Crafty Manolo

Last night our Thanksgiving plans fell through.

Usually we go have dinner with a good friend. She cooks the turkey and the stuffing and the gravy. I make the rest of the meal. After Thanksgiving dinner, Mr. Twistie goes home and I spend the weekend with our friend hanging out, doing media marathons, and stuffing ourselves silly with leftover Thanksgiving goodies.

Today, I’m scrambling to come up with a turkey dish and clean up the table for a formal dinner for two. I don’t have a lot of time to make things pretty… but there are some easy things I can do. If you’re scrambling at the last minute to make your table pretty for the holiday, whether it’s because plans changed or you didn’t happen to come up with something yet, then I suggest you hie yourself over to Casa Sugar for a couple great and ridiculously simple ideas based on things you probably already have in your kitchen.

Tomorrow, I’ll come up with a long list of things to be thankful for… but today, I’m thankful for Casa Sugar’s great last-minute ideas!

So. It’s mere days to the Fourth of July, and you’ve decided at the last minute to throw a barbeque before heading out to see the fireworks. Your bank account is running on empty, the kids are in desperate need of a good project to keep them out of your hair, and you’re searching for inspiration. What do you do? What do you do?

For starters, you can take a look over at FamilyCorner.com where you can find the instructions for making these fun, festive flowers our of painted coffee filters.

Or, for an amusing retro hanger to place on your door, take a look at this project posted today at Vintage Image Craft:

All you’ll need is a wire hanger or two, some crepe paper, the image which you can download from their site, and a few other basic craft supplies you probably have in your home already.

Or for something every bit as easy, but just a little more sophisticated, head over to Woman’s Day for instructions on making these simple, yet elegant, centerpieces with glass vases, colored sand, a few blooms, and a couple tiny flags:

There’s no need for last minute or simple to mean dull, ordinary, or unimaginative. Let’s get creative!

Photo by Rob Garland

Spring is here, and summer is just around the corner. Outdoor parties are on the rise. Weddings are being plotted… er… planned. And everyone knows you’re crafty.

If you’re the one throwing the shindig, that means people will expect you to create something gorgeous to decorate. If someone you know is getting married, having a baby shower, or hoping to throw the ultimate neighborhood barbeque, there’s a good chance you’ll be asked (or will offer as your contribution) to create some decorative awesomeness for the occasion.

Well, I’ve got a few ideas that will make your decorations the talk of the party.

For instance, that centerpiece shown above would be pretty simple to replicate. Just pick your vase, put in a piece of floral foam just a little smaller than the inside of the vase, slide in slices of citrus fruits: limes, lemons, oranges, grapefruit… whatever you like, arrange a few dramatic flowers in the foam, and add water. How easy is that?

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