Sugared Cranberies

Ingredients

Sugar

Water

Whole cranberries, washed

   
Instructions
Make simple syrup by combining equal amounts of sugar and water in a saucepan and bringing it to a boil while stirring and dissolving all the sugar, and then let it cool. You will need enough syrup to cover the amount of cranberries you want to sugar (i.e., if you have 2 cups of cranberries, make e cups of simple syrup.)

Soak cranberries in simple syrup for at least 5 hours, or overnight. Drain the cranberries and save the syrup for making drinks, if desired. Put the cranberries in a large zip-top bag with white sugar and shake to coat. Start with a samll amount of sugar and slowly add more until all the berries are coated.

Spread the cranberries out on a cookie sheet to dry in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

Uses for Sugared Cranberries
1. Eat them just the way they are.
2. Use them on cakes or any other holiday baked treats.
3. Put them in jars and give them as gifts. 

via jessica probus

Tuesday Tips & Tricks

Christmas Gift Wrapping

Choose the right paper: It’s worth selecting paper that has a bit of weight and thickness to it. You want to be able to pull the wrapping paper taut around the object for a neat finish. Thin paper can often tear at this point.

Size matters: Searching for a suitable box to house an object? Recycle old boxes from previous years or utilize shoe boxes. Another solution is selecting a suitably sized paper bag to discreetly hide any unusually shaped gift.

Tips for tape: For a seamless look, double-sided tape is a great option, although it doesn’t work on papers that have a rough or textured finish. You can also purchase a box of sticky dots, which is a great alternative to tape.

Ribbons: Ensure your ribbon works proportionally with your gift. Avoid placing a thin ribbon on a large box or a wide ribbon on a small jewellery box. Another option is using a ball of jute string, which can be embellished with beads.

Keep it simple: You can almost spend as much money on the wrapping of a gift as you do on its contents! keep costs down by using one or two different wrapping papers, then dressing each gift with ribbons, tags or even intriguing twigs.

via homelife.com

Stuffing

Now that you've stuffed the turkey and stuffed yourself,

it's time to think about stuffing those stockings...

Here are 100 stuffing ideas:

1. $5 gift cards 

2. a favorite candy 

3. CD of favorite music

4. a favorite magazine

5. nail polish

6. paperback book by favorite author

7. hand lotion

8. Tic Tacs or breath mints

9. pens/mechanical pencils

10. chapstick

11. pocket knife

12. (the dreaded) socks

13. mini flashlight

14. gloves

15. yoyo

16. small photo frame with picture

17. votive candle

18. personalized key ring

19. golf balls

20. golf tees

21. mini perfumes

22. Travel clock

23. letter opener

24. colored office/paper clips

25  white-out tape

26. card game

27. colored pencils

28. ruler

29. small measuring tape

30. rubber band ball

31. lipstick

32. eye shadow

33. makeup remover

34. nail polish removal

35. measuring spoons

36. wooden spoons

37. bendy straws

38. Tide-to-go

39. batteries

40. fingernail file

41. small coin purse

42. fishing lures

43. movie tickets

44. pocket calculator

45. Matchbox cars

46. TechDeck finger skateboard

47. bouncy ball

48. fashion color shoe lace

49. brainteaser mini wire puzzle

50. stopwatch

51. pedometer

52. vitamins

53. kitchen timer

54. cookie cutters

55. ice cream scoop

56. nice razor

57. stress ball

58. magnifying glass

59. USB flash drive

60. cuff links

61. iPod ear buds

62. iTunes gift card

63.toothbrush

64. Lifesavers

65. mini Kleenex packets

66. handkerchief

67. tire pressure gauge

68. eye glasses cleaner and cloth

69.  pre-inked address stamp

70. earrings

71. hair clip

72. comb/brush

73. eyelash curler

74. bobble head

75. reusable shopping bag

76. shopping list pad

77. gas card

78. travel electrical adaptors

79. sleep mask

80. mini book light

81. luggage tags

82. purse hanger (to keep off of floor)

83) luggage scale

84. compass

85. portable mini speakers

86. Zhu Zhu pet

87. Cool, Decorated Erasers

88. pencil sharpeners

89. personalized pencils

90. digital golf scorecard

9. Money Clip

92. mini bubble bath

93. scented soaps

94. BBQ tank gauge

95. fingernail clippers

96. back scratcher

97. recipe cards

98. chopsticks

99.  compact mirror

100. personalized Christmas ornament

Bubble Dot Sleeve

Protect your laptop. netbook, iPad or E-reader from scratching, denting or breaking with the Bubble Dot Sleeves. Made from 100% wool felt each sleeve has a flat side and a molded side with protective bumps. The wool sleeves are tactile, soft and colorful adding personality to all your gear.

Designer
Jaime Salm, Brian Kelly

Philosophy
Using traditional felt molding technologies and local manufacturers Bubble Dot Sleeves make use of the natural properties of wool felt to create a unique and protective sleeve.

Color Options
Black, Red, Green and Orange

Environment / Social
Renewable + Recyclable + Compostable

Materials
All Bubble Dot Sleeves are made from 100% molded wool.

Design
Materials and molded shapes protect and beautify.

Origin
Made in the USA

Click on a picture for more information...

Multiblocks

What a great idea!!
Now your toddlers can play and develop
math skills at the same time...


Click on the picture for more information

Magic Reindeer Food

The Secret Recipe for Magic Reindeer Food

It's easy to make and a beloved snack for Santa's sleigh-pullers. Simply mix dry oatmeal and red sugar sprinkles together, and place in a snack-size baggie.

On Christmas Eve night, sprinkle it on your lawn and the sparkles of the sugar in the moonlight will guide the reindeer to your house. While Santa is doing his job and having his snack inside, the reindeer will have a little something to snack on outside!

Make some bag toppers with instructions, and pass them out to your friends and neighbors.

Only 3 Months Until Christmas!!

I love the movie A Christmas Story...

Remember the pink bunny pajamas...


and the leg lamp...

Did you know that you can buy both these items to have for your very own, or to give away? Just click on either picture above for purchasing information...

Merry Christmas!!

Thinking Outisde the Bar

What a great gift idea for weddings, showers,
birthdays, or whatever...

Your can buy them individually in over 50 fragrances,
and in more than 50 colors or color combinations.


Buy them in a Chinese Take Out Box of 6 soaps or
make up your own set of six or more soaps.

Each soap cookie comes with it's own
fortune that you can customize.

So... What are you waiting for!!

photos from flickr

Out With The Old And In With The New

If you happen to be lucky enough to own anything made of cashmere, you know how hard it is to toss it out. Paying a really high price for something can make it very difficult to get rid of it. But, Brooke Serson Cernonok of Teddylux Cashmere can eliminate the problem for you...

She cleans old cashere sweaters, then turns them into utterly adorable bears, bunnies, and elephants. These irresistibly oversized animals start at $50 each, and your kids and/or grandkids will love them. To order or find out about donating sweaters to Brooke's inventory go here.

So Sweet and So Simple

Make a sturdy bookmark for yourself or a loved one.
Glue 2 paint samples back-to-back with rubber cement.
Trim to any size and/or shape desired.
Punch a hole and attach a string or ribbon.

Idea found at How About Orange

White Elephant

There is nothing quite like a White Elephant gift exchange to make any Christmas party a whole lot more fun!

I actually got a real white elephant similar to the one above at one such party years ago... but the whole idea of a white elephant gift is not understood by some people. A White Elephant is something you no longer want, or has outgrown it's usefulness to you. I keep my eyes peeled for any such items, so that I am always prepared for the inevitable invitation to exchange white elephants. I had been holding on to one such jewel for over two years, when I was invited to the CrossFit UV Christmas party and White Elephant exchange, last Friday. This is what I took...

Yes, that is real green velvet fruit! Don't ask me what beans are doing in a fruit bowl... In exchange for my blast from the past, I got these used pool balls and 9-ball rack.

Truly a white elephant in every sense of the word!

Freehands

Now that I have an iPhone, and the weather is getting colder, I think I'm going to ask Santa for a pair of these Freehand gloves for Christmas:


The thumb and forefinger tips stay back with little magnets, making it easy to use an iPhone, a camera, any touch screen, a PlayStation Portable, an iPod or MP3 player, to pick up a lost penny off the ground [which my children will not do, but love to spend the ones I pick up and save }-:], get a credit card out of your wallet, or anything else you want...

This year they only come in black in unisex sizes xs, s, m, l, and xl. There are three styles: Fleece [$20], Stretch [$30], and Leather [$40].

For more information or to order, go here...

These would make great gifts for your family and friends, too! Just think, you could do all your Christmas shopping in one place and be done with it...

Don't Miss This One

Beehive Bazaar

Women's Council Cultural Center . 310 W 500 N, Provo
Friday, May 9: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday, May 10: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

The Beehive Bazaar is a craft and art fair that showcases
the independent designs, arts, crafts, clothing,
and edibles of 40 trend-setting local artists.
(Pick up something for Mother's day...)

Don't miss the
Beehive Bazaar After Party
Same location: May 9, at 9:00 pm
(Buy your $5.00 ticket at the bazaar.)


Fashion Show, Live Music, Tasty Treats, and Raffle

See you there...

Pin-Up Girl Aprons

Check out these darling aprons here...

or you can buy them here.

(Reminder: Mothers Day is May 11)

Year of the Rat

Happy Chinese New Year

Click here to get the directions form making
these fun decorations and gift ideas
for Chinese Yew year...

Love Is In the Air

Since I work during the day, and don't have Tivo,

I never get to watch Good Things Utah.
But, Aly let me know about their website, and I do check it often...
This week they featured Valentines to make, for kids of all ages.


Love is in The Air Candy Airplane
Assembling this Valentine takes about an hour and requires a little bit of tricky balancing,
But, once you catch on, these sweet crafts will be flying off your fingertips.
(It's more fun when two or more friends work together...)

• Thin rubber bands [red if possible]
• Peppermint Lifesavers
• Smarties
• Cinnamon gum
• Heart-shaped stickers

1. Thread the rubber band through the holes of two Lifesavers.
2. Balance the roll of smarties between the
Lifesavers across the rubber band.
3. For the wings, balance the stick of gum on top,
perpendicular to the smarties.
4. Pull the rubber band up and over each side
of the gum to hold it in place.
5. Decorate the wings with tiny heart-shaped stickers or a message.

The source for this fun Valentine was familyfun.com,
and here are a few of the many Valentines they have to make:
(instructions included)



Have Fun...