Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa semi-belatedly! And a fabulous New Years Eve to all! Yeah yeah, I wasn't able to squeeze in all ten gifts before the celebration of gift-giving officially ended, but in my eyes it's STILL the holidays and it's never to early to plan for next year!
And speaking of next year, here's a good idea: start a holiday journal! My mom started one a billion years ago (I kid, mom)...but really, it was before my time I think (thirty long long years ago). Anyway, each year she started with Thanksgiving and worked her way through the holidays, describing events, meals, Christmassy outings, gifts, etc.
But Katie, I'm like twenty years into my marriage, what's the point of keeping track now?
A holiday journal is a pretty snazzy thing to pass down from generation to generation, I say! Just think of the time capsule-esque capabilities! "Wow, look here, in Christmas of 1994, you got all sorts of Magic the Gathering stuff...where did all that end up?!" It's always fun to remember what kinds of gifts people asked for, what sorts of odd phases they were into over the years. It's also fun to look back and laugh about the things that went wrong! Like when the family hamster escaped into the crawl space and died, but no one noticed the smell until Christmas morning when dad forgot that he had hid mom's new blender in there.
But Katie, I don't want to stop at just a holiday journal! What more can I do?!
I'm glad you asked! This year my sister undertook QUITE the endeavor for one of her boyfriend's Christmas gifts. She kept a relationship journal all year long, documenting their dates and various day-to-day moments. They started dating in September of 2008, so the entirety of 2009 was the majority of their relationship. So basically a sort of Year One memory log. Indeed, as I said, quite the endeavor. But maybe kind of a fun idea for those of you who love to write. It doesn't even have to be an every day journal, but just important dates and memorable moments. Like when he surprised you with a love note on page 189 of the medical text book that put you guys in the poor house. Or when she decoupaged a nightstand with Hitchcock posters for your birthday. The receiver of this relationship journal will get to look back on all that fun stuff and ways in which he or she really made you happy. On the other hand, you could also use the journal to discuss times when perhaps you got into an argument over where to keep the paper towel roll, but you solved the issue in a loving and appropriate manner. When you write about problems, it provides a constructive place to hash them out and often gives you more incentive to solve them too. Obviously you may not want to bash your wife on paper and then give it to her on an anniversary, but if you're constructive and positive and discuss how you solved the issue in the aforementioned loving and appropriate manner, it'll be a great tool to use for the future. Orrrrr maybe it'll just rip open old wounds, I don't know, I'm not a psychologist. Just write some stuff down, be funny, be cool, be generous with your kind words, and be grateful for the great moments you share.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Holiday Gift #8: Rad home stuff
Just when you thought it was over, I thought I'd throw more DIY craftiness at you! This time it's personalized and creative stuff for the home, like coasters, for example. Take a look at the particularly lovely situation going on at stylemepretty.com.
Plain white square ceramic tiles from somewhere like Home Depot or HOBO are super cheap. Obviously by now you're a decoupage pro, so you can make these bad boys way cool in no time at all.
And speaking of being a decoupage pro, maybe you should considering making a set of artistic glass plates! Ok it sounds sorta doilyesque, but imagine how awesome it would be to have a set of personalized skull and crossbone plates?!
Here's a pretty easy tutorial on how to really tackle this project. All you're really doing is gluing some sort of image to the back of a plate, followed by a few steps to protect it. Plain glass plates can be found in all sorts of places like craft stores, Target, and even the Dollar Store, but save-on-crafts.com is a good spot to buy in bulk. Get funky and purchase some cheap vinyl albums from Goodwill, scan in the covers, print out the images, and get your decoupage on. You've got yourself a set of Pink Floyd plates, who knew that was possible?!
How about magnets? Fun magnets can be created with pretty much anything...
and everything...
Grab an object and slap a magnet to the back. You are done my friend. But to get a little more doily about it,
check out this lovely tutorial.
This kind of stuff is like my porn, I'm telling you. So, ironically, once the holidays are over, I'd love to take a few of these projects by storm, at which point, I will pass along my own personal tips and results! I know, you're all so freaking excited, I can feel it through the binary code flowing through my fingers.
Plain white square ceramic tiles from somewhere like Home Depot or HOBO are super cheap. Obviously by now you're a decoupage pro, so you can make these bad boys way cool in no time at all.
And speaking of being a decoupage pro, maybe you should considering making a set of artistic glass plates! Ok it sounds sorta doilyesque, but imagine how awesome it would be to have a set of personalized skull and crossbone plates?!
Here's a pretty easy tutorial on how to really tackle this project. All you're really doing is gluing some sort of image to the back of a plate, followed by a few steps to protect it. Plain glass plates can be found in all sorts of places like craft stores, Target, and even the Dollar Store, but save-on-crafts.com is a good spot to buy in bulk. Get funky and purchase some cheap vinyl albums from Goodwill, scan in the covers, print out the images, and get your decoupage on. You've got yourself a set of Pink Floyd plates, who knew that was possible?!
How about magnets? Fun magnets can be created with pretty much anything...
and everything...
Grab an object and slap a magnet to the back. You are done my friend. But to get a little more doily about it,
check out this lovely tutorial.
This kind of stuff is like my porn, I'm telling you. So, ironically, once the holidays are over, I'd love to take a few of these projects by storm, at which point, I will pass along my own personal tips and results! I know, you're all so freaking excited, I can feel it through the binary code flowing through my fingers.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Holiday Gift #7: Wallet Full of Goodies!
Completely disregarding your sense of morality, imagine finding--and keeping--an average person's lost wallet or pocketbook. Now imagine the contents of said wallet or pocketbook and what types of things might reside inside, things that would be fun to use. Gather all this information and turn it into the coolest gift ever!
Purchase a cheap wallet or pocketbook. Fill it with all kinds of gift cards and cash, maybe a receipt for a lovely Gap sweater that's hiding in the closet, anything papery and worth a little something. Done. While seemingly expensive, this gift doesn't have to be. Goodwill works well to locate the container of choice. And as for the gift cards, think about the aforementioned average person who has like $4.58 left on his Starbucks card. Or what about a restaurant.com certificate...$25 for only $2 on 80% off days! Perhaps your local city has cheap, or even pay-what-you-want shows. Here in Milwaukee, we have a couple venues that offer $10 tickets for up-and-coming bands and artists. (Be the coolest person on your block and Facebook about seeing the latest rad indie band that came into town.) You could throw in a check that hasn't been cashed that just so happens to be written out to the giftee from the gifter. Maybe toss in a couple sticks of gum.
This type of gift spans all kinds of relationships too. You could do something like this with a purse for a bachelorette gift (omg just think of the naughty possibilities), or even a baby shower gift (throw in a pacifier and some Ibuprofen). You could place the wallet on a park bench real quick before your husband passes by. If your wife gets off on shoplifting, perhaps you should place this the purse amongst the other purses at a nearby mall. All kinds of totally legal adventures await you with this fun holiday gift!
Purchase a cheap wallet or pocketbook. Fill it with all kinds of gift cards and cash, maybe a receipt for a lovely Gap sweater that's hiding in the closet, anything papery and worth a little something. Done. While seemingly expensive, this gift doesn't have to be. Goodwill works well to locate the container of choice. And as for the gift cards, think about the aforementioned average person who has like $4.58 left on his Starbucks card. Or what about a restaurant.com certificate...$25 for only $2 on 80% off days! Perhaps your local city has cheap, or even pay-what-you-want shows. Here in Milwaukee, we have a couple venues that offer $10 tickets for up-and-coming bands and artists. (Be the coolest person on your block and Facebook about seeing the latest rad indie band that came into town.) You could throw in a check that hasn't been cashed that just so happens to be written out to the giftee from the gifter. Maybe toss in a couple sticks of gum.
This type of gift spans all kinds of relationships too. You could do something like this with a purse for a bachelorette gift (omg just think of the naughty possibilities), or even a baby shower gift (throw in a pacifier and some Ibuprofen). You could place the wallet on a park bench real quick before your husband passes by. If your wife gets off on shoplifting, perhaps you should place this the purse amongst the other purses at a nearby mall. All kinds of totally legal adventures await you with this fun holiday gift!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Holiday Gift #6: Planner/Calender
He'll never forget your anniversary again with this exciting gift! Ok a planner and/or calender isn't the awesomest gift ever, but as with virtually all of my suggestions thus far, when you make it your own, you make it awesome. Several years ago, I got extra crafty and made a little desk calendar for my boyfriend at the time. I bought some mini monthly calendar sheets at the scrapbook store, but you could clearly just print out some free ones, like here or here. For each month, I kinda scrapbooked it up and made it look fun. Then I put little bubble stickers on all of the important dates, with a corresponding note about what day it was, near the bottom of the calender page. Mine looked kinda like this:
...except more dude-friendly. On the one hand, my ex-boyfriend always forgot my birthday and this may or may not have been my special way of reminding him. On the other hand, it really was a thoughtful gift and I figured it would be handy. Now perhaps he did NOT put it on his desk and perhaps we broke up a couple months after I gave it to him. Don't let this deter you from what I think is a sweet little idea. Don't let the craftiness deter you either...you really don't have to get all crafty at all. You could spend some hard earned cash and get some sassy photos taken and create your own pin-up calender! Ooooh! Or just throw together some pictures of your kids and get a nice cheap Walgreens Calender...wait a minute, starting at $19.99??? What a rip! Let's go back to the craftiness for a sec:
1. Cut some cardboard into 12 even sizes.
2. Punch two holes at the top of each piece.
3. Get yourself two metal binder rings.
4. Find some old photos, magazine clipping, pages out of a novel, see decoupage, and glue them, along with your printed months, to the cardboard.
5. Thread the binder rings through the holes at the top.
Omg, so freaking easy and would NOT cost you $19.99.
Anyway, once again, dig deep for that creativity that is seriously waiting to burst out of your body, I'm telling you!
...except more dude-friendly. On the one hand, my ex-boyfriend always forgot my birthday and this may or may not have been my special way of reminding him. On the other hand, it really was a thoughtful gift and I figured it would be handy. Now perhaps he did NOT put it on his desk and perhaps we broke up a couple months after I gave it to him. Don't let this deter you from what I think is a sweet little idea. Don't let the craftiness deter you either...you really don't have to get all crafty at all. You could spend some hard earned cash and get some sassy photos taken and create your own pin-up calender! Ooooh! Or just throw together some pictures of your kids and get a nice cheap Walgreens Calender...wait a minute, starting at $19.99??? What a rip! Let's go back to the craftiness for a sec:
1. Cut some cardboard into 12 even sizes.
2. Punch two holes at the top of each piece.
3. Get yourself two metal binder rings.
4. Find some old photos, magazine clipping, pages out of a novel, see decoupage, and glue them, along with your printed months, to the cardboard.
5. Thread the binder rings through the holes at the top.
Omg, so freaking easy and would NOT cost you $19.99.
Anyway, once again, dig deep for that creativity that is seriously waiting to burst out of your body, I'm telling you!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Holiday Gift #5: Scavenger Hunt
This holiday season is probably pretty tight for virtually everyone. Perhaps you feel really bad about getting your boyfriend a pair of boxers, a mix cd, and that's about it. Well it's time to turn this seemingly ho hum gift pack into a crazy little adventure!
We've definitely arrived at the "five golden rings" portion of our list because this one is truly tops. You can get as simple as you want or seriously blow it out the box with this gift. Last year I put together a little hunt for my sister's new boyfriend and it included cheese and some lip balm! And a friend of mine just put a hunt together for his girlfriend that included a walk through the gorgeous Christmas lights display in the neighborhood park and drinks 23 floors up overlooking the city.
Either way, as cliché as it sounds, it's definitely the thought that counts and any time you have to think up clever clues, c'mon that's a whole lotta thought right?! And the clues are key. Reach way down deep on this one and get your creativity on. Stay local but slightly bizarre and hide clues in places according to your girlfriend's bathroom routine. Branch out but stay classic and leave clues at all your favorite bars and restaurants. What do I always say people? All together now! "The possibilities are endless!"
So you get the picture. Obviously scavenger hunts work year round, for any occasion, for no occasion at all, and for absolutely anyone from your 3 year old niece to your 83 year old grandpa. I honestly think we don't have enough scavenger hunts in our lives, so let's all get on this thing!
We've definitely arrived at the "five golden rings" portion of our list because this one is truly tops. You can get as simple as you want or seriously blow it out the box with this gift. Last year I put together a little hunt for my sister's new boyfriend and it included cheese and some lip balm! And a friend of mine just put a hunt together for his girlfriend that included a walk through the gorgeous Christmas lights display in the neighborhood park and drinks 23 floors up overlooking the city.
Either way, as cliché as it sounds, it's definitely the thought that counts and any time you have to think up clever clues, c'mon that's a whole lotta thought right?! And the clues are key. Reach way down deep on this one and get your creativity on. Stay local but slightly bizarre and hide clues in places according to your girlfriend's bathroom routine. Branch out but stay classic and leave clues at all your favorite bars and restaurants. What do I always say people? All together now! "The possibilities are endless!"
So you get the picture. Obviously scavenger hunts work year round, for any occasion, for no occasion at all, and for absolutely anyone from your 3 year old niece to your 83 year old grandpa. I honestly think we don't have enough scavenger hunts in our lives, so let's all get on this thing!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Holiday Gift #4: Blurb
"What will your book be?" Blurb is a sweet little site where you can create sweet little bookstore-quality books of your own. It takes scrapbooking and photo albums to a whole new level. You can use their BookSmart® software, or your own fave designing program from which you simply upload a pdf. Long gone are the days of paying millions for a wedding album. Long gone are the days of shoving 4x6 glossies into plastic sleeves. You can use your own creativity to make a gift even more unique and personal.
But I don't take photos...I just write short stories and poems.
They print those too!
This sounds crazy expensive!
Not necessarily. The aforementioned strictly B/W text book at 20-40 page, softcover, 5"x8" book costs a mere $4.95. And a 7"x7" softcover photo book is just $12.95. It's really pretty comparable to buying a book in a bookstore, only it's a book YOU FREAKING MADE YOURSELF!!!
A photo album is practically instantaneous. I'll have to wait like two months for my book to print.
Nope, 7-10 biz days.
Omg but Christmas is like TOMORROW!! I don't have time for this!!
Oh you'll MAKE time. Pull an all-nighter, pay the pretty high shipping costs, and order your book tomorrow and you'll get it by Christmas Eve!
No, but seriously just think of the possibilities! Make a family cookbook complete with recipes and photos! Scan in your kids' drawings and keep them forever in one fabulous place! Put together a sappy story of your relationship and be sure to include "Will You Marry Me?" on the last page!
Seriously...endless. I've been eyeing up Blurb for quite some time now. I could do anything, I have so many super rad ideas! But I'm sure my first stab at it will commence the addiction.
Even after Christmas is long over, keep this one in your back pocket. It'll be absolutely perfect for those far-too-frequent moments where you sigh and shrug: "What the heck am I going to get YOU this year?!"
As Blurb so rightly states:
Best. Gift. Ever.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Holiday Gift #3: Cake Cookies Yum!
After last week's slightly complex gift (but no really, it's easy!), I give you the easiest cookie recipe of all time.
Cake Cookies
1 box cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 c. veggie oil
Roll the dough into golf sized balls.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Done and done.
[Check at 8 and see how the bottoms are doing. If they are a golden brown, take them out! Then transfer them off of the baking sheet as soon as you can. You'll get a perfectly chewy cookie every time. Leave them in too long and they'll be good, but nowhere near the cakey consistency you really love.]
My own experience with this recipe started with Lemon Cake Cookies.
So I used lemon cake mix, but also added some lemon zest and juice 'cuz I'm fancy like that. I rolled the balls in some powdered sugar pre-baking, and dusted the cookies with more powdered sugar post-baking.
I took these cookies to an even greater level when I made a batch of Big Fat Faux'reos.
I used a dark chocolate cake mix and then whipped together the following Faux'reo Filling:
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 c. Crisco
2 c. confectioners’ sugar
2 tsps vanilla extract
Beat the butter and shortening on low.
Gradually adding the sugar and vanilla.
Switch on over to high and beat for a couple minutes until frosting is fluffy and scrumptious.
Even if you don't have a piping bag thing, I spooned the frosting into a large ziplock, cut off the bottom tip, and piped the dreamy and delicious cream onto the cookies that way.
Seriously, these are like Double Stuf Oreos to the max.
So yep! The possibilities are endless! Chocolate cake cookies with peanut butter chips. Red velvet cake cookies with white chocolate chips. Get crazy and add a can of pumpkin puree to a box of spice cake mix and throw in a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg! Not only are these cheap (sometimes cake mix is a dollar, c'mon!), talk about your easy way out of Christmas cookies this year. I mean EVERYONE makes those peanut butter cookies with the Hershey kiss on top. Snore!
Cake Cookies
1 box cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 c. veggie oil
Roll the dough into golf sized balls.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Done and done.
[Check at 8 and see how the bottoms are doing. If they are a golden brown, take them out! Then transfer them off of the baking sheet as soon as you can. You'll get a perfectly chewy cookie every time. Leave them in too long and they'll be good, but nowhere near the cakey consistency you really love.]
My own experience with this recipe started with Lemon Cake Cookies.
So I used lemon cake mix, but also added some lemon zest and juice 'cuz I'm fancy like that. I rolled the balls in some powdered sugar pre-baking, and dusted the cookies with more powdered sugar post-baking.
I took these cookies to an even greater level when I made a batch of Big Fat Faux'reos.
I used a dark chocolate cake mix and then whipped together the following Faux'reo Filling:
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 c. Crisco
2 c. confectioners’ sugar
2 tsps vanilla extract
Beat the butter and shortening on low.
Gradually adding the sugar and vanilla.
Switch on over to high and beat for a couple minutes until frosting is fluffy and scrumptious.
Even if you don't have a piping bag thing, I spooned the frosting into a large ziplock, cut off the bottom tip, and piped the dreamy and delicious cream onto the cookies that way.
Seriously, these are like Double Stuf Oreos to the max.
So yep! The possibilities are endless! Chocolate cake cookies with peanut butter chips. Red velvet cake cookies with white chocolate chips. Get crazy and add a can of pumpkin puree to a box of spice cake mix and throw in a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg! Not only are these cheap (sometimes cake mix is a dollar, c'mon!), talk about your easy way out of Christmas cookies this year. I mean EVERYONE makes those peanut butter cookies with the Hershey kiss on top. Snore!
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