Christmas cards refashioned as gift tags

‘Tis the season to send and receive Christmas and holiday cards. Instead of tossing or recycling the cards, here are some creative ways to reuse them. Many of these ideas also work for reusing birthday cards and other greeting cards.

1. Create gift tags for holiday packages like we did in the photo above. Use pinking shears or scrapbooking scissors to cut fancy edges, sprinkle with a little glue and glitter if you wish, or simply cut a simple tag from a pretty part of the design. A hole punch is handy for stringing ribbon or yarn through the card.

2. Save money by making your own holiday gift bags; simply glue colorful holiday card cut-outs on paper bags.

3. Create new Christmas cards by gluing the fronts of used cards onto plain paper or card stock.

4. Make a seasonal mosaic to hang on the wall by arranging card pieces in a pleasing arrangement and gluing on cardboard or construction paper.

5. Make Christmas placemats. You can ‘laminate’ the finished mat with clear contact paper if you wish.

6. Make holiday ornaments like this beautiful ball created by Liz at The Quilted Turtle blog. Little kids may prefer to simply cut out pictures from cards, decorate them a bit and hang them on the tree. By the way, when you’re cutting out designs cookie cutters make nifty templates. Just trace around the cutter lightly with a pencil and cut away.

7. Here’s a craft idea that young children can do:  make holiday magnets by gluing cut outs from cards on flat magnets. Sometimes you can find unused magnets stuck in the ‘yellow’ phone books.

8. Cut the cards into strips and make old-fashioned paper chains by gluing the strips into circles and interconnecting them. Hang the garlands on the tree or wrap them around a staircase railing.

9. Another kids’ craft: make a holiday bookmark by gluing a vertical strip cut from a card onto a pretty ribbon.

10. Make placecards for each seat at the holiday dinner. Sometimes you can utilize the plain back of a card cut into a rectangle for the placecard, which can then be decorated with a small cutout or sticker. Write each guest’s name on a card and everyone will know exactly where to sit.

11. Scrapbookers can use holiday card cutouts to decorate pages.

12. Make napkin rings by cutting 1-inch pieces from a paper towel tube or toilet paper tube and gluing pretty cut-outs on it.  

13. At the end of the season, send unwanted holiday cards to St. Jude’s Card Recycling, 100 St. Jude Street, P.O. Box 60100, Boulder City, NV 89006. St. Jude’s will be accepting cards this season through February 28, 2010.

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Have you signed up for the 1st Annual January Money Diet yet?

Start out the new year in better financial shape than ever by taking a break from nonessential spending for just one month. Urban Homesteader will be posting money-saving tips, photos, recipes, do-it-yourself ideas and more all month — plus we’ll be hosting guest bloggers and giving away exciting prizes! Participation is free; to sign up, just leave a comment at January Money Diet.

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I promised to give you the details about the green craft project I did during my Staycation, so here you go. I first saw the idea of using toilet paper tubes to make art on the Growing Up Creative Blog. You’re not going to believe what a pretty decoration you can make from such humble materials!

This heart is made from about 8 empty rolls, each flattened and cut in 6 pieces: 

To make your creation, just lay out the little leaf-shaped pieces until you come up with a design you like and glue them together. Paper clips can help hold the pieces together if they don’t want to stick.

To finish the heart, I picked a few sprigs of dead grass and dried flowers from the garden, taped them together and glued the little bundles to the top of the piece. I hung it on clear push pins that are lightly tacked into the wall.

If you get inspired to make a creation from something recycled or discarded, you know we’d all LOVE to hear from you and see what you come up with.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Earlier this month, my body started trying to get my attention. At first it was just plain ole’ garden variety stress. Then I felt achey, like my body was fighting something off. This was followed by a feeling of tiredness that goes beyond what most parents often feel at the end of the day. During an attempt to meditate one morning the message came:  You need some real rest, a mad little voice said. If you don’t chill out, I’m going to force you to get some rest by getting sick! My own body had resorted to threats against me!

We all know we need times of rest and refreshing. Research confirms that rest will help your body rejuvenate and may even prolong your life, and even God Himself rested on the seventh day. The thing is, life can be so busy sometimes and the ‘To Do’ list can get so long that a person (let’s not name any names) can feel counterproductive and guilty for putting the brakes on. As proof of my commitment to Get My Important Things Done, I had three (3) gift certificates for spa treatements that my family and friends had given me languishing in my desk drawer. Friends, can we agree that if a person has numerous unusued spa gift certificates in her possession something is terribly out of balance?

There was too much on the calendar to take a beach vacation, but I knew I needed relief NOW.  So I X’d out two precious weekdays on my calendar for the following week and let my clients know that I’d be out of the office. Just knowing that I had the time off ahead made me more relaxed during the following days. I also called the spa and booked an appointment.

Here’s what I did over my two days off and the weekend that followed:

* Just as if I was going on a real vacation, I turned on the autoresponder the night before my Staycation so I could take a break from e-mails and the computer.

* I imposed a ban on the ‘To Do’ list and stuck it in a drawer. No additions or subtractions allowed.

* Day #1 was the morning after the CMA Awards, and because I have apparently been living under a rock I didn’t know that Darius Rucker, former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman, had crossed over to country. So I listened to “It Won’t Be Like This for Long,” a song that made me cry, because I know that these happy/tired days of keeping up with my young son won’t last for long. Rucker’s happy song “All Right” made me dry my tears and tap my feet.

* I did a craft project. I can’t remember the last time I made a craft that wasn’t in conjunction with a kids’ party or classroom activity. It’s made out of toilet paper tubes (I realize how tacky and wacky that sounds) and it’s hanging on our family room wall. Every time I look at it I smile. Watch for details in a future post.

* I went to the spa and had a hot stone massage, a facial and a pedicure.  It was pure heaven. I came home feeling so relaxed, I crawled in bed and took a nap.

* I practiced yoga.

* I drank lots of water.

* I ate good, healthy food. Mostly.

* I drank chai tea each afternoon and slowly ate one of the Belgian dark chocolate-covered sea salt caramels my friend Darla sent me. I licked my fingers. 

* I took a walk.

* I had unhurried telephone chats with my Mom, my sister and two girlfriends.

* I took some photographs of the sunrise.

* I caught up on recent episodes of ‘The Office.’  (Don’t you love that so many shows are now streaming episodes online, to be watched at our leisure?)

* I meditated, prayed and wrote in my journal. During one of those sessons, I made two lists. One was entitled ‘What Makes Me Feel Stressed’ and the other was ’What Makes Me Feel Peaceful.’ The process of writing the lists helped me get clearer about steps I might take to support and increase the peaceful aspects. (If you want to read my lists, click here.)

* I promised my body that from now on, I would take one Staycation per quarter – including a trip to the spa. In return, my body promised to hold off on any more threats – as long as I kept my word.

When I have been through a personally challenging time, my dear friend Diane Sieg will often ask, “What was the lesson you needed to learn?” Sometimes our life lessons are subtle, but in this case mine was crystal clear. Three times over four days, I encountered this phrase:  “I am a human being, not a human doing.” When I read it for the third time in Sunday’s Denver Post, I shivered with recognition.

How about you? Could you use a Staycation? Do you sometimes feel like a Human Doing instead of a Human Being? What steps do you take when life gets too busy and you need a time out? I’d love to hear your experiences and comments. With the holidays approaching and the opportunity to enjoy peace and joy this season instead of stress and exhaustion, let’s all seek ways to bring rest and refreshment into our busy lives.

If you do just one thing this holiday season to make your holidays simpler and merrier, try this. With Christmas just 7 weeks away, now is the perfect time to help your family create an online holiday gift wish list. Our extended family has used Christmas Wish List since 2002, and we love it. 

Here’s how it works: you create an online group for your family, and then each family member logs on and creates a wish list of things they could really use and enjoy for holiday gifts. Group members can note when an item is purchased, but you can’t see the status of your own list. It feels a little funny at first, being so transparent about  The Stuff You Want. However, I predict that if you try it for one year you’ll be hooked.

The advantages are many.  You’ll save hours of shopping time because you’ll know exactly what your hard-to-buy-for father wants. You’ll save time after the holidays, too, because you won’t be returning the light-up Rudolph sweater (size XS Petite), that Grandma bought you. You’ll save storage space, because you won’t be tucking away the fishing lure toilet seat your brother-in-law bought so that you can bring it out the next time he visits. And you’ll probably save money, because you can comparison shop online for the best prices.

Meanwhile, you can ask for something you could really use and enjoy — perhaps a gift certificate to a nursery to buy vegetable seeds next spring. Or something to support your green lifestyle, like a solar-powered battery charger or a rain barrel. Perhaps you have all the stuff you need, and you’d love to direct givers to support your favorite charitable organization in lieu of a gift.

What steps are you taking this year to simplify and ‘green’ your holidays? I’d love to hear your ideas and share them with our readers.

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I’ve always wanted to try cheesemaking, and I recently found a recipe for homemade ricotta cheese that was originally published in the now-shuttered Gourmet magazine. Creative Director Richard Ferretti’s recipe was so simple, it gave me the courage to make a batch — no rennet or thermometers needed! Since then I’ve made several pounds of this creamy cheese, and EVERYONE (everyone, I tell you) begs for the recipe. (Everyone.) So here we go.

First, line a sieve with a double layer of cheesecloth and place it in a bowl like this: 

Next,  bring 1 quart of milk, 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a rolling boil in a heavy saucepan. (By the way, I only make half of Ferretti’s recipe at a time because I am trying, trying to keep my butt from getting as big as a barn.)

Now, you add 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, reduce the heat to low, and simmer — stirring constantly — until the mixture curdles, about 2 minutes. It looks sort of gross at this point, but stay with me.

Now, simply dump the whole mess into that nice cheesecloth-lined sieve, like this:

Errrgh!  Let it drain for about an hour, and you’ll have a nice batch of ricotta that looks something like this:

Transfer the ricotta to a tightly lidded container and refrigerate it. For a crazy good snack, spread it on lightly toasted slices of French bread, sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with sliced fresh tomatoes or roasted red peppers. It’s also wonderful spread on crackers and topped with a drizzle of olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. Or spread it on hot buttered toast and drizzle with honey or sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar for a completely decadent breakfast. Ferretti says to eat it within 2 days, which shouldn’t be difficult to do.

Have you tried making your own cheese? If so, I’d love to hear about your experiences.

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A dusting of snow covers the mint plants in the garden

It’s snowing here in Colorado today, and in anticipation of last night’s hard freeze I picked all the basil. I’ll use it to prepare a fresh variation on pesto sauce enlivened with fresh mint. The pesto freezes well and I portion it into 1/3 cup servings so that we can easily thaw a little to toss with hot linguine, whisk into salad dressing, or spread on a pizza when summertime is a distant memory. Here’s the simple recipe:

Fresh Minted Pesto Sauce

1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves (no stems)

1/4 cup loosely packed mint leaves, no stems

1/4 cup fresh parsley

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1/4 cup blanched almonds

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

4 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put the basil, mint, parsley, garlic and almonds in a food processor. Blend at low speed for a few moments until the ingredients are coarsely chopped. Add the cheese and half of the olive oil and blend again. Scrape the mixture down from the side of the container. Turn the speed to low and trickle in the remaining olive oil while blending. By hand, stir in salt and pepper to taste. Makes 1 cup.

The peaches this year have been more delicious than any I can ever remember — heavy, fragrant, juicy and sweet from the sunshine of late summer.

A display of Colorado peaches at Whole Foods

Before they’re gone, you can easily preserve fresh peaches’ fleeting, nectared essance by making a batch of homemade jam.  Perfect for holiday gift giving, I also love opening a jar of homemade jam on a snowy winter morning, slathering it on a hot, buttery biscuit and being transported back to sweet memories of the previous summer.

I used to make jam the old-fashioned way, standing at the stove for hours boiling and stirring the mixture and trying to keep it from scorching.  Recently I made a batch with packaged pectin, and I think the jam tastes better and retains more of the true peach flavor.  You don’t need to use as much sugar or cook it as long, and the process is much faster and easier, too. 

Here’s the simple recipe I used:

FRESH PEACH PRESERVES

4 cups peeled, chopped organic peaches (about 3 pounds of fruit)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin like Kraft Sure-Jel
¼ teaspoon butter (Kraft recommends this to reduce foaming)
5 1/2 cups sugar

Prepare the canner and sanitize the jars. The Kraft web site has detailed directions about how to do this, plus a handy altitude chart if you need to make adjustments:  http://brands.kraftfoods.com/SureJell/jamming.htm

To peel the peaches, cut an “X” in the bottom end of the peach and drop it in a pan of boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon, cool briefly, and the peel should rub right off. If not, return to the water for another 30 seconds. Finely chop or mash the peaches and measure 4 cups of fruit. Stir the fruit and lemon juice together and pour into a large, heavy bottomed sauce pot.

Stir in the pectin, and add the butter. Turn the burner to high heat and bring the mixture to a full boil, stirring constantly. Add the sugar and stir it constantly to dissolve. Return the mixture to a full boil and boil for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pot from the heat, and skim off any foam that has risen to the surface.

Ladle the jam into the prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean damp cloth. Cover with the two-piece lids and screw the bands on tightly. Process according to your canner’s directions; I processed mine for about ten minutes. Remove the jars and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When the jars cool to room temperature, check the seals by pressing the middle of the lid. They lids shouldn’t ‘give,’ but if one springs back don’t worry; just move this jar to the refrigerator and plan to use the jam in the next week or so. Store the jam jars in a cool, dark place. This recipe makes about 7 cups of jam.

There is something deeply satisfying about ‘putting up preserves.’ Try it and see if you don’t agree.

There’s a little convenience store not far from our house called “Farm Crest Milk Store” that I’ve driven by many times. A few weeks ago I happened to remember that we needed milk right as I was approaching the store, so I pulled in the parking lot.  I was curious about a whole store devoted to milk but discovered that it’s a lot like a 7-11, with a few gas pumps outside and the usual impulse buy items inside. What was different, however, was a large bank of glass cases full of milk containers. The milk is from a local dairy, it’s raised without growth hormones or antibiotics, it costs a mere $2.22 a gallon, and if you put a $1 deposit on a bottle one time then you can swap your empty bottle for a full one when you return it.  We go through one to two gallons of milk a week in this household, so just by making this one switch we’ve eliminated at least 52 plastic gallon milk bottles from the recycling bin.

Milk in a returnable bottle

This exciting development got me thinking about reusable packaging. Remember the old days, when you’d return your pop bottles to the store for a nickle? I haven’t found any other examples of reusable packaging yet, but I’m beginning to see more and more opportunities to buy in bulk and simply eliminate packaging — even better!

 A big, beautiful Whole Foods store recently opened at the Streets of Southglenn, and we stopped in to check out the offerings.

 The store is simply amazing, from a huge selection of prepared foods to an in-store sushi bar. But I digress. The store also offers a huge variety of bulk items, such as bath salts:

…a huge aisle of bulk beans, rice and grains:

 …a machine to fill your own container with filtered water:

…and plenty more. Why not seek out sources of bulk products and reusable packaging in your neighborhood and see what you can find? I’d love to hear about your discoveries.

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     Most store-bought sweetened iced teas are full of it — high fructose corn syrup, that is — and the ‘light’ versions are loaded with artificial sweeteners. Instead, make your own cool, delicious sweetened tea with natural ingredients and you’ll reap all of the antioxidant health benefits while keeping unnessary bottles out of the landfill; you’ll also save money!  We sweeten our iced tea with organic agave nectar from Madhava, a Colorado company. Agave nectar is a mild-flavored, all-natural sweetener that is harvested from wild agave plants; it has a low glycemic index, but is 1.4 times sweeter than refined sugar. Here’s the simple recipe:

Iced Citrus Tea with Agave and Mint

2 quarts cold water (2 quarts = 8 cups)

6 to 8 tea bags – your choice (I’m partial to Earl Grey, myself)

1 large handful fresh mint leaves, washed

3 – 4 tablespoons agave nectar

2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice

the juice of one large orange

Optional garnish: mint sprigs and lemon slices or wedges

If the tea bags have tags, remove them; if they have strings, tie them all together to make removing the tea bags easier. Heat the water to a full rolling boil in a large saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the tea bags and fresh mint. Allow to steep for 30 minutes. Strain the mixture and add the agave nectar, lemon and orange juices; stir until combined. Cool to room temperature, pour in an airtight container and refrigerate. Serve the tea over ice and garnish with mint sprigs and lemon if you wish; the tea will keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

     By the way, I know that making sun tea – combining tea and water in a glass jar and leaving it outdoors – is a popular way to make iced tea, but when I was researching an article about cooking with the sun for Gaiam I learned that the practice can be potentially dangerous. Using the sun’s rays to make tea can facilitate the growth of bacteria so it’s best to use the old tried-and-true boiling water method.

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