Countdown to Spring

Now that Christmas is over, do you have a big empty space on your door where your holiday wreath used to hang? Wreaths aren't just for holidays! Seasonal wreaths add a welcome touch all year, and winter wreaths with winter flowers add some greenery and cheer to a dull landscape. Use natural and artificial winter flowers and greenery. Find directions for winter wreaths projects on sites like About.com and SaveOnCrafts.

Find supplies or pre-made seasonal wreaths Joann.com and www.CreateForLess.com

If making your own seasonal wreaths isn't on the agenda, check out some gorgeous winter wreaths from Amazon, like this simple pine wreath with red berries:

Posted in: seasonal wreaths, winter flowers, winter wreaths on Thursday, February 12, 2009 at at 2:42 PM 0 comments  

There are plenty of things you can go to get started, from simple actions like walking more and turning off electronic devices to more complicated projects like changing out heating and cooling devices. If you want to be kinder to the environment and work to conserve but don't know where to start, consider the book The Complete Idiots Guide to Green Living.

And check out websites like The Daily Green, TreeHugger and The Green Guide for ideas and tips.

For gifts for yourself and others, look to environmentally conscious companies. Give a gift of a tree from Treegivers.com. Send organic flowers & gourmet gifts - from $39.95
or save 20%-50% off on eco-friendly products at Organic Style!

Check out other gift ideas from the Environmental Defense Fund - not just for the holidays, but all year long.

Posted in: conserve, go green, green, green gifts on Saturday, January 24, 2009 at at 3:41 PM 0 comments  

It's cold outside and you're stuck in the house. This is a great time to start a new hobby that will save you both money and time: make your own greeting cards! Save time throughout the year by by making handmade cards for the rest of the year. In addition to the savings, homemade cards offer a personal touch and allow you to say just what you want to.

To get started, make a list of all the cards you'll need this year. Don't forget miscellaneous categories, such as congratulations, sympathy and get well cards.

There are two ways to make homemade cards. First, you use a desktop publishing program and a color inkjet or laser printer. It's easier than you may think to create high quality cards using your own graphics or photos. Check out programs from Corel, including popular graphics software like Paint Shop Pro and CorelDRAW. They also offer PhotoImpact X3, an easy to use photo editing program that lets you create custom cards from your photos.

Another option is to make homemade cards from craft paper and embellishments. Plenty of ideas and designs are available from sites like Making-greeting-cards.com and AllCraft's card section.

Specialty paper and embellishments for homemade cards are available craft and scrapbooking stores. You can also shop from the comfort of your home, which may be less overwhelming - and warmer! Check out craft supplies from www.CreateForLess.com
, where you can find over 50,000 discount craft supplies.

www.Joann.com also offers thousands of craft supplies, many at discount prices. Save even more when you join Joann.com's FREE SHIPPING Club.

Posted in: homemade cards, making handmade cards on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at at 3:50 PM 0 comments  

It's never too early to start planning your spring garden! For inspiration and ideas, check out this Slate article on garden design basics, or browse free garden designs from Better Homes and Gardens.

If you don't already have one, create a master plan for your old or new garden. When the winter winds die down, go outside and measure your current beds and yard. Map it all out on pieces of graph paper and adhere to a poster board. Not only will this allow you to plan for the future, you'll also have a way to record plantings for future reference.

Think about what you want to plant this year. With the poor economy and the trends toward urban homesteading and self reliance, this might be a good year to plan for a vegetable garden. Get a thorough overview of planning and creating a vegetable garden from No Dig Vegetable Garden.com

Posted in: garden, gardeners, new garden, self reliance, urban homesteading on Friday, January 9, 2009 at at 3:42 PM 0 comments  

A fun project for someone who hasn't yet been bitten by the scrapbooking bug! If you've always wanted to scrapbook but never got around to it - or never wanted to scrapbook, but now wish that you'd preserved some of those memories - this is a great project. What better time than winter to snuggle up with your photos and reminisce? Just take out a few old photos each night. Let your memories flow. Think back to the days you spent as a child, or as a new parent watching your children grow. Write down memories about each photograph - what your child said, the expression on his face, the feelings that you had - as well as details about what was going on in the photo.

Keep your jottings in a simple journal, or use them as narrative in a new scrapbook! Getting started with scrapbooking can seem overwhelming, but it really doesn't have to be. Your first scrapbook can be as simple as you'd like. For tips, check out sites like About.com or Lifetips, or get a book from Amazon.

Find supplies at your local craft or art supply store. Or go online to find Scrapbooking Tools, Supplies & More all at Joann.com

Posted in: memories scrapbook, scrapbook products, scrapbook supplies on Monday, January 5, 2009 at at 3:46 PM 0 comments  

Get down on the floor and play with your kids! Children's toys like Fisher Price Little People, Playmobil characters, GI Joes and Barbie dolls are not only fun for kids to play with, they can help them to develop and learn.

Build a town from old boxes, and use crayons and paint to decorate the buildings. You can spend hours on cold wintry days with this project, and it's a great way to recycle!

Use the toys as a teaching tool.Encourage your child to tell stories about their "town." Use role-playing to teach your child how to share and get along with others. Have children sort, count and identify colors, and teach them how to spell the names of buildings and characters.

Make playtime a regular tradition, doing it on designated days of the week throughout the winter. It's a great way for both you and your kids to have fun on a stay-at-home winter day.

Posted in: kids, play, toys on Saturday, January 3, 2009 at at 5:05 PM 0 comments  

A cup of hot cocoa is a special treat on cold Winter days Go beyond the basic mixes and create some gourmet hot cocoa with recipes from FoodNetwork and AllRecipes.

This is a great time to check out post-Christmas sales! Find a great deal online, like the Back to Basics CM300BR Cocoa-Latte Hot Drink Maker and Ghirardelli Chocolate Premium Hot Cocoa Mix, Double Chocolate, 16-Ounce Tins (Pack of 4) on Amazon.

Posted in: keep warm on at at 3:56 PM 0 comments