Peppermint Cocoa–The Easy Way

Cocoa is always a favorite, and the peppermint version is especially delicious. You can add a few marshmallows for the little ones, or some vodka for that uncle who is looking for something “festive.” When you’ve got a house full of guests, a stovetop brimming over with holiday food, and […]

Christmas Holiday

Who Needs Bows? Simplify Gift Wrapping

Who needs bows? When you’re wrapping gifts–especially gifts that you’ll be traveling with or shipping to their recipients–you can skip the time and expense of bows and decorate your Christmas gifts with a beautiful and easy, ribbon weave. Just lay one stripe of ribbon down at a time, and weave […]

Christmas Holiday

DIY Holiday Chandelier–Just Use a Lamp

A DIY holiday chandelier is easy to make if you have a hanging lamp, ceiling lamp, or even a ceiling fan in your home. Start with some Christmas tree ornaments. They don’t even have to be your favorites because, after all, they will be up near the ceiling. And they […]

Christmas Holiday Home

DIY Holiday Décor with Ornaments

DIY holiday décor doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money. You can make something spectacular with simple Christmas tree ornaments. No time for a tree? No worries. You can still get your ornaments out and create your own elegant décor. Use a cake stand, a “cloche” (we […]

Christmas Holiday

Bring This Up at Christmas Dinner

Oh, Christmas dinner–the time to have fun, reconnect with family, and bring up touchy subjects. Have you spent too much money on holiday gifts this year? You’re not alone. On average, an individual spends almost $900 on holiday gifts–and that doesn’t even begin to include travel and holiday meals! Bring […]

Christmas Food Holiday

Gingerbread Garland: A DIY Treat

Gingerbread cookies are festive and fun, and you can easily turn them into holiday decorations! Here’s an easy and inexpensive way to add some “country cottage” holiday charm to your home. When you’re making these tasty cookies (here’s the easiest way to do that), use a straw to make two holes […]

Christmas Holiday

DIY Gift Labels Using Family Photos

Labels add the finishing touch on gifts, yet far too often we put all the effort into wrapping the gift, and the labels are treated as an afterthought. Now you can make DIY gift tags that are not only simple but also reflect what’s inside the package. This is so […]

Christmas Holiday

Christmas Ornaments: DIY and Gorgeous!

Christmas ornaments can turn into keepsakes or even family heirlooms, especially when they are hand-made. But you don’t have to be an expert crafter to make holiday ornaments that will be treasured for years to come. These are so easy, even a first-time crafter can make them! Start with clear […]

Christmas Food Holiday

Edible Ornaments You Can Make Yourself

Edible ornaments? Yes, and they are so easy to make that you’ll wish you’d known about this DIY project ages ago. All you need are some crushed candy canes, metal cookie cutters, and a little DIY genius. Oil a cookie sheet (and the inside of the cookie cutters), add the crushed candy, […]

Christmas Holiday Home

Glass Jars Make Perfect DIY Christmas Décor

Glass jars that you’ve tucked away all year are just what you need for this holiday hack. No room for a Christmas tree? No problem. It’s time to put those glass vases and mason jars to use. Fill the jars with ornaments, holly (real or faux, no worries), or LED […]

Christmas

Candy Cane Place Cards: Easy DIY

Candy cane place cards are so easy to make that even the kids can get in on this DIY holiday project. Kids of all ages love this! Start with some small candy canes and, if they come in a wrapper, remove it carefully. Then, glue or tie together three small candy […]

Christmas Food Holiday

Candy Canes Make Perfect Stir Sticks

Candy canes are delightful at the holidays–you can hang them on the Christmas tree, use them to decorate garland, make place cards, and of course, eat them! For the kiddies enjoying hot cocoa, and for the grownups sipping on some eggnog, try using them as candy-coated stir sticks. Just melt chocolate (in […]

Christmas Food Holiday

Christmas Tree Cheeseboard: Edible Fun

A Christmas tree cheeseboard is a wonderful way to serve up cheese and grapes as an appetizer. We love edible Christmas trees, especially when they are this fun and delicious! To make a Christmas tree cheeseboard, use sprigs of rosemary and thyme for the branches, then layer cubes of cheese, grapes, […]

Christmas Food Holiday

Cranberry Ice Adds a Festive Touch

Cranberry ice adds a festive flair to your drinks, appetizer platters and ice buckets at the holidays. It’s so simple to make, too. You can buy a bag of fresh or frozen cranberries at the grocery store. There’s no need to cook them, but be sure to rinse them! Add […]

Beauty Christmas Holiday

The Easiest Christmas Manicure

The easiest Christmas manicure doesn’t require any special tools or heating lamps. Here’s a manicure you can do at home, with masking tape! First, polish your nails–we think green works perfectly for this endeavor, but you can also use red or silver. Then, when the first layer of polish is […]

Christmas Holiday

Snowmen Pumpkins Make Upcycling Fun

Snowmen pumpkins are all the rage this year. It’s a smart way to “upcycle” your leftover Halloween décor. Whether your leftover pumpkins are the real deal or made of foam, it’s easy to paint them white and turn them into snowmen! (If the neighborhood kids already smashed your pumpkins, you can […]

Christmas Holiday

DIY Holiday Candle Holder: So Easy!

A DIY holiday candle holder that is so easy and practically free! We’ve found yet another use for mason jars–or any empty jars you have handy: making your own holiday candle holders. This is easy and inexpensive: just tie some small cuttings from your tree (or your neighbor’s tree!), cinnamon […]

Christmas Food Holiday

Candy Cane Frosting Is Easy and Festive

Candy cane frosting is perfect for holiday cookies and cakes. This easy frosting is lighter than traditional frosting–and quick to make. In fact, it’s so simple you can invite your husband–we mean, your kids–to help you make it. Start with some candy canes of any size. Place them in a brown […]

Christmas Holiday

Wrapping Paper Gone? Wrap without It!

Wrapping paper has a way of disappearing–especially when your friends and family stop by and use yours. When you run out, it’s time to get creative. Use paper bags, turned inside out, to get a nice “Kraft paper” look. Forget about ribbons and bows! You can use any string that you […]

Christmas Holiday Home

Hang a Wreath without Damaging Your Door

Hang a wreath on your front door without using a single nail. There are lots of good reasons to put up a wreath–it’s festive, fresh and a lot less expensive than decorating an entire tree! But, if you rent, or if you have a really nice front door, you probably don’t […]

Christmas Holiday

The Scent of Christmas Is Easy to Create

The scent of Christmas is distinct, fresh and somehow reassuring, probably because it includes things that remind us of home: cinnamon, vanilla, pine, and cranberries. It is said that our sense of smell is strongly linked to memory, so let’s make this year full of good memories and wonderful smells. Now you […]

Christmas Food Holiday

Strawberry Santas Anyone Can Make

Strawberry Santas are super easy to make and require only three ingredients: strawberries, whipped cream and tiny round candies like these. Start with a bunch of strawberries. Rinse and remove the stems. Slice the top one-third of a strawberry, add whipped cream, then put the top of the strawberry on top of […]

Christmas Holiday

Organize Ribbon the Easy Way

Organize ribbon once and for all–when it’s time to wrap it up, you don’t have time for searching through a messy bag full of rolls of ribbon, only to find out you actually don’t have what you need. Use a free-standing paper towel holder to keep all your ribbons, strings and […]

Christmas Holiday

Hang Ornaments the Easy Way–with Paper Clips

Hang ornaments without stressing over those tricky little ornament hooks. The simplest way to connect an ornament and a Christmas tree? Paper clips! Of course you want your home or office to look festive, and ornaments, a holiday centerpiece, add to your festive style. Yet it seems that, every year, […]

Christmas Holiday

Wrap Oddly Shaped Gifts the Easy Way

Wrap oddly shaped gifts the easy way without spending a fortune on gift bags! Sure, wrapping up a gift with wrinkled paper and a whole lot of tape is cute–when you’re a kid. But presentation is important, and people do get a bit tired of digging gifts out of generic […]

Christmas Food Holiday

Holiday Brownies in All Shapes

Holiday brownies combine the best of both worlds: sweets + holiday celebration. (Oh, and at the holidays, calories don’t really count.) Whether you are making brownies, blondies, fudge, or even homemade marshmallows, make them in the shapes of Christmas trees, stars and holly with this very simple trick: use metal cookie […]

Christmas Food Holiday Lifestyle

DIY Holiday Serving Tray Makes Everything Beautiful

A DIY holiday serving tray is easy to make, and it will make everything you cook over the holidays look especially sumptuous. Of course, you want your fancy holiday drinks to taste good (here’s a vodka hack that will help). For holiday appetizers or drinks, you can make a fancy […]

Christmas Holiday

Store Small Ornaments the Simple Way

Store small ornaments the easiest way in the world–just put them in an empty egg carton! When you’re ready to take down the Christmas tree, wreath, and creative décor, take the hooks off each ornament and tuck them away in the safety of the humble egg carton (six or twelve, […]

Christmas Food Holiday

Edible Christmas Trees with Guacamole

Edible Christmas trees are simple to make and delicious to eat. All you need is pita bread, guacamole and some pretzel sticks. You can add tomatoes or sour cream for some extra pizazz. Make your own colorful and healthy Christmas appetizer with these simple ingredients. Cut pita bread into wedges […]

Hackable

Christmas

What's New

What's Rising

What's Hot