DIY Cooking at Home

Give the gift of comfort with a cozy pillow you hand make from an old sweater. (Goodwill and other thrift stores are great resources for these.) Super easy to do...just get a nice pillow form so the comfort of the sweater isn't wasted on a knobby, misshapen one you get for cheap. You could attach felt flowers (like the ones I shared with you here ), or even a lapel pin. Centsational Girl has some inspiring pictures of her version and full instructions on her blog. I guess this is the last Monday before Christmas so this also wraps up the Craft of the Weeks dedicated to holiday giving. Hope you were able to get some good ideas!

...I'm sharing two new recipes with you today that are fun for kids on a cold day. If you're having a holiday party this year, you might consider serving one of these for the kiddos while the adults have their cocktails. We've tried both and loved 'em! Hot Vanilla from Family Fun Magazine (pictured above) Candy Cane Milk from Parents Magazine

You may have a holiday party or two to attend in the next couple of weeks...or maybe you already went and showed up empty-handed. Here are some handpicked hostess gifts that go beyond the ubiquitous bottle of wine. Show up with one of these, or send one along post-party with a thank you note, and you're sure to be invited next year! Keep in mind that many of these shops have "Gifts Under $25" collections, so if you don't find what you want here, browse a bit more. And finally, do yourself a favor and stock up! I made sure to include really reasonably-priced things so you can buy in multiples and not break the bank. Haitian Spirit Recycled Steel Ornaments --The Hunger Site Store (every purchase from this site helps fight hunger) Sassari Napkin Rings --Crate and Barrel Wine Cork Candles --Vat 19 (I know I've handpicked these before...I think they're that cool.) Owl Salt and Pepper Shakers --Pier 1 (they have lots of other cute sets, too) Set of Kitchen Towel

Saw this craft in Woman's Day and loved it! The mark of a good gift idea, in my opinion, is if I want to make one for myself, too. So since I've been wanting a chic tray for dropping our keys, spare change and cell phones, I think I'll just make one using this technique, and while I'm at, make a few more to give away.

I struggle with Christmas decorations each year. The images of beautifully decorated trees and living spaces around blogland and on Pinterest are just amazing and may I say, I'm a bit jealous. I always seem to run out of time and then can't make our interior look as festive as I'd like with the hodge-podge of stuff I've collected over the years. This is saying nothing of the exterior of our house, which only has a sad, solo spotlight on a red-berry wreath. Nothing to write home about. One of my issues is that my favorite colors are blue and green, so I find it hard to make it look Chrismas-y enough without the festivity of red. But this year, I used a lot of white and that seems to help. You may remember our DIY picture ledge from earlier posts...well, the picture above just shows how I put some white poinsettia garland on it, and hung some DIY stars. Here's a closeup of the stars. Guess what they're made out of? (Drumroll, please.) Toilet paper tubes!

Here it is...this week's DIY holiday gift idea brought to you by Two Girls Being Crafty . I've seen tutorials like this before, but was inspired by this one in particular because of the patterns they chose. I love that you can customize this gift for each recipient and just crank 'em out for a bunch of people. Make them out of maps, scrapbooking paper in the recipient's favorite colors, wrapping paper, color plates or photos from an old art book, playbills from favorite shows...the possibilities are endless.

Looking for ways to enjoy the Christmas season with your kids? I never seem to have a problem coming up with ideas, but it always seems we run short on time to fit it all in. So we started a new tradition this year: the Christmas Jar. I cleaned out an old olive jar and removed the label, tied a red ribbon around it, and cut up slips of scrapbooking paper on which to write activities. I let the girls draw a slip of paper from the jar on the mornings when I know we can devote some time to something fun and Christmas-y. I don't strive to fill each day with something, because sometimes we're busy enough with just regular tasks and appointments. So the night before, I stategically select 3 or 4 things I know we can accomplish. That way, whatever they pick will fit into our day instead of the other way around. This also lets me take into consideration things like weather. Anyway, here are the ideas I used: Have hot chocolate Take a drive to see Christmas lights Buy candy cane