she’ll probably want to crawl into bed for a few hours of sleep, but instead, she’ll notice that the baseboards need cleaning and get carried away wiping them all down until the sun comes up.

When the baseboards are dusted, she’ll go back to her desk and start cutting and punching again and by the time the morning talk shows are over, she’ll have completed an embellished treat box. Any hostess would love receiving this box full of goodies that she can enjoy all by herself.





Once the treat box is done the CAT’s stomach begins to grumble and she’ll decide that the box (and her tummy) would be better off filled with yummy confections. With a quick look in the mirror to make sure she is fully dressed, she’ll hop in her car and race off to her favorite store (the one with a big red bulls eye) to buy what she needs to make a batch or two of pretzel hugs.

When she gets back home, she’ll make a batch or two of pretzel hugs and in an effort to take her impatient mind off of throwing open the freezer door and inhaling the twisty treats before they are fully set up, she’ll go back to work cutting and punching paper.

And when the CAT finally hears the timer’s announcement that the pretzel hugs are ready, she will have finished this quick and easy decorated picture frame, a perfect thank-you favor for party guests.


 
When she’s done cleaning up after the frame project, the CAT will probably be thirsty and will go back to the kitchen to find something to drink. Her exploration will lead her to discover a lone package of hot chocolate mix with marshmallows. The thought of the warm, creamy liquid will spur another party favor idea, and she will stumble back to her desk to eagerly start cutting and punching paper again.

So by the time the CAT’s child drags himself in from school she’ll have this festive jar ready to fill with homemade cocoa mix. Her guests will be able to relax at home over a hot cup of chocolate and reminisce of the fun and frivolity shared at the annual holiday party.






 
And once the last hostess and party favor gift has been created, the CAT will realize she hasn’t slept in a long time and will probably want to take a nap. But not before she has returned to the pantry for one last cookie.

The end : ).

~ Elizabeth (ekb)

Call them what you want, bazaars, holiday shops, shows or fairs, the end of October and most of November is the time of year in our city for local crafters to gather in school gymnasiums or church hallways to display and sell their wonderful creations. When I was very young, my mom was part of a crafter’s club, and every fall they would put on a “boutique” in our house, open to the public. That was back in the early ‘70’s when the fashion was polyester one-piece suits and silk neck scarves. I recall sitting on the landing of our stairway, watching the “customers” filing in and noting the lovely outfits (and footwear) that paraded through our home! For as long as I can remember in my childhood, craft fairs have existed – usually for four solid Saturdays every fall.

For me, one of the most attractive parts of attending the shows is to be overwhelmed by inspiration. It’s like being wrapped in a warm, fuzzy, snuggly blanket with the security of being in a place of comfort and shared interests. It’s amazing how many ah- ha moments one can have while walking from table to table. The ideas flow through my brain, and I usually keep a mini notebook in my pocket to write down anything overly unique that I want to remember. I try to never replicate someone’s ideas, but at times, it is fun to work out something new with pieces and parts of different crafts I’ve come across.

My mom and I eventually got involved as vendors in the craft shows, and participated for three or four years after I moved back to my hometown and got married. We haven’t done any since, and I’m not really sure why we quit. My guess is because my life got busier with having three children, my time for crafting became very limited. This year, however, I decided to “buy” a space at the craft show that is sponsored by the PTA at my kid’s school. I have been working since mid-September on many different items to sell - decorative frames, a variety of notebooks, beaded bracelets, key chains, and watches, and cute night lights. This weekend is the big event, and I wish I could say I feel like I am ready! Is a creative crafter ever truly ready for a craft sale? My biggest problem is turning off my mind to additional projects that I would like to make to include on my table.

Because I am so inspired by others at these fairs, I thought I would use my blog this week to showcase some of the projects I have made, and hopefully give everyone reading it the sense of inspiration that you may have gotten by being there in person. I encourage you to visit the craft events in your area to find more tangible inspiration around you – if you’ve never been, you’ll be amazed at the feeling you have after attending!

Happy Fall, and Happy Craft-Fairing!!

 
Cruising down the aisles in my local Veterans Thrift Store, I always see pretty plates, saucers, tea cups, and glasses. Many times there may only be one plate or one tea cup and not a complete set. Each of the shiny glassware is marked 49 cents to 98 cents. Such a bargain for a crafter!

It seems to me that the holiday season is when I:

• bake more,
• entertain more,
• and probably eat more.
• I like to display pretty cookies or finger sandwiches.

Why not use discarded, but once loved, tableware and give it a new life?

There is something comforting about knowing that the plate or cup found in the thrift store once belonged to someone and was used for their special occasions.

• Select plates, bowls, candle holders, saucers, bud vases, and glasses that you are drawn to.
• Stack them to create cookie displays, cake stands, or pastry trays.
• Add battery operated tea lights inside a few of the glass pieces and watch your table display glow. 
• One can even add cardstock borders around the plates to give them a more Victorian look or to tie a color theme to the table. A border paper punch works well for this.

Rub-ons used with glassware are a match made in heaven. The rub-ons apply to the glass and give it instant art that looks like watercolors. No drying time is required with this project.

 You may not be able to eat on the plate after the rub-ons are applied but it becomes instant wall art. You may even choose to adhere the glassware to a bookend. Place a matching teacup and you have instant kitchen chic bookends  for all those cookbooks.

After attending Junk Bonanza, I saw many artists combining glass pieces to create unique garden art. They would use a bud vase turned upside down as the project’s base. A dowel rod would fit into the bud vase and go into the flower garden ground. A variety of glassware would be used to create the rest of the sculpture. Plates work well for holding bird seed, and small candle holders will allow your garden art to glow at night. Create this piece of art as a Christmas gift for those who are hard to buy for. It will glimmer in the sunlight all year long.

If you are attracted to dinnerware, colorful glass, and old teacups like I am, get crafty and combine pieces you love into works of art. Be amazed at what you can create with very little money needed.

~Kara (Studio Pink)

 As soon as I turn the calendar to November, my anxiety begins. I am thinking about all the things that I need to get accomplished in the next 55 days. Between now and Christmas, my plate is so full and my budget is stretched to the max.

This season is going to be different. I am going to be organized and more in control of my spending and my savings.

• Read on to learn a few tips for putting the “turkey on the table” while leaving “the bacon in your wallet.”
• Also learn ways to organize your holiday shopping so that you spend less and save more. This is the time to prepare for the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.
• Join me in my search for effective organization.
• Please share your tips in the comment section. I am sure I could learn a lot from each of you.
  

If you are in charge of the Thanksgiving feast, then it is very important to start with a menu.

• I write a Thanksgiving menu and keep it in an inexpensive school binder.
• I place the menu, the grocery list, and the recipes all in the binder in page protectors.
• I even have a page that lists what other family members brought to the occasion.
• I use this book each year as a reference point for preparing the meal.
• Having the grocery list written in the order of my coupon file helps me start saving coupons from my local newspaper months before the event. Between the coupons and the local ads, my savings really add up. It takes $20 to $30 off each year’s bill.

I know it may sound corny, but coupons will save you money. However, organizing those tiny, clipped pieces of paper can be a nightmare. I found a coupon organizer at the dollar store. I covered it with Thanksgiving looking patterned paper and embellishments. The bright colors of the organizer will help me find it buried in the abyss of my purse.

The coupon holder was already labeled for me. The front compartment says, “Today’s Shopping.” I found this to be a clever idea for pulling the coupons to the front to match your grocery list. I often get to the grocery store carrying my coupons for that trip only and then realize I am out of something else and my coupon is at home. This coupon organizer always has you prepared for the current grocery trip, but it also always contains the rest of your coupons just in case they’re needed.

Some of the other categories in the coupon holder are:

• Baking Products
• Beverages and Snacks
• Canned Goods
• Dairy Products
• Frozen Foods
• Meats
• Paper Goods
• Snacks

It your coupon holder isn’t alphabetized, I strongly recommend that you alphabetize it. It will make finding and filing your coupons a breeze. Another tip I mentioned above is to create a shopping list that matches your coupon holder’s sequence. It will not only save you time in the store but will also save you nice, cold cash.

If you don’t want to spend the dough on buying a coupon organizer, make your own. Simply glue envelopes together and bind them with a scrap of patterned paper. Make an envelope for each category.

Hosting Thanksgiving dinner can be costly, but by creating menus, shopping lists, and asking guests to bring a little something, you will save tons in the long run.

Not only am I preparing for a Thanksgiving feast, I also am preparing for “Black Friday.” I need to save as much as I can this season. Organization is the key.

I found this spiral notebook for 50 cents in the clearance section of a discount store. I was looking for a notebook that was small enough to fit inside my purse. I covered it with patterned paper. I even cut a hole in the cover to make a window so the double-sided patterned paper would show through the hole. I added a few embellishments but kept it simple because it needed to fit inside my purse.

This notebook will get me ready for the holiday season.

I divided the note book into four categories….Gifts, Wishes, Sizes, and Other.

The Gift Section is where I list everyone I need to buy for this season. I write what I bought for them and how much I spent. It is important to assign a dollar amount so you are aware of your predetermined budget. I jot down ideas I have for each person and highlight them in yellow when their gifts have been purchased. My husband and I sit down at dinner to determine our budget for each person, and we brainstorm gift ideas. Thus, when the Sunday ads come out, I know what I am looking for and not over-paying.

The Wishes Section is for my children’s wishes. I compose a nice list that I can share with family members. I can also record decorating items I would like to purchase and wait for the sales.

The Size Section is crucial for me to be able to buy for my husband, nieces, and nephews. I can’t remember, and those sizes seem to change each year. The older the kids get, the more interested they are in clothes, so the correct size is paramount.

The Other Section is where I record my “to-do” list. Everything from Christmas card addressing to cookies to bake goes in this hodgepodge area. I use it as a reference book and save it for the next year so I can see what I spent and what I bought.

I also created a pocket by wrapping my patterned paper around my book and gluing it only on three sides. This pocket is for all those discount cards sent in the mail and found in magazines. I have everything from 40% off at Justice to $10 Kohl’s Cash in it.

This little book makes Christmas shopping a little easier. It definitely keeps me focused on what I need to get. I put less impulse buys in my cart, and I don’t overbuy for anyone because I know what I have for each person.

If you’re worried about this little book getting torn up or “discovered” in your purse, I must say mine has never been found. The trick is to use a make-up bag in which to keep your pencil, highlighter, and notebook. It keeps the tools together without spoiling the surprises of the season.

Here’s to great organization and to a successful shopping season.

~Kara (Studio Pink)

TIME. For such a modest word in length, it holds such a vast reservoir of possibilities. Each day break brings the promise of twenty-four hours of pure potential. Twenty-four hours with which to accomplish an entire to-do list. To make meaningful connections with family and friends. To solve and rectify worldly wrong doings. Um, whose reality is that? Certainly not mine. In my household, the word TIME on any given day has the potential for being equal to a four-letter expletive. And I am certain there will come a point when my head will actually explode on the gazillionth occasion of my saying “It’s time to leave. Right now”.
 
The reality of TIME for me is that there just doesn’t seem to be enough of it. Especially for sleep. And for exercise. Oh, and most importantly, for staying away from the leftover Halloween candy. At the end of the day I’m not left with a list of accomplished to-do entries, or even for that matter with a finished coherent thought. Instead I’m left standing in the bathroom, washing the chaos off my face, asking myself repeatedly “where did that day go?”
 
But wait, it gets worse. The reality of TIME during the holiday season is that there just doesn’t seem to be enough of it EXPONENTIALLY. It’s that TIME of year when my desire for a twenty-six hour day turns into a desperate need for a twenty-eight hour day. And because Father Time is not willing to grant me my wish, I find myself at Sonic making multiple trips down the Route 44 caffeinated highway.
 
 

So over the course of my, ahem, short period as an adult, I’ve come to this conclusion; every hour during the holiday season is precious, a treasure not to be given away with reckless abandon. That said, I’ve also concluded that any amount of TIME someone else shares with my family and I during these crazy weeks, needs to be recognized for its priceless value.
 
I want to say thanks to the room mom who has been so busy making thirty felt hand puppets for the class party that her family has had to eat fast-food for the last three weeks. I also want to somehow show my appreciation to my cousin for his hospitality over the Thanksgiving break and, more importantly, for inviting my family back even though we left his place looking like a war-torn village. And I want to give the guests of my annual holiday social a token of my gratitude for coming to my home, which was frankly the kick-in-the-pants I needed to clean the gunk off the top of my fridge. Seriously, there are no words to express that kind of thanks.
 
Recognition can come in many physical forms. There are flowers. There are reindeer sweatshirts with battery operated noses. But quite honestly, I think the best gift ever, second to chocolate of course, would be MORE TIME. Yes, I know what you’re asking. If I give someone TIME for TIME, isn’t that technically re-gifting? Um, ok maybe. But I’m not going to tell.
 
Now, before I run off to Costco to buy a six-pack of atomic wall clocks (hey, that’s TIME, isn’t it?), I think I will consider some more fitting ideas; ideas which are in essence the gift of FREE TIME to participate in other activities, for instance (number one on my list) taking a nap. Plus I’d like to have a list that speaks more to my creative soul rather than my inherent yearning to purchase things in bulk. Here are the results of my random brainstorming.
 
For the Hostess:

• Dinner in a basket. Could be all frozen items or all pantry items. Could also be as simple as a store cooked chicken with salad mix and bread. Any way it’s done, it’s still one meal she doesn’t have to think about or spend hours preparing.
• Gift certificate for maid services. This idea speaks for itself. I hope my husband is reading this post : ).
• Handmade thank you cards with printed return address labels and stamps. With these items all gathered in one spot, the TIME it takes to complete the task is cut in half.
• Baked goodies or candies. When I bake goodies, the first thing out of my son’s mouth is, “is it staying or going?” More than likely all the baked goods the hostess slaved over have been devoured. Leave her and her family with something just for themselves. No sharing required. 
  

For the Party Guest:

• Mix master. Combine dry ingredients for a basic baking mix in containers and hand out with recipe cards complete with multiple ways to use it. Here’s a link to a recipe and variations, plus a picture of all of the ingredients needed that I already had in my pantry. Woo hoo!

 

• Holiday CD. Locate and collect holiday music favorites. No more hitting the seek button on the car radio trying to find just the right mood music.
• Embellished photo frame or 4x6 slip-in-album. Take photos of party guests during the festivities, including group shots of families, and print while everyone is still there. Add photos to frames or albums and guests will leave with a fabulous and completed memento of the occasion.

Tune in next week for some more random brainstorming on ways to wrap and package these above mentioned gifts of TIME. Here’s a peek at what I’m starting out with. Wish me luck. Oh, and enough TIME in the day to get it all done ; ).
 
  

~Elizabeth (ekb)

As I looked at my calendar the other day and saw that October is practically over, I realized that I should start thinking about my Christmas cards! I kick myself every year for not thinking of them in July so they would be done and ready to go by the end of November, but I’m certain that will never happen – at least while I still have children at home! I have decided to share a fun, yet simple way to get multiple cards done in a very short amount of time in order to have them ready for Christmas.
 
 

I made many cards to try and come up with the design that was easiest for me to reproduce. I also was trying not to include a ton of tools so that it wouldn’t have so many steps in order to complete one card. The tool I used the most for this specific card was my paper trimmer. There was a lot of cutting, but once that was done, the card went together very smoothly. I used a scalloped punch to add interest to edges, and incorporated rubber stamps for the sentiments. I am one who has no problem saying “Merry Christmas,” but I know that there is a big debate over whether that is socially acceptable in today’s times; therefore, I have included examples showing other sentiments so that they represent all angles! I used ribbon to give the cards a little sparkle, and ink to adorn the edges. Those are the only materials used. By all means, feel free to scraplift my design example and incorporate more embellishments or other elements for the sentiment.
 
 

The best part about creating cards that are all designed the same is that you can use whatever paper you have on hand. It doesn’t require having to go out and purchase multiple pieces of the same patterned paper in order to complete the cards. The patterns don’t even have to be Christmas oriented – just in the color scheme you are trying to achieve. You can also use up your scraps fairly easily in a “project” like this! Remember, everyone you send a card to will have an original, and they will never know that the other cards you’ve made and sent didn’t look exactly the same as the one they received!
 
 
 
I plan to get started very soon on my long list of Christmas Card recipients, and begin crafting my cards by mid-November. Maybe by doing the cards in a new way this year, I can get them out before December 24th!
 
Happy Card Making!!