Category Archives: gifts

Washington, DC – What a Trip!

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“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” Saint Augustine Source:Brainyquotes

Last week, we took a vacation to Washington, DC. This was Kevin’s first trip to our nation’s capital. Roy has been there a few times, but not for many years.

It was so exciting to go together and see the monuments, museums and more!

This week, we share some of our trip photos, a couple of ideas for recording travel memories, a garden update, and, of course, the bears!

TAKE NOTES

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We took daily notes about what happened during our travels and sightseeing. At night, we would review our day, jotting down the details we remembered on the hotel’s notepads, in our case, the highly recommended State Plaza Hotel.  This resulted in a pile of notes, which are great reminders of our DC adventures.http://www.stateplaza.com/?src=ppc_yahoobing_brand&utm_source=yahoobing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=brand

Notes were about:

  • Airport TSA screenings (Roy got patted down because he forgot to remove his metal bracelet)
  • Fun layover in Charlotte, NC, with folks from Shelton, CT (great package deal took us way out of way)
  • Learning the Metro system in DC
  • Talking to the hotel desk clerk trainee named Simone about the Olympics and Gold Medal gymnast Simone Biles and Gold Medal Swimmer Simone Manuel (it was Simone day!)
  • Getting upgraded to a deluxe suite in our hotel (thanks, Simone)
  • Trying fresh beets, which we actually liked! (So much better than canned!)
  • The free gallery exhibit of miniature architectural models we ran across unexpectedly in downtown DC
  • The monuments
  • The Smithsonian
  • The Library of Congress
  • Macy’s – DC (a.c. was welcome – plus we needed socks)
  • Dupont Circle – enough said!
  • The Disarm Hate Rally
  • Metro employee who thought Kevin smelled good (he had sprayed some sample cologne at Macy’s)
  • The New England folks we met everywhere (thanks Red Sox hats!)
  • Visit to the Kennedy Center
  • The singing bar back
  • The singing flight attendant on the flight home
  • So many people from so many countries speaking so many languages. As Maya Angelou wrote, “We are more alike my friends than we are unalike.”
  • Two fun visits and great food with Kevin’s nephew Mark, his girlfriend Richelle and their cat Babou (Thanks!!!)
  • How much we love vacationing
  • And much more!

TAKE PHOTOS

OUR VIEW

This was the view from the hotel window in our kitchen (thanks, again, Simone!). Walking distance to the monuments!

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THE MONUMENTS

A little bit closer to the Washington Monument than our window view. Thanks to the beautiful young Russian woman who offered to take our photo while we were trying to selfie without a selfie stick.

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THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL

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Kevin reading one of Lincoln’s speeches engraved on the wall of the Lincoln Memorial

and Kevin in front of the reflecting pool.

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THE SMITHSONIAN

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Roy in front of the American History Museum. A little Ice cream would have been nice on this hot day. This Good Humor truck is from 1967.

THE KENNEDY CENTER

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When Roy was a theatre major at UMass in 1991, he acted in a production of The Playboy of the Western World by John Millington Synge. Out of 500 plays judged nationwide, it was one of just five chosen to be performed at the Kennedy Center. On the left is Roy back then, and on the right, Roy last week. Good memories both times. Very special – and walking distance from the hotel!

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Stunning sculpture of JFK in the lobby of the Kennedy Center. Awesome!!!

SHARE YOUR TRIP

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We know how much children love receiving mail. With this in mind, we sent a postcard from DC to each of our great nieces and nephews. This nice postcard book from the Smithsonian gift shop had photos of a lot of the places we saw. We got 33 beautiful postcards for $8.95!

GIFTS

During our travels, we came across plenty of tempting items that would have made great gifts. We travelled light this trip – only with backpacks (highly recommended if possible), so the postcard idea worked well for us. Had we had more room in our bags, the museum gift shops would have been the place to fill them.

Travel without travelling! Explore your favorite museum’s gift shops on-line for interesting and unusual items.

ACTIVISM

We care deeply about many issues. While planning our trip, we discovered that the Disarm Hate Rally was scheduled for Saturday, August 13th, a date we would be in DC. The Disarm Hate Rally was sponsored by the LBGT community in response to the Orlando massacre. Its goal – sensible gun law reform.

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Here is a link to learn more about Disarm Hate:

http://www.disarmhate2016.info/

GARDEN UPDATE

The garden hung in there pretty well during our four-day absence.

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We came home to a bounty of red and orange peppers and tomatoes ready to pick and enjoy! The flowers continue to grace us with their beauty!

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WATER

We watered the plants the morning of our trip at about 4:15 am.

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We bought these watering globes for about $8.00 each. They helped keep our plants watered, and they are pretty, too!

TIN CAN MAN UPDATE

As we hoped, our garden tin can man is weathering. Let’s call him Rusty!

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Check out our previous blog for directions on how to  create your own tin can man!

https://funclesarts.com/2016/04/23/help-the-earth-yes-we-can/

FOOD ART (all from our garden) 

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THE BEARS

The bears are enjoying showing off their DC postcards and hats!

Enjoy your world!

Roy & Kevin

 

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Father’s Day, Pride and the Garden!

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This week, we focus on Father’s Day, Pride Month, a garden update, and, of course, the bears.

FATHER’S DAY

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“Any man can be a father, but it takes a special man to be a dad.” – Anne Geddes*

We are both grateful and blessed to have had wonderful, dedicated fathers, to whom family meant everything. Applause to all great fathers and their lucky children.

Here is a simple idea for a great Father’s Day gift:

GIFT BOWL

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A great way to present a gift is to use a bowl like a gift basket. In the example above, we placed three different bottles of hot sauce in a bowl with some colorful, shredded paper, and spelled out “Dad” on the bowl in stickers. Let the kids get creative with the stickers! To finish this and make it more transportable, wrap it in cellophane and tie with a ribbon. This doesn’t have to be expensive. We got this bowl and hot sauce trio at an outlet store for under $6.00! You also can add a gift card to a favorite restaurant, if desired. A Buffalo Wild Wings gift card would work well in our example. Customize your gift bowl for your special dad!

Find more Father’s Day ideas from last year’s post:

https://funclesarts.com/2015/06/20/fathers-day/

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person; he believed in me.”           – Jim Valvano*

FATHER’S DAY JOKE:

What did daddy spider say to baby spider?  You spend too much time on the web!                 Source: jokes4us.com

OUR DADS

Here is a picture of Kevin’s father, Warren, and his mom, Irene, at a family celebration . . .

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. . . and here is a picture of Roy’s father, Bill, who enjoyed taking care of his home (perhaps not so much during snow storms).

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PRIDE – Love Conquers Hate

June is LGBT-pride month nationwide, and we were proud to celebrate our 18th year together on June 6th. As everyone probably knows, on Sunday morning, June 12th, a horrible tragedy occurred at The Pulse, a LGBT nightclub in Orlando, FL, when 49 people were killed in the worst mass murder shooting in our country’s history.

But love conquers hate, and we will be among the more than 40,000 participants this Saturday, June 18th, at Rhode Islands’ 41st annual Pride Fest, a day-long celebration in Providence ending with an amazing illuminated parade. Check out http://www.prideri.com for more details.

Rainbow Flag Sign:

This rainbow sign was made from a piece of scrap wood. Measure out 6 even horizontal spaces (in this case, each stripe is 3/4 inch wide) and paint them with acrylic paint in the colors of the rainbow.

Here is the before picture:

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and after:

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GARDEN UPDATE

This year’s garden got off to a late start due to weather, but we now have most of our plants potted. (Clockwise from top left) Basil, peppers & tomatoes, zinnias, and variegated tiger lilies are some of this year’s offerings.

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Ladder Plant Stand

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This colorful plant stand was created out of 3 different-sized ladders and a few boards we had on hand. Standard rung heights for ladders simplified this project. Paint your ladders to match your garden’s color theme. We did rainbow colors this year. Choose plants that take full sun for top of ladders and partial sun or shade for the lower levels. Check out future blogs for the development of this work in progress.

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The shelves were cut from scrap wood with a saber saw. Two inverted storage bins of the same size (shown below) made great saw horses. (Use care with power tools, or better yet, buy new lumber and have it cut to size at the store.)

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The ladders and shelves were painted with leftover paint and some new indoor/outdoor spray paint. They were painted quickly and imperfectly to create a distressed look. Since we had the ladders and boards (sometimes it pays to run a storage facility!), this project cost under ten dollars. You can find used ladders at tag sales or flea markets for your project.

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Gardening can be a wonderful way to focus on something positive. Last Sunday, when we were still absorbing the tragic news from Orlando, we decided to go out and pick up some plants to complete the garden. It helps to do something positive and life-affirming during difficult times.

FOOD ART! 

Take pride in your tasty food (flag)!

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THE BEARS

The bears are admiring the results of their hard work!

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Enjoy!

Roy &Kevin

*Quote source: Chiff.com

Celebrating Mothers on Mother’s Day!

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“… love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark.”

J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Mother’s Day is a day of celebration nationwide. Billions are spent on flowers and candy and taking mom out for her special day.* For those of us whose mothers have passed away, this day can be difficult. To make it better, we choose to focus on good memories of our moms and to suggest ways for others to make Mother’s Day special. Both of our mother’s loved celebrations – guess that’s where we got it from!

This week, enjoy a tasty artichoke dip, simple ways to make Mother’s Day flowers more special, some ideas for creative gifts, a garden update, and, of course, the bears.

*According to statisticbrain.com, total spent for mother’s on Mother’s Day: $20.7 Billion!

NEW ARTICHOKE DIP

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This Easter, Kevin’s niece Corinne, who is a great mom herself, made this delicious artichoke dip. We are pleased she let us share her recipe here. We’ve actually had this dip as a side dish with dinner more than once. Great way to get your veggies!

Make it for your Mother’s Day celebration!

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. softened cream cheese, cut into manageable chunks
  • 1/3 cup mayo (we use Hellmann’s Light)
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • two cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 3/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • two 14 oz. cans artichoke hearts in water, drained
  • chopped scallions
  • seeded, chopped tomatoes

How to prepare:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Have a large mixing bowl ready to place the ingredients in after they have gone through the food processor.

  • Mince artichoke hearts in food processor and pour into bowl.
  • Mix cream cheese, mayo, and garlic powder in processor until smooth.
  • Combine cream cheese mixture with chopped artichokes.
  • Finely grind cheeses in food processor, add to mixing bowl and stir all ingredients until thoroughly incorporated.
  • Spread mixture in glass pie plate.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (should not be too brown on top).
  • Top with scallions and tomatoes.
  • Dip can be served warm or cold. It also reheats well in the microwave.
  • Serve with corn or pita chips.

VASES

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Here are three easy and inexpensive ways to make a gift of flowers more special! Cute glass vases from the dollar store are easy to decorate. Cut out three 2-inch squares of decorative card stock, and spell MOM out on the cards, one letter per square. (We used stickers, but the letters can be handwritten in crayon or magic marker for a child’s personal touch.) Tie the squares onto the vases with jute (top photo). You also can use a single vase and do the same technique with one piece of 3″ wide x 5″ long piece of cardstock. The third example is the easiest. Simply spell out MOM in stickers on the vase itself. We got these lovely tulips on sale at a supermarket and using stickers and cardstock we had on hand, this gift cost under $10.00!

Last year’s post:

Here is last year’s Mother’s Day post with some additional ideas and thoughts.

https://funclesarts.com/2015/05/09/mothers-day-is-a-special-day/

GIFT IDEAS

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There’s still time to get a great gift for mom!

Here are a few ideas:

Photo gifts:

  • Print out a new or old photo that is special to your mom and put it in a nice frame. Instant keepsake.
  • Offer to scan your mom’s family photos to the computer or onto a disk. She will be able to print those she likes or share favorite photos with others from her computer.

Gift cards:

Gift cards to theaters, museums, craft and fabric stores or other creative venues will thrill the creative-minded mother. Practical gift cards for supermarkets or department stores also are great. Kevin’s mom loved getting gift cards to her local dollar store to stock up on greeting cards and gift wrap. No time to shop in-store? E-cards can be bought online!

Gifts of time and service:

  • Help mom clean her basement or garage.
  • Take mom food shopping or to the mall.
  • Enjoy a show or lunch with mom.

The garden:

  • Pick up some of your mom’s favorite plants.
  • Help her plant her flowers.

Kevin’s mom used to plant her patio and window box flowers on Mother’s Day. She enjoyed doing this with her daughter, Christine, who would gift her with the flowers and help plant them. This became a very special yearly tradition.

GARDEN UPDATE

We are starting to plan our garden for this year. Most years, Mother’s Day is a good time to start planting, but this year it is too cold and wet. We’re looking forward to getting our patio planting done soon!

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Looks like the flamingo has started helping with clean up by pulling a weed! (This photo is not staged.)

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Flowering food art (baby carrots, celery and grapes)

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JOKE OF THE WEEK:

What did the momma broom say to the baby broom? “It’s time to go to sweep!”

Source: Jokes4us.com

THE BEARS

The bears are celebrating Mother’s Day, too! Shown above and here with Irene’s handmade “MOM” pillow.

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We end this post with photos of our own mothers, always in our thoughts and in our hearts.

Kevin’s mom, Irene, with some of her loved ones at her 85th birthday lunch a few years ago.

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Roy’s mother, Phyllis, with new baby Roy and the rest of her family – quite a few years ago.

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HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!

Enjoy!

Roy and Kevin

Warming Up for St. Valentine’s Day

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The northeast is bracing for bitter cold weather. Our hope is that you all find warmth with family and friends this St. Valentine’s Day weekend. Plus, it’s a great excuse to eat some chocolate! This week, we share our take on some delicious chocolate truffles, some ideas for using last week’s woven heart baskets, a plant update, and of course, the bears!

EASY TRUFFLES

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Ingredients:

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  • one 8 oz. package light cream cheese, softened
  • three cups confectioners sugar, sifted
  • three cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • cocoa powder, chopped walnuts, coconut, dried fruit sprinkles

How to make:

  • Beat the cream cheese until smooth.
  • Gradually beat in confectioners sugar.
  • Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla.
  • Refrigerate 1 hour.
  • Form into one inch balls.
  • Roll in toppings of your choice.

Varieties for truffles are almost endless. Chocolate and orange go great together, so replace the vanilla with same amount of orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest. We also stuffed truffles with dried fruit – tastes like a decadent “Chunky Bar”.

WOVEN PAPER HEARTS

Last week, we introduced this easy paper craft. Here are a couple of ways we used these hearts for St. Valentine’s Day this year.

Decorative Banner

Displayed “clothesline style” with photos and cards, attached to twine with painted clothes pins, they add great dimension to a holiday banner. We used a variety of different papers to make the hearts for a fun display.

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Gifts

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The woven hearts were mass-mailed to great-nieces and great-nephews filled with stickers, candy, hair clips and toy cars. We placed the filled hearts in treat bags secured with painted clothes pins adorned with heart stickers.

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Here is the link for how to create these paper baskets.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/Heartbasket.shtml

For more St. Valentine’s Day ideas, check out last year’s post:

https://funclesarts.com/2015/02/13/happy-st-valentines-day/

PLANT UPDATE

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Our Amaryllis is growing like crazy, and now requires a stake for support. A saleswoman at a big-box store gave us a great, money-saving idea on what to use for stakes. She suggested we buy marshmallow s’mores sticks, which cost 19 cents for a package of four. These wooden sticks are 31 inches long, easy to cut and they work great for a light-weight stalk! Helpful tip!

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FOOD ART

Last week’s tomato. Tomatoes are sometimes called love apples! Great for St. Valentine’s Day!

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THE BEARS

The bears show their “light side” by playing with a strand of heart-shaped lights!

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“In dreams and in love, there are no impossibilities!” – Janos Arany

Enjoy!

Roy and Kevin

Merry Christmas!!!

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This week, we share a couple of ideas to simplify your holiday preparations. Included are an easy recipe for minty fudge brownies, last-minute gift tips, more of our decorations, a patio update, and, of course, the bears, who are our featured image this week.

FUDGE BROWNIES WITH CHOCOLATE MINT CANDY TOPPING

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These delicious and easy brownies are always a hit!

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Ingredients: 28-piece box of Andes candies mints, 18.3 oz. box of brownie mix.

How to prepare: 

Bake brownies according to package directions.

Top the warm brownies with 25 unwrapped mint candies (the baker gets the remaining three candies). Allow the candies to melt for a minute and spread them like frosting with an off-set spatula or knife. Cool the mint-covered brownies for 15 minutes and then place in the refrigerator for one hour. Candy will harden to its original consistency, making a delicious chocolate mint crust on your brownies.

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Cut, serve and enjoy!

A FEW LAST-MINUTE GIFT IDEAS

You’re driving to a holiday celebration and realize you forgot someone on your list and need to get a last-minute gift. Here are a few suggestions, including two places open Christmas Day.

Gas stations

  • Gift card for the gas station – great gift for family and friends traveling over the holidays!
  • Scratch tickets or lottery numbers. They can’t win if they don’t play!
  • Gloves and hats – who knew they were sold at gas stations?
  • Make a quick car kit with an ice scraper, windshield wiper fluid, car air freshener and other related items.
  • Some gas stations sell gift cards for other stores just like major supermarkets.
  • Make up a tailgating kit: Buy chips, soda, Slim Jims and more for the sports fan on your list.

Movie theaters

Most movie theaters are open on Christmas Day. Buy movie passes and candy to make a great gift combo.

Online e-cards and gifts

The technology available today makes last-minute gift giving a lot easier than it used to be. You can order gifts online and have them shipped. Print out and give a picture of the gift to the recipient. Most companies also will send an e-mail notification that a gift is on the way. You can send gift e-cards directly to anyone’s e-mail address. One site we’ve used is giftcertificates.com, or go directly to specific company websites and see if they offer e-gift cards.

OUR DECORATIONS

More of our holiday vignettes, including snowmen, Santas, and New England sports teams.

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PATIO UPDATE

Even with the recent rain, the addition of fresh pine cuttings, faux poinsettia and holly on our patio add color and make a festive view from our kitchen. The basil plant and other plants on the window sill are hanging in as well!

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FOOD ART

NUTTY SANTA

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THE BEARS

The bears love to reunite with family and friends at Christmas time! Look what old friend is visiting with them at the top of the page!

We wish you all peace and joy this holiday season. Merry Christmas!!!

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin

Cool Christmas!

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Christmas is fast approaching and we are just about finished decorating.

This week, we feature pretty decorations using Christmas ornaments, an easy wreath project, a recycling craft, recipe ideas, a festive patio update, and of course, the bears!

SPARKLING DECORATIONS

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Fill clear glass vases and pitchers with Christmas balls. Keep it simple, one color per vessel. Add a string of holiday lights behind or around the vases. This technique makes a beautiful display! Really catches the light!

EASY AND SPECIAL WREATH

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Recycling was the inspiration for this wreath. We removed the original decorations and saved the metal form from an old wreath. Then, we wrapped it with the pretty piece of garland pictured below, which Kevin’s mom used to decorate her dining room chandelier during the holidays. The garland is not permanently attached and in future years, we can use it in other ways. Hmmm – maybe we’ll get a chandelier!

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GIFT TAGS FROM CHRISTMAS CARDS

Recycle your old Christmas cards into gift tags! Simply cut out your favorite images, hole punch the top, add a ribbon and you have these cute gift tags. Write the recipient’s name on the back. These also could be used as ornaments and even necklaces. This is a fun craft for kids!

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PATIO UPDATE

Evergreen cuttings trimmed from the large pine trees on our property add lush greenery to the patio. For additional color, we dotted them with faux poinsettia, unbreakable Christmas ornaments and pinecones.

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The tool box planter looks great filled with fresh pine cuttings. The bee and flamingo both seem to like it!

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We fashioned this swag by attaching a simple waterproof ribbon to an evergreen cutting and hanging it on the patio door. Cost: $1.25!

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Of course, we have our tomato cage trees again this year!

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Here is our post from last year with instructions on how to make these tomato cage trees.

https://funclesarts.com/2014/12/13/christmas-blog-2-the-celebration-continues/

SWEET HOLIDAY TREATS

All this decorating is making us hungry! Here are a few recipes for some easy holiday desserts.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/desserts/easy-holiday-desserts

FOOD ART 

Our final harvest of garden tomatoes, which we picked green and ripened indoors in a paper bag for almost a month, are finally ready for their closeup!

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The tomatoes were roasted and served with baked fish – delicious!

JOKE OF THE WEEK

What does Santa suffer from if he gets stuck in a chimney? Claus-trophobia! Source:Theholidayspot.com

THE BEARS

The bears are hanging with some cool company this week!

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Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin

 

 

Pre-Thanksgiving Fun!

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This week, try our turkey chili, and check out our decorations, gift ideas, garden update, and, of course, the bears!

TURKEY CHILI

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This easy, money-saving chili recipe makes a big batch and stretches a pound of ground turkey or beef. It’s a warming, make-ahead meal and leftovers freeze great, too! You’ll gobble it up!

Ingredients:

  • one lb. lean ground turkey
  • one large onion, chopped
  • one tablespoon minced garlic
  • one tablespoon olive oil
  • three 15.5 oz. cans each of black beans and red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • one 16 oz. can fat-free refried beans
  • one 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • one 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with chilis
  • two cups water
  • one quart box (32 oz.) of reduced sodium chicken broth
  • one lb. bag frozen pepper strips
  • 1/2 cup chili powder
  • one tablespoon cumin
  • one teaspoon oregano
  • one tablespoon red pepper flakes
  • one tablespoon paprika
  • 2 tablespoons masa flour (in a pinch, finely ground tortilla chips work great, too!)
  • salt to taste

How to prepare:

  • Brown ground turkey in olive oil with chopped onion and grated garlic.
  • In a large saucepan, add the beans, tomatoes, pepper strips, chicken broth and water.
  • Bring to a simmer and add browned meat and onion combo. Add spices and masa flour; simmer for 20 minutes. That’s it!

Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, olives and your favorite toppings!

THANKSGIVING DECORATIONS

Thanksgiving banner

This festive banner is fun to make!

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Check out the directions here:

https://funclesarts.com/2014/11/07/thanksgiving-post-number-one-the-holiday-blogfest-continues/

Playing dress up

Roy’s hand-made scarecrows like to dress up as pilgrims for Thanksgiving!

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Cards as decorations

We save our holiday greeting cards to use as decorations. This week, they are combined with the leaf print cards we made a couple of weeks ago to decorate a door in our apartment.

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Check out the blog, “Autumn Leaves”, to learn how to make these leaf prints.

https://funclesarts.com/2015/11/07/autumn-leaves/

GIFTS FOR KIDS

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Keeping kids engaged and entertained during holiday celebrations can be a challenge.  For Thanksgiving, we bought the holiday clings on the left so the children can adorn the windows (check with your hostess to make sure it is okay.) Also, nothing beats coloring and sticker books for creative fun. Give Christmas-themed books to the kids at Thanksgiving so they can enjoy them the whole holiday season. Washable markers are the way to go. Kids love to color!

Speaking of color, we are pleased to see our Christmas cacti, a gift from Kevin’s mother several years ago, in full bloom!

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Hostess Gift Idea: Christmas cacti survive with very little attention and provide the gift of beautiful blossoms at least twice a year.

GARDEN UPDATE

When we started cleaning the patio, it looked like this:

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After close inspection, we realized that the pepper and 2 tomato plants were ready to go. So thankful for the hundreds of peppers and tomatoes we harvested this growing season!

We kept some of the blossoming plants, which still provide color. The patio is now ready for our winter decor. More to come in future blogs.

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VEG ART – TWO FOR ONE!

In anticipation of this week’s predicted frost, we picked all of our tomatoes and peppers. They are ripening in a paper bag (great way to hasten the ripening process).

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JOKE OF THE WEEK

Why did the scarecrow win the Nobel Prize? Because he was out standing in the field!             Source:EnchantedLearning.com

THE BEARS

The bears are looking dapper in their mini pilgrim hats!

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Enjoy

Roy & Kevin

Thanksgiving -The Third Blog Post

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Wow – this is our 6th blog entry already and next week is Thanksgiving. We are focusing on the meal and table today. Every celebration needs a nice centerpiece, and we saw one which showed a flower arrangement in a pumpkin. We did our own take on that. Also, we have a recipe we got from Rachael Ray a few years ago. We’ve changed it up a bit to make it healthier, yet still delicious! Enjoy!

PUMPKIN & FLOWER CENTERPIECE

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Looking for pumpkins the week before Thanksgiving can be tricky. In our area, they are not easy to find (or else we are looking in the wrong places – hmm, could be). Anyway, we adapted and created the pumpkin vase (pictured above) using the plastic pumpkin in the photo to the left.

For an 8-inch plastic pumpkin, you will need: 80 inches of orange (or the color of your choice) twisted paper cord (one brand available in most craft stores is called creative twist), hot glue gun and glue, small pot of mums or your favorite fall flower that will fit into your pumpkin. Our plant is 4 inches in diameter and 12 inches high.

  • Untwist paper cord and cut into eight 10-inch strips. When untwisted, the paper cord is about 4 inches wide.
  • Cover the Jack-O-Latern’s face with one of the crepe paper strips. You may have to cut the strip in 2 and piece them together, depending on the Jack-O-Lantern design. Secure with hot glue. (The face needs to be covered twice for this project so it will not show.)
  • After the face has been covered once, and starting next to a handle, cover the pumpkin by applying the strips vertically. Glue top of strip 1/2″ into inside of pumpkin. Add glue to middle of crepe paper strip and then glue to the bottom. Overlap strips by about a 1/16th of an inch as you go around.
  • Insert plant.

 SWEET POTATOES WITH BANANAS

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We tweaked a great recipe we saw Rachael Ray make so it would be healthier. Go to foodnetwork.com for the original recipe for Rachael Ray’s wonderful Mashed Sweet Potatoes.

Here is our version with less fat and sugar:

Ingredients:

  • 3 pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks.
  • 2 tablespoons light margerine (with no hydrogenated oils)
  • 1 sliced banana
  • 1 orange, zested and juiced
  • 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:

Boil potatoes about 20 minutes until tender, drain and put potatoes aside. In the original pot, add margerine and banana slices.  Cook the banana 5 minutes on medium heat and add the juice of the orange. Allow the orange juice to cook out for about 1 minute. Add the potatoes back to the pot with the stock and brown sugar. Mash together until its well mixed. Season with nutmeg, salt, pepper and orange zest to taste. Mash to combine, top with 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans.  WE LOVE THESE SWEET POTATOES!!

JOKE OF THE WEEK:                                                                                                                                       Can a turkey jump higher than the Empire State Building?                                                             Yes! A building can’t jump at all!

Joke source:  Kidsactivities.net

FUN FACTS: According to the website Life123 the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took place in 1924. It was known then as the Macy’s Christmas Parade. Today, the parade is attended by an estimated 3 million people and is viewed by approximately 44 million people all over the country.

Thanks so much for reading, following and sharing these blogs. We have been having fun creating and writing.

1 more blog post before Thanksgiving! Gobble Gobble!

Roy & Kevin

Halloween Blog 3 (the final chapter)

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This is our 3rd Halloween post for the year. We are still learning and having fun, creating new things and sharing a few ideas. This week we are focusing on the Happy Halloween Banner and some other random yet (hopefully) interesting Halloween and fall related things.

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN BANNER: We saw a banner in a store not too long ago, and we decided to design our own and put our own twist on it. The banner we came up with is simple to make. We made ours out of things we had around the house, but if you were to buy the items, you could probably do it for under $10.00  Let’s make this a banner year!

You will need: 15 5X7 inch rectangles of burlap, 5-6 feet of Jute or ribbon, acrylic paint; black and orange, 15 wooden clothespins. tacks to attach banner to wall.

To make the banner: 

  • Cut fifteen 5 X 7 inch rectangles out of burlap. Iron them with a t-shirt or towel over them.
  • Using black acrylic paint, paint one letter vertically on each rectangle spelling out                   H A P P Y  H A L L O W E E N ! in approximately 4 inch capital letters.
  • Paint 15 wooden clothespins orange. Allow rectangles and clothespins to dry.                          ( about one hour)
  • Cut 5-6 feet of Jute or ribbon, hang 2 ribbons 11 inches apart one above the other.
  •  Attach to the wall by tying the ribbon to tacks with the ends 5-6 ft apart  (or what works for you).
  • Using the orange clothespins, attach (letter-by-letter) HAPPY to the top ribbon, HALLOWEEN to the bottom.
  • Center and adjust for your desired look.

NOTE: Perfection is not the goal for this project: burlap frays, clothespins can be tricky to paint, and hand-lettering is a challenge for some people, but that is part of the charm of this banner.          (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!)

RANDOM STUFF:

Here’s another picture of our Halloween decor.

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TREAT TRICK: An easy way to make popcorn balls is to use the Rice Krispies treat recipe (on the box or online), use  the same amount of popcorn instead of Rice Krispies!

PETS WARNING: Remember chocolate is toxic for pets, keep the kids trick-or-treat candy out of their reach! (The pets reach that is, well maybe the kids too!)

GO FLAMELESS: Flameless candles make for a safer Halloween. Use them in Jack-O-Lanterns and all over the house!

JOKE OF THE WEEK:  What’s the problem with twin witches?                                                                                                You never know which witch is which!                                                                                                                                        (Source: jokerz.com)

Up next week: Thanksgiving!

Thanks everyone for reading this and the other entries. Please share, like and follow!

We wish you and yours a Happy, safe and creative Halloween!

Roy and Kevin

Halloween Blog 2 (the sequel)!

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PUMPKINS AND SCARECROWS AND GHOSTS -OH MY!!

 Post number 2!  We had fun putting up the last post and are still learning about this blogging stuff.  Anything worth learning is going to take some time. We are just starting the process of creating a routine for getting more of these posts out with better and better content.

Last Sunday we decorated our place a little bit with the contents of the buckets of Halloween items we have collected over the years  We used that as inspiration for the few tips we are sharing this week. The Lighted Stacked Jack-O-Lanterns are so simple and affordable. The scarecrow ideas we share make use of household items and thrift store finds. We hope you like these ideas and are enjoying this magical holiday season!

ADD A LITTLE PUMPKIN SPICE TO YOUR DECOR!

IMG_2653 (2)Decorating tip: The Lighted Stacked Jack-O-Lanterns shown here is a cute display that is easy to create.  You can make this for under $10.00.  We had 3 pumpkins but needed a forth. We also needed a set of lights. We went to Target and bought the pumpkin for $1.00 and a set of lights for about $5.00.  Start with four plastic pumpkins that are the same size. The ones here are 8 inches. Using a utility knife, cut the bottoms out of the 3 top pumpkins. The very bottom of these pumpkins are usually thicker plastic, so cut along the edge where it is thinner and easier to cut. Stack them together with the uncut one on the bottom and string lights through them from the top. Our’s shown are just stacked, but you may want to attach them together with duct tape in the back. The light shines through the plastic and gives the room a great glow!

SCARECROWS!

I made the scarecrows shown at the top of this page. I made mine like dolls, and used thriftstore clothes. There are other ways too. Included here are a few tips for making scarecrows :

  • Children’s feet pajamas make great scarecrow bodies. Just stuff them and dress them. Dress them in used clothes , either your own or some bought from a thrift store.
  • Heads can be made from paper bags, burlap sacks, wig heads, and as one tip from Martha Stewart suggests, use (clean and empty) laundry detergent bottles, upside down using the handle as a nose.
  • Stuff with fiberfill for a more permanent indoor scarecrow.
  • Give your scarecrow personality. Maybe glasses and a book for a studious scarecrow, tie-dyed shirt for a 1960’s inspired scarecrow, etc.
  • Gloves for hands, shoes for feet, buttons for eyes.
  • Finish with straw and  plastic leaves for a realistic look.

Vignettes! We like to group like items with like items. This decorating idea works in all sorts of decorating situations, holiday or not. Here (below) is a ghost vignette with some of our favorite ghost decorations we have collected and created though the years.

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SPOOKTACULAR!

Joke of the week: What do ghosts eat for breakfast? Boo-berry pancakes!

MORE NEXT WEEK!

THANKS TO ALL WHO READ THIS AND LAST WEEKS POSTS! PLEASE SHARE FOLLOW AND LIKE.

ROY AND KEVIN