A Sparkly Wreath

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I was inspired by the glittery garland wreaths in the Holiday issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. My version is quick, easy and afforable: $3.50, courtesy of the bargain bins at Target. $1.00 for the garland, and $2.50 for the wreath. No need for glue guns or scissors, either!

At the store, I found red and green wreaths, and silver and gold garland. Choose the combination you prefer… I liked the green and gold which incidentally are my high school colors. (Shhh… my husband thinks I have a ridiculous amount of high school pride.) Red and gold would have been nice, too, for a bit of an Asian flair.

The How-To

  1. First, the wreath will be completely packed down. You will need to “fluff” or gently pull out the branches.
  2. Find the end of your garland and keep it on the cardboard (much easier this way).
  3. Wind the garland around the wreath, in between branches.
  4. When you reach the end, just tuck the end into the wire base or around a branch. It will be secure.
  5. Hang and enjoy!

This wreath is going on my son’s bedroom door since his big sister has a wreath on hers. I might use some ribbon and hang the wreath a little lower. Did I mention, they each have their own little tabletop Christmas trees in their rooms, too?

Crafting or Cooking for a Cause

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I read this article in the paper the other day about volunteer opportunities. This immediately caught my eye:

The Northern Illinois Food Bank needs 260 handmade holiday cards to include in boxes of food sent to senior citizens in December. Contact Tia Milne at 630-443-6910, ext. 130.

And, because my cookie exchange party is just around the corner, I thought this was timely, too. Eight dozen cookies in the house… it’s easy to share.

Advocate Hospice needs holiday decorations for its centers and homemade cookies to give patients and their families.

How many of you sew? There’s a need for you, and not just around the holidays!

Assist in making bed jackets, lap blankets and other items for patients – be a L.O.V.E. volunteer.

I’d love to hear about your favorite organizations or maybe you craft or cook for a cause… more to come.

I Love Advent

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Christmas Tree in progress

Most people might say they love Christmas, and I do definitely love the holiday. But after a little thought, maybe I really enjoy Advent more with all the preparation, the anticipation, the planning… there’s so much I want to do, but have already resigned myself that some projects will be for next year. I have much to be thankful for, much I want to give to family, friends, those with needs, those less fortunate.

All month, I’ll try to share with you some thoughts and ways to give back… not that you’re already bombarded with ideas, but perhaps just some food for thought.

One of my favorite ornaments

Food and Gift Packaging

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I was super excited to get these goodies from the offices of Martha Stewart Living via Craft Critique. If you’re getting ready for the holidays and looking for ways to wrap or package your baked goods, please take a look at my review on Craft Critique! Leave a comment at their site and you just might win your own set of treat bags and boxes!

Giveaway Monday: Craft Critique and Story Time for Me

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Ten days until Thanksgiving, and amazingly, my family will be eating our traditional Turkey dinner at my brother’s new home. In the meantime, I’ve been working on some gifts inspired by these selvage edge pincushions. We’re also preparing for our annual cookie exchange which is happening in less than a month!

On more exciting levels, I have two links to share. The first is Craft Critique… it’s Martha Stewart Week. Find out about the new products and follow the executive staff this week during their crafting adventure in the Carribean with the Martha Stewart Craft Department! Win your own Martha Stewart Scoring Board by checking it out today…

Picture courtesy of craftcritique.com

My second link  I’d like to share is Story Time for Me, a very unique  literary website with interactive picture books for toddlers and elementary school-age children. We’re big readers here at home so I was excited to have an opportunity to review two books, and I decided to try it out with my four-year old.

Picture Courtesy of storytimeforme.com

The site is easy to navigate and also includes an instructional video. While exploring the available book series, I appreciated that they included appropriate age levels, running time of stories and a chance to preview the books. However, when selecting one of my free stories, I accidentally chose one thinking I might be able to “remove” it from my cart. No such luck. The story itself was good (“Ben Celebrates Chinese New Year”) but my four-year old didn’t like it as much as “Ben’s New Friend”. For him, there was actually a “laugh out loud” moment during the story. I did like that the stories had good lessons, and while the stories are read out loud, the words are highlighted (an option you can turn on and off).

For my virtual neighbors, readers, followers, and friends… I’m excited that Story Time for Me is offering a product giveaway of two complimentary multimedia storybooks for kids ages 1-8. If you’re interested, check out the Story Time for Me site and leave a comment here sharing your thoughts (I’d appreciate it if you followed along via Google or Blog Frog). Most importantly, be sure to include your info so I can send you the code you need for your two free storybooks. This offer has no expiration date at this time.

There is also a Teachers Grant Program in which the company is providing every teacher nationwide two children’s books for each of their students.

Thanks everyone, looking forward to hearing about your experience and have a great week!

Calphalon & Williams-Sonoma Video Contest

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Remember the Calphalon & Williams-Sonoma party I hosted earlier this year? There’s more…

Calphalon & Williams-Sonoma are proud to present the Easy & Elegant Brunch Video Contest!

There are 4 days left of this contest!

Submit a video answering these three questions:

1.  Why do you need Calphalon Unison cookware for the Holidays?

2.  Why are you excited to meet and cook brunch with Chef Michael Symon?

3.  What will you buy on your Williams-Sonoma shopping spree?

You could win a trip to meet, dine, and cook with Chef Michael Symon!

PLUS!  The first 150 approved videos will all win a FREE 8” Calphalon Unison Omelette Pan! (a $100 value!)

Important Dates:

November 14th:                                             Entry Period Closed

November 18th:                                             3 Finalists Announced

November 19th – 28th:                                  Public Vote

November 30th:                                             Winner Announced

For more information, or to enter, please visit http://www.facebook.com/Calphalon.

All official rules and requirements are available at the contest entry page.

One Grand Prize will be awarded:

  • Round-Trip Airfare for 2 to Cleveland, OH
  • Hotel Room for 2 Nights in Cleveland, OH
  • All Transportation Fees
  • Meet Celebrity Chef Michael Symon
  • Brunch Cooking Demonstration by Michael Symon
  • Dinner for 2 at Michael Symon’s Acclaimed Lola Restaurant
  • 1 10-piece Calphalon Unison Nonstick cookware set
  • 1 Calphalon Unison Kabob Set
  • 1 Calphalon Unison Frittata Pan Set
  • 1 Calphalon Unison Double-Burner Griddle Set
  • $500 Williams-Sonoma Shopping Spree
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