Creative Homemaking Blog

Wedding Photo Frame Craft

We attended a last minute wedding for my brother-in-law at our county courthouse yesterday. They are leaving town in a couple of days, and my brother-in-law is going to be deployed to Afghanistan soon with the National Guard. I wanted to make something for them before they left with the pictures we took yesterday, but I don't have much time! I went to JoAnn's craft store last night and took advantage of the year-end sales. I was going to buy the supplies to make a fabric-covered photo frame, but they had padded fabric photo frames half price! I found a beautiful ivory frame for a 5x7 photo for $2.50. I bought a string of pearls and some ribbon roses to decorate the frame. All for under $5! A little hot glue, and it looks beautiful. I hope they like it. I also bought some ivory satin material to cover a small photo album. I will decorate the album with the same pearls and flowers. Here are instructions for making a fabric-covered photo album:

http://www.creativehomemaking.com/articles/080400b.shtml

Photo Frame


Photo Album


Rachel Paxton
Editor/Publisher
CreativeHomemaking.com


Rachel on 12.27.06 @ 01:30 PM CST [link]

Happy Holidays!

I have to say I'm glad all the busyness of the holidays is over. Our whole family got a really nasty cold, and we still have a lingering cough that just won't go away! We did enjoy spending time together, however, and our extended family braved the germs to spend time with us for Christmas. We spent some time with our daughter's new boyfriend, and that was nice too. We are enjoying getting to know him. She did good! For Christmas my husband gave me gift certificates for a manicure/pedicure and an afternoon at a day spa. He said because I didn't give him any good present ideas I have to settle for the gift certificates. Who's complaining?!? I also received a beautiful nativity snow globe and omelet maker from my husband's family and a CD/clock radio and waffle maker from my parents. (I did get the Charlotte Mason books also, more on that later!) The boys did great opening all their presents. They had a blast. Their favorite present...toddler sized Dirt Devil vacuum cleaners! (One for each, of course). We really did have a nice Christmas. I hope you did too!

Rachel Paxton
Editor/Publisher
CreativeHomemaking.com
Rachel on 12.27.06 @ 01:20 PM CST [link]

Cirrovista.com

A good friend of mine has started a great new web site called http://www.Cirrovista.com. Cirrovista is dedicated to "freely helping men find prosperity in financial, personal, and spiritual ways." It has a lot of practical advice for men and is written in a very down-to-earth manner, making an enjoyable read. Check it out!

Rachel Paxton
Editor/Publisher
CreativeHomemaking.com
Rachel on 12.20.06 @ 01:45 PM CST [link]

Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series

For one of my Christmas presents this year, I asked for Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series (available from Amazon.com). Charlotte Mason was an education reformer in England in the 1800's. A lot of homeschoolers have incorporated her philosophies into their homeschool program. I can't wait to get started reading! I'll give you an update on the books after Christmas.

Rachel Paxton
Editor/Publisher
CreativeHomemaking.com
Rachel on 12.07.06 @ 11:13 AM CST [link]

Christmas Shopping Online

This year I purchased at least half of my Christmas presents online. With two toddlers, I don't get out much! After they go to bed at night I'm too tired to go anywhere. Many web sites are offering free shipping this time of year. Here are some sites I purchased from:

JoAnn.com - For the crafters in your life, JoAnn's has everything. Their web site has many items that our local store doesn't have. If someone you're shopping for wants scrapbooking, beading, or cross stitch supplies, they have everything. For the crafter who has everything, check out the bead tote organizer and cross stitch needle organizer.

Amazon.com - You can buy just about anything at Amazon now. It's a great source for books and DVD's. I buy a lot of my books from this web site.

My husband's favorite football team is the San Diego Chargers. At ChargersProShop.com you can find anything and everything for Chargers fans. My husband found an x-box controller, t-shirts, baseball caps, barbecue cover, and much, much more! He was in heaven. A lot of great Christmas present ideas. I'm sure there are many other web sites for football fans.

For our toddlers, we found Elmo slippers at CrazyForBargains.com. The boys are definitely going through their Elmo phase!

For teenagers or other hard-to-shop-for relatives, you can buy gift certificates from Ebay.com. For ipod users, you can also buy gift certificates from itunes.com.

Happy shopping!

Rachel Paxton
Editor/Publisher
CreativeHomemaking.com
Rachel on 12.07.06 @ 11:04 AM CST [link]

Eggnog Lattes

One of my favorite treats this time of year is Eggnog Lattes! Occasionally I indulge myself at Starbucks, but for the most part I make my own, at home. When you make your own latte, just steam eggnog instead of milk. You don't need any other flavoring! If you don't have an espresso machine, you can just add eggnog instead of creamer or milk to your coffee. You can dilute the eggnog with milk if you want.

I got my espresso machine for my birthday a couple of years ago and use it all the time. You can find them anywhere, like at Walmart, or you can buy them online. Kitchen Collection has a nice one.

You can buy good espresso beans at any local espresso stand. Just ask for ground espresso beans for an espresso machine. Since I'm not a huge coffee drinker, 1/2 lb. (about $7) lasts me for several months. I store the espresso beans in the freezer. Much cheaper than buying prepared lattes! What a great treat!

Happy Holidays!

Rachel Paxton
Editor/Publisher
CreativeHomemaking.com


Rachel on 12.07.06 @ 10:17 AM CST [link]

Fragranced Wood Conditioner

While shopping at a local Christmas craft show, I ran across something really neat...fragranced wood conditioner! I've never seen anything like it. It's just as it sounds, an oil that you rub into your wood furniture to condition it. It smells heavenly. It comes in about 5 different scents. I chose "Spruce Orchard". It is about $10/bottle, but it should last for awhile. It leaves a wonderful scent in your home. I thought they had a web site, but I can't find it anywhere. I found their phone number on another web site, if you want to call and see if they have a catalog. I'm sure you can order it through the mail:

Golden Prairie Scents
3234 Homer Davis Rd
Shepherd, MT 59079
Tel. 406-373-5196

I will definitely be getting in touch with them when I run out!

Rachel Paxton
Editor/Publisher
CreativeHomemaking.com

Rachel on 12.07.06 @ 09:46 AM CST [link]