Simple yet unexpected Mother's Day gift ideas!

Millions of ideas online, yet all of them pretty conventional. Not that there is anything wrong with convention, but I wanted to look for something different for you guys to pick from and then I came across THIS -

Tom Barlow gives us these fantastic ideas for Mother's Days out-of-the-ordinary gifts:

Why not surprise Mom with something other than the flowers, candy and dinner out this Mother's Day? How about something that shows thoughtfulness and even an investment of your time, energy or creativity? We've compiled a quick list of 10 such items to spur your thought process.

1. Garden plants. Why spend on a dozen roses that will wilt in a week when you could buy a few rose bushes that will bloom for years? Or tomatoes she can enjoy all summer long? Of course, if your ma isn't a gardener, you could include taking care of her rose bushes or plants as part of your gift, if you live nearby. Time is the most precious gift most of us have to give.

2. A Skype video call with a distant old friend or relative. If your Mom isn't technologically savvy, she may not even be aware that teleconferencing is now a breeze. Although this might take some setting up on the other end, Mom might really enjoy a face-to-face chat with an old friend or relative in another state or even halfway around the world. Tip: Facebook makes it easy to find old classmates.


3. Her heritage. Though this is certainly not cheap, a study of Mom's DNA to trace her ancestry would serve you as well as her. For $119, Genetic Geneology will trace her maternal or fraternal lines back centuries to reveal who her ancestors were. She might even find she is related to someone famous. 

4. Ready-made meals. Sure Mom's an incomparable cook, but even she might enjoy having some home-prepared soups in her freezer. Take the time to make a batch of you best and freeze it into meal-sized portions for her. She'll think of you every time she thaws one out. 

5. A tiara. You mom is a princess, why not treat her like one? Every woman needs at least one tiara in her wardrobe. 

6. Premium silk flowers. The best quality silk flowers look better than the real thing, especially a few weeks after Mother's Day. Make them even better with a vial of matching floral scent to sprinkle on them from time to time. 

7. A digital photo viewer or iPod-like device preloaded with family photos. Sneak her favorite photo albums out of the house, scan the contents and load them onto a portable viewer (there are many options available). She'll be delighted to have them with her to share at a moment's notice. If you go the iPod route, preload some of her favorite tunes, too.

8. Buy a goat in her name. Through World Vision, for $75 you can buy a goat for a Third World person in her name. Long after the flowers are gone, she'll have the satisfaction of knowing she'd helping make some distant mother's life better.

9. Buy her a nice pair of 3D glasses or even 3D clipons and take her to the movies. It's a 3D world now, and who wants to wear a pair of glasses that have been on thousands of noses? Not your Mom, I bet.

10. A locket with a photo of her mother inside. After all, even on Mother's Day, she's still the child of her own mother.

For printable of the images above click  here.

How to make paper spheres

I was browsing through the net as usual and I came across this module of a paper sphere that has intrigued the creative minds of Karachi for quite some time. I couldn't believe my eyes...






WHUT! I CAN MAKE THESE MYSELF??!!


And so can you, thanks to Wanessa who tells us how:

Since I wanted to use bold and trendy colors, first I thought of making them with colored cardstock, but then realized that would be expensive. So here what I did…
First I attached wrapping paper to brown paper with spray adhesive. Then I traced the module pieces using a module template and cut them out. At first it seemed like a lot of work but I can tell you it was worth it!

I bought the roll of brown paper at Walmart for $6.50 and the wrapping paper for $5.00. With the length of the wrapping paper I could trace up to 100 modules!
But here is what I figured out. This method just works for the round shapes, to make the oval, diamond, and the other shapes you will need the module to be colored on both sides, so you might want to try cardstock.

Materials:
Brown paper
Colored wrapping paper (about 8 feet)
Spray adhesive
Scissors
Damp cloth

*If you don’t want to do this process, just use colored cardstock

Instructions:
Lay down the brown paper and spray the adhesive covering about 12″ (it is better to do this little by little)
Lay the back of the wrapping paper on the brown paper over the spray adhesive, and rub the surface using a damp cloth to attach (using a damp cloth will avoid scratching the paper)
Spray more adhesive and continue the process of adhering the wrapping paper to the brown craft paper
Once both papers are attached, trace out 30 modules and cut them out. Download the module template here.

As you start putting the pieces together, you will make something looking like a flower at the bottom, using 5 module pieces to start. Here you can see the beginning of the process of putting them together.

Here's the middle process

Here's the end

 To hang the sphere I cut out some circles (cereal box cardboard) using a scrapbook punch, made a hole in the middle of the circle and the module using a needle, passed through the holes a fish line (made a triple knot an burned the end).

These are the different shapes you can make using the same module.

Using different materials will render different effects, for example if you use vellum and put light in it becomes a light fixture!

I honestly feel like Sherlock Holmes right now, mystery solved!

Rainbow Party Ideas

There goes the April Fool day with not much hype, in retrospect  I think I should have done some mischief on my blog or at least the facebook page, but since I'm such a great person instead I'm letting my virtuous side rule by bringing you a party theme idea. Rainbows! 

Who doesn't love rainbows? Except, perhaps the Grinch, but to be fair there are probably no rainbows on his side of grumpville. 

Sleighing on.

This is is a theme that is not gender specific and has a lot of potential to be explored. Here are a few ideas you can work with. 

Playdough party favours.

Rainbow of cakes

Rainbow coated cookies

Rainbor yarn decor

Rainbow candies.

rainbow cake. 

These are just a few things you can do. You can even bring back streamers into style by making streamer chandeliers or streamer canopy. You see, when colour is not a limitation the possibilities are unlimited!

Oh, and don't forget to put gold at the end of the rainbow!

source

Be A Host The Most...

.... leave the rest to me!

But I understand, sometimes you want to it all by yourself. In which keep in mind:

Plenty of food +Plenty of favours = Plenty of fun tells us Gina

1) Plan Early 

So many of us pile 200 things on our daily to-do list that we are still working on tasks from 2010. Work through what could be an otherwise very stressful situation by sitting down in a calm and quiet place (away from the kids, of course!) and figuring out what needs to be done and when. Things you will want to tackle first include: choosing colors and a theme for the event, putting together a guest list (try to keep it small and intimate-the more folks that attend your event, the more work you will have keeping everything in order), deciding on decorations, creating a menu, and sending out invitations. If your party is going to be somewhere other than your house, venue selection is something else you want to take care of sooner than later.

By planning ahead you will allow yourself plenty of time to handle unforeseen situations and get some of the work out of the way long before the event is scheduled to take place. By doing as much pre-party work as possible, you are making it possible to relax and enjoy interacting with your guests the day of the event.

2) Be Present

Sounds easy, right? Well it is harder than it may seem. I cannot tell you how many times I have attended parties for my son’s friends where the hostess of the party did not make more than a five minute appearance throughout the entire party. This is especially a problem for moms hosting a party for smaller children (say under 7).

Everyone knows that a child’s party is just as much for the parents as it is for the children. Adults want to have a good time too! So being present requires party hostesses to have things prepared ahead of time so when it comes party time, they are free to 1) Plan Early 

So many of us pile 200 things on our daily to-do list that we are still working on tasks from 2010. Work through what could be an otherwise very stressful situation by sitting down in a calm and quiet place (away from the kids, of course!) and figuring out what needs to be done and when. Things you will want to tackle first include: choosing colors and a theme for the event, putting together a guest list (try to keep it small and intimate-the more folks that attend your event, the more work you will have keeping everything in order), deciding on decorations, creating a menu, and sending out invitations. If your party is going to be somewhere other than your house, venue selection is something else you want to take care of sooner than later.

By planning ahead you will allow yourself plenty of time to handle unforeseen situations and get some of the work out of the way long before the event is scheduled to take place. By doing as much pre-party work as possible, you are making it possible to relax and enjoy interacting with your guests the day of the event.

3) Be Plentiful

Make sure you have more than enough food, drinks, favors, and games and activities scheduled for the party day. Shorting some children party favors or not having enough food is a recipe for disaster! If you are unsure, plan for extra attendees. My rule of thumb is: take the confirmed guest count and add enough for 5-10 more for everything. That means more favor bags, more soda, more snacks, more cake and more prizes. You may have to spend a little more but you can always give out extra and you can never compensate for not having enough. Besides, everyone loves party leftovers. Besides everyone loves party leftovers.

I will tell you this though, throwing a party is not easy on your own, help is definitely advised, especially from a professional, that way you don't need to worry about warm drinks and cold food, all you have to do is focus on smiling. 

Table Setting and Sitting Etiquettes

Recently I organized a formal dinner for a family friend and came to realize how little people know about place setting. The hosts usually face the predicament of how many plates to make available, and the guest often don't know why there are two forks when one can do the trick just fine. 


frankly, even when one is eating at home with family, the tablescape should be paid attention to notwithstanding; consider it makeup for the table. Just putting the glass on the correct side matters much on a subconscious level. Truly. Haven't we seen enough movies where even when the person is eating alone (s)he makes it a point to arrange the table before sitting in their own company - I don't know about you, but I have always found that classy!



So, to make it easier for all of you I did a quick research to tip you on table setting and sitting etiquettes.









(via The Washington Post)


If you are planning to serve soup then follow this setting:











If you are the guest, here are a few tips for you: 


Rules on flatware:
Start from the outside and work your way in toward the plate as the meal progresses. Usually, the big fork is for the entree; the big spoon for the soup. Any utensils placed horizontally above your plate are for dessert.

Which drink is yours:

Here's an easy tip to help you remember. Make a circle with your thumb and forefinger. Your left hand will form a "b" and your right hand will form a "d."Bread (b) is on your left; drink (d) is on your right.

Once the utensils are used:

It never goes back on the table. When you're taking a break, rest your fork and knife entirely on the plate. When you are finished, place them diagonally on the plate, side by side, with the handles at 4 o'clock. The knife blade should face the center of the plate, not point out toward another guest (an ancient sign of aggression).

Miscellaneous 

If bread rolls are served, break the bread between your fingersrather than cut it.


When eating soup, always move the soup spoon away from you to the other side of the dish and "sip" the soup (quietly!) from it.


In some circumstances it may be appropriate for a finger bowl to be served, for example where ribs have been served. In which case, one should gently clean the fingers in the warm scented water and dry them on one's napkin.





Remember, tablescaping always gives the room a grand aesthetic feel; translating into a genuine way of welcoming the guests and impressing them all-in-one!

Quick tip for wrinkle-less clothes

Karachi is becoming just like New York where people's fast paced life is concerned, and like Thailand where traffic is concerned. We all have too many places to go and too much traffic to cross, that by the time we reach our destination we look like used tissue papers (for the lack of a better analogy. Go with it). I too face the same dilemma - although I'm already at the destination/event, working all day long makes me look like a crumpled paper (stay with me, this is going somewhere) by the time guests arrive. 

So, as I was procrastinating today (la de da) I came upon this lifesaving tip that removes wrinkles from your clothes in a jiffy, no matter where you are! 

I

had

to

share

! 

As lifehacker says and I quote:

DIY blog Stylelist Home suggests you can fix those wrinkles no matter where you are by wiping down the shirt with a damp towel.

The nice thing about the damp towel trick is that it's possible to do in the restroom at work. If you don't have a cloth towel, paper towels can work in a pinch. Lay the shirt on a counter, press down with the damp towel, and you're done. If you have an hand dryer, stretch the shirt out under the dryer so it dries quick and continue on with your day. Of course, if you notice the wrinkles before you leave the house."

*Throwing my arms into air in Laurie from CougarTown style 'wut wut'*

Henceforth we all shall look like those Beverly Hill real housewives who, bytheway, even have skins with zero wrinkles!

Faucetwards, all you with Mary Poppin bags!

(There are more tips on how to remove wrinkles without an iron here >  Stylist Home)

Flowers, dried or fresh.

Small gatherings are so much fun to decorate! There is o much that can be done. The possibilities are numerous. For instance the following that I found at Weddingbee

This bride went all the way for her wedding and played with the concpet of dried flowers and the final product is fabulous! See for yourself.