Last year I put together a list of $5 to $10 gift exchange ideas that uses one of my favorite strategies – combining a simple homemade item with a complimentary store bought item. This is a strategy that’s worked so well for me over the years and it’s a greatRead More
Colorful Tie Dye Easter Eggs
Making Easter eggs is an annual tradition that let’s me do a couple of my favorite things – play with color and play with kids. The little ones always seem to enjoy the unpredictable surprise that each egg can bring as you work on it and truth be told, weRead More
Layered Jar Mix: Curried Rice
The holidays are certainly a time of the year filled with sweets and treats. But there are times when you need just a little break from all the sugar and goodies. That’s why I like to have a few recipes for jar mixes that can be used as quick giftsRead More
Layered Jar Mix: Healthy Snack Bites
One of the simplest homemade gifts, and often times one of the most economical too, is a layered jar mix. As a bonus they don’t take long to make either and can usually be put together with familiar pantry ingredients. I guess that’s why I so often get the urgeRead More
Make A Candy Christmas Tree
Everyone knows that candy is fun for eating, but candy can be lots of fun to use for craft projects too. Candy comes in interesting shapes and sizes, often has colorful wrappers, AND as a bonus you get to eat what you don’t use. You can’t do that with leftoverRead More
$5 to $10 Gift Exchange Ideas
It’s been an annual tradition for many years in my husband’s extended family to do a $5 gift exchange as part of our Christmas gathering. Recently we increased our amount just a little to a range of between $5 to $10 to make the shopping a little easier as pricesRead More
Rice, Cool Whip & Easter Eggs!
Are you looking for a different way to put your food coloring to good use for Easter eggs this year, but want to do something besides the usual dipping? Then maybe rice and Cool Whip will be just what you need! That’s what we used this year and both ofRead More
Easy Yarn Craft: Mini Stocking Cap Ornament
The final craft in my series of mini sized items to make for the holidays are these mini stocking hat ornaments made with yarn. They’re a simple and quick last minute project that anyone can make! Even kids can make these little hats for a fun holiday craft. As aRead More
Mini Candy Christmas Trees
One of the signs that Christmas is coming is that all the ordinary candies in the grocery store suddenly get center aisle placement and are all dressed up in their holiday wrappers and colors. As if there wasn’t enough temptation already to eat too many goodies this time of theRead More
Decorate Your Easter Eggs With Crayons
Looking for an easy and resourceful way to decorate your Easter eggs? And maybe something that the kids can help with too? Look no further than the crayon box! All those colorful crayons can be a convenient and fun way to make your own pretty Easter eggs. There’s really notRead More
Glazed Almond Bars
This recipe was not the recipe I had planned for this week. My original plan was to share a recipe for homemade eggnog made with EggBeaters (an egg substitute), one of the recipes I found while sorting through a box of old recipes my mom had cut out and savedRead More
Peppermint Hot Cocoa Layered Mix
When the Christmas season rolls around I start thinking about tinsel and trees, strings of lights and Christmas carols, and . . . layered mixes in jars. I can’t help myself. I start drifting toward my shelf of canning jars and imagine how cute they could look with layered ingredientsRead More
Wine Bottle Santas with Knit Hats
A bottle of wine can be simple solution for a hostess gift or co-worker gift during the busy holiday season. It’s kind of like giving a jar of cashews or a box of chocolates. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, but it’s almost always welcomed and appreciated by the person whoRead More
Quick Sparkling Punch Recipe
One of the most visited pages on my blog has been my recipe for a quick and easy punch to serve at a morning brunch. It’s one of those super simple punch recipes with no measuring involved. You just open up some bottles and pour everything together! I remember debatingRead More
Make A Gift Bag From Wrapping Paper
During a recent closet organizing project my Dad discovered several large rolls of gift wrap in his house that he knew he would most likely never use. Rather than just toss them out, he did what most parents of grown children do. You check if the kids want it. I’ve been knownRead More
Patriotic Jars (and Pretzel Treats!)
Holidays can be busy – even the warm weather holidays when we’re supposed to be enjoying the lazy days of summer. So if I’m going to do homemade crafting around any holiday, I like to keep things simple and easy. For the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, I made aRead More
How To Make Natural Easter Egg Dyes
I was reminded again this past week when I made my homemade natural Easter egg dyes, that nature isn’t about instant gratification. Things often take some tending and patience before you see the fruits of your labors. And so it is when you make your own Easter eggs dyes fromRead More
Layered Baking Mix In A Jar {Blondie Bars}
A recipe for a layered baking mix in a canning jar can come in really handy when you need a little extra something to give as a gift around the holidays. They go together fast and often use frugal ingredients too. When my husband taught Sunday school for several years,Read More
Holiday Snowman Jars
Mason jars can be a handy way to give a gift of food around the holidays. I’ve filled mason jars with my chex mix, I’ve put layered baking mixes in them, and I’ve used it for my homemade pancake mix too! Add some colorful fabric and ribbon and you’ve gotRead More
Recycled Jar Luminaries
I always think it’s kind of fun to come up with a theme for the projects I share during the month of December. One year it was no-sugar food gift ideas like this Southwestern Dip Mix, another year it was homemade liqueurs like this homemade Bailey’s Irish Cream, or ornamentRead More