Left Handed Calendar
A spiral bound calendar especially made for lefties, like this one shown above, allows them to write until their heart’s content without running their hands over the wire. This one retails for $17.50 from Lefty’s Left Hand Store.

Everyone is Born Right Handed Sweatshirt
Remind your leftie how special they are with this tongue in cheek sweatshirt from Signals. It says, “Everyone is born right handed. Only the gifted overcome it.”

Signals also remind us that Benjamin Franklin, Henry Ford, Albert Schweitzer, Cole Porter, and Leonardo da Vinci were all left-handed. This particular tee shirt retails for $26.95 from the catalog.

The Left-Handed Backward Book
This book, written especially for children, opens from left to right to accommodate left handed kids. Filled with fun and educational words by Kelly Kinsolving and illustrations from Jann Dunham Maser. $10.00, available from Amazon.com.

Scissor Set
As the people at Anything Left Handed know, it’s sometimes hard for lefties to cut with a regular scissors. This one has the blades and grips reversed, making cutting a breeze. Retails starting from £3.00.

Left Handed Nail Clipper
You never think about things like cutting your nails if you’re right handed, but sometimes this can be a difficult task for lefties, especially if the tool you’re using is designed for the non-south paws among us.

Left Handed Tools and Garden Equipment
Struggling with tools or equipment is a drag, especially if carpentry or gardening is your leftie’s favorite hobby. Find equipment designed especially for them.

Non-Smudge Pens
Who wants ink across your hand? Not me. Not the lefties of the world either. Pens that guarantee a smudge-free outcome are available at most office supply stores, or online through Anything Left Handed.com.

Left Handed Computer Keyboard
Typing on a keyboard might not seem like a big thing, but if you’re a leftie, having the numbers on the left can really make a difference. Keyboard can be found at most major retailers.  A left-handed board at Walmart retails for under $30.

Images from: Lefty’s Left Hand Store and Signals.

Post from: Blisstree

Left Handed Gift Ideas

Kathy Zengolewicz

Here is what you will need to get started:

• 4 inch ivy bowl
• 4 inch clay pot
• glass paints in red, white, black and blue
• Acrylic paints in red and white
• 1 ½ inch wooden ball with a flat bottom or a two inch white pom pom

Paint the clay pot red and the rim white with the acrylic paint. If you are using the wooden ball, paint that white also. You may need to apply a second coat since the clay pot is very porous. If you need a second coat, make sure to let the first coat dry thoroughly before applying the second coat.

Now, paint the ivy bowl white, you can leave an opening in the front to paint on the face. I chose to paint the whole bowl white and work from there. For the pink nose and cheeks just add a drop of red to the white paint. If your blue paint is dark, just add a drop of white to it and you have a light blue for the eyes. If you leave an opening for the face, don’t paint it skin tone, just leave it transparent and you’ll be able to see the candies inside. I don’t really have a pattern for the Santa face, but if you just look at the one I painted you can copy that, or research on line to find one you like better.

Fill your candy jar with any candy like M&M’s or kisses. Red and white or green and white peppermint star candies are a fitting treat during the holidays.

Post from: Blisstree

Santa Candy Jar

Book with Questions to Answer
So many of us don’t know enough about our heritage. One way to get grandma or grandpa to tell you more is by asking them questions. But rather than telling you about their life, why not create a keepsake you can cherish? Purchase a leather-bound journal and write a question you’d like your loved one to answer at the top of each page. Ask them to write out the answers and give the book back to you. They will enjoy chatting about their life while you will receive a wonderful memento.

Recipe Cards
You know all those great recipes that grandma makes? Ask her to show you how to make them. Package up a pile of recipe cards and ask that she fill them out. Then, come by and have her show you how to make each dish. She’ll appreciate time spent cooking with you and you’ll get her cooking expertise.

Grocery Store Gift Cards
So many elderly relatives are on a fixed income, so a little extra money to use while grocery shopping is always appreciated.

Offer Your Services
Let your loved one know you want to help by offering to help take them grocery shopping, running errands, doctor appointments, and the like. Write up a coupon for “taxi services” and then offer to buy them lunch afterward.

Warm Clothes
Any type of sweater or warm socks will help your elderly loved one stay warm.

Convert Their Old Movies to DVD
Take all those old films they made back in the day and convert them to DVD so they can be watched over and over again.

Image: sxc.hu.

Post from: Blisstree

Elderly Gift Ideas

Pincushion Image: sxc.hu

 I’ve saved a number of these and find the memories joyful.  ONe is a pincushion my daughter made by herself and gave me as a surprise Christmas gift when she was about eight years old. Even though she’s grown with a daughter in college, I still use this and treasure it.

My daughter has Christmas ornaments her son and daughter made in art class in elementary school.  Each year she puts them out for display.

There are other items children make, some large and some small, some at school and others at home, that parents and grandparents treasure. Sometimes these gifts have no use at all…other than  bringing  back fond memories.

What are some of small treasures and memories?

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Children’s Small Treasures Appreciated

Image:sxc.hu

It’s not too early to start these projects so you’ll have plenty of time and won’t be rushed in December.

When my daughter was small, we were involved in many types of crafts and often made gifts for our holiday giving.  (Grandparents, especially, express appreciation for these items…whether they’re really useful or not!)

What types of items can you and your youngsters create? This all depends on the age of the children.

• Woven and patchwork potholders
• Collages with family events throughout the year
• Shadowboxes containing momentos from trips
• Placemats from autumn leaves, photos, and drawings
• Drawings you mat and frame
• Latch hooked pictures or hangings
• Necklaces and bracelets with beads
• Patchwork placemats
• Pin cushions (I still have one my daughter made me years ago.)

These are just a few of the items you can make with children.

What do you do in your family?

Post from: Blisstree

Making Christmas Gifts with Children

Photo via walgreens.com

I was able to create a book filled with pictures and journaling about a baby’s first day on earth. I changed some photos to black and white, switched sizes, switched out the number of photos on some of the different pages and left one page blank for journaling. I am so happy with the way it turned out that I started thinking about other events that would make good photo books for Christmas:

• Scouting memories
• Best wedding moments
• Mommy and me, daddy and me, or grandparent and me books
• Memorial book filled with special memories and stories
• Car restoration, new home construction or any other large project journal

Have you ever given a photo book to someone as a Christmas gift?

Post from: Blisstree

Photo Books Make Great Christmas Gifts

How does your crafting change through the year?  Or does it?  Are you a hard-core Christmas freak in November and December or do you work on holiday projects through the year?  Does your color palette change with the weather?

I’ve noticed that once the leaves start to turn, I definitely get thinking about making more gifts.  During the summer I tend to work outside and do more large-scale painting and dyeing projects.

When the weather starts to cool off, I like to bring things inside (the downside of living in a northerly climate!) and get my studio prepped for fall and winter crafting.  I don’t think my color choices really change that much, but I’m certainly more likely to create fall or winter themed projects.

So tell me about your autumn crafting habits…

image: Stock.xchg

Post from: Blisstree

Crafting Through The Seasons

• Dell laptop, 7 years old, great condition, loaded with software – $66
• 100% Wool J. Crew Men’s overcoat, new – $1 (retail $365)
• Liz Claiborne Women’s Gorgeous black suede knee-high boots- $6
• 22″ color television – $25
• Banjo – $110 (who knew a banjo retails for $500?)
• Barbie Acoustic Guitar, in box – $10
• Electronic Violin, in box – $5
• Fisher-Price Little People Touch and Feel Noah’s Ark- $5
• Little People Animal Sounds Farm- 50 cents
• Spinmaster Bella Dancerella Swan Lake Home Ballet Studio – DVD – $5
• DKNY Jeans Stretch Ludlow Jean, Masquerade Blast Wash – $1.50
• Dockers Khaki’s – $1
• Ellemenno Jeans – $1.50
• Mixit Jeans – $1.50
• Two Kisses heals $1
• Side table – $5
• Men’s Casual Coat – $1
• Alex My Bubble Mower – $1
• Heelys Youth Fizz Skate Shoe,White/Pink,13 M Little Kid – $1
• Imaginarium Cowboy Dress Up Set- $3
• Mini Musical drum- $1

To list more would be bragging. Seriously,we’re already getting everything wanted and more for Christmas. Like last year I’m going to have to stop buying gifts so I don’t spoil the children.

Post from: Blisstree

God Bless The Joneses

Time for the family vacation. Then school clothes. Then, Holy Crap, Christmas! In fact, I’ve recently had two conversation with people who are already dreading the mass extended family gifting.

We use no credit cards. Period. Since our income doesn’t increase around Christmas we must be strategic about our giving.

I’m not taking a second job to pay for Christmas and though it was our goal, we don’t have it together enough to save all year for a Christmas budget. Much easier to boycott the psychotic gift giving and set some boundaries that everyone can agree to.

Every family is different. Coming from a large extended Mormon family, my family was quick to snap up alternatives and accept my bowing out. The previous generation of my large Mormon tribe had already worked out a system.

I adapted theirs asked my siblings to agree.

I did contact my father’s extended family and ask to be removed from the individual drawing, as the expense was simply too much for us to absorb. They were very gracious about it.My husband’s family took our boycott of Christmas pretty hard.

It really took 3 years to accomplish. They were emotional about breaking the connection of giving at Christmas. Upon further examination my mother-in-law felt that my mass email boycotting Christmas gift giving was like a commando attack on her. She felt these things should be handled with herself as middle person or negotiator.

Truly, I had tried to do that the year before and she caved to whining about the blasted “Christmas Spirit.” I thought a mass email stating simply “we’re not giving gifts and don’t expect to get any,” was more effective. I was. We’ve settled on a fun game of White Elephant.

The reality was that all of them were overstressed and anxious about the amount they were spending to meet basic gift-giving obligations. With a little persuasion and logic they too were relieved. It’s the passionate discussion part that motivates me to write about boycotting Christmas NOW. If you wait until November, when you realize your bank account hasn’t been magically endowed with a bunch of extra money, people are already emotionally invested in Christmas.

In June, July and August no one cares about Christmas and can see your proposed alternatives with more objectivity. In the end, I’m sure there are those who will put you in the “bitch who stole Christmas” category. But, many will thank you for saving them from $300 – $1,000 of credit card debt.

It is glorious to start January without playing “financial catch-up.”

While it’s already November and Christmas is just around the corner something tells me our current financial crisis will encourage people to take your suggestion to tone it down very well.

Post from: Blisstree

Boycott Christmas Now

Halloween has a few more days to arrive, but the Christmas push to buy more stuff is already making the national blood pressure rise.

Maybe my Boycott Christmas in June idea didn’t seem reasonable. But, now that it’s November, I’m thinking you might be considering a part-time job or scratching some extended relatives off the list.

Might I recommend a budgeting technique that will make sure you don’t end up doing the big recover from Christmas through March?

Write down the income you expect to get through January on a spread sheet. We get paid weekly, so I have a budget that accounts for income each week.

Add up a total of income and subtract all of your regular non-negotiable expenses like your mortgage and light bill. Don’t forget your insurance needs renewing and your taxes are coming due.

What is left is your Christmas budget. You should be able to buy all gifts, tree, pot luck meals, party clothes and postage for this amount.

See you didn’t need a second job. You just needed a better plan.

Honestly, there is nothing better than having a New Year’s Resolution that doesn’t include Pay Off Christmas Credit Cards.

Oh, and see that picture up there? A $250 life-sized mechanical horse is what sane parents and grandparents do NOT buy their children. Know why? An $8 stick horse is better exercise and requires more imagination and absolutely no financing. And it’s not hard to top next year.

Check out 10 Christmas Gifting Alternatives for ways to stretch that budget.

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Budget Through 2008