Food Gifts for the Holidays

I've always wanted to give food gifts during the holidays but the jars never seemed pretty enough to hand out regardless of the tastiness inside. I stumbled across a canning label template that has finally changed my mind. Merriment Design tells you everything you need and walks you the process step by step.

Why stop with food goods? Glam up your craft closet with decoratively labeled jars, spice up homemade bath salts, tuck in knit goods like gloves and a lacy scarf. There are so many things that can creatively be given inside a glass jar (they come in many different shapes, sizes, and styles) and the labels give it such a personalized touch.

Allen Wrench on Aisle 23

To Whom it may Concern,

First and foremost, let me say, I love IKEA furniture! About 70% of the furniture in my house is IKEA furniture and I plan to buy more in the future.

I know that IKEA wants to take responsibility for the environment and is taking many positive steps in that direction with flat boxes, using waste products, and reducing resources used in production of your goods.

There is one area where your company could improve. With almost every piece of IKEA furniture I've purchased, I have received an allen wrench. I now have dozens of them around my house and in my toolbox. I would love for your store to provide a way to recycle allen wrenches at your store and, ideally, for your store to find a way to reuse them.

I have talked to many other individuals who frequently shop at your store and many of them have shared similar concerns. Almost all of your packing materials are recyclable except for the wrench that comes with many of your products. I would greatly appreciate your business devising a way to make the allen wrench yet another area in which sustainability and concern for resources is a high priority.

Thank you,
Laura M.

PS: For any of you reading this letter on my blog, I would encourage you to send a similar letter to IKEA

A Flashback I didn't see Coming...

Does anyone remember Bravestarr??? Andy and I were reminiscing about cartoons of our youth when Andy pulled Bravestarr out of the blue. I had never heard of this cartoon! Andy claimed to even have a toy horse from the series. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, we were able to find it on Hulu. Why not watch a couple of episodes, right?

Holy Crap! That is one wacko cartoon! Just watch the intro and you'll see what I mean! According to IMDB, the show debued in 1987. It is about an American cowboy who has to protect New Texas from renigade robots. It is so strange to watch! I can't believe my husband, who was only allowed to watch Nova, was allowed to watch it!

How to Make your own Hand Sanitizer

I stumbled across this awesome recipe for natural hand sanitizer. I have yet to try it since it is a little heavy on the natural oils and my budget seems spoken for until March! My husband prefers to use hand sanitizer throughout the day instead of trying to squeeze in true hand washing while helping chase our three boys. I never realized making my own sanitizer was even an option!

The recipe looks very simple and straightforward. I will be trying it probably in the spring. If you decide to try it before then, please let me know how it works!

Send Postcards for Free!

There are three things I enjoy: getting something in the mail, anything free, something to do during naptime. Hippopost to the rescue! Their website allows you to pick a picture (upload one of your own or choose one of theirs), type out a message (up to 14 lines) and send it to anyone you want. They print and send it out. The catch? You choose an advertiser (they usually have one or two choices) that puts a little blurb at the bottom of your postcard.

We've used Hippopost to send out thank you cards, keep in touch with extended family members, and send birthday wishes from the kids' favorite toys. There are so many possibilities. We're even considering using the website to send out Christmas post cards this year. You can send up to ten postcards a day.