Photo: Photos o’ Randomness

As for decorating your place for Halloween on the cheap –

Decorate your home and yard with everyday items and almost-trash, like leftover candle stubs and toilet-paper ghosts, the glossy magazines tell you. Right. Not.

What genius was the first to suggest that lighted candles and paper products could be a safe mix? Now throw in gangs of rambling trick-or-treating kids wearing capes and robes and all manner of flammable costumes? Uh-uh.

Not only that, it has been known to rain on October 31st… So what happens to your elegant glowing lights and drifting ghosts, if it rains? Soggy toilet paper draped over trees. In the dark. Not so chic and clever after all, is it? And you’ll just have to clean it all up the next day…

You can do better, even on a tight budget.

Tips for Frugal Halloween Decorations

Get yourself a pumpkin and make a traditional Jack-o-lantern. If you draw the face on your pumpkin with magic marker, instead of carving into it, you can cook it up later and make a pumpkin pie. How frugal is that?

If the kids want to know why you’re not investing in the latest inflatable three-witches yard art, or strings of flashing ghost lights, just tell them you’re doing your part for the environment. Ninety-nine percent of school-aged kids know more about saving energy than David Susuki does, and they dig it. Get them involved in thinking of other ways to decorate –

• Homemade orange-and-black paper chains looped across the porch railing?
• Watercolour paints to make scarey scenes on the windows?
• Construction paper cut-outs of spooky cats and haunted houses?
• An old white bedsheet pinned up in a shadowy corner of the yard, to spook all your little trick-or-treating visitors when it moves in the slightest breeze?
• …you get the idea.

And if you’re fixed on decorating with Halloween string lights around your home and garden, why not re-purpose the ones you use for Christmas and patio parties? This works especially well if you tend to go with plain white lights (very elegant) — and they’re low-energy, low-heat LED mini-lights, right? Add a few fake spiderwebs (and dangle a few pipe-cleaner spiders, if you’re feeling artsy-crafty)… you’re good to go.

Not quite enough festive Halloween decorating, yet, for your taste?

Decorate your front steps with an over-sized bouquet of dead branches (pick ‘em up when you rake the lawn) in a wide-mouthed container — I like an old stew kettle for this, but use what you’ve got — and tuck in a couple of mini gourds.

Or more of those pipe-cleaner spiders and artifical webs.
Or bits of orange and black ribbon, tied in bows.
Or a photo of your mother-in-law.

Whatever scares you.

Photo: Sylvanfeather

And here’s a bonus idea — you can save time and money, both, if you simply go with more general “seasonal” decorations, and simply add a touch of spooky Halloween goodness for the night itself.

Think of a wreath of colourful autumn leaves, or a harvest-themed display of gourds and pumpkins, or a decorative scarecrow.

Instead of having a box of special Halloween decorations that will be used for a week or so at most, you’ll decorate once — and the decorations will do you for Thanksgiving too!

Women’s magazines, radio phone-in shows, all over the Web… I’ve been catching a whole lot of variations on the same thrifty theme. And if your family has decided to try to save money on the whole Halloween trip, you may have been noticing this too.

Photo: Mozo Man

We won’t embarrass any major media outlets by naming names, and I haven’t quoted the words exactly, but the substance of these “top 3″ frugal Halloween tips is spooned out by more than one source this season — and I’ve got serious doubts.

Here’s the kind of thing they want you to do:

1. Costume the kids as homeless people — it doesn’t get cheaper than that, when you can send them out around the neighbourhood in last year’s jacket and their oldest patched jeans;
2. Decorate your home and yard with everyday items and almost-trash, like leftover candle stubs and toilet-paper ghosts;
3. Save money on treats to hand out at the door by picking up cheap gum and chips at the dollar store.

Huh! Well, those tips just don’t work for me — and I’ll tell you why:

Poverty ain’t no Halloween costume.

“Costume the kids as homeless people”?

Well, leaving aside the fact that Junior might be scarred for life by wearing his own clothes as a Halloween costume… doesn’t it just seem wrong somehow to dress up as a homeless person in order to get free candy? Anyway, a big part of the whole point of dressing up and going door-to-door for treats is to amuse the neighbours. And they’ve seen your kids in grubbies already: so where’s the old folks’ treat in that?

Do it cheap, sure, but do it right.

One of the best things about Halloween is that it’s a night to let fantasy run free… So instead of money, why not spend a bit of creativity? Sometimes those quick homemade Halloween costumes can be the best costumes, if the ideas are good ones.

If you’re not the sewing-crafter type (or simply don’t have time), make a trip to the local Goodwill or Salvation Army thrift store, or whatever the equivalent is where you live. We’ve got a fabulous chain of super-cheap secondhand shops called Frenchy’s that are always good for a great cheap costume for kids or for adults. Jodi tells me she’s even seen secondhand wedding dresses in there for a ridiculously low price — so there you go, a Bride of Frankenstein costume! Just add a bouquet of dead flowers and the right make-up.

The school that @wadlington‘s kids go to just held a Halloween used-costume sale. “After the sale,” she says, “the leftovers were donated to Goodwill. How great is that? It’s too late now to organize a costume sale for this Halloween, but I’ll bet you’d find a lot of parents keen on the plan for next year, if you brought it up at the next PTA meeting, while the pain and stress of finding (and paying for) Halloween costumes are still fresh in everyone’s minds!

Photo: juhansonin

You can always swap Halloween costumes with friends who have kids the same age, too. This year, your kid goes as an adorable mouse; next year, he moves up to the boy-next-door’s pirate costume?

We used to pass costumes along from older sister to younger, when we were growing up. The trick is to pack them away safely until next year. But you know what? If it’s one of those trendy character costumes straight from the Disney marketing machine, I wouldn’t bother trying to save it for next year — just throw it into the toy box and let the kids wear it to play make-believe to their hearts’ delight, because you might as well put it to use. What are the odds your daughter will have any interest in dressing up as Hannah Montana, by the time next year’s Halloween rolls around? Of course, my parents probably said that exact thing about that Princess Leia costume, way back when… So, who knows? You’ll have to make your own call on that one.

My point is, why dress up your kids as homeless people and make light of something so serious as other people’s misfortune? Especially when there are so many creative ways that you can save money on Halloween costumes.

‘Nuff said.

Now, what about that bad advice on decorating your home for Halloween? We’ll be tackling that tasteful and thrifty issue in the next part of this series, so stay tuned to learn more about toilet-paper ghosts.

“One natural product deserves another,” say the folks at Rocky-Brook Fine Woodcrafts, recommending their wooden knitting needles for real wool yarn, although “of course, they work just as well with synthetic fibres.”

My sister (a genius knitter) just sent me the tip on these, and I strongly suspect she was sending a hint for Christmas! Rocky-Brook wooden knitting needles are crafted by a family-owned company that’s located (more or less) in this neck of the woods, too — another reason to like ‘em!

Lightweight yet strong, the smooth wax-rubbed wooden knitting needles are naturally warm to the touch, which is said to make them ideal for knitters who are troubled by arthritis — or, I suggest, for those who just love the feel of smooth wood?

There’s no lacquer finish to wear away and cause rough spots that might snag your yarn. The finish on Rocky-Brook needles can be easily renewed just by rubbing them with a piece of waxed paper!

And did I mention, environmentally friendly?

Our needles are not only a pleasure to use but they are also one of the most environmentally friendly knitting products on the market. We are very proud to say we maintain less than a 4% waste factor during the crafting of our needles.

Oh, and if your compulsion to knit your way through the evening TV fare is driving your roommates to distraction, there’s another reason to consider the wooden needle.

They don’t make that incredibly annoying click-click click-click click-click sound that lots of metal and plastic knitting needles make — that sound that reminds me of the metronome that ticked away on the top of the piano, during those long long hours of childhood torture when I was forced to practice the minor scales…

But I digress.

We’re talking about a clever, original and relatively frugal gift idea here for the keen knitter in your life!

Think about it…

Package up a pair or foursome of lovely birch needles, say, with a skein or two of wool from one of the many fine indie spinners on Etsy, and perhaps a free knitting pattern from Tahki Stacy Charles that you’ve printed out on nice paper — and voila! You’ve got a unique gift on a knitting theme!

Rocky-Brook Needles come in straight or double-pointed styles, in fifteen different sizes, crafted in birch, walnut, cherry and maple woods by nice folks in rural Beechwood, New Brunswick, Canada. The website has a list of places that sell their needles, or you can contact Rocky-Brook directly for more information.

There’s a lot to be said for the sleek European style kitchen designs — the “clean aesthetic” that favours flat surfaces, neutral colours, and a pristine countertop free of all clutter — but it can be hard to pull off in an open-plan home.

Real life has a way of leaving its traces… despite all our good intentions!

Stilll, there are tips and tricks we can swipe from the top kitchen designers to help get a bit more of that clean open minimalist look into a real family home’s real working kitchen.

Trend Ideas is showing a fabulous Leuschke kitchen, for example, that started out as the typical closed-off kitchen of the 1980s. The architect opened out the kitchen to the rest of the house — a much better fit for today’s family tends to live, now that Mom isn’t stuck in the kitchen like a character out of Happy Days — but still found some practical ways to keep the kitchen mess out of sight. The layout relies on a few cleverly placed partitions and frosted glass sliding doors to conceal the pantry and such.

One unusual feature is a simple frosted-glass panel on the long kitchen island — just enough to keep the sink area out of the sight-line of seated guests, but not high enough or solid enough to visually break up the wide-open spaces.

My own decorating taste runs more to the cosy-boho-vintage eclectic, to be honest. I’m not sure that I could personally enjoy an afternoon of baking in the midst of so much white laminate and so little colour, but that’s a small quibble… and it’s easy enough to introduce a shot of colour where it counts, without losing the look.

The key here, I think, is that even those of us with widely differing tastes can learn a lot — and find a lot of excellent ideas to swipe and adapt for use in other kitchen decor styles — by browsing photos of designer kitchens that do showcase the “clean aesthetic”: Ernestmeda and ALNO would be a couple of good starting points.

Whether it’s your family message center, an ever-changing scrapbook page, your photo gallery, or a do-it-yourself collage of spontaneous artwork, the front of the refrigerator is one of the most important pieces of real estate inside your home.

Oh, but those stainless steel appliances that look so elegant and modern? They’re a problem. Because it’s true — and the sales guys won’t think to warn you — your magnets won’t stick to most stainless steel refrigerators.

Photo: DairDair

Designers and decorators and magazine editors don’t quite get it. And I guess the appliance makers don’t either.

They may think we should revel in a pure clean uncluttered fridge front, but guess what?

We don’t.

We don’t want to live with a blank-faced fridge.

We love our fridge magnets — the holiday souvenir magnets and giftshop impulse-buy magnets, the tacky ad magnets from the pizza take-out, magnetic note pads, plastic alphabets, and strange glue-smeared scraps of felt on magnetic tape, made by loving preschool hands — all of them!

Our magnets help us to organize and celebrate our family’s daily lives. Right there at eye level — right in the heart of the house.

What the home appliance manufacturers need to do is sit down in my kitchen for a cup of coffee and look around. Maybe in your kitchen, too. Definitely in my friend Kathy’s kitchen…

Then maybe they’d begin to understand why North America resounds with the wail — “My fridge magnets won’t work on stainless steel!” And then maybe they’d get their act together to give us the one feature in a refrigerator that’s needed above all others: the ability to decorate the front of it with magnets.

Does it matter?

I say, yes.

So I’ve looked into this stainless-steel-fridge-magnet issue a bit, and here’s what I’ve turned up: 7 solutions!

None of these alone is the one perfect solution to your stainless steel fridge art crisis, but there are enough ideas here that some sort of mix-and-match fix should be possible:

1. Different Fridge:

Not all stainless steel appliances are created equal, however. Okay, this is science stuff and makes my eyes glaze over, but it seems to have something to do with the different amounts of nickel in the metal alloy that’s used to face the appliances that we call “stainless steel” appliances.

The good news is, some stainless steel fridges will, in fact, work for fridge magnets — especially if the magnet is fairly strong. The most magnet-friendly appliances have a thin sheet of stainless steel as a decorative face over a metal core that’s more ferromagnetic — meaning a metal that magnets will stick to.

If you haven’t bought a fridge yet, take a few magnets to the store and test the attraction before you make a final buy.

2. Different Side:

Many “stainless steel” refrigerators are made differently on the front than they are on the sides. If your fridge magnets won’t stick to the door, try the side of it — if your kitchen arrangement allows easy access to it, of course.

3. Different Appliance:

Or try the dishwasher, or another convenient appliance. For some reason — perhaps because the smaller expanse of metal on the face doesn’t need to have the same strength as a whole big fridge door, your non-fridge stainless steel appliances seem to be more likely to want to play nice with the magnets.

This is great, if all you want is to put your plastic alphabet magnets out for the little kids to learn to spell while you’re making dinner… but it’s not a great solution for those of us who love the ever-changing eye-level Metropolitan Refrigerator of Art.

4. Different Surface:

You can get magnetic paint and make yourself a new magnet display place from a convenient cupboard door, or even a section of wall. I like this idea very much, and a painter pal tells me that the magnetic paint does work very well.

You might even get a can of blackboard paint, too, and paint yourself a half-and-half magnet board and chalk board.

The only problem there is, in a small kitchen, you might not have the blank wall space to spare.

Oh, and you’d still have a great big bare shiny cold medical-looking stainless steel fridge, just beggin for some crayon art and a souvenir magnet from Niagara Falls…

5. Same Fridge Only Different:

Instead of replacing your old, magnet-friendly fridge with the hip new stainless steel you crave, at the cost of your art display, consider a refinishing job.

A good cabinet shop may be able to fit a new stainless steel panel to the front of your existing fridge, depending on the model and its age. If the new face-panel is thin enough, your magnets should still be able to work.

Or there’s a liquid stainless steel brush-on coating that’s a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a new fridge if all you really need right now is a kitchen decor update.

It goes on a lot like paint, they say, but if that’s more of a do-it-yourself job than you’re keen to take on, I’ll bet the Yellow Pages can find you a professional painter or refinisher who’s done it a dozen times and can make your old fridge look like new stainless steel. For about $50 plus labor.

And your beloved magnets will still work on your fridge.

6. Different Sticky:

Some people say you should just use sticky tape, or reusable putty or clippers or chewing gum… well, something other than magnets, anyway, to post your photos and memo-notes on the fridge.

That’s not a bad idea, and it gives a great excuse to go browse in the office supplies store! The down side: you don’t get to use and display your magnet collection.

7. Different Metal:

So, if you go the tape-and-sticky-gum route for your fridge display, and you still want to show off your magnet collection — or if you’re bound and determined to use those magnets on the fridge, no other surface will do — there’s something called the Choopa Board that could be your fridge’s new best friend.

It’s a metal board that comes in three different sizes (and two colour options: white or stainless steel) with suction cups on the back. You stick one to the front of the fridge, then stick your magnets on the Choopa Board.
Problem solved!

Now here’s the perfect potted plant for those of us who can’t seem to manage to take care of a single houseplant! Terracotta pots… in a terracotta pot!

I cringe to say this — truly, I do — but this actually came by way of the oh-so-twee Growing Gifts application on Facebook. But if someone knows who actually sells these in the real world, I’d be curious to know. (If for no other reason than to say, Thanks for the crafty idea!)

And wouldn’t it be a grand source of endless jokes? Mind you, you’d probably want to chuck it out the window, the 500th time some loser made a quip about growing pot…

Yes, indeedy… I could see making a little tree of terracotta pots. Both a fun craft project and a witty little decorative item to brighten up a windowsill on a rainy day. Or for your desk — a lot of work places don’t allow much in the way of real growing things in the cubicle, for various obvious reasons, but no one could possibly object to a cute little pot of potted pots! …right?

Inspired by seeing Jen365‘s blog featured on CNN, Lisa Murray decided to shake up her life in a light-hearted way, break out of her rut and out of her shell … by doing one brand new never-tried-it-before thing every day for a year.

I love this idea.

I know a lot of my “new things” aren’t spectacular, but you know what? Even if I’m the only 23 year old who’s never made Jello shooters before … people who may be laughing and ridiculing me should realize that they too had to make them for the first time sometime.

Yeah, exactly!

It’s all about getting your mind to work in a new way, little bit by little bit, just opening the door to creativity and seeing the world with new eyes. (That, and stocking up on life experiences on the way to becoming a fabulously cool little old story-telling Granny, some day in the far distant future…)

Mind you, sometimes the “new things” are not particularly planned, or pleasant, or welcome. One day, Lisa’s “new thing” was side-swiping another car on a misjudged pass. Fortunately, it was just a scuff, no ill effects, but still… not quite the kind of new experience she’d had in mind!

Lisa tells me that it’s sometimes challenging to come up with something new to do every day — whether that’s as simple as wearing black nail polish or just pure silly fun, like ordering a smile at a McDonald’s drive-thru — but it’s been worth it, so far:

I’m learning to love who I am by not focusing on what others think of me. I’m “finding myself”, getting out of my comfort zone, and providing entertaining reading material!

She’s always looking for new ideas for new things to try… What do you say, are we up for it? Can we can come up with some suggestions for Lisa?

Oh sure, a creative bunch of people like this!

Tell you what, I’ll start it off — just scoot on down to the comments section, and we’ll see what wacky and wonderful ideas come floating to the surface…

Browsing around VivaTerra, just now… I seem to have been swept away by a pair of wild ceramic lace horses.

Look at those stocky strong figures — don’t they remind you of cave drawings, somehow? And then the dainty lace decoration on the surface of the sculptures is such a striking contrast to the primitive figures of the horses.

“In the Thai zodiac,” says the VivaTerra blurb, “horses represent independence, confidence, and inquisitiveness — engaging qualities that these animals also express along with a mythical beauty all their own.” Oh yes.

These horses are ceramic figurines, and I can’t tell how the lace is applied… but now I’m thinking, is there a papier mache project here? Papier mache horses, dark colours and solid forms, with a final layer of gently smoothed-on vintage lace (old tablecloth in the bottom drawer, maybe?), all delicate and surprising.

Confession: I’ve always had a few “mixed feelings” about the whole Valentine’s Day thing, myself… but our brand-new guest writer, Becky Ocasio, links a passion for home decor with, well, just plain ol’ passion, in a way that could make even a jaded cynic want to open the door when Cupid calls. Enjoy! ~ Jen

Valentine’s Day Ideas from a Hopeless Romantic

Valentines Day… Is it a day for hopeless romantics to swoon over their one true love? Is it a glorified Hallmark holiday? Ok, so I choose to be the hopeless romantic, even after almost 20 years of marriage, 5 kids and 2 dogs later.

I’ve given some thought (I’m sure you fellas are waiting for this for gift buying insight) as to what to do for your loved one on Valentines Day. Is the jewelry thing overdone? Flowers just die and chocolates, well there goes the New Years resolution. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of the “same old, same old”.

Here are a few thoughts…

How about a blue sky, a beautiful park and a picnic basket? This would be great — minus the 5 kids of course! Or maybe a picnic backpack instead of the basket. Get your Picnic Set, grab the grub at a local Italian deli, throw in a great bottle of wine, and you’re set!   The picnic set will be around for your next romantic rendezvous.

Guys, she will adore you for the thoughtfulness — trust me! This picnic set is so cute and stylish, she will be telling all her friends that you consulted with Martha Stewart herself!

Don’t like the outdoors?
Dim the lights and light the candles and enjoy a quiet evening alone.

Don’t forget the gorgeous set of candle holders. I would recommend the Prior Park or Auburn Candleholder sets. They are both gorgeous and have a romantic feel to them — and they will be around to show off at your next dinner party.

I love it when I have someone ask where I got the incredible box that I keep on my coffee table. My husband knew I had my eye on it and he bought it for me as a gift. They reply “Wow, he bought that?!” And I just smile. I do have to add that a few days ago he announced that his new favorite store was Ikea (one just opened up near us), and I fell in love with him all over again.

Make your better half a meal that will knock his socks off and leave him wondering what he or his stomach would ever do without you?! You have incredible recipes at your fingertips right here!

Don’t forget, presentation is everything — so jazz it all up with some hip dinnerware from Interior Style Home. My favorites are the Mosaic and the Vine patterns. Great items to spice up the kitchen. As a couple and as a family, we are in the kitchen constantly — might as well make it stylish and fun!

Gathering up pictures of memorable times and framing them in a collage type of arrangement would also be a great gift.

I always mean to take that special photo, frame it and place it somewhere for all to see, but there is never enough time in the day. It would be great if someone did this for me… hint, hint!

A Natane photo frame is a fabulous gift for anyone to display several memories.

You are probably saying to yourself by now, “this girl really loves Interior Style Home!”… Yep, I do! I happen to be the mad decorating mind behind the madness, or should I say, website!?

I love all things beautiful in the home — that’s a passion of mine that my family has to live with.

The truth behind the Valentine’s Day legend is cloudy, and probably has been elaborated over the years to become what it is today… so what exactly is it now? Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be a crazy show of affection ,or a “let me go overboard day”, but a day to show you appreciate that special someone, with a gesture to show you care.

Who says that Valentines Day has to be about jewelry and lingerie? A picnic, a romantic evening, an incredible meal, or a collage of great memories, you’ll be sure to get your point across, even though it may not be with a bow and arrow.

Becky Ocasio is an interior decorator in Oviedo, Florida, and the WAHM of 5 behind InteriorStyleHome.com. She loves nothing more than to hide away (“where the kids can’t find me!”) to create floral arrangements and custom window treatments, or to seek out the perfect home accents for her clients.

Technorati Tags: Valentine, gifts, romance, guest post

Today’s guest is DazzlinDonna, who lives up to her name with a simply dazzling personalized gift idea that combines the virtues of thrift and creativity with the kind of real meaning we seek in the holiday season. Thanks for sharing this, Donna! ~Jen

Christmas Remembrance Gifts

The holiday season is meant to be a joyous one, but as we age we often must deal with loss. Many of us have lost parents and grandparents, or other family members in the past, and they are very much missed at holiday gatherings. Nevertheless, they can still be a part of the festivities as we honor them with remembrance gifts.

I like to give remembrance gifts that utilize some bits of the loved one’s favorite clothing, knick-knacks, or crafts. For example, this year, we purchased several cobalt-blue glass jars from the local Dollar store (for $1 each), along with a few bags of pot-pourri. We then used my grandmother-in-law’s old lace doilies that she had crocheted many years ago, wrapped one around each vase, and tied a ribbon around the neck of the vase to keep the doily “attached” to the vase. Next, we simply filled the vase with pot-pourri, and it was ready to be given to her grandchildren as a gift to remember her by.

Of course, you don’t have to use a doily. You could cut up an old flannel shirt that your father used to always wear, or a cotton sweater that was a favorite of your mom’s, or any piece of cloth that represents someone’s past life. As long as the item evokes memories, it can be used in some way to create a remembrance gift, even if it is as simple as placing it within a nice frame.

A few years ago, I purchased several hair brushes that were identical to the one that my mother had used for as long as any of us could remember. I gave one to each sibling. It wasn’t the exact same brush we’d all used as kids, but it looked just like it, and that is enough to keep her in our hearts each time we use it now.

Little remembrance gifts such as these can make the holidays much more special as we honor those who used to share the holidays with us. May you and your family have a wonderful holiday season, and may you share your memories in very special ways, each and every year.

~ DazzlinDonna

Technorati Tags: Christmas, gifts, guest post

As we know, I’m a bit on the frugal side — but that doesn’t mean a lack of generosity, not by a long shot. In fact, brainstorming for the perfect gift can be a great pleasure. And a great gift doesn’t mean you have to spend a bundle — it’s all in the inspiration!

Here are 45 gift ideas to get you started –
None of these gifts need to cost you any more than $25, and most are a good bit lower in price:

1. On behalf of your nature-loving friend, adopt a Chocolate Chip Starfish at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo — check with your own local zoo or a wildlife conservation group (such as the World Wildlife Fund) for other ways to support and protect animals.



2. For the fitness walker: a pedometer and a map of the local hiking trails.
3. For the whole family: a classic game that can be played, in one form or another, by all ages. (We still love those Dominoes!)
4. For the MacGyver type: a Leatherman multi-tool or Swiss Army knife.
5. For the musician: print up a stash of music-notation paper — blank staff or guitar fretboard diagrams.



6. A one-year subscription to National Geographic magazine is bargain-priced right now for holiday giving — or save a few trees and go for a two-year electronic subscription to National Geographic’s new Green Guide. For children: a paid subscription to National Geographic Kids comes with a free 12-inch inflatable world ball: “a big, bouncing, full-color globe of Earth’s continents, oceans, and nations” for even more educational fun.
7. For the pre-teen: make up some coupons that can be traded in for special treats, such as an extra hour of internet time, a ride to a friend’s house, a day without chores, whatever will mean the most to your individual child.
8. For the chatty teenager: a cell phone bag or holster.



9. For the teenager who’s into vintage goodies: Flea Market Jewelry: New Style From Old Treasures by Binky Morgan.
10. For grandma: a digital photo keychain — a new twist on the “brag book” album.
11. Everyone can find a use for a blank journal book, and there are some real beauties to suit every taste, many of which even use recycled products for the journal cover.



12. If you’re the informal tech support for your family, why not burn a few CDs of the best open-source software for their use and enjoyment? I like Firefox for a fast secure web browser, Open Office for a full-featured alternative to Microsoft’s Office suite of programs, Audacity for audio recording, the list goes on…



13. For the hardcore puzzle fan: Rubik’s Sudoku.
14. Print up a personalized calendar, using your own photographs or artwork.
15. For artsy-crafty types who like to experiment: a selection of acrylic craft paints, brushes, and unfinished wooden shapes or a plain picture frame, to paint up in personal style.
16. For the one who manages to kill all house-plants: Aloe vera — nearly indestructible!
17. For the hard-to-buy-for parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, what about a very special book? A local history of their hometown, or a book about the family ancestors, would be a welcome gift.

    Google the place name or family name along with the word “book” to see what you can track down, and if that fails, use the yellow pages to find an independent bookstore (not one of the big chain stores) in the town you’re interested in, then phone up and ask the helpful staff if they know of any local authors who have published on the topic. It can take a bit of detective work, but that’s all part of a special gift, isn’t it?



18. For cat lovers: the Sylvester and Tweety Chia cat grass planter. How cool is this? He gets the Chia pet that he’s always secretly wanted… but he can tell people that it belongs to Kitty!
19. And for cat-loving crafters: the Cat in a Bag decoupage kit.
20. For the genealogy buff: framed art depicting your family tree — in calligraphy, embroidery, PhotoShop collage or scrapbooking style, whatever your skill.



21. For the gourmet: a collection of exotic salt.
22. For the vintage car buff: fuzzy dice to dangle from the rearview mirror, or one of those retro hula girl figurines for the dashboard.
23. For your loved one: write and record an original poem or song.
24. For your yoga buddy: flowering tea.



25. For the new dog owner: Clicker training is a fast and effective, positive, reward-based way to teach obedience to even a tiny puppy.

    For $19.95, Karen Pryor’s Dog Training Kit includes her Getting Started – Clicker Training for Dogs book, an i-Click clicker, a set of Click-a-Trick cue cards, an open-out instruction booklet teaching how to use the clicker itself, and a sample of dog treats. (Yes, I’m recommending it from personal experience!)



26. A geode for the young geologist to crack open, and a display box for her rock collection.
27. DVDs are always popular, but why not take it one step further and add a little personal meaning — get her the DVD of last season’s favourite TV show, the one she kept missing because someone forgot to tape or Tivo when she had to work late! (Depending on the show, you might need to pick it up secondhand, to keep to the budget…)
28. Food! He Who Hogs the Power Tools tells me that any homemade baked goods go down well with 90% of men…
29. Or a cluster of homemade truffles (unbelieveably easy to make) in a pretty tin or vintage dish.



30. Grab a cuddly version of the famous penquin mascot, Tux, for a Linux fan.
31. For the outdoorsy type: Eddie Bauer’s complete survival kit cleverly packed into a Neoprene water bottle.
32. Or a hand-crank no-battery FM radio with a built-in flashlight.
33. For the whole family: a giant popcorn bowl and copies of all those hokey old home movies — priceless!



34. It’s craft fair season, so get out and buy handmade from your local indie artists and crafts people. Around here, I can count on finding some stunning silk batik scarves, old-fashioned wooden toys, maple-sugar candies and barley toys in Christmas shapes, traditional Mi’kmaq baskets, handwoven shawls, beeswax candles and stained glass ornaments… something for everyone!
35. Gifts in a Jar.
36. For the hostess: a bottle of wine. And if you’re not 100% confident of your skill in picking out a high-toned wine for a budget price, play it safe with novelty and humour: I’ve been wanting to try that “kittenish” Sauvignon Blanc, Cat’s Pee on a Gooseberry Bush. Truly. It took a Bronze at the 2005 Air New Zealand Wine Awards; for about $15, how can you go wrong?



37. For the coffee lover: fair trade beans in a decorative cannister, with a small tin of homemade double chocolate biscotti on the side.
38. For a child with imagination: hand puppets or a marionette, and a one-of-a-kind puppet theatre you create from a cardboard box.
39. For her: brightly flowered wooden bangles, fair trade bling from Bali.



40. Pet portraits are always popular. No time or skill to create a custom piece of art? Check the indie shops of CafePress.com for gift items that celebrate almost any breed of dog and cat you can imagine.
41. Mr. Potato Head
42. For the avid reader: make a ribbon-and-charm bookmark.
43. Picture frames: everyone’s got a favourite photo they’d like to show off.
44. For the queen of patio parties: a solar-powered Soji lantern.
45. Wearable art! No time to create from scratch? Embellish a simple store-bought vest, fabric belt or bag with lace, beads, embroidery, applique, fabric paint, stencilling, dangling milagros and bits of chain and ribbon… whatever your imagination suggests…

This chubby little “Pretty in Pink Princess” is one of a whole family of ultra-cute snowmen and snow girls made by painting and embellishing a recycled lightbulb. Hat and scarf are from scraps of felt, and the hanger was created from floral wire and vintage buttons.

$5.00 each, Snowbulbs by Dinner Time Chimes on Etsy.

[via Pampering Beki]