If you’d like a quick, simple gift for a teacher, friend or neighbor, I recommend this Italian dressing Mix. There are many ways this mix can be used :

• Dry season for pasta salad
• Seasoning for popcorn
• Marinade
• Tomato sauce all-in-one spice
• 50/50 blend of mayonaise and sour cream to for veggie dip or thin this combination with a little milk for a creamy Italian dressing

This recipe is the perfect size for 3 dressing servings in a cute little 4 ounce Mason Jar.

Prep time 5 minutes. Ready in 5 minutes.

• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• pinch of red pepper flakes for a little zing

1. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic salt, onion powder, sugar, oregano, pepper, thyme, basil, parsley, celery salt. Store in a tightly sealed container.
2. To prepare dressing, whisk together 1/4 white vinegar, 2/3 cup canola oil, 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons of the dry mix.

People (myself included) are aware of their spending habits more now than I have ever seen in my lifetime.  I have found it to be a lot of fun to see how far I can stretch dollars and see what neat and creative things I will do and make as a result. The holidays are really no exception. This year, I don’t want to appear cheap, but I do hope to appear smart and creative. That is a fine line to walk, but the good news is that it seems people are more understanding on this front. You can save, too!

1. Set expectations with Family and Friends Ahead of Time
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I broached the subject with my family as to what they wanted to do and how much to spend. It can seem a bit strange or uncomfortable puttingprice limits on gift-giving but it’s a lot better than having hurt feelings or stress of not knowing how much (or how little) to spend. We collectively agreed to use Elfster. It’s s an online tool for creating secret gift exchanges event-organization, name pairing, draw restrictions, gift guidance, wishlists, and anonymous questions and answers. Once you can agree to a dollar amount on gifts, Elfster will help to facilitate the whole exchange and it’s a lot of fun to interact with the exchange members online.

2. Handmade Gifts
This past summer, I made several types of homemade jams. I hadn’t realized how personal of a gift this was until now. It takes a lot of time, energy and love.It’s also rewarding to make something that you’d normally purchase at the store loaded with unknown ingredients. I plan to share jams and other homemade baked goods with neighbors and teachers. For the jams, it can be difficult to determine how much to make several months in advance, but once a holiday season passes, you will have a better idea of what you’ll need next time.

3. Newspaper Gift Wrapping
I have been wrapping children’s birthday gifts in comics because I think it is really adorable and I think it is a cute classic look. I was thinking it would be cool to extend to Christmas somehow so I decided that a fancy red ribbon would pair nicely with black and white newsprint. Black & white newsprint would look beautiful with a pale blue ribbon for Hannukah as well! You could also do the literal throwback, “brown paper packages tied up with string” and give your gifts an old-fashioned feel.

4. Experience Gifts
Giving someone your time is a very valuable thing and memories last a long time. You could give a sibling or friend in need of a babysitter the gift of a night of worry-free night out or you could pack a picnic for mom to have an afternoon together chatting and sipping wine. At your own risk, you could give your husband a massage coupon — although, I don’t recommend this because they seem to want to cash in at the most inopportune times or may not realize what is within scope of “a massage.” Think about what people on your list might need and you can create a perfect gift scenario. Just don’t forget to make good on your promise!

5. Pack Light
Think like the airlines and pack gifts light because extra weight will cost you extra money. If you are shipping items, pick lighter smaller things so you don’t get dinged on shipping.

Whatever you decide, remember that health, happiness and being loved throughout the year is the best gift of all!

I’ve added many new items to my store and wanted to find a way to share several unique items for the holidays. I decided on a dozen items for the 12 days of Christmas (pick 8 for hanukkah)!
6 under $25  – 4 under $50 – and 2 under $100!

under $25
Bird Juicer $24
Salsabol $13
Silverware Pens $20
Polaroid Wall Decals $18
Pasta Cooker $16
Vintage Key Plates $25

under $50
Sea Life Plates $42
Silver Fortune Necklace $35
Solar Wind Chime $50
Sterling Silver Peacock Feather Earrings $38

Under $100
Tegu Blocks $55
Plank Yoga Mat $95

Happy Holidays!

Every time I send out a birthday invitation for a party or a Christmas card, I am inevitably asked where I got the printing done. To be totally truthful, I feel that it’s not just the printing that is awesome. A lot of thought and work goes into a single printed piece and it starts with an amazing photo. Some photos I’ve used in cards or invitations have been snapshots I’ve taken myself, which have captured a simple moment and have taken zero planning and others have been taken by professional photographers and took a lot of planning, poking, prodding and lollipops. Either way, they are both necessary!

For those of you who are new to this process, I wanted to offer some advice on how to create an awesome piece that people will rave about:

Get started early
In previous years, I have started the process a bit late and have been rushing to get the finished product. Once you place an order, it does take some time to print and ship, so leave yourself ample time to create, proof, order, ship, address and mail in time for the holidays. This year, I’ve decided I’m going to be ahead of the curve (and take advantage of the early bird sales). I received my printed cards on the other day and the box is sitting right here on my desk!

Use your best photo from the entire year
Don’t feel like you need to use a seasonal holiday photo, fresh summer photos are welcome during cold winter months!

Keep it simple
Select natural (human) poses that are crisp and clear. I particularly enjoy photos that catch a special moment and everyone doesn’t have to be looking at the camera smiling like plastic. I also seem drawn to the photo-centric card designs because they showcase my family more than the card design.

Pick a design and photo that reflects your family’s style — don’t try to recreate someone else’s card
The  best photos are those that make people say, “wow, that is so you.” You’ll know which photo that is when you see it. Ultimately, the design you choose will depend on the style and composition of the photo.

It’s never too late to start archiving
I always order a couple extras. One for my pin board next to my desk to enjoy year-round and for one for my correspondence archive book. The archive is a 5×7 photo sleeved photo album. As soon as I receive my printed pieces, I add them to my archive so I don’t forget and it so it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. Years from now, I imagine the book will tell a story in photos year by year. To me, that is the greatest part of all because it’ll be a life of photos, clothing styles and design styles in one flip through a book.

I do owe a huge chunk of kudos to Tiny Prints and Minted.com for the above designs. As a designer-type and lover of aestetically beautifully printed design pieces and photographs, I have to say both their products are among the best in the consumer business and they make it very easy to ‘design’ your own with a template.

Good luck with your holiday endeavors and best of luck to you in checking this one off your list so you can get on with your other holiday preparations, whether it’s hosting family, shipping gifts to far away relatives or preparing to travel yourself.

Happy holidays!

I am excited to announce that my OpenSky store is now OPEN for business! There are so many nuts and bolts that go into organizing a blog and this is just another one that’s in place. I’m very excited about it because OpenSky has a lot of unique items. I’ll be adding products regularly as I find products that reflect me and my blog readers.

Get ready! I’m about to make my first OpenSky product recommendation! (drumroll please!)…….

Hint: It is ecofriendly, disposable and can teach children table manners.

ideas?

Answer: The Perfect Setting Placemat!

At any point while you are visiting my blog, you can click on the “shop” link in my menu and reach my OpenSky store. I will be adding items periodically so please check back often and shop away!