I’ve still bee crafting! I’ve done a few that I’m not going to share until after the holidays as they will become presents, but I’m shocked at 1. How easy craft stuff is to get via Etsy now. (The supply section makes it great!) 2. How friendly people who craft are. I’ve asked a lot of questions of other crafters on Etsy and as long as you don’t want to sell their designs, most are willing to share tips and ideas. 3. I belong to Amazon prime and for selected items I ca get free shipping. I’ve been on a rotating schedule of making, selecting a new craft, ordering supplies and waiting for them to come in.

I visited Michaels today and have most of the supplies for two more crafts too!

Okay I’ve retaught myself how to crochet. I used to do it a lot. However, its been over ten years and things have changed. I now live near a very nice yarn store and going in was like visiting a candy shop. Everything was pretty and inspiring. I got some organic, hand dyed cotton yarn for my projects. It was must nicer than the stuff I used to buy at my local Wal-Mart. I love crocheting because you can throw it in a bag and do it everywhere, including while watching TV.

I made some bath scrub to use right now, while the weather is getting dry and my legs and feet are already showing it. I following this recipe: 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil and essential oil. For a brown sugar scrub, try 2 cups brown sugar, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup honey and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

I sugget adding a little more sugar until it becomes a little more “dry”. Put into ball jars and give as presents or keep for yourself!

I also made tee shirt scarves. I had no hope for this one, but others who had tried it on Pinterest seemed to like it so I gave it a shot. I visited Wal-Mart and bought two extra large men’s tee shirts. You cut the bottom hem off and set it aside. Then cut strips 1-2 inches in width, going all the way to the arms. Then, stretch the strips out. Gather them together. Use the hem that you set aside and cut it so its one long strip. Tie a knot around the other strands and then wrap it. The scarf looks cute doubled up, single, etc. These would be really fun for kids to make and can really come in any size you can find a tee shirt in!

Up next; glitter ornaments, beeswax candles and stencils ceramic ware. More posts to come! Oh and I bought the BEST glitter kit today!

Welcome back to Thanksgiving week on Red, Round, or Green! On Monday night I shared two new easy recipes that are still impressive enough to kick off your Thanksgiving meal. Tonight, it’s cold and blustery out and the first snow of the year has fallen here in Rhode Island, so naturally my thoughts have turned to comfort food. Starch and fat, people. Tonight we’re dealing with carbs and cream.

The two recipes I’m sharing here would make perfect additions to your Thanksgiving table, or to any holiday-season potlucks, buffets, or random occasions on which you’ve got to feed family and friends a delightful meal and don’t want to knock yourself out with the effort. I’ve taken two very traditional flavors of the season — pumpkin and corn — and reworked them into slightly updated versions of classic dishes that will warm everyone up from the inside out. They also have the added benefit of being far enough along on the carbs-and-cream scale that they might help induce that special Thanksgiving post-meal narcolepsy, so you can steal a few minutes of peace and quiet to relax away from the crowd.

On the Menu:

Cheddar-Sage Cornbread

Pumpkin Carbonara

Bri DeRosa likes to think of herself as a young, cool, urban fringe locavore, but the reality is, she’s just a working mom, neither quite as young nor as cool as she used to pretend to be, who’s trying to figure out how to get everybody fed. See how that’s all working out for her and her family at RedRoundOrGreen.com <http://redroundorgreen.wordpress.com/

It’s here! It’s really here!

The holiday season is upon us, as evidenced by the non-stop running of “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” on our DVD player and my kids’ endless perusal of the deluge of holiday catalogs that keep showing up in our mailbox despite my best intentions to put a stop to junk mail. P. spends most of his time these days alternating between screaming “Aaauuuggh!” as he takes a pratfall, emulating poor Charlie Brown’s ill-fated meeting with the football; and following me around the house with a toy catalog, pages open to the electric Polar Express train set, saying “Hey, Mama! I have an idea!” The sounds of the season, indeed.

But I love November. I love everything about November, from the crisp turning of the weather towards true sweater days to the heightening anticipation of all the celebrations to come. And certainly, I love the RECIPES…the food at this time of year is getting to its most indulgent. I may truly adore the peak season of summer produce, and consider that to be the best time of the year for foodies; but there’s something glorious nonetheless about the sheer hedonism of holiday food. This is one season when I truly and unabashedly allow myself to wallow in smothering the world with food as love, and don’t bother feeling guilty about it.

Tonight, I’m replacing the usual Monday Menu with a Thanksgiving Edition so I can share the love a bit. In fact, we’ll be doing a whole week of Thanksgiving recipes here on the blog, so you can look forward to a few more nights of holiday inspiration. After lots of arduous testing (cue hand to forehead here as I wearily slump against the countertops), I’ve come up with a set of fun and delicious feast items to share. We’re beginning the series with soups and starters — one of each, to be precise — and I promise you, both of these recipes are so good, you won’t want to confine them to Thanksgiving Day.

On the Menu:
Sweet Potato-Leek Soup with Pumpkin Seed Gremolata

Spiced Cranberry-Pecan Cheese Ball

Bri DeRosa likes to think of herself as a young, cool, urban fringe locavore, but the reality is, she’s just a working mom, neither quite as young nor as cool as she used to pretend to be, who’s trying to figure out how to get everybody fed. See how that’s all working out for her and her family at RedRoundOrGreen.com <http://redroundorgreen.wordpress.com/

I’ve always wanted to make my own bath products and lately I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of cool things. Some of these are old standbys for me and some are new endeavors. I wish I had thought to take pictures while I was doing these things, but I was engrossed so I’m sharing the pictures I found on various craft sites.

The first thing is something I’ve done a lot over the years. These are bath soaks and they are great for everyone, even those with jacuzzi tubs who can’t use things with bubbles, etc. They are super simple to make. Mix 1 cup epsom salts with a little food coloring. Any color will do, however, I used blue. Put in a few drops of peppermint and mix. Then form them into circular bath forms and let them dry. You have to let them dry for a WHILE. Longer than you expect. Flip them over a few times if you can. I bought the molds on Etsy but you can probably find them at a craft store as well. The more molds you have the more you can make at once. The one cup of epsom salts makes about two of the molds I have.

I also made lip gloss. This type of gloss was super easy to make and took only a few minutes. Kids would love this. Take some Vaseline or some Alba non petroleum jelly and mix it with Crystal Light or Kool-Aid packets. I bought specialty lip balm “pots” on Etsy. Not only is this fast and fun, it tastes amazing!

I did make more traditional lip balm too. I sourced everything from Etsy but now that I know what I need I could probably find things easier. You mix four tea spoons of bees wax with four table spoons of sweet almond oil (you can also use coconut oil), sprinkle in a little coco butter and melt in a double boiler. You can add some essential oils and even part of an old lipstick for color and you’re done. Pour into the container of your choice and you’re done! Again, I used lip balm containers I bought on Etsy because they sealed well and I decorated with paper tape.

I made goat’s milk soap bars and I was shocked at how easy they were. Buy the soap base online (Etsy, Amazon) or even a craft store. Melt in a double boiler, add some essential oils and food coloring and pour into molds. I used a silicone mold made for baking, but it allowed them to cool quickly and then I could pop them out really easily. I made lavender soaps (light purple) and peppermint soaps (pink) and both came out great. They are really luxurious. You can layer colors if you are more patient or even use glycerin so you have a clear base soap instead of a while base.

Finally, I made lotion bars. Again, just mix all of this in a double boiler and then pour into molds. (I really got my money’s worth out of the silicone mold I bought!). Melt a 1:1:1 ratio of vegetable shortening, canola oil and bees wax. Add essential oils and pour into molds! Super easy and really nice to use. Just rub on skin!

Since I’m giving lots of these as gifts, I bought some kraft bags with windows (like the type you get a bakery) on Etsy, added some adorable twine and tags and they are ADORABLE!

I’m normally not until little gadgets like this one, but the Dipr is so cute and imaginative that I have to include it in my holiday gift guide. The Dipr is very simple; it holds your cookie for you while you dip it. It avoid the sticky fingers, mess and its just plain fun to use. This is a great gift for anyone on your list. As a matter of fact, I gave my husband one and he was a little too thrilled about it. They are really inexpensive and come in a lot of colors. Take a peek at them here:

http://www.thedipr.com/#

Just in time for the holidays…I wanted to share this useful guide for those of us who want things to look nice, but just don’t know what tip to use (or buy!)

Have you heard of the saying, “cluttered house, cluttered mind?” It’s a metaphor that tends to ring true. The next time you walk into your bedroom, take notice of how it makes you feel. Does your heart start beating a little faster as you look at the disheveled bed and dusty dresser? Free your mind by taking control of your bedroom and you will be on the road to a better mood and quality sleep. The key is to clean as you go. Do a major weekly clean - launder sheets, vacuum or sweep the floor and dust your bedroom furniture. Then, each day, give yourself five extra minutes to tidy up your room before you leave. Five minutes to freedom. Here are some tips:

Clean Your Sheets

Once a week. Your skin sheds every day and as gravity would have it, tends to collect in your bed sheets and on your mattress. Then, in turn, little microscopic mites come and eat it up. It’s a bit of a dichotomy because the little guys are helping clean up, but then they reside in your place of slumber. The best way to keep your skin and the mites that love it off of your bed is to wash your sheets. Once a week. The Wall Street Journal recommends using the hot-water cycle on the wash machine and a hot setting on the dryer. Proper sanitation practices include using soap and hot water to kill germs. If you want to take it one step further and disinfect, try bleach.

Use Quality Linens

When was the last time you bought yourself something special? Invest in a new pair of sheets. You can find Egyptian cotton 300 or 400 thread count, which is the choice of top hotels according to goop.com, at Macys.com. If you buy some new bedding, it might be more important to you to keep smooth and tidy.

Make Your Bed

Whether you have the ultimate in bed layers or not, it can’t feel good to walk into a room with sheets strewn about. Let alone climb into an unmade bed. It’s like you never really got up. Make each day new by straightening your sheets. Say goodnight to each day and it’s contents by climbing into a smooth bed. Then do it all over again the next day. So, what does it take to make a good bed? Goop.com offers a video from The Connaught hotel in London highlighting a properly made bed. In your case, since you aren’t housekeeping at a fancy hotel, pull your fitted sheets taut at the corners and re-tuck. Pull the top sheet up to the head of the bed and fold the ends at the foot of the bed under. Take the hanging corners, raise them, fold the end corner into themselves and tuck tightly under corner of mattress. Shake duvet and flip sheet at head of bed over top of duvet. Fluff pillows and lay in front of each other at the head of the bed.

Keep your room quiet and dark when you sleep and try to get 6 to 8 hours a night. Mixing all of these elements will assist in uncluttering your life and your mind.

Looking for an amazing clutter free gift this holiday season? Looking for a way to find more time? Looking for an amazing dessert? I have the answer to all three!

Thanksgiving is around the corner and Christmas isn’t far behind! Its time to start planning (and EATING!)

The Cookie Girl offers beautifully decorated cookies that taste amazing! They are a light butter cookies with a sweet frosting. These will impress your guests for sure! Oh and they are fun for kids and adults!

Order By Dates (to receive them by holiday date):

Thanksgiving Cookies: November 15th

Christmas Cookies: December 16th

Hanukah Cookies: December 1st (if they want them for December 8th)

* All cookies are shipped via USPS Priority Mail which is guaranteed in 2-3 business days. We always assume it will take 3 days, even though most of the time it gets there in 2 days

All of their assorted holiday cookies are $30 a dozen, individually wrapped and tied with a coordinating ribbon. They can be Winter Wonderland (snow flakes, snow men, mittens), Assorted Christmas (angel, Santa face, Santa waiving, Rudolph, Christmas tree, wreath, mitten, snowman, holly, candy cane, snowflake), or Assorted Hanukkah (menorah, dreidel, Star of David, Gelt). If you would like them in a cute holiday tin, it is $36 for 1 dozen in a tin. Both boxed alone or the tins ship really well and are super cute - with a big bow. There is no extra charge to include a gift card saying who it is from.

During the Christmas season, they also do gingerbread cookies - They are AMAZING! A a tin of 9 gingerbread men is $28.50.

Another cool option is stocking stuffers and gift tags. These shapes come in snowman, angel and Santa face. They can be personalized with a fun message or names, or whatever and are $3.50 a cookie.

Why stress out over baking this holiday season when someone can do it for you? These are affordable, amazing and fun!

To order, they can call The Cookie Girl at 832-360-8101, email [email protected], www.TheCookieGirlStore.com or their Facebook page is facebook.com/TheCookieGirlStore.

Cookies are great presents - no clutter left over, and these cookies never disappoint - once you have them you are going to want more! And these make great presents for teachers, baby sitters, hostess gifts…anyone on your list that like a little yummy! These cookies are amazingly delicious. Usually cute cookies don’t taste good, but these are amazing.

As the holidays draw closer there are a lot of social events that may or may not require tipping. I thought this was a cute chart and very useful.

As promised, I have a few more crafts to share.

This one was super easy and fun….I downloaded some templates from Martha Stewart’s site..and printed them onto plastic shrinking film. (AKA Shrinky Dinks). Shockingly enough, I had the plastic film in my craft drawer from a project a long time ago in a craft land far, far away. They say that you can cut them right after you print them, but my printer ink took a long time to dry. I let them sit almost all day. I then cut, punched holes (Very important to do BEFORE you bake) and baked them.

For anyone who isn’t familiar with shrinking plastic, its almost paper like before you bake and then becomes much smaller and hard during the baking process. Its important that you can see them while they are baking. They will curl up and then flatten out. When they flatten out they are done. Every oven is different so they don’t give you a set time and temperature for the process. I flattened them with a spatula once they were out and then let them cool. Add key rings or ribbon and you’re done! These would also make great gift tags!

Something else I’ve done is to replace the sea glass and shells out of my table centerpiece. I couldn’t figure out what to do with it for fall so I tried a bit of everything. I put some kraft paper on the bottom, added some candy corn, ghost Peeps, mini pumpkins and pine cones and voila, instant (and yummy) centerpiece. The only thing I’m not thrilled about is the fact that I will have to rebuy the pieces every year if I want to recreate this.

I will post more about some of my crafts again soon!