DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   This comes from www.madincrafts.com .  These don't have to made just in the fall.  Leaves look good all year round.  Enjoy! PB Fall Knockoffs - Book Page Leaves    Once again I am loving the gorgeous seasonal decor for sale at Pottery Barn, but there is no way I am willing to spend that much money. Even though it is lovely. Really. So, like usual, I brainstormed a few ways to use bargain priced items to replicate their ideas as best I can. I considered making this another Dollar Barn series, but since so much of what I used was from my stash, I can't be sure that I everything was originally from the dollar store. If I think you can find the materials I used at the DT (or similar materials), it will be mentioned. The major motifs I "borrowed" from PB are fall leaves, glass containers, and fall fruits and veggies - all pretty standard for autumn decorating. The one little idea I stole from them, and then ran with, is the addition of some book page leaves

PREP TIME 20 Min TOTAL TIME 6 Hr 55 Min SERVINGS 12                                             1 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1

    The Guelaguetza , or Los lunes del cerro (Mondays of the Hill) is an annual cultural celebration in Mexico that takes place in the city of Oaxaca , capital of the state of Oaxaca and nearby villages. The celebration includes parades complete with walking bands and the marketing of food, statewide artisanal production, and souvenirs, but centers on traditional dancing in costume in groups, often groups of only one sex. Each costume and dance usually has a local historical and cultural meaning. Although the celebration is an important tourist attraction, especially in the capital city of Oaxaca, it also retains significant independent cultural importance for the people of the state.    Oaxaca has a large indigenous population, 40 percent, compared to 15 percent for Mexico as a whole. Indigenous culture in the state remains strong in its own right, with over 300,000 people in the state who are monolingual in indigenous languages. Unlike the Yucatán, where the indigenous

    Just lurking in the shadows of the neighbor's twinkling Christmas lawn lights is the darker side of the Yule tide. One rarely associates the holiday season with the ghouls and specters that cavort during Halloween, but in many traditions around the world Christmas does have a dark side. Aside from the specters in Dickens's A Christmas Carol , the threat of a lump of coal from Santa, and Chevy Chase's Holiday Vacation ; American traditions have been insulated from the horror show of Christmas traditions around the world. Here are just some of stories of Christmas evil that will make you glad that shipping Aunt Tillie's sweater is high on your list of holiday stressors.   A Tender Norwegian Christmas     Besides eating lye treated cod during the Holiday season, the Norwegians have a number of frightful Christmas traditions. The foremost of these traditions being Julebukk the Christmas goat. Traditions centering around Julebukk are thought to ha

   This was found at www.helenmade.blogspot.com .  Kind of cool and unique!! saw this origami bow tutorial here . However, it was in another language and many of you needed a written tutorial plus pictures tutorial, so here it is. A 3" x 3" paper would make a nice bow. I used 4" square for the bows that I made for the cake here . A thin pattern paper would make a beautiful bow. If you are using double side pattern paper place the side that you want down. Mountain fold horizontally, crease well, then unfold. mountain fold the other way, crease well and unfold. you should have this. Valley fold diagonally, crease well, and unfold. valley fold the other way,crease well and unfold. You should have this: 2 mountain fold lines that looked like a plus sign. And 2 valley folds that looked like an "X". Follow the creased lines and fold your paper like this Press it down and fold the "closed" side about 1/2&qu