I'm not big on shelling out tons of money on holiday decor. I mean…that stuff can get expensive. And only gets used for, what, three weeks a year?
Nothankyou.
But for real: you totally don't have to do a massive decorating run in order to make your home look like Christmas exploded inside it. Presenting: some holiday hacks that let you get good and festive without stepping one single foot outside your door (or laying down one single cent).
Happy Halloween! Here's a suggestion for what to do with that extra pumpkin you picked up at the patch (or that canned pumpkin puree sitting in your cupboard).
P.S. Skip ahead to the end for some of my favorite bloopers ever, starring Kendrick's acting skills.
Our daughter is here. We're in the hospital and I managed to set "Crash Computer" as Order Of Business Number One (sigh), but I'll be back to business as usual in a couple of days. In the meantime, I set up a handful of posts…like this one on a project I finished just in time.
I started this blanket wayyyy back when we first announced that we were having a girl (I went for Liberty Wool #7824 Cupcake, and may have chosen #7837 Rodeo for a boy…or may have gone for Cupcake anyway, because I think it's gorgeous). Seven months is a very long time to be working on a single blanket…but I actually went for narrow needles and skinny yarn on purpose, because the thing about knitting projects is that I don't really do them to "make stuff" - I do them because I find them crazy-relaxing, and a great thing to do with your hands when you're watching TV, and am always bummed when they're done.
Anyway, I'm done. Which is good, because now I have something else to do with my hands: hold a baby.
What is a smudging ceremony, you ask? Kendrick didn't know, either. Allow me to explain.
Did you completely forget about Mother's Day? That's OK; you still have 24 hours, and 24 hours is more than enough time to make Mom something that if she does not love, she might very well not be a human being: chocolate-dipped fruit with fancy salt. (Click here for instructions.)
Another easy DIY: pick up some mason jars and a few herbs, and make her a gorgeous windowsill garden (either hanging or not) of her very own. (Click here for instructions.)
Last summer I planted my very first herb garden, and let me tell you: not having to run to the supermarket and spend five bucks on a teeny-tiny container of mint or rosemary or thyme every time you need a sprig (or even just a single leaf) is the best. But even if you're an apartment-dweller with no nearby grass or yard or outdoor space to plant in, no fear: you too can have fresh herbs at your fingertips.
Once again: mason jar to the rescue. This DIY takes about three minutes...and is the most satisfying project ever. (It's also a fun project to get kids involved with; you should cut the twine, but they can do pretty much everything else.)
I’m not a crafting-type mom.
I’d like to be – I aspire to be – but you know those moms who have cabinets filled with things like glitter and pipe cleaners, and enjoy settling down on snowy afternoons to create bedazzled things with their children? They are not me.
But I do like cutting hearts out of construction paper (who doesn’t?), and I very much want to get my son excited about the fact that Valentine’s Day is coming up. It’s a holiday that I have historically not really cared about, but is now – like every other holiday – about ten thousand times more fun, given that I now have a very short roommate who is experiencing it for the third time in his life (and probably the first time with any real clarity).
When my mom came over to my house after visiting our friends Eddie and Sharyn down in Florida and handed me a Saran-Wrapped package, declaring "I brought you cuttings," I was a little confused. I mean, they look like...branches. I didn't really understand why they were something that my mom might want to carry through airports. But after a little Googling I realized that they're the loveliest gift ever: they're basically a way to create little plant "children".
Aww.
I love this idea, mostly because I remember where each and every plant in our garden came from, and it's so cool to imagine that in a few years I'll be able to look at these and know that their "parents" are growing in my faraway friends' home (theoretically, I mean; we're talking Remedial Gardener over here, and these plants will need a bit more than a wish and a prayer to make it through alive).
Not all plants will grow from cuttings, but Sharyn assured me that this particular plant - a Mexican petunia - grows "like wildfire" (and can apparently even grow in rainless, concrete parking lots), so I suppose that's a good start.
One of my favorite things to buy in thrift stores and at flea markets are mirrors: with a little creativity, you can basically always find a way to work a beautiful mirror into your decor. This sunburst mirror sat on our table as a centerpiece for awhile, but I eventually decided it was in the way and it would make a better addition to our dining room wall.
Except...although I liked the shape, the sort of burnished grey-brown color made it felt dated. I decided that a coat of white paint would give it a nice seaside-cottage feel, and look especially cool against our white wall.
So: Sunday afternoon project.
