Saturday, December 29, 2012
Say goodbye to 2012 and hello to 2013!
Here at Patch, we're counting down the last few days and hours of 2012! As this year draws to a close, whether you're hosting or heading to a special New Year's celebration, Patch has some fun and easy ideas to send out 2012 and ring in 2013 in memorable fashion! 2012 recap for kids - Use this free printable to mark the occasion with little ones. Record their stats, thoughts and favorites, and paste a photo or two. This could become an annual tradition with a whole book full of these year-end keepsake sheets. A dozen grapes - According to Spanish tradition, you should eat one grape for each time the clock chimes at midnight, for 12 months of good luck in the New Year. Melding that tradition with the traditional American champagne toast, …
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Make your own beautiful holiday wreath.
Even during the holiday season, first impressions are important. And since the front door is usually the first thing guests will see when they enter your home, it's a place most people adorn with an elaborate wreath they probably paid an arm and a leg for. Sure, you could spend said appendages for a wreath of your own. Craft stores and home improvement warehouses have plenty of fresh and faux pre-finished holiday wreaths for $50 or more. Some of these projects are so easy a third-grader could do them. I know, because one of them, the plastic bag wreath, I actually made in third grade. It took my little 8-year-old hands weeks to do it, but I did it! What's currently on my front door is a beautiful length of twisted grapevine, cut from my …
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Adorn your turkey dinner table with festive, but affordable, decor.
Thanksgiving is about being grateful for what we have, so a flashy, ornate centerpiece on your dinner table would seem out of place. In my humble opinion, this is a bit over-the-top. More appropriate for the occasion would be simple decor, with natural colors and elements, something you can put together without trips to six different stores. Raid the pantry - Place a pillar candle in a vase. Around the candle, layer beans, rice, corn or other dried grains for colorful stripes. Halloween leftovers - If you have any pumpkins or gourds left over from Halloween (uncarved, of course. Your Jack-o-lantern probaby doesn't look or smell that great by now), they'll do nicely on your Thanksgiving dinner table. Hollow out a large pumpkin and stuff it …
Saturday, October 13, 2012
My brother is 26 and Mom is still making his Halloween costumes.
My mom was doing DIY before DIY was cool. Before Pinterest, before downloadable templates, before you could order your fabric and supplies online. Every Halloween when I was a kid, Mom handmade costumes for my brother and me, whatever we wanted to be. Over the summer we got to go to the fabric store and look through their fat McCall pattern books to pick out our costumes. She bought the paper patterns and bolts of fabric and notions the “recipe” called for. Then Mom would go to work on our costumes after work at night and on weekends, holed up in her sewing room. When they were ready it was more like Christmas than Halloween. I was a giant panda, complete with bear head that I could see out of. I was an orange-yarn-haired Rainbow Bright…
Saturday, October 6, 2012
On a tight budget? Wishing for the latest iPhone? Want to pad your savings account a little? It could be as simple as quitting your Starbucks habit.
Save a few bucks here and there on a regular basis, and it might not seem like much, but over the course of a month or a year, it’ll really add up. Cut back just $10 a week and you’ll find yourself more than $500 richer at the end of the year! Save on gas Many grocery stores offer points that can be used towards gas savings. Just 10 cents off per gallon can save you a few bucks every time you fill up with your points. Never let those points expire without a fill-up! Sign up for rewards. More and more gas stations are instituting bonus cards, good for savings on gas and in-store purchases. With the My Sheetz Card you’ll save 3 percent on every gallon of gas, plus lots of savings and rewards on purchases. Turkey Hill Rewards gives you …
Saturday, September 8, 2012
What can you do with a Mason jar? More like, "What can't you do with a Mason jar?"
What can you do with a Mason jar, aside from filling it with peaches or pickles or pomegranate preserves? A staple in the home canner’s kitchen and the crafter’s workshop, it turns out the clear glass Mason jar’s uses and applications are many. An easier question might be, “What can’t you do with a Mason jar?” You can find jars in many sizes, shapes and colors, new and vintage, at garage sales, online, even at the grocery store. They’re good for preserving your garden’s goodies for the winter, of course, and they make a handy and attractive vase for wildflowers. Mason jars can store leftovers for the freezer (just leave some room at the top so the contents don’t expand and crack the glass). They can be filled with dry goods for pantry …
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Save money and make sure your pooch is getting the right nourishment by making your own dog food at home.
Even though my husband and I have a two-legged baby on the way, my two dogs, Molson and Karma, have always been our babies. As such, it’s nothing but the best for them. We’ve always been careful about what we feed them, reading food labels and avoiding anything that contained by-products or other fillers. After that dog-food scare a few years ago, we decided to make our own dog food and discovered that it was better for our dogs. We found it was much less expensive and the dogs liked it more than canned food. We do still buy dry food (we like the family-owned Merrick brand, which is a bit costly, but worth it for the fresh, quality ingredients they use), but we’ve been mixing it with our own homemade wet food ever since. We don't spend …
Friday, May 25, 2012
Ideas for making your Memorial Day party even more memorable
Happy Memorial Day! By now, you’re either already enjoying your holiday weekend, or gearing up for it. Are you kicking off summer with a trip to the beach? Planning to take advantage of holiday sales at car dealerships and furniture stores everywhere? Or just enjoying a family Memorial Day barbecue? If you're hosting a party, or just attending one, Patch has collected some great entertaining ideas to wax patriotic in style! Free printables – Beverage labels, hot dog wrappers, cupcake-topper pinwheels, paper snack cones – all of these red, white and blue printable projects are free! Enlist the kids to help with the cutting and pasting. Patriotic treats – Strawberries are red, blueberries are blue, and so the American-flag inspired dessert…
Friday, March 2, 2012
Here's the pilot of a weekly article for Pin-spiration
I’m not much of a domestic diva. I’m lousy in the kitchen, and I’d rather be strung up by my toenails than clean. But party planning? Homemade gift ideas? DIY, repurposing projects, organizing? I’m a crafty diva. I love getting my hands on a brilliant new idea to make something from nothing, or to simplify my life. About a month ago I stumbled upon Pinterest, a social networking world full of likeminded crafties. If you haven’t yet discovered Pinterest, it’s a virtual visual bulletin board, with a social media component. Imagine if you could snap up every little thing you come across on the World Wide Web, that inspires you, or piques your interest, or makes you giggle, or makes you want to get up and do something, and stick it on your …
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Today is Ash Wednesday
1. In the Christian tradition, today is Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lenten season. Trinity Lutheran Church, 1000 W. Main St., Lansdale, holds a worship service at 7 a.m. 2. HIP Chicks presents a home repair class for women at 7 p.m. at Lomax Carpet and Tile Mart, 772 Bethlehem Pike, Montgomeryville. Cost is $27. The event will teach women how to save money, prevent costly repairs and have fun being empowered homeowners. It is presented by Beth Allen, founder of HIP Chicks. 3. Montgomery Flex holds a second open house tonight at 7 p.m. in the Lynn Janoff Community Room at Lansdale Library to discuss its organization and charter application. 4. As part of Montgomery Theater’s Dramaturgy Program, dramaturg Samantha Lazar will lead…
SMYRNA-X
9:35 am on Monday, October 8, 2012
Biggest waste of money- obama! more ›