Sharing is Caring, Especially When It Comes to Cleaning

DIY Holiday Gift Baskets

Gifts are always nicer when they come from the heart. Giving a personalized present to your loved ones doesn’t have to be a hassle with home made gift baskets.

Start by thinking about each particular person’s favorite things. For coffee or tea lovers, add a few different fair trade coffee/tea varieties. Top it off with a new mug filled with home made cookies.

Do you have a friend who loves to cook? Fill his/her basket with some gourmet salts, exotic spices, or a new apron. Throw in a cook book, or make a recipe book out of a pretty journal, or a beautiful box with index cards.

Spoil someone with a gift basket of organic soy candles, bath beads, potpourri and a nice lotion or new bathrobe.

Pick out a few baskets from a flea market or craft store. If the baskets are too big it will look empty, so pay attention to size. Wrap the baskets in shrink wrap, tying the top closed with a ribbon, and heat with a blow dryer.

Viola, the perfect present!

Quick House Cleaning Strategies

Having a few friends over? With these simple strategies you can finish your house cleaning quickly, and even have some fun.

Start off by keeping all your supplies close at hand. Fill a box or bucket with all your cleaning supplies, and bring it with you to cut down on unnecessary trips and distractions. Keep a damp rag in one pocket and a dry one in another for convenient touch ups.

Cold weather, busy days and fattening holiday meals make it hard to manage your weight. House cleaning is a great way to get in some old fashioned aerobic exercise while checking things off the to do list. Start by setting the mood with some fast paced music. Keep your heart rate up by dancing while dusting, and move fast. Keeping up a fast pace while you’re cleaning will not only burn calories but will save time as well.

Finally, get some incentive other than a clean house. Go and get a manicure when you’re finished, that way you don’t have to worry about ruining your nails, and you’ll give yourself a much needed break after all that hard work.

Green Holiday Ideas

We found a few green holiday tips to make it easy for you to go green this holiday season.

Start off your green holiday by replacing your old holiday lights with new, energy saving LED lights. Not only will it refresh your holiday decorations, but you’ll use up to 90% less energy! That translates to some serious savings on your energy bills.

Save paper by sending holiday e-cards this year, or you can order postcards with family photos. Be creative with your wrapping paper by using the Sunday comics or magazine pages. Double up on your gifts this year by wrapping your gifts in cute, reusable shopping bags.

By following our simple green holiday tips it’s easy to save the world, and our wallets.

Halloween Recipes for a Ghoulish Evening!

Last post we looked at crafts you could make, but today it’s time to think about what you’ll be eating and drinking on the big night.

With a creepy feel to them, let’s start with these Halloween eyeballs. You will need 20 marshmallows, 20 chocolate chips and some red icing. Push a chip into each marshmallow then draw the blood lines with the red icing. The result is very scary!

Or what about some Halloween punch? Take one bottle of apple juice, one bottle of lemon-lime soda, one bottle of ginger ale, and some green frozen juice concentrate. Mix together well, and add some cinnamon and cloves if you like. Delicious!

Finally, what party would be complete without some spooky Halloween cupcakes?

After you’ve made the basic cupcakes, with butter, sugar, flour and eggs, make up some icing in garish orange and frightening black. Decorate each cake with a spider’s web and your guests will howl with fright as they tuck in!

Happy Halloween!

Make Your Own Halloween Crafts – Part I

Halloween isn’t far away and it isn’t just pumpkin carving that can be fun for the kids. There are so many different things you can make and it’s not just fun, but it’s easy on the wallet as well.

Why not start with some homemade Halloween invites? Whether it’s a ghost, witch or skeleton, a bright color and an simple design can really make the point.

Or what about some home-made blood? All you need is some hot water, corn syrup and red food coloring? You can keep it in the fridge and apply it throughout the evening, as necessary…

There’s also spider-web decorations. Take some card and a pen and draw out your spider web. Cut it out then apply some glue. Sprinkle on glitter and get ready to frighten your friends…

Next week we’ll be looking at simple but tasty treats you can prepare, to make your devilish party antics even more fun.