I'm kind of really into these videos. Such good tips!
Bookmark Idea
In my dreams, everything I own looks luxurious - even (and especially) the mundane items that surround my everyday life. So when I saw this idea for a bookmark in Martha Stewart Living, I gasped. I really did. Judge away.
Is this not a gorgeous idea? Quite frankly, I don't know where I'll find an envelope like that to use and cut up - but believe me when I say that my eyes are peeled for one.
"To make one, cut a bottom corner from an ungusseted paper bag (the kind card shops use) or a colorful envelope. Ours is about 2 inches long from corner to cut. Create several to track your best-loved recipes or when planning the menu for a special dinner." - Martha Stewart
Lord love her. I'm nowhere near "planning the menu for a special dinner" in my current state of living, but I love that she thinks I am.
Cheap Magazine Subscriptions
Obviously, you know I'm into handwritten mail. Who isn't? But you know what's also pretty sweet? Magazines, baby. I waited, oh, about four years before fulfilling a dream and finally subscribing to Martha Stewart Living. Why did I wait? It always seemed too expensive. The only reason I finally signed up was because of the crazy deals that most magazine subscriptions are offering now. (This definitely sounds like an ad. A bad ad. Sorry about that.) GQ offered a year-long subscription rate of $5 FOR THE YEAR a few weeks back (it's now at $15 for the year), so it's good to check off and on.
This is basically just a public service announcement telling you that if you've been putting off subscribing to some magazine you've always wanted to get but haven't because of money - well, you should go sign up now since magazines are definitely on their way out the door. I understand that's why they're charging so little, so it'd be smartest to get in on this now because they're completely gone.
You can find the weekly, cheap Amazon magazine subscriptions over here. But you should also check out an individual magazine's website as well. Mad deals all 'round. Get in on it.
(And if you're the type who's into tabloids... well... I genuinely hate myself for being the one to inform you of these deals. I really do.)
Breakable Flower Boxes
Breakable flower boxes by Kingsday.
Cat Climbable Furniture
Me and all cats? Meh. We're on speaking terms, but it's not a loving relationship. I do, however, think they would agree with me that these pieces of furniture are amazing and ridiculously unique.
(Click on the images to see more examples.)
A German company designed all of these and I'm pretty sure they're for sale over here on their site (not completely sure because I don't speak German). Such a neat idea.
Two Actually Good Pinterest New Year's Ideas
I could write an essay on the perils of being on Pinterest. I won't, but I could. I've sifted through an array of New Year's themed pins and these two were my favourites. I'm definitely going to attempt them and I think you should, too.
1. A good way to clean out your closet and see what you're actually wearing throughout the year: Flip all your hangers around on New Year’s Day. After one year, donate any clothes that you haven’t worn, aka the hangers that are still flipped. This only works if you've already listened to my other piece of advice about having one item per one hanger.
2. (I hope you know that with any mention of Pinterest, there are going to be mason jars involved.) Anyway, starting on January 1st, write any good things that happen to you on little pieces of paper and plop them into this jar. Obviously, you can use a jar or a box or whatever to keep the notes in. What types of things would you write on the notes? Surprise gifts, accomplished goals, things that made you laugh, a memory you don't want to forget, lines from books you've loved, etc. And when December 31st arrives, go through the jar and recollect on the best moments of your year. Now, this idea might seem kind of silly to you - but there are so many good things that happen within the span of a year that go unremembered, especially as we age and tend to forget (or more specifically as I age and tend to forget). I just thought this is such a simple way to not let things pass by too quickly. And if I actually follow through with this activity throughout the year, I'll make sure to post what my notes were in a year's time. (UPDATE: I didn’t share them here because it ain’t your business!)
Twelve Gifts For The Seinfeld Fan
Okay, I know this gift list is not relevant to 2013. But let's choose to ignore that fact because there are definitely people who still re-watch/love this show and would really be into some of these gifts. Like what, you ask?
1. A chocolate (or cinnamon) babka. Available online through Greens Bakery or by making it yourself by Googling the recipe.
2. The black and white cookie. Available in any New York bakery and the recipe can be found here.
3. The Real Kramer Reality Tour (three hours). Tickets available online for $37.50.
4. Actual muffin tops. Not hard to get, either make or buy them and then pop the tops.
5. The Original Soupman's retail soup. Available in grocery stores and online.
6. Astonishing Tales Of The Sea book. Available online.
7. A book (or a book on tape) about Risk Management. Available online.
8. Tropic of Capricorn or Tropic of Cancer books
9. A book of French impressionist art to put in your bathroom.
10. A book of War & Peace but with a self-made cover of “War, What Is It Good For?”. There's a tutorial on how to make your own book cover here.
11. This photo in a frame.
12. Festivus In A Box. Available online.
BONUS PRINTOUT
Of course there are tons of more ideas, but let's not go overboard here. The show did end fifteen years ago.
You can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
Canada Post's Letters To Santa
Canada is great because of things like this. I'm not sure how long Canada Post has been doing this, but I'm so glad they still are. Such a nice idea.
Bayberry Candles on Christmas Eve & New Year's Eve
“Light a bayberry candle on Christmas Eve and allow it to burn completely until it goes out on its own, as shortly after midnight as possible. After midnight, the closer to midnight it burns out on its own, the more prosperous one will be in the new year. You can do this on New Year’s Eve, also.”
I don't usually write about upcoming posts for my Mom Says section, but this is the one exception. And I'm writing about it so early in December so that you have time to order these candles if for some strange reason you actually LISTEN to my advice. (I always buy them off Amazon since they seem to be the cheapest on there.) (And they're surprisingly hard to find in candle shops.)
Anyway, where does this tradition/superstition come from? Lots of places, apparently. Just Google "legend of the bayberry candle" and you'll see for yourself. Why do I do it? Well, because my mom is probably the luckiest person I know and if she tells me to burn a candle, then I'm gonna burn that candle.
“This bayberry candle comes from a friend,
so on Christmas Eve burn it to the end.
For a bayberry candle burned to the socket,
will bring joy to the heart, and gold to the pocket.”
Tip of the Day - Frozen Grapes
Is it lame to like wine that's really, really cold? (Not red wine, of course - I'm not a barbarian.) But for white wine? God, yes. It's gotta be freezing.
What do I do? I keep frozen grapes in my fridge, always. Why always? Because they make a good snack, too.
So whenever you have a bottle of wine that's just been bought or has been sitting out - you just plop these mothers in and it'll chill up nicely. Obviously, it's better than ice cubes because those will melt and water mixed in with wine is gross.