Archive for 2010

What role does snow play in your holiday fun? I grew up where “snow” was the one day every three years where white flakes fell from the sky and melted right before your eyes. (Or better yet, we would gather up the frost on the blades of grass to make a single snowball.) Now I live where a 10″ snowfall is commonplace.

Whether you and your family lives or visits somewhere for the holidays that’s blanketed with snow or not, you can still have snow-themed fun thanks to one of the simplest of crafts: snowflakes!

The supplies are simple – paper and scissors. It’s a great way to use scrap paper as well! Simply fold the paper, say in half, then half again, then half again, cut out shapes, and unfold to see what you’ve created! See this handy How to Make Paper Snowflakes slideshow if you want to see exactly how you can get started. But remember – it doesn’t have to be totally symmetrical!

This is a great, extremely low-cost craft for younger kids to learn about shapes and develop cutting skills. A set of My First Scissors would be perfect for these early learners to use!

Now if you want to be truly inspired by what can be done with just paper and scissors (and as she says, with a “dash of craft knife”) take a look at these stunning works of snowflake art by Jenny Lee Fowler. Looking at the thumbnails, you’d have no idea how intricate the designs are, but click through and you’ll see amazing cutouts like people, birds, trees and more.

A while back when I did a post about the awesome show Fun House, I found it simply crazy to look back at all those old advertisements. So many seemed so corny! With the holiday season among us, here is a festive look back at some “retro” Christmas commercials.

This Fruity Pebbles is just so familiar – I wonder how many times they aired it during Rudolph and Frosty in the 80’s.

Any of you Underoos fans will appreciate this ad from 1978 for the famous undergarments.

Another interesting ad comes from none other than Taco Bell. Only 59 cents for a soda AND a glass! And I have to admit, there’s something a little spooky about that Santa.

Now these two crafty kids try to use the technology of the time – Polaroid – to catch Santa in the act. Do you think they pull it off?

Of all the ads I watched, the one that spurned the most childhood memories were Rodney & Rhonda Reindeer. There were more R-named reindeer in this Hallmark family, and they were also available at Burger King.

Of course, that is just a few. View any of these videos and you’ll see many related holiday ads (among other advertisements) on the side. Happy Holidays!!

Are you signed up for our Email Updates? It’s the best way for you to see our news, sales and special offers. Today we share with you a top ten list of great sale prices you can find on our site! See all of our deals anytime by visiting our Savings and Specials section.

You still have time to get your gifts for the holidays – order by this Thursday, December 16th for guaranteed ground shipping by Christmas Eve! Refer to our holiday shipping deadlines to be sure that your gifts arrive in time.

Now – to the deals!

Twilight Sea Turtle Toy $33.95 $28.95 Save 15%

Metal Grocery Cart Toy $48.95 $39.95 Save 18%

Legends of Magic Kit $69.95 $43.95 Save 37%

Pink Sing A Long Microphone $43.95 $36.95 Save 16%

Tickle Monster Laughter Kit $34.95 $27.95 Save 20%

Make Your Own Lip Balm $19.95 $15.95 Save 20%

Mozart Magic Cube $33.95 $27.95 Save 18%

Lift Off Rocket Play Set $49.95 $39.95 Save 20%

Lady Bug Tent & Tunnel Set $69.95 $54.95 Save 21%

Bubble Gum Factory Kit $19.95 $14.95 Save 25%

I had a lot of fun making these little candy soaps. The Creativity for Kids Petite Sweet Soaps Kit is unique, because it comes with six different colors of soap clay. The soap clay is softer and easier to manipulate than Sculpey clay and it washed off my hands very nicely—because it’s soap! I’d describe the smell as sort of flowery and old fashioned. You’ll be able to smell it as soon as you open the box.

There was more than enough clay to fill the candy box with treats and I even had some left over to make a big ball of glittery soap for the bathroom. And you don’t have to do any chemical operations or cooking because the soap clay is ready to go right out of the box.

The kit is recommended for ages five and up. But I’ve worked on art projects with many five year olds and in general they tend to rush through things, so I’d recommend this for ages seven and up. As usual, Creativity for Kids has included very helpful instructions and techniques to help kids make a finished craft that they’ll love.

I think the Petite Sweet Soaps Kit would make a very fun Christmas present. Order today through Sunday, December 12 and this (and any items on our site!) ship for just $3.95!

Looking for some new recipe ideas this holiday season? Here is one of each dish needed for a holiday get-together. Kids can at least help with all of these recipes, and they all contain 10 ingredients or less!

Drink: Hot Spiced Cranberry Cider

2 quarts apple cider
6 cups cranberry juice
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 teaspoons whole cloves
1 lemon, thinly sliced

1. In a large pot, combine apple cider, cranberry juice, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves and lemon slices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove cinnamon, cloves, and lemon slices. Serve hot.

Source: Family Oven

—

Snack: Christmas Snack Mix

1 jar (1 lb) dry-roasted peanuts
2 bags (14 oz each) red and green candy-coated chocolate candies
2 bags (14 oz each) red and green candy-coated chocolate-covered peanuts
1 bag (14 oz) chocolate-covered peanuts
1 jar (7 oz) wheat germ nuts snack

1. In large container, mix all ingredients. Store in covered container up to 1 month.

Source: BettyCrocker.com

—

Appetizer: Almond Pinecone Cheeseball

1 1/2 cup almonds, whole
1 cream cheese, 8 ounce package
1/2 cup mayonnaise
5 bacon slices, crisply cooked
1 tablespoon green onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dill weed, dried
1/8 teaspoon pepper, ground

1. Spread almonds in single layer in shallow pan. Bake at 300 degrees, 15 minutes, stirring often, until almonds just begin to turn color.

2. Combine softened cream cheese and mayonnaise; mix well. Add bacon, onion, dill and pepper; mix well. Cover; chill overnight.

3. Form cheese mixture into pinecone shape on serving platter. Beginning at narrow end, press almonds at slight angle into cheese mixture in rows. Continue overlapping rows until all cheese is covered.

4. Garnish with artificial pine sprigs. Serve with crackers.

Source: Organized Christmas

—

Salad: Spinach & Green Apple Salad

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 5 cups lightly packed)
1 Granny Smith apple
1/3 cup walnut pieces, toasted in a dry skillet over a medium-high flame until fragrant, about 2 minutes
Blue Cheese (optional)

1. In a small bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Toss the spinach with the dressing until evenly coated then divide the spinach among 4 serving plates.

3. Core the apple and slice it into matchsticks. Sprinkle a quarter of the apple pieces on top of each salad.

4. Follow with the walnut pieces. If desired, crumble blue cheese on top of salad. Serve immediately.

Source: Mom’s Cooking Club

—

Main Dish: Cornish Hens

2 Cornish game hens (20 to 24 ounces each)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon browning sauce, optional

1. Place hens on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Combine the apple juice, soy sauce and browning sauce if desired; pour over hens.

2. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 180°, basting occasionally with pan juices. Yield: 2 servings.

Source: Taste of Home

—

Side Dish: Tasty Green Beans Recipe

4 leeks, well washed, root end and tops trimmed, sliced lengthwise into quarters and then chopped into 1/2-inch segments
1/3 cup fresh dill, well chopped
3/4 pound green beans, tops and tails trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments
extra-virgin olive oil
fine-grain sea salt

1. In a large thick-bottomed skillet of medium-high heat add a generous splash of olive oil, a generous pinch of salt and the leeks. Stir until the leeks are coated and glossy. Cook, stirring regularly until a lot of the leeks are golden and crispy. (about 7-10 minutes)

2. At this point stir in the dill, and then stir in the green beans. Cook for a couple more minutes – just until the the beans brighten up and lose that raw bite. Turn out into a bowl or onto a platter and serve immediately.

Source: 101 Cookbooks

—

Dessert: Dad’s Favorite Fudge Recipe

3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 lb semi-sweet chocolate, chips or block chocolate chopped up
7 oz. jar marshmallow cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts

1 Prepare everything in advance and have ready to go – chopped chocolate, chopped nuts, best to have marshmallow cream already out of the jar and in a bowl that you can easily scrape out with a rubber spatula. Line a 13″x9″x2″ baking pan with foil, butter the inside (alternatively, line the pan with waxed paper).

2 In a 3-quart, thick-bottomed saucepan, bring sugar, butter, and milk to a rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly once the mixture begins to bubble. Once the mixture reaches a boil, set your timer to 4 minutes. You will want to remove the mixture from the heat once it reaches 234°F on a candy thermometer (234°F at sea-level, adjust for altitude) which should take about 4 minutes. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, just go with the four minutes.

3 Remove from heat. Quickly stir in chocolate and marshmallow cream. Once those have melted and are well mixed, stir in the vanilla and then the walnuts.

4 Pour into prepared pan.

5 Cool to room temperature before slicing (about 4 hours). You may want to chill in the refrigerator to get it more firm.

Source: Simply Recipes

While you start hearing Christmas music in the stores earlier and earlier each year, to me, the holiday season isn’t truly here until I hear Christmas music played entirely by tubas. That’s right: tubas!

When I lived out West I took part in the annual TubaFest for several years. Literally hundreds of tuba players – from the smaller alto horns to the big Sousaphones – would spend one special day practicing, then putting on two festive performances. While we were encouraged to pick up the music ahead of time to practice, we put on the shows after just a few hours of practice together!

There is an official, nationwide event called TUBACHRISTMAS that takes place throughout the country. Some locations hold the event on Black Friday, while others maintain the original tradition of performing on Christmas Eve.

This photo here is one of the coolest pictures I have seen! This is from San Antonio in 2009. What a fun perspective for both the players and the audience!

You don’t have to look far to see dozens of awesome TUBACHRISTMAS performances, many taken from a unique perspective, like a Sousaphone in the back row! Watch an example here, “We Wish You a Merry (TUBA) Christmas” from TuBaltimore in 2009.

For more about the San Antonio Tuba Meister Christmas see this blog post. To find a TUBACHRISTMAS performance near you, or to join if you play, visit the TUBACHRISTMAS website.