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How to Decorate Your Holiday Tree for Maximum Impact

December 17, 2015 by

It’s easy to get in a rut when it comes to decorating your tree for the holidays, but if you switch things up to create maximum impact, all it takes is a bit of creativity and a whole lot of festive cheer. Here are a few great ideas for decorating your holiday tree this year.

  • Instead of mixing up red, green and gold ornaments, go for a monochromatic look. Really commit to one specific shade and decorate your entire tree in that color.
  • Create your own unique tree topper by purchasing a wooden letter in your last name’s initial. Cover the whole thing in glitter paint to match the tree, and then attach it by stapling a piece of sturdy fabric to the back and sliding it on to the top of the tree.
  • Keep things simple and minimal all over the surface of the tree in order to the let the tree’s skirt really shine. This often-overlooked part can be dressed up with a luxurious velvet skirt or a homemade version in your choice of wild, fun fabrics.
  • Purchase a dozen small mirrors in gold or silver frames from a thrift store or craft shop and set them all over the tree for a truly unique effect.
  • Decorate your tree with live poinsettias for a dramatic look. Simply cut individual flowers from a poinsettia bush (or purchase silk versions) and evenly space them all over the tree.

How to Decorate a Christmas Tree Elegantly [wikiHow]
40 Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas to Try This Season [HGTV]
How to Decorate a Christmas Tree [Better Homes and Gardens]

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Impress Your Family and Friends With These Thanksgiving Fun Facts

November 19, 2015 by

While the only foods known to have been served during the first Thanksgiving included deer, corn, and fish, today, the fourth Thursday of every November is a bona fide feast of turkey and cranberry sauce. In fact, around 20% of the cranberries consumed in the U.S. every year are eaten on Thanksgiving, and 7 billion pounds of turkey are sold annually for the holiday! Here are some more fun facts about Thanksgiving that you may not already know.

1. Historians believe that seal, swan, and lobster may have also been on the menu during the first Thanksgiving, which took place in 1621.

2. If you're feeling sleepy post-turkey, don't blame the tryptophan. Drowsiness is more likely caused by over-eating and -imbibing!

3. The heaviest turkey ever raised weighed in at a whopping 86 pounds.

4. Over 3 million people attend Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade every year. The first parade was held in 1924.

5. Benjamin Franklin campaigned for the turkey to be our country's national bird, instead of the bald eagle.

Thanksgiving Fun Facts [WHSV-TV3]
10 Interesting Thanksgiving Facts [TIFO]

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These DIY Halloween Decorations Are So Easy to Make, It’s Scary!

September 17, 2015 by

Making your own Halloween decorations is a whole lot more fun than buying them at the store, and there are many projects that might be easier that you'd expect. No matter how artistically inclined you are, you’ll love these simple ideas for decorating your home for Halloween.

Candy Corn Centerpiece [diyncrafts.com]
Turn an old wine or beer bottle into a candy corn-inspired centerpiece that’s perfect for Halloween parties. Simply spray paint shades of yellow, orange, and white onto unused glass bottles and arrange them however you please. As a bonus, you can even set out bowls of real candy corn for guests to snack on.

Tissue Paper Jack O’Lanterns [countryliving.com]
Instead of carving a messy pumpkin with sharp knives, create an equally festive jack-o’-lantern out of some simple tissue paper balls from the craft store. Cover them with construction paper facial features to make an entire army of adorable faux pumpkin faces.

Recycled Paper Bats [treehugger.com]
Do a bit of good for the environment by using recycled construction paper to create these sweet and scary hanging bats. Since they use an easy origami pattern, you can even construct these realistic bats without any cutting or gluing.

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Summertime Craft Projects the Whole Family Can Make

July 23, 2015 by

If your creative family is always looking for fun and imaginative activities to do as a group, summer is the perfect time to really think outside the box when it comes to your crafting. Here are three cool, useful projects that you can complete while working together as a family this summer.

Tin Can Wind Chime [mpmschoolsupplies.com]
Instead of throwing out those used tin cans, use them to create a colorful wind chime with your little ones. Simply paint the exterior of the cans in bright, primary colors, then let the kids go wild adding their own pictures and designs. Attach them to a wire hanger using sturdy strings and you'll hear surprisingly relaxing sounds every time the wind picks up.

Colorful Kite [bhg.com]
Kids love watching kites soar through the air on a windy day, and your little ones will love their kites even more if they make them at home. Use this tutorial to create your own DIY kite using only paper, glue, sticks, and some colorful paints.

Dragonfly Magnets [thecraftycrow.net]
On your next rainy day, gather the kids around the kitchen table to make cute dragonfly magnets out of everyday clothespins. Simply attach construction paper “wings” to the top of the clothespin, add a magnet on the back and then encourage the kids get creative with the markers, pens, and glitter glue.

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How to Tell the Difference Between a Cold and the Flu

December 18, 2014 by

Getting a little cold is fairly commonplace during the colder winter months, and it doesn’t usually require much treatment other than rest and chicken noodle soup. The flu, however, is a more serious issue, and although this virus usually requires antibiotics to kick, it can be quite difficult to tell the two apart. Here are a few smart ways to tell if you have a cold or the flu—and maybe even help you to catch it early on. (Remember to seek the professional advice of your physician!)

  1. A cold usually comes with a sore throat, runny nose, and sometimes even a cough in the fourth or fifth days. These symptoms are usually fairly mild and cause more discomfort than pain and misery. If it is a cold, these symptoms will last for about a week.
  2. The flu, on the other hand, comes with similar but more severe symptoms very early on. Your throat will be sore, your head and other muscles will ache, and you’ll likely have congestion and a cough. These symptoms could last for one week or longer, but they can turn into pneumonia if left untreated.
  3. While an everyday cold doesn’t usually come with a fever, the flu often does. If your temperature reaches 100 degrees or higher, you're likely looking at a case of the flu.

Is It a Cold or The Flu? [NIAID]
Cold, Flu, & Cough Health Center [Web MD]
The Common Cold vs. The Flu… What You Need To Know [Health.com]

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Complement Your Halloween Costume With Cool Makeup Tutorials

October 16, 2014 by

No matter what you decide to be for Halloween, your costume would likely benefit from makeup—but we're not talking about mascara and lipstick here! If you’re clueless about makeup but want to create a really realistic look for the holiday, these online tutorials will teach you everything you need to know about adding stitches, attaching faux eyelashes, or even transforming yourself into a gory zombie.

Zombie Makeup Tutorial [fairestsfavorites.blogspot.com]
A zombie is a classic Halloween costume that requires some serious makeup skills to perfect. If you want to look truly undead, this costume makeup tutorial will show you how to make your skin pale and add some killer wounds and gashes.

Mermaid [hgtv.com]
For something a bit prettier, this creative mermaid tutorial uses many of the items that you might already have in your makeup kit to transform you into an underwater mermaid. Textured scales along the cheekbones are the most important detail, but pearl accents and dramatic blue lips help to complete the look.

Fairy [popsugar.com]
Another great costume idea is an ethereal fairy, and this makeup tutorial makes the costume look truly realistic. Best of all, this will help you to create a look that’s a bit edgier than most.

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Safety First! How to Safely Handle and Store Food During Your Outdoor Vacation

August 21, 2014 by

The summertime is filled with fun outdoor activities, and many people like to take their meals outdoors as well. If you want to bring a picnic along on a vacation or day trip, here are a few safety tips to make sure it doesn’t go bad.

  1. Keep cool. Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind when traveling with food is that the hot sun can cause it to thaw and, in turn, make you sick. Be sure to pack all foods in coolers or on ice, and store drinks in a separate cooler to avoid opening the food cooler too frequently.
  2. Pack meat while it’s still frozen. If you plan on cooking hamburgers or hot dogs once you arrive at your destination, pack it in the cooler while it’s still frozen to keep it cold for longer.
  3. Pack lots of bottled water. If you’re hiking or camping where you won’t have access to fresh water, stock up on bottled water. Avoid drinking from streams or rivers, as they may be contaminated with bacteria.
  4. Avoid leftovers. Try to pack only enough food for the day, and throw out any leftovers. Food starts to go bad as soon as it sits in the sun, so it definitely won’t be safe to eat the next day.

Food Safety While Hiking, Camping & Boating [USDA]
Handling Food Safely on the Road [USDA]
Food Safety While Boating, Camping and Hiking [MDH]

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Creative Fruit Salad Recipes!

June 19, 2014 by

When you go to a social gathering and you’re met with a plethora of tasty covered dishes and desserts, it can be hard to restrain yourself from going overboard. Fruit salads are some of the only dinner party offerings that you can actually feel good about overindulging in, and they come in a wide variety of styles that just about everyone will love. Here are three creative fruit salads that will make you want to go back for more!

Melon and Mozzarella Salad
Fruits and cheeses are a truly perfect pairing, and this light, juicy combination of melon and mozzarella is a wonderful summer treat. Simply fill a large serving bowl with layers of cubed fruits and mozzarella cheese wedges, then toss it all in a tangy lemon poppy seed dressing to finish it off.

Ginger and Lemon Fruit Salad
If you prefer to add a bit of spice to your side dishes, you’ll just love this gingery lemon fruit salad. Pears, pineapple, mango, and other fruits take on a whole new life when they meet the zesty flavor of grated fresh ginger.

Mojito Fruit Salad
Just like a refreshing mojito cocktail, this creative fruit salad gets its signature flavor from the addition of a few sprigs of fresh mint. Basic fruits like watermelon, grapes, and cantaloupe are sweetened even more with white sugar, and then tossed around in tart lime juice to extract their flavors. Finish it off with the cool mint leaves for an unexpected taste that your guests won’t soon forget.

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