DIY Life

Not all Christmas gifts fit easily into a box or a bag and, of course, children's toys never seem to be simple. Wrapping a toy guitar, dollhouse or tricycle can be a challenge even for a professional. For those odd-sized gifts, you need a little creative thinking.

Parenting magazine helps us avoid a bum wrap with these simple steps:

Toy guitar

• Cut a piece of wrapping paper big enough to lay the guitar across diagonally from bottom-right to top-left corner, then fold the bottom corner over the guitar's body to make a triangular pocket.
• Pull the right corner of the wrapping paper over the top of the guitar, then tuck it underneath.
• Pull the left corner across and tape liberally.
• Fold the last corner over the top of the guitar and tape it in place.
  

Dollhouse

• Put it in a jumbo white trash bag that you've decorated, or in a laundry bag or bedsheet that you've covered with stickers and bows.
  
• Add a giant poster-board gift tag to complete the supersize look.
  

Tricycle

• Don't wrap it; hide it in the garage or a closet. Create a trail of wrapped clues ("Where's the first place you go in the morning?" and he's off to the bathroom). By the time he's opened each clue, he'll be so psyched for his actual gift that he won't care there's no more paper to tear off.

Or, of course, you can always ask Santa to supply the big gifts ... he's been know to put presents under the tree with nothing but a bow.

When the Swedish furniture company, IKEA , opened up in New Jersey it was like a celebration for me. Not only could I shop for inexpensive projects to put together, but I felt like my house (and my husband's office) was about to get a whole lot more efficient and good-looking, just like the IKEA catalog promised it would.

Has it? Well, not exactly!

Most everything at IKEA has a slightly modern appeal ... and my house is far from modern. Basically, only my husbands office has benefited. To fit in my house, I needed ideas on how to give their modern pieces more character allowing it to conform to my style ... and just when I thought it was a lost cause, I found Ikea Hacker, a blog devoted to the clever creations people come up with using raw materials gathered at Ikea. Now, the opportunities for DIY projects are endless.

Are you clueless in the kitchen? If so, you might want to tune into this video blog from former home-ec teacher Kathy Maister. Startcooking.com is full of fool-proof tips on turning recipes into actual meals. Kathy's three-minute lessons take beginners from soup to nuts, showing equipment, ingredients and the final product, so you can start cooking fast. You can also print her recipes, and look up techniques for stuff like how to juice a lemon (see video). You can even get great safety tips!

Bon appetit!

One of the most festive displays at Christmas time is a personalized holiday wreath. For some decorations, like the Nativity scene, there is only one way to go (it's not like you can leave out the three wise men or place baby Jesus in a castle). However, a Christmas wreath has endless possibilities for personalization. Just think about all your options: masculine, feminine, vintage, modern, traditional, glitzy among many others.

To begin, purchase a plain faux wreath (any size) and look for items in your local craft store or florist supply store – or (like me) you may already have what you need packed away with your holiday supplies. Then, personalize your wreath and show it off on your front door or over the fireplace!

Note: Aside from purchasing the wreath, I found everything else in my decorations!

Gallery: Tanya's Family Christmas Wreath 2007

As we gather to give thanks and enjoy time with family and friends, Thanksgiving tables will take center stage. If you haven't decided what to put in the center of your table, this quick, beautiful and all-natural centerpiece idea may give you some inspiration.

Think about fall's unusual fruits and foliage, and let them inspire you. Search your local farmer's market or grocery store for gourds, small pumpkins and colorful fruits, like figs, clementines, and star fruit, and gather oak leaves and branches. When arranged on tiered cake stands, or in bowls, or carved out pumpkins these harvest-time items make a centerpiece that takes only minutes to create, leaving you with plenty of time to concentrate on the meal.

Add style and organization to your home by making a ribbon-striped bulletin board ... go even further by making one just for Halloween.

Objects can be either slipped behind the ribbons or pinned directly to the board.

Materials:

• Staple gun
• Scissors
  
• Tacks (optional)
• Cork bulletin board, canvas board, Styrofoam board or fiberboard (available at hardware stores)
• Fabric a bit bigger than the bulletin board
• Ribbon (in various colors and sizes) or you can use twill tape or even seam binding
  

You appreciate your house for its charm, history, and maybe even it's location.

However, the grime between your bathroom tiles and the dust on your windowsills is another story entirely. Basically, you hate to clean, but that doesn't change the fact that you still have to.

So to make things a little easier, I found this great list of 16 essential products, in Real Simple magazine (Nov. 2007), that will help you tackle your entire house with ease.

Welcome guests -- and let them know they're at the right house -- with a custom stenciled doormat that displays your initial(s), last name, or street number.

What you need:

• Spray paint -- any color
• Tape -- various widths for more decorative appeal
• Stenciled number or letters -- approximately 6 inches in height
• Mat -- around 18 x 30 inches (I used a stiff fiber mat)
  
• Craft knife (if making your own stencils)
• Tacks

There's little doubt that the federal Do Not Call list is a good thing for most people throughout the United States. All you have to do is sign up with your phone number and a valid e-mail address, and you will be protected from most dinnertime annoyances.

The problem: Some of you may have forgotten that the registration is only good for five years, and if you signed up at the beginning, then the five year mark is heading your way.

What does that mean? Theoretically, it means that if your five-year registration expires, marketers can be sure that your number can legally be called again.

What to do: The Federal Trade Commission, which oversees the list, has a simple fix: re-register. But that means millions of people have to remember to do so. It only takes about one minute to register or even re-register so don't forget. In fact, to be safe, check your registration a little more than a month before it expires. Companies have to verify that phone numbers are not on the list only once a month, so if there is a lapse in registration you could be setting yourself up for receiving calls every night for 31 days.

Never been on the list? You should be!

The only hard part is figuring out how to get your mother to stop calling!

Funny thing about men: when it comes to choosing what to wear, you can be just as vain as most women. Surprisingly though, unlike women, most men have no problem wearing those same clothes with the 'just-slept-in-look'. For whatever reason -- cultural, spiritual, X-chromosome deficiency -- men don't like to iron.

Here's why you should make the effort:

Wrinkles can make clothes look cheap, and the way you dress speaks volumes about who you are as a person. Let's face it, clothes talk. Whenever you enter a room for the first time, it takes only a few seconds for people you've never met to form perceptions about you and your abilities. You don't have to utter a word; people peg you one way if you're dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, slacks and a sports coat, and yet another if you're wearing any style in a wrinkled mess.

Mid-spring to mid-fall is the best time to have a yard sale, so if you haven't had one already -- and you need some extra money -- you still have time. Go through your closets, garages, and junk drawers to see what you can sell. Maybe (like my father), you've collected too many old antique hooks and need to get rid of a few. Whatever you find; it's time to add some spare change to that empty coffee can by getting back to the basic art of selling your own things.

I'd always thought yard sales weren't worth the trouble -- especially with the introduction of ebay -- until I held one last summer and made more than $500. But to be successful, you will need to do some work. These are the three simple steps that work for me. They are, what I call, the three P's of a profitable yard sale!

Publicity, Presentation, and Pricing!

Publicity: This is the most over looked, but most important part. You could have the best stuff in the world, but if no one knows about it, no one will come.

1. Distribute pre-sale flyers featuring key items; post them on bulletin boards at locations like the grocery store, the local library, and your post office ... and stick them on mailboxes. You might find that one of your neighbors will buy something even before the sale.
   
2. Place ads in local newspapers and circulars – If you have not written an ad before, here are some tips: Write quick-read, concise ads. Write when, where and what. Note key items such as antiques, toys or furniture. I did, and my unique children's furniture sold first thing ... with more than a few interested customers coming to check on those particular items.
   
3. Online classified sites are great for pulling in buyers from outside your area. Mention as many items as you can to attract collectors and post two or three days before the when serious shoppers map out their shopping routes. Ads are free on Craigslist.com and Garagesalehunter.com; Garagesalegal.com charges a small fee of $4.99.
   
4. Post "For Sale" signs and "Yard Sale" signs. Make large signs for your front yard and street corners. Keep your signage bold and bright, but readable, making letters at least 2-3" tall at a minimum. Black ink works well for information and colored markers for gaining general attention to signs. Also do not put too much information on a sign. Just include all pertinent information about the sale including: address, dates, times, and items sold (if it can fit.)
5. Don't forget to invite friends, neighbors, family members, church members, sports teams, or parents of your childrens' playmates.
   

It's there. Staring, as if it had eyes. Nagging, a constant reminder of your bad judgment.

Sadly, that miniskirt is never going to fit you again. Not today, not five hopeful pounds from now. (Three words: Give it Up!)

Time to let go and embrace some closet therapy. Just in time for fall, why don't you throw a swap party? Unload clothing and accessories that you don't wear anymore (or never did) and get some new ones.

Here's how:

The Event
Get together a bunch of girlfriends and have everyone bring in gently worn items and accessories they don't wear anymore. It's obvious (I think) but I'll still state this: The items should be clean and in good condition with no major damage. Remember, these are your friends and you want to keep them.

Announce the event and make the most of your style-swapping extravaganza. Send out invitations (e-mail is fine) ahead of time and set the mood at the party by creating a theme. For instance, a black-and-white clothing swap in which every item brought to the party is black or white. A few other ideas are vintage, retro, glam or athletic. Have music playing while everyone 'shops,' then add to the festive atmosphere by supplying some simple snacks and drinks! Don't forget a full-length mirror, which is an essential part of your party and have a bathroom available to change in for any friends that may be shy.

The Clothes and Accessories
This part is simple. Anything you haven't worn in the last two years or anything that you simply can't fit into, you can bring to a clothing swap. It may just be time for someone else to have fun with your old miniskirt.

The Rules
Display each item so everyone has a chance to see what's available. Everyone can take turns picking out the item they desire and try them on. You may want to have guests pick a number out of basket as soon as they arrive, in the event there are some really good items that more than one person wants.

The best part is that you'll have your girlfriends there to approve your pick and give you their opinion your choice is a good one for you.

The Leftovers
Don't take things just to take them. Nobody should have to bring home something they don't want ... the idea here is to empty out your closet and clear yourself of things you no longer need. Just pack up whatever remains and donate any left over clothing to a charity such as Goodwill, Salvation Army, or a woman's shelter.

Tip: A nice touch, to end of the night on, might be to hand out homemade or personalized shopping bags (that reflect the theme) for everyone to take their new items home in.

You want a floor so clean you could eat off it, yet you can't remember the last time you had the time to do some deep down real cleaning. In fact, sometimes you don't have time at all ... so when I saw this headline on iVillage: 10 things you can quit cleaning right now, I had to stop and read it. After all (as you can probably tell), I love having a clean house, but I wouldn't mind being able to cut a few things out of my routine either.

Many of the solutions are devoted to disposing of items instead of cleaning them, so after reading it I was slightly disappointed (and who washes their soccer balls anyway?) I used to be a big fan of tossing versus washing, and I'm still very tempted by the idea, but then again I feel guilty about creating more waste. Take a look at these 10 ideas (from the article) and tell me what you think.

1. Sneakers: Just buy dark-colored ones and wear them until they fall apart.
2. Grill grate: When you're done grilling, leave the grill going. Close the cover over the grate and let any residue cook off for 15 minutes. Throw that wire brush away.
3. Soccer balls: Everybody expects them to be marred and mud splotched. Think of it as a badge of honor.
4. Shower curtain liner: They're cheap. Throw your mildewed liner out and buy a new one every six months.
5. Pillow: A washed pillow takes hours to dry. Throw it out and buy a new one every six to eight months.
6. Stove drip pans: Use your grungy ones for everyday cooking, and keep a shiny new set to use when guests come.
7. Ventilation ducts: Despite the advertising, regular professional duct cleaning is unnecessary.
8. Fireplace walls: Everybody expects a fireplace to have blackened walls. And you'll breathe even easier if you give up fires altogether.
9. Waxing the car: The newer finishes are so tough that cars don't need it anymore.
10. Making the bed: Give it up -- doctor's orders. This one I have to disagree with ... there's nothing better than crawling into a bed that's made ... especially after a very hard day.

If you spend time outdoors, like I do, or you have pets or kids that go outdoors, you need to be aware of ticks. Ticks are small bloodsucking bugs that burrow into your skin (yes, it's disgusting) and many species transmit diseases. You can get Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Tularemia from a tick. Here in New Jersey, Lyme disease seems to be the most prevalent.

Some ticks are so small that they can be difficult to see -- ironically the small ticks are the ones that you should be most aware of. Ticks may get on you if you walk through areas where they live, such as tall grass, leaf litter or shrubs. They also seem to fall from trees.

Tick-borne diseases occur worldwide, including in your own backyard, as we know well. My husband recently got bit by a tick -- which is what prompted this post. To help protect yourself and your family before getting bit, you should

• Use a chemical repellent with DEET, permethrin or picaridin (Use this to the letter, so you don't get future health problems. Make sure kids use product with less than 10% DEET in it.)
  
• Wear light-colored protective clothing
• Tuck pant legs into socks
• Avoid tick-infested areas
• Check yourself, your children and your pets daily for ticks and carefully remove any ticks you find.

Reality though is that's easier said than done, who exactly wears their socks around their pants while trying to enjoy a day outside?

But first things first. Don't panic. Yes, it's true that Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the United States, but your risk of developing Lyme disease after being bitten by a tick is very low.

That being said, you'll want to remove the tick as soon as possible because risk of infection increases between 24 to 72 hours after the tick attaches to the skin. You are less likely to get sick from a tick bite if you remove the tick within 24 hours.

Do the following to remove a tick:

Because I have this endless interest in random information and because my family has horses, I thought I'd combine the two and share something you may need some day -- you never know when you might be with a horse wondering how much he weighs.

Probably the most common method people use to estimate their horse's weight these days is to use a height/weight tape. To use one of these tapes you simply put the tape around the horse's girth (aka "heart girth") and read the estimated weight on the tape. They have been on the market for a lot of years and many horsemen feel they are very reliable.

Another way to estimate a horse's weight is to use a "regular" tape measure - the kind that measures in inches - to measure a horse's girth and length. Then, you perform the following calculation:

Heart girth X heart girth X length, divided by 300, + 50 = weight.

Then again, the best answer to find out how much your horse weighs is to find a livestock scale that will accommodate a large animal and weigh your horse.

Like I said ... you never know when you might need this random information!