Out with the old...

...in with the new!

To celebrate the coming year, we've found a few fun crafts for up-cycling books (for ones that are falling apart and/or too well loved for donation!)

Photo Books: transform old books into interesting frames for your favorite photographs
Better Homes and Gardens

"Pretty Bird Wall Art": made with just Mod Podge and Sharpies
Blue Cricket Design

Bird Ornament: instructions in link
By Stephanie Lynn

Book Planter!
DIY Ready

Easter Sushi???

Miss Bun had never heard of this somewhat peculiar springtime treat until she stumbled onto Serious Eats . It was love at first sight!

It's still not too late to make this an Easter tradition at your house too!
(The ingredients needed are pretty minimal.....as you can see!)

How to Make Peepshi = Peep Sushi

Peeps for my Peeps!

Are these not just too cute?!? And you can EAT them!

They are called Cake Pops and can be found on a really creative food site, Bakerella , which is authored by a very inventive person who does this for fun and obviously likes to share.

She also does her own photography! (That's her work above.)


There are more cute critters (& Cup Cake Pops, Cake Balls, & more!)  to be found there as well as directions for making your own.

So if you like to play with your food and are into baking,  Miss Bun encourages you to go forth and check this site out!

Enjoy!

Let's Generate Some Hearts!

Ok, Peeps! Just in time for Valentine's Day !

The Candy Heart Generator

This fun little app is from the folks at Despair, Inc.who evidently have a slightly different (yet
amusingly twisted) view of things. You can save your hearts on your computer or email them to friends. Get creative! Enjoy!

Twelfth Night? What's It All About?

If you think that New Year's Eve is really the end of this holiday season you have obviously forgotten about Twelfth Night. Here is your chance to learn about Twelfth Night cake, wassailing the apple trees, Molly dancers, Mummers, grand balls & more!

Take a look at these interesting links about this particular celebration:

Understanding Twelfth Night: The Holiday That Time Forgot
by the Camden County Historical Society

Twelfth Night by The School of the Seasons

& Twelfth Night (Holiday) by Wikipedia

Enjoy!

Too Cute Bookmarks to Download!!!

Are you giving books as presents this holiday season? Then you will want to go to Jinjerup and snag some of these adorable bookmarks to go with them.

All you have to do is download, print on card stock , & cut them out. How easy is that?

Christmas Penguin & Snowmen Bookmarks

(OMG! Only two days til the BIG DAY! Where's a good elf when you need one???)

Happy Winter Solstice!

Today is the first day of winter and also the shortest day of the year (if you live in the northern hemisphere that is).

The good people at National Geographic have put together a  few facts about this annual event. Check it out here: Winter Solstice 2009

Can You Name All of Santa's Reindeer???

Then Christmas Trivia is the site for you!

All of the quizzes are available online or in printable pdf format. And there are several categories to choose from: General Christmas Trivia, Christmas Tree Trivia, Christmas Music Trivia, & Christmas Movie Trivia. Quizzes are rated by difficulty so there is a little something for everyone to be found here.

So put your Christmas thinking cap on and enjoy!

Frosty the Snowman....

  

What's winter without a snowman?

Ever wonder where the snowman comes from? Glad  you asked! It turns out that the snowman does have a history and it just might be one that you weren't expecting. Check out this Smithsonian article by Bob Eckstein (who also wrote a book on the subject called History of the Snowman): Snowman Gone Wild.

We are so glad that Frosty was able to clean up his act which led to the famous song from the 1950's. Get the scoop on the song @ Wikipedia: Frosty the Snowman 

And then take a look at this original vintage Frosty the Snowman video (with lyrics) from 1954:






To finish our "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Snowmen" tour try building one of your own online from the good people at Highlights:
Build A Snowman (Don't forget to print your creation!)

Now we just need a good snow day!!!

A Snowglobe for the Slightly Warped

Hey, Peeps! Check out this flash snowglobe from E-Tractions. It's a great way to get your holiday aggressions out in a safe & amusing way. Enjoy!

E-Tractions Snowglobe

About Snowglobes plus make a Digital one of your own! TGIFF!

Snowglobes are quite in keeping with the season and there is nothing like having your own miniature world  (complete with blizzard) at your fingertips.

Ever wondered about the history of these sometimes lovely, sometimes tacky curios? Check out what Wikipedia has to say about Snow Globes. You may be surprised.

Then go here: Sony Ericsson Snowglobe where you can make your own little wintry world (you can upload your own photo if you'd like to) , add a message, and send it to friends and family!

Get your blizzard on!

Make Your Own Advent Calendar

Here is a nice template and instructions for making an Advent Calendar using your own photos from the good people at Kodak.

Yes, I know the season has started already but there is always next year, right?

Enjoy!

Hot Chocolate on a Stick from The Giver's Log blog

The Giver's Log is the place to go for ideas on gift giving, gift wrapping and more!

AmberLee has collected ideas on gifting, wrapping, thoughtful gestures, and gift etiquette from friends, bloggers, and herself.

There are do-it-yourself projects as well as links to nifty things on the Web. She also has gift ideas by category such as teacher, hostess, grandparent, client, farewell, new baby, & teens, to name a few.

Here is one that would be a perfect treat to make for this time of year:

Hot Chocolate on a Stick





'Tis the season for giving.....Go forth & be inspired!

Get The Skinny on Christmas Foods & Their History . .

 The Food Timeline - Christmas Foods History is the place to go for information on your favorite holiday food traditions, as well as recommended reading, some recipes, & specific topic resources.

About "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens

What would Christmas be like if this wonderful story had never seen the light of day? Go to David Perdue's site and find out how Charles Dickens saved this holiday.

Christmas and Dickens

(While you are there take a look around at all the other fascinating info on this author!)

And then, by the wonder that is the Web, you can go here:                                                  

Looking Over the Shoulder of the Creator of "A Christmas Carol" (by the New York Times)

and actually look at a high resolution (hand written) copy of the only manuscript of the story that Mr. Dickens left behind. How amazing is that?


Wait! There's more!


Last, but not least, is a rather nice electronic edition for your online reading pleasure:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Ok, Peeps, there should be no bah-humbugging around here!

Enjoy!

SnowDays . . . Make Your Own Snowflake . . .TGIFF!

Let's get this holiday season started! 

For some of us it's never too soon for the white stuff so here is your chance to make your own snowflake, add a message, share it with the world & be notified of any responses you get AND check out the snowflakes that others have created.

SnowDays is the place to go if you love snow because it's where the snow never stops falling!

To make your own snowflake just click on the appropriate tab and follow the directions. (It's merely a matter of clicking and dragging. There's a preview pane, too.)

To view what others have created put your cursor on a falling flake (as of this post there were over 8 million designs).

You can also search for a particular flake using several different fields.

OK, Peeps, what are you waiting for? Let's go play in the snow!

Happy Thanksgiving & a Video . . .

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Here is a little Turkey Day video by MentalLapse from YouTube for your enjoyment:

Thanksgiving Stats . . .

The Facts for Features & Special Editions section of the U.S. Census website consists of statistics from the Bureau's demographic and economic subject areas collected to commemorate anniversaries or observances or to provide background information for topics in the news.

So this is the place to go to find out about turkeys & turkey day: Facts for Features -  Thanksgiving Day Nov. 26, 2009 .





And here is a report from the AAA Newsroom (where you can also find other interesting info) on Thanksgiving Travel.

The History of Thanksgiving. . .

On The History of Thanksgiving by history.com you can:

• Find out what the first Thanksgiving menu was
• Read the proclamation that started it all
• Find out about the first broadcasted  football game in 1934
  
• Look up Thanksgiving trivia

And lots more!

So, don't just sit there like a stuffed turkey.....trot on over to this site and enjoy!

TGIFF & Turkey To Go...

And now, for your juvenile gaming pleasure, we give you: Turkey To Go.

A rather inane kind of game where you collect feathers for your turkey, corn is a bonus, and forks are hazardous! Beware the forks! (Or not....depending on how warped your sense of humor is!)

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Enjoy!