Crafty related posts have been popular since we started this blog, so here’s a brief look back at some of our favorites.

Here in our home of State College, PA, the arts are front and center in early July for the annual Central PA Festival of the Arts, AKA Arts Fest! This past summer, we highlighted some favorites from Children’s Day. In the past we also mentioned one of the top draws at this festival and other events around the world: sidewalk chalk creations.

We see so many great blogs and websites that showcase projects and creations of all kinds. But one of our favorites is Made by Joel! He creates anything out of everything and it’s all centered on fun. We’re very happy to hear he is debuting a book of 35 craft projects entitled “Made to Play” in October!

A tough thing about crafting (and any sort of project!) is how to keep everything in order. Here are some simple solutions to keep supplies organized, from containers around the house that can be repurposed, to various vessels that are works of art in themselves!

A childhood favorite is on display in this post – Lanyards Maybe you know these knotted, summer camp standbys as “Scoubidou” or “boondoggle.” No matter what you call them, these colorful crafts keep kids busy, and are entirely mess-free.

See other arts & crafts themed posts on our blog, including holiday craft ideas. Of course, watch for more!

If you are not yet signed up to receive our Email Updates, today’s the day to sign up! Our next email will feature more of the wonderful world of crafting.

The “Leader of the Track Tour” will visit 45+ railways in the U.S. and Canada for the unbelievably unique experience of RIDING a Thomas train! Other activities vary by location, but may include tons of fun like petting zoos, face painting, Thomas storytelling and more to celebrate everyone’s favorite train.

As 2011 plans continue to be ironed out, be sure to keep up with the official website for ticket information and more. Here are some railroad websites that have already posted information for 2011:

The Strasburg Rail Road in Lancaster County, Pa. is one of the rail sites taking part in the 2011 festivities: on June 18-26, Sept. 17-25 and Nov. 18-20. They even have special shirts to commemorate the occasion. If you are interested in getting tickets, stay in touch with them on Facebook for ticket information.

Oklahoma Railway Museum will host Thomas later this fall, with trips on Sept. 23-25, and Sept. 30-Oct. 2.

Can’t wait till summer? We’re only weeks away from Day Out With Thomas™ events in warmer locales. The Copper Spike Train in Globe, Ariz. has rides 25-minute train rides set for Mar. 5-6 and 12-13, and the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish, Fla. will welcome Thomas on Apr. 2-3 and 9-10.

In the meantime, and we bet your kids don’t need help getting “revved up” for this event, take a look at our popular Thomas the Tank Engine Toys. A Thomas jigsaw puzzle would be a good way to pass the time until you hear, “All Aboard!”

Picture of cute child with Sir Topham Hatt, and the 2011 ad, are from the Day Out with Thomas™ website.

Largest… Anteater
The biggest anteater has an appopriate name, the Giant Anteater, reaching heights of eight feet and weighing in close to 150 pounds. Its prehistoric ancestor, the sloth, was as tall as 17 feet!

Largest… Lagomorph
The biggest bunny you’ll ever see is a Flemish Giant, tipping the scales at nearly 30 pounds! Martha Stewart’s resident petkeeper, Mark Morrone, has a Flemish Giant that’s often featured on his shows.

Largest… Frog
The Goliath Frog, found in a relatively small habitat in Africa, can be near nine pounds with a “snout-to-vent” length of 14 inches.

Largest… Centipede
Watch out if you are in South America, as you may see a foot(!)-long creature – the Peruvian giant yellowleg centipede!

Largest… Pigeon
The very blue, and very pretty Victoria Crowned Pigeon boasts the honor of largest pigeon, weighing up to 5.5 pounds. Size-wise it doesn’t compare to the largest known bird, the extinct Dodo, a flightless bird that weighed up to 50 pounds!

See the full list of largest organisms (and more pictures like the ones you’ve seen here), and for young animal lovers, take a look at all of our wild animal and zoo toys!

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!!

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

This made me think, there must be hundreds of videos out there with kids showing off their shooting skills, like the amazing golden hockey goal I wrote about earlier this year.

One that caught my eye was this little boy who makes a whole lot of shots in a row. (And it’s real!) But what makes the video so great? Not only is he playing in a garage, but there is a “kiddie hoop” in there, and while it seems to be more “his size,” he’s obviously outgrown it already! How many do you think he makes in a row? Check it out:

Your kids can shoot hoops at home, too! Take a look at Baby Basketball for the little ones, and the Catch and Shoot Basketball Game for kids 6 and up!

The Althof Bergmann Santa Sleigh features Kris Kringle himself and his blue sleigh. But instead of the iconic reindeer, the sleigh is led by two goats. See other rare toys and what they fetched at auction this year!

Of course, holiday-themed toys of all kinds help ring in the season! Here we put a couple in the spotlight:

Elf on the Shelf Set
The ultimate pre-Christmas gift, the Elf on the Shelf highlights the magic of Santa and provides a fun hide-and-seek game for kids. (Visit our site for a video about this toy!)

Groovy Girl Christmas Christa
One of the Groovy Girls is all set for a holiday party: Christmas Christa!

Christmas Window Art Book
Klutz’s popular Classic Window Art book has been revamped for the holidays! Turn any ordinary window into a “stained glass” masterpiece! The Christmas Window Art Book has peel-off paints and 101 designs.

Happy Holidays!

Santa Sleigh photos accessed from James D. Julia and additional information found at Lap of Luxury.

The most impressive array of pumpkin carvings has to be at the Keene Pumpkin Festival® in Keene, New Hampshire. The festival began in 1991 and the following year, they made their way into the Guinness Book of World Records with 1,628 pumpkins lit at one time. They continue to break that record, with an unbelievable total of 28,952 pumpkins in 2003.

The festival celebrated in 20th anniversary in 2010, but its future is in limbo after its main sponsor will not run it anymore. See more about the event and keep up with updates on their Facebook page.

Another pumpkin-related, World Record feat belongs to Stephen Clarke. He carved a pumpkin at a blistering pace, only 24.03 seconds.

Now, I challenge you to find more stunning pumpkin carving creations than those done by Scott Cummins. They are so life-like.Take a minute (or 30) to browse his galleries of pumpkin art. And if you were wondering, when asked about how he hollows out his pumpkins, he says, “The usual way. I cut an opening in the top or bottom and scrape out the guts.”

Less pumpkin carving skill and more sheer creativity comes from this burger pumpkin. You have to look twice to even realize what it is! And I imagine you can figure out what the “seeds” are on top.

Speaking of seeds, what should you do with them? Roast them for a tasty and healthy snack! Preheat your oven to 300F. Rinse the seeds to remove any big pieces of pumpkin. Toss with olive oil or melted butter and spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the seeds with salt, cinnamon & sugar, Cajun seasoning or anything that sounds good to you! Roast for up to an hour, stirring every so often, until golden brown. Note that if the seeds are a little dried out already you won’t have to roast them as long.

Do you want to put your pumpkin carving skills on display? Enter Mrs. Field’s Pumpkin Carving Contest (hurry: you only have till Thursday the 28th to enter!) Or you can submit your creation to Sam’s Club’s Pumpkin Patch.

Thumbnail image of Stephen Clarke was accessed from Guinness World Records. Nighttime display of the Keene Pumpkin Festival found at Discover New England. Pumpkin burger photo accessed from Funny-Potato.com. Visit for more of Scott Cummins’ creations.