Bachelorhood Design

One often ignored aspect of design is the Bachelor Pad. After all, design plays a pivotal role in attracting a special someone. If you're a bachelor or know of one, share this post with them - they may need it.

To build a successful and attractive Bachelor Pad, consider including the following:

• A place to eat that is not the coffee table
• Eating at the coffee table because you don't have a dining table indicates immaturity to your guests. I can't tell you how many times I did this in college. You don't want your special someone to think you are still living the college glory days.
• An investment piece - solid construction - something sophisticated
• Trust me, a discerning eye concerning design and furniture is an extremely attractive quality in a man.
• Something unexpected
• Something unexpected is always a good thing in any room design. 
• A stylish, uncluttered desk
• I've heard it said that a clean desk means a sick mind. I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement-mostly because I keep a very tidy desk. :)  To me, a clean desk shows that you care about your space.
• Clean sheets
• This should be self-explanatory.
• Good collection of books
• Having an interesting and varied collection of books help tell your guests who you are.
• No TV-only room
• What I mean by this, is that in the room where your TV is, try to create a secondary focal point to distract from the TV.
• Luxurious bathroom
• A clean, luxurious bathroom (not a dirty, dingy, cluttered bathroom) will seal the deal, boys.
• Interesting lighting
• Having something interesting to look at will drastically alter your space.
• Plenty of seating with durable, stylish upholstery fabric
• You need to have places your guests can sit. 
• No cliches
• The cliche black leather sectional or neon beer sign is beneath you, gentlemen. Let's grow up.

You don't have to spend a lot either. I always say: collect piece by piece over time. Ask an interior design guru to help you. 

Good luck, bachelor's! 

Moving Smarter

Many of you know that we recently moved from Utah to Texas...during finals...in the middle of Winter. We were stressed to the max, and we did some things that truly helped, and wish we had done more things to keep us organized and save us some time and money. Hopefully these tips will save you that time and money.

1. Download a checklist

Use the internet to your advantage. Download one of the millions of "Moving To-Do Lists" available to you, and customize it for your needs. Pace yourself and don't take on too much at one time. Moving is stressful and taxing, but moving while under extreme stress is way worse, trust me. Pace yourself and do what you can-when you can, and you'll be fine.

2. Colored Duct Tape

You can find an endless supply of different colored/patterned duct tape just about anywhere now. These would have saved us so much time! create a key with what color goes in each room, and your movers will thank you. Plus, if you need to go searching through a giant pile of boxes, you can narrow your search a little better.

3. Label EVERYTHING!

Label every side of the box - especially the sides. Your boxes will be stacked. Don't just label the tops. (This one is kind of self-explanatory)

4. Before deciding where to move, do your research.

Before you decide on a city or neighborhood where you want to live, go visit the area. Take a night or two in a hotel near where you're thinking about moving; explore the night life, local grocery stores, restaurants, etc. The last thing you want to do is move into a nice apartment and figure out too late that it's in a loud part of town.

5. Forward your mail/change your address immediately when you move.

Trust me, you do not want to get a past-due notice months after a bill was due because you forgot to change your address.

6. Thank your moving buddies.

Plan to have pizza and root beer, or take everyone out to dinner after they've helped you move in/out. This will ensure they will help you again. :) If you hire movers, make sure to tip them. Moving is terrible for everyone, so a little extra thank you is always appreciated.

If you need more tips, let me know, people! I hope these help you with your next move. Meanwhile, stay tuned for more interior design inspiration from my new digs in the Lone Star State!

Easy DIY Christmas Decorations

Decorating for Christmas is exhausting. The decorations are up for only a short time, and take so long to pull out, unwrap, and put up, it's a wonder we still do it. Christmas decor is incredibly expensive as well. (However, pick up some for cheap at your local big box store either on Black Friday or the day after Christmas for a good deal.) Nothing beats making your own decorations though, and everyone in the family can be involved.

Christmas Ornaments

The internet is littered with ideas for handmade Christmas ornaments, but there are a few that are much better than the rest. Here are a few of the goodies: Some great tutorials are available online for these along with templates for cutting these pictures. Save your bottle caps, and any scraps of ribbon. I started a collection at the beginning of the year and used it to make some cool and funky ornaments for my family and friends. I wrap them onto the gift for decoration.

As kids, we would get a new ornament every year. On the back, my Mom would write our name and the year we got it. I recently got a few from my parents that were mine growing up. I love sentimental ornaments. If you have kids, I strongly suggest doing this so that your tree grows with your family, and the kids have ornaments when they move out. Clear ornaments are versatile. You can put anything in them and they look great. If you have some old ugly or chipping round ornaments, consider wrapping them in a cute piece of fabric to give them a new life. May things can be melted in forms to make ornaments; one great example is peppermints. (I save the ones I get from Sonic) Felt is a great thing to have around too. Felt is less than 25 cents a sheet, and as long as you have a needle and embroidery thread, you can make anything. YouTube has some amazing stitch tutorials. The older kids can even help cut out the shapes. Perhaps my favorite of all of these is the vintage button bulb. I know we all have that box of mis-matched old buttons. Make them into a beautiful ornament with a story.

Other Kid-Friendly Crafts

I don't have kids myself, but I have seen this first-hand. Kids tend to remove ornaments from the Christmas tree. A genius way to avoid this is to make them their own felt Christmas tree. Hopefully they will be occupied with the felt tree, and not the one with breakable ornaments that could potentially fall.

Another great kid-friendly Christmas craft is making Christmas crayons. You use silicone molds and put broken pieces of crayon inside, then bake it in the oven until it melts. Let it completely cool, and you have fun, Christmas-shaped crayons.

I have to admit that I'm a sucker for kid-created snowflakes. I think they're adorable, and they're super cheap. I have this fantasy that I have my future children make hundreds of them and I string them up all over my ceiling. (Like in the movie Elf)

Cone Trees

I've seen cone trees everywhere lately, and think they're adorable. The possibilities are endless for these things, literally anything can be adhered to a Styrofoam form. You could even make sleeves for them and you can change them up each Christmas. Feathers, beads, pearls, ribbons, paper, fabric, scrapbook paper, melted wax, and greenery are some of the countless options for covering a cone tree.


Happy Crafting!

Recipes from My Family to Yours

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

I love this time of year when we can all reflect on our blessings and be with our families. I feel particularly blessed this year to be moving closer to my family. We have been far apart for many, many years and I will be so happy to be a Texan again! (even though I've always been Texan at heart)

Instead of a normal blog post, I thought we'd explore previously uncharted territory...Recipes! (and a few vintage holiday pictures) Thanksgiving and Christmas are quite food-centric, and my family loves traditional recipes handed down through the generations. Maybe some of these recipes will make it to your recipe book to be passed down too.

We have made these sugar cookies almost every year since I was born and every time I taste them to this day, I am immediately taken back to my childhood. It doesn't feel like Christmas without them.

 

Sugar Cookies

3/4 c. shortening (part butter or margarine, softened)

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp, baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Mix thoroughly: shortening, sugar, eggs and flavoring. Blend in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour. After dough has chilled, heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 6-8 minutes or until very light brown

Makes about 4 dozen 3 inch cookies

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Another family favorite is this intensely sweet apple cake. It's a heavy hitter, and I promise if you make this at the next family gathering, they will make you bring it every time.

Apple Pudding Cake

Cake:

1 c. sugar

1/4 c. margarine/butter

1 egg

1 c. flour

2 c. apples, shredded

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. nuts

Cream margarine/butter, sugar and egg. Then combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Stir in apples and nuts. Pour into a greased 9 inch square pan. (It's easier to double this and make a 9x13 full)

Sauce:

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. light cream or canned milk

1 1/2 ts. vanilla

Heat ingredients in heavy pan over low heat until well blended and heated through. Stir until thickened. Add a dash of nutmeg, if desired. DO NOT BOIL! Pour over baked dessert. (Make sure to serve this warm)

This is my little brother playing Santa for my little nephew, and our Christmas tree.

This next one is my favorite Christmas morning breakfast. This recipe came from a cookbook for kids my mom had in the sixties.

Jolly Breakfast Ring

4 Tbs. butter-melted

2 Tbs. brown sugar

12 cherries (canned/maraschino)

1/4 nuts, chopped

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbs. nuts, chopped

2 c. Bisquick

2/3 c. milk

Pour 1/2 of melted butter into bottom of 9 inch bundt pan. Then sprinkle in brown sugar, cherries and 1/4 c. nuts. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and 3 Tbs. nuts. In a scond small bowl, combine Bisquick and milk. Beat until stiff. Shape dough into 12 balls. Roll each ball in rest of melted butter, then cinnamon mixture. Place balls into ring mold. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes. Turn upside down onto a plate while warm.

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My adorable Grandpa Otte makes the BEST chocolate chip cookies. He bakes them in big batches, then freezes them. There's something magical that happens when you blow through a frozen chocolate chip cookie-it just tastes better. I remember sitting around the kitchen table late at night playing card games, passing around the huge baggie of cookies. Every time our family gets together, we still pass around that huge baggie of cookies while we play Mexican Train dominoes until the wee hours of the morning. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c. shortening

1 1/4 c. sugar

2 1/2 c. brown sugar

2 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 t. maple flavoring

5 eggs

6 c. flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 1/2 tsp. salt

2 1/2 c. nuts

Bake at 375 for 12 minutes

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Happy Holidays from my family to yours. 

Holiday Dinner Ettiquette

Thanksgiving is next week. (I'll let that soak in for a bit)

Attending and Hosting holiday dinners, be it Thanksgiving or Christmas, is stressful in most cases. Hosting can be particularly unnerving, especially if it's your first time. I have been to several holiday dinners that have been equally stressful as well. Hopefully, these easy and inexpensive tips will help you be successful whether you're hosting or attending

Hosting

Keep it simple. The less you worry about, the more enjoyable your dinner and hosting experience will be. Delegate! Delegating tasks is crucial. Repeat this to yourself: "I cannot and will not do this alone." Repeat it every day if you need it. You cannot bear the emotional and financial burden alone. Send out a mass text or email long before the meal asking people to sign up to bring certain items. This will be a huge relief to you as you continue to plan the meal and entertainment. 

The Meal

Pie should be made the day before as you brine and season your turkey. Most of them can sit at room temperature overnight, but if you're worried about this, open a window in a bathroom, extra bedroom or laundry room, close the door, and plug any gaps under the door from the outside. You have now created a huge refrigerator. Use the fact that you live in the northern hemisphere to your advantage.

Take care of yourself first. Do your hair and makeup-if you wear makeup-and look how you want to look before anyone gets there. Then, and only then, you can concentrate on the meal. Bonus-if someone arrives early, you're not caught off-guard and unprepared. You may need a freshening-up, but that will not take nearly as long.

Traditionally, appetizers are laid out when everyone arrives for dinner. DO THIS! This will get your guests out of your way in the kitchen as you finish up the last bits of prep. Pick easy or even store-prepared appetizers. Some great ones are - the olive bar, have the deli slice some salami or prosciutto along with some nice cheese to lay out with crackers. I am also a major fan of the cheese ball. This is a must in my house because it reminds me of my late grandmother. 

Just remember throughout the entire planning stage to keep it simple. You'll thank me later, I promise.

As far as the meal and hosting goes, I believe that the host and hostess should just provide the turkey and a few pies. Obviously this depends on how many guests you will be having for dinner.. If required, make as little number of side dishes as possible, as hosting should count for a major contribution.

The Table

Setting the table is important as well. Consider purchasing a roll of brown butcher paper and taping it to the top of your table as your tablecloth. Write the person's name on the paper instead of using place cards. Then place colored markers all over the table and have everyone write a few things they're grateful for. Triple whammy-decoration, place cards, and entertainment in one. As far as the actual centerpiece, all you really need is either one or three SHORT floral arrangements. Keep them short so that your guests can see and converse with each other. Have you ever been to a wedding with centerpieces right at eye-level? Don't make that mistake. 

Entertainment

You can find pretty much any game on the internet, but here are a few easy and fun ideas. The show "Minute to Win It" has some really fun and intense games you can play using generic household items. We also go around the table and each say what we are grateful for. Be careful with this, though. Not everyone is as comfortable doing this with others around. Make sure to know your audience and plan appropriately. Growing up, after Thanksgiving dinner, we usually watched a Christmas movie while we napped and lounged, then we put up the Christmas tree. Again, remember to keep it simple, and you can't go wrong.

Attending a Holiday Dinner

When you are invited to a dinner for the holidays, proper etiquette requires a thank you and offer to help. Depending on your relationship with the host, a call is typically appropriate. As evidenced above, hosting is quite overwhelming, so a nice call thanking your host for inviting you to dinner and asking, "How can I help you?" will be much appreciated. If your host still seems overwhelmed, be prepared with two or three suggestions of things you do well that would help him or her with the monumental task of the meal. Great ideas of what to bring are: appetizers, pies, sides, drinks, offer to set the table or create a tablescape, offer to come help cook the day before, or even help clean their house the day before. If someone offered to help do that for me, I'd be elated.

Arrive on time. This is incredibly important. Arriving early or late is disrespectful if your host has not specifically requested that you do so. Dress in nice, casual clothes, be helpful, and be kind.

Last, but not least, ALWAYS help with cleanup. The last thing the host should do after cooking for you is clean up after you too. Men, women, and kid should "bus plus two." As many people that are able to help with dishes definitely should. My personal philosophy is to leave every space better than when I found it.

If you follow these tips, your host will have you back...often.

Happy Holidays from our family to yours.