Lamination

 Summer’s Here and the Time Is Right for Signs to Sell Your Beets

The Farmers’ Market is probably one of my favorite weekend destinations. I love fresh vegetables and fruit – not mention these days you can find farm-fresh eggs, fresh organic cheeses and dairy products, just-picked herbs, and some fantastic organic grass-fed meats if you’re really lucky. For a foodie like me it is absolute nirvana…a perfect state of peace, not the ‘90s Seattle grunge band!

Yet on my treks to various markets recently, I’ve noticed one thing that often could use some extra pizzazz – the signs many of these small businesses use to market their farm-fresh goodies. Whether you’re selling homemade crafts, grass-fed brisket or the oh-so-delectable banana-pineapple-macadamia nut salsa I can never resist, the signs you use to advertise your business and set you apart from the other vendors selling similar wares are critical! ...read more

There are few tasks that I dread worse than moving. The hassle, the disorganization, the chaos of it all is enough to send even the most balanced person into an absolute tizzy. 

I recently completed a major move (my 7th in 12 years, and this one with a two-year-old in tow, no less!) and wanted to stay organized so that the process was as quick and hassle-free as possible. There were two things that I did that helped me keep it all together when our life was in boxes, and I really wanted to share Out of Office readers who may have a move in their future: 

  ...read more

Blog friends, I have to let you in on a little secret: I have always wanted to be a good gardener! I always thought that when we had a yard, I’d plant bulbs in the winter and watch beautiful flowers blossom in the spring. Or have a few rows of veggies so we could make fresh salads. But alas, no luck – my thumb isn’t showing any green tendencies and our yard is filled with wildflowers and weeds (and maybe a few too many “presents” from our dogs Molly and Conrad). My grandparents, however, were very active gardeners.  I spent many summers enjoying perfectly ripe and flavorful tomatoes, juicy strawberries, sweet corn and crisp cucumbers…Yum!

  ...read more

With summer coming up there is a lot for kids to write about – and they’ll certainly be in need of projects to keep them busy. So why not get your teens and tweens a head-start by whipping up an easy-to-make journal that shows off your kid’s unique style and taste? It’s a fun springtime project to do together – but also makes a great gift. 

My 15-year-old niece, Brooke, is taking a two-week trip to Europe this summer, and I wanted to make her a cute and special journal to take with her.  I’m hopeful that she’ll jot down a few lines about what she did each day to look back on it later and share with friends and family. She can even paste in ticket stubs, photos and other mementos.  I studied abroad in college and really wish I’d taken better notes on where I went and what I did - it’s all a blur now!  

  ...read more

I may not be a parent myself, but I love my godchildren like nothing else. And one of my favorite things to do when visiting them is reading together before bedtime. Granted, 2 year old Gracie hasn’t quite gotten into the ritual yet, but Blake and I have been reading books together for years.

With that in mind, I thought I’d share a quick and easy project idea. I’m talking about making personalized bookmarks! This is great as a craft project for kids on a rainy day or you can make them as stuffers for stockings and gift baskets around the holidays. Hint: Easter is just around the corner! ...read more

It seems like birthday party season is upon us. My refrigerator is covered with invitations to toddler birthday parties. So I’ve started making my own gift tags that are reusable and that the moms adore – they’re backpack nametags that tie on perfectly to each kid’s gift bag.

To make them, I use the following steps: ...read more

Being a mom means being a worrier sometimes. Worst case scenarios are always rushing through my mind. I’ve heard about the campaign to add an emergency contact to your cell phone directory under the label “ICE,” which stands for “In Case of Emergency.”  So, if you are ever in an accident (heaven forbid), the emergency personnel will be able to easily locate someone on your behalf.

I did this, but then I took it one step further. What if the cell phone isn’t with me or is damaged? What about my child, who doesn’t carry a cell phone? What if the emergency personnel don’t know how to work my phone? (Even I can’t figure it out half the time!) ...read more

Have you ever noticed when you travel that everyone else seems to have a suitcase just like yours? They all look like giant black boxes coming off the conveyor belts. Some of us tie colorful ribbon to the handle or use a bright-colored luggage tag. I have done both, only to find myself trying to remember the color of the ribbon. And then there was this one time when the contact card from my luggage tag went missing altogether! I figured it must have fallen out somewhere in transit. ...read more

As you may have gathered from my bio, I am the self-proclaimed organization guru of the group. To my credit, I have taken numerous personality tests that reveal I am innately detail-oriented and organized. I have found over the years that one way to keep New Year’s resolutions (and organize my time) is to use a weekly or monthly schedule.

For example, last year I committed to becoming more active and signed up for a series of running classes. With each class, I received a monthly schedule with my running and strength training assignments detailed by day. I put this up on my refrigerator so that it was front and center – serving as a daily reminder of what I needed to do. By the time I finished the 18 weeks of training, I reduced my run time per mile by four minutes and was able to run for longer distances. ...read more

 How’s this for an easy and creative table-setting idea that also keeps your kids occupied? Give each of your children some construction paper and art supplies (stamps, markers, and paint all work well, but don’t use crayons) and let them create some holiday-themed artwork to use as placemats. They can even create designs specific for each guest, and the placemat can double as a seating assignment as well. (Or if you’re really short on time and don’t want the mess of an art project, just dig out some of their old artwork from past holidays and use that instead.)

You can take the artwork down to your nearest FedEx Office location and laminate it yourself. The laminating machine has very specific instructions next to it, making it easy to do it yourself. It took me less than five minutes to do eight pieces of artwork and it was pretty inexpensive. Each 8.5x11 sheet cost less than $2. ...read more