The Cheap Diva

Some Like it Hot, Dishes go from oven to Table

Macy's "Siena" Double Warmer on sale $19.99.

While guests sit down to the table and proceed to stuff themselves like a Thanksgiving turkey, the hostess is often jumping up every five minutes like a jack in the box to restock food or retreive some forgotten item.  When our harried hostess finally sits eats, her food may be cold.  This year invest in dishes that go from directly from oven or microwave to the table in style, making meal prep a little easier by skipping the step of transferring food from pots to more decorative dishes while keeping food hot.  Read the rest of this article.

Some Like it Hot, Dishes go from Oven to Table

Macy's "Siena" Double Warmer on sale $19.99.

While guests sit down to the table and proceed to stuff themselves like a Thanksgiving turkey, the hostess is often jumping up every five minutes like a jack in the box to restock food or retreive some forgotten item.  When our harried hostess finally sits eats, her food may be cold.  This year invest in dishes that go from directly from oven or microwave to the table in style, making meal prep a little easier by skipping the step of transferring food from pots to more decorative dishes while keeping food hot.

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Graceful Gatherings Oval Casserole Dish $24.99

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For the hostess who means business when it comes to keeping her favorite stuffing hot, this casserole dish features not two but three votive candles.  Unlike our gracious yet overworked hostess, this dish is able to vent a little steam at the table (through it's lid).

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Mikasa Countryside Harvest Lasagna with Stand $49.99

For house proud hostess who has concerns about the tablecloth being lit on fire instead of the votive candles, due to rambunctious guest who are better left away from things like open flames, or clumsy candle lighters, dishes can be kept hot without a flame by using a bag of brown rice.  Shortly before serving a hot dish, put a bag of brown rice in a Ziploc freezer bag and microwave for a few minutes until it's hot.  Wrap the bag in a cloth napkin and place on the dining table.  Then put a dish, like this Mikasa Dish with a stand, over the bag of covered rice.

Do it for Less Parties

The book “Do it for Less Parties” by Denise Vivaldo promotes itself as “The how-to cookbook and guide to catering your own party for 12 to 75 guests without breaking the bank.” I was impressed by the way the book not only lives up to the promises on the cover, it’s also packed with the kind of practical advice that is useful long after the party is over. Light on pictures and heavy on the fundamentals of food selection, storage and preparation, this book is more than a glorified recipe book. It is a valuable resource for anyone organizing a party. Read the rest of this article.

Do it for Less Parties

The book “Do it for Less Parties” by Denise Vivaldo promotes itself as “The how-to cookbook and guide to catering your own party for 12 to 75 guests without breaking the bank.” I was impressed by the way the book not only lives up to the promises on the cover, it’s also packed with the kind of practical advice that is useful long after the party is over. Light on pictures and heavy on the fundamentals of food selection, storage and preparation, this book is more than a glorified recipe book. It is a valuable resource for anyone organizing a party. When I say anyone I speak as someone with no cooking talent whatsoever, as any guest who has ever attempted to choke down my cooking will attest to. Some of the food suggestions, such as buying tart shell and letting guests fill it with various fruits, nutella and nuts, or her fast hors d’oeurves are perfect for us less than perfect cooks. For those of you whose ambition goes as far as creating a whole meal, there are recipes coordinated around specific party themes such as authentic toscana. For convenience, recipes are broken down by ingredients you can buy weeks before or just a day or two before the party.

Vivaldo’s years of experience as a caterer are apparent in the way she lays out sensible strategies for such often overlooked issues as how exactly to lay out a buffet, seating diagrams and guides, hiring wait staff and kitchen help, calculating how much alcohol and food will be needed for different functions and choosing and maintaining good equipment. With few glossy pictures, this is clearly not a coffee table book. No, this book definitely belongs in the kitchens of savvy hostesses everywhere.

Shopping Mistakes Bargain Hunters Make

If you have ever looked at a clearance item and thought, “Hey, for this price I can make it work!” than you are committing one of the most common shopping mistakes bargain hunters make. It’s easy to be seduced into buying things that you don’t need and will never use by an outrageously low price. The fact that you have to “make it work” implies that there is something about the item that’s not working. If making it work requires something cheap and easy, like replacing some buttons than it might be worth the effort. Take a moment to think about why the item is not working before purchasing it. Is it unflattering, impractical or so cheaply made it’s not a good investment at any price?  Read the rest of this article?

Shopping Mistakes Bargain Hunters Make

If you have ever looked at a clearance item and thought, “Hey, for this price I can make it work!” than you are committing one of the most common shopping mistakes bargain hunters make. It’s easy to be seduced into buying things that you don’t need and will never use by an outrageously low price. The fact that you have to “make it work” implies that there is something about the item that’s not working. If making it work requires something cheap and easy, like replacing some buttons than it might be worth the effort. Take a moment to think about why the item is not working before purchasing it. Is it unflattering, impractical or so cheaply made it’s not a good investment at any price?

Buy one and get one half off sounds like a great deal until you realize that two items of equal value end up being just 25% off each. Ask yourself if you really wanted both items or would it be better to wait and get a better deal on a single item?

Just because an item is on sale doesn’t mean it’s the lowest price around. A cosmetic item I was interested in recently was advertised on sale at a local drugstore. The sale price turned out to be a little bit more that Walmart’s everyday price. By comparing prices I saved a trip to the drugstore. Buying a generic or store brand may be cheaper than the name brand of the same item even if you have a coupon for the name brand item.

Bargain stores selling overstock items and warehouses that require paid memberships have such a stripped down almost flea market feeling to them its easy to assume the prices would be lower than other stores. After all, they obviously aren’t spending money on décor. The merchandise in these types of stores is often supersized so price comparison to a regular store usually involves calculating the cost per unit.  For example, if a 10 ounce bottle of body lotion is $6.00, you would divide 10 into 6, coming up with a cost of 6o cents per ounce.  Compare this cost per ounce to the came lotion bought elsewhere and you will know if you are getting a good deal or not.

One of the keys to being a savvy bargain hunter is knowing your numbers. Keep a small notepad in your purse and create a cheat sheet of prices for thing you buy on a regular basis can let you know if you are indeed getting the best deal.  Doing a little math can go a long way towards saving you a lot of money.  A shoppers best friend is a credit card sized calculator.

Boot Camp Basics

Boots are a fashionistas best friend this time of year.  An ankle boot with a bit of a heel lengthens legs by creating an uninterrupted line between the toe of the boot to the cuff of the trousers or jeans being worn.  Save the bulky flat boots for snowstorms, these boots are made for strutting, not snow shoveling.  Read the rest of this article.

Boot Camp Basics

Boots are a fashionistas best friend this time of year.  An ankle boot with a bit of a heel lengthens legs by creating an uninterrupted line between the toe of the boot to the cuff of the trousers or jeans being worn.  Save the bulky flat boots for snowstorms, these boots are made for strutting, not snow shoveling.

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Newport News Patent Ankle Boots $34.00

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Payless Piper Quilt Boot for $36.99

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Isaac Mizrahi for Target Sandy Low-Shaft Boots $36.99 also available in solid black or white.

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Cutesy Shoes Wild Diva Reid04 Ankle Boots $14.99

Oil and Water together Naturally

As editor of this blog and chief beauty junkie, I have tried my share of lotions and beauty potions.  One thing that I have noticed is that with regular cream moisturizers is that it takes a lot of lotion to provide head to toe coverage and even with cheap lotion that can get expensive.      

Booth's Original Bath & Body Oil for $6.99 is full of all kinds of natural ingredients like sunflower oil and jojoba oil.  It's light scent and the fact that I don't have to have a degree in science to read and understand the main ingredients makes this a must have beauty product.  It also acts as a bath oil for all of you bathing beauties out there.  One of the drawbacks with body oil is that they tend to be messy to apply and applying too much makes you feel like you have  been dipped in grease.  I solved this problem by emptying out a spray bottle that used to hold a body splash and filling it with the body oil.  Putting body oil in a spray bottle allows it to come out in a mist covering more area, instead of applying it a few drops at a time by hand.

Oil and Water together Naturally

As editor of this blog and chief beauty junkie, I have tried my share of lotions and beauty potions.  One thing that I have noticed is that with regular cream moisturizers is that it takes a lot of lotion to provide head to toe coverage and even with cheap lotion that can get expensive.      

Booth's Original Bath & Body Oil for $6.99 is full of all kinds of natural ingredients like sunflower oil and jojoba oil.  It's light scent and the fact that I don't have to have a degree in science to read and understand the main ingredients makes this a must have beauty product.  It also acts as a bath oil for all of you bathing beauties out there.  One of the drawbacks with body oil is that they tend to be messy to apply and applying too much makes you feel like you have  been dipped in grease.  I solved this problem by emptying out a spray bottle that used to hold a body splash and filling it with the body oil.  Putting body oil in a spray bottle allows it to come out in a mist covering more area, instead of applying it a few drops at a time by hand.

Everday Fashion Horrors

Around Halloween formulaic horror flicks hit the movies theaters in droves. While teenagers on the silver screen fight to rise above monsters, dark forces and a weak script, another kind of horror is ignored by filmmakers altogether. Fashion horrors. Fashion is such a veritable minefield of potential disasters it’s a wonder the fashion horror flick isn’t a movie theater staple by now. Here are a few of my ready for Hollywood fashion horror ideas.  Read the rest of this article.

Everyday Fashion Horrors

Around Halloween formulaic horror flicks hit the movies theaters in droves. While teenagers on the silver screen fight to rise above monsters, dark forces and a weak script, another kind of horror is ignored by filmmakers altogether. Fashion horrors. Fashion is such a veritable minefield of potential disasters it’s a wonder the fashion horror flick isn’t a movie theater staple by now. Here are a few of my ready for Hollywood fashion horror ideas.

You try to escape by channel surfing at length but everywhere you turn it’s there. The beauty infomercial that wouldn’t die. The plastic smiling faces of women with the enthusiasm of a cheerleader and all the depth and sincerity of the Stepford wives, stare out at you relentlessly endorsing the benefits of the product with the kind of perky aggressiveness that borders on brainwashing. One of the apparent side effect of this product is an inability to stop gushing about the miraculous benefits of the product.

Lurking on the internet is a truly scary form of advertising for anti aging creams. Through the use, or abuse, depending of how you look at it, of computer animation, a woman’s face morphs from something Stephen King would wince at (deep dark crevices that would put the grand canyon to shame, dark circles under the eyes that look like the model mistook kohl eyeliner for under eye concealer) to a flawless face free of wrinkles, dark circles, pores, facial expression and any sign of being human. The two questions this kind of advertising raises are, is it humanly possible to look that bad without the product and is it humanly possible to look that good after using the product? My guess on both counts would be no.

The elevator of death has all the elements of classic horror. Our hero, bogged down by packages, hops on the first available elevator in the high rise office building. It is only after she finds herself stuck behind other elevator passengers on her way to the top floor on what must be the slowest elevator in the world, she that she becomes aware of a foul smell permeating the confined space.   Much to her horror realizes she is trapped in the elevator with a woman reeking of cheap perfume.  Will our hero suffer a slow suffocating death by cheap perfume, climb out through the emergency trap door, or abandon her packages plow through the other passengers and hit the button for the nearest floor?

The bathing suit that dissolves in water may be the greatest fashion horror of all. Our heroine in this story is at the lake when disaster strikes. After summoning up her courage to take a dip at a public lake in a two piece swimsuit from last year, she finds out all the elasticity that used to make it fit like sausage casing is now gone, along with her dignity. Our fashion victim weighs the humiliation of public nudity verses slowly freezing to death in murky water with various unidentified creatures swimming around her bare legs. While our heroine is clever and resourceful, she isn’t crafty enough to fashion a swimsuit out of live fish and underwater plants. Suspense builds as the swimmer in peril decides if freezing or being eaten alive would be less painful than showcasing her cellulite to unsuspecting campers. This is not a nude beach after all.

Fall Table Decor Turns into a Pumpkin Patch

Wilton Armetale Pumpkin Covered Casserole $49.99

Some pumpkin dishes are chic enough to go beyond a Halloween theme to take center stage at Thanksgiving celebrations.  As long as the pumpkin in question is not bright orange sporting an evil grin, it suggests more of a general fall theme without being limited to any one holiday.  Read the rest of this article.

Fall Table Decor Turns into A Pumpkin Patch

Wilton Armetale Pumpkin Covered Casserole $49.99

Some pumpkin dishes are chic enough to go beyond a Halloween theme to take center stage at Thanksgiving celebrations.  As long as the pumpkin in question is not bright orange sporting an evil grin, it suggests more of a general fall theme without being limited to any one holiday. 

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Oneida Chateau Harvest Covered Pumpkin Bowls $29.99

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A bright screaming orange colored pumpkin dish may work for Halloween, but cream colored pumpkin dishes blend  easily with other dishes, bringing a more subdued elegant look to the table.

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Pumpkin Crystal Salt and Pepper Set $34.98

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Clear colorless crystal solves the problem of trying to match dishes from different manufacturers beautifully.  Because they are small, they act as an accent, not needing to have other pieces work around them the way a larger piece, like a soup tureen would.

Is Clutter Costing You Money?

The sight of a pile of clutter can increase stress in some people. Especially when one of the pieces of the clutter on the kitchen table turns out to be an expired rebate slip you thought you sent in weeks ago. Oops! Yes this did happen to me, the self proclaimed Cheap Diva. Another costly oops moment was when I put a credit card bill on my desk and inadvertently piled papers on it. I didn’t realize my mistake until I was hit with a late fee for the credit card. Unfortunately it was a business credit card so I had the added thrill of explaining my bonehead mistake to my accountant.  Read the rest of this article.

Is Clutter Costing You Money?

The sight of a pile of clutter can increase stress in some people. Especially when one of the pieces of the clutter on the kitchen table turns out to be an expired rebate slip you thought you sent in weeks ago. Oops! Yes this did happen to me, the self proclaimed Cheap Diva. Another costly oops moment was when I put a credit card bill on my desk and inadvertently piled papers on it. I didn’t realize my mistake until I was hit with a late fee for the credit card. Unfortunately it was a business credit card so I had the added thrill of explaining my bonehead mistake to my accountant.

There is the issue of duplication, buying what you already have without realizing it. I was going to buy a book of stamps once when I came across a brand new book of stamps while rummaging through some papers. Given how regularly the cost of stamps goes up they’re not something I tend to stock up on. What’s worse is when you know you already bought the item but you have to go out and buy another one. Because the thing you can’t find is a funny birthday card you bought for your friend and she won't find it funny to get a card two months after the event when you finally stumble across the card while cleaning out a drawer.

Expiration is also a clutter issue with perishable items. Those ancient vitamins you always meant to take that somehow got shoved behind the potato chips you actually do consume and now they have even less nutritional benefit’s than the chips! The perfumed body oil you shoved under the bathroom sink and forgot about now smells a lot less like Paris in the spring and lot more like perishables at the dump. The list goes on and on.

Then there is what I like to call the “really should” clutter. As in “I really should read those magazines, I just never seem to get around to it.” If the clutter is a magazine, you could probably find the same information by going to the magazines web site. Cancel the magazine and have one less item around making you feel guilty about not having time to do everything you think you “really should” do.

Often the cost of paying for a storage unit for clutter is really the high cost of indecisiveness. You don’t have room in your home to put all of this stuff so you pay good money to store and assortment of garage sale quality furniture and miscellaneous items. If they were items you truly valued, they would be in your home. Before paying for storage add up the monthly cost of storing all this stuff for a year and ask yourself if the stuff ultimately justifies the storage fee. Staring at the big fat total for a years worth of storage space should cure a lot of indecisiveness.

My advice is to clear out the clutter.  It eases a little financial stress while creating a more pleasing home environment.

No Beauty Tricks for Halloween, Just Treats

Hard Candy Lollipop Lip Gloss $6.00

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It's possible to be to old for trick or treating, but you're never too old for candy.  Hard Candy Lollipop candy flavored lip gloss is a sweet indulgence that unlike real candy, won't go straight to your hips.  Sure there are a lot of lip glosses out there that promise to plump, moisturize and nourish lips, but sometimes it's good to remember that makeup is supposed to be a fun treat, not necessarily a treatment.  Read the rest of this article.

No Beauty Tricks for Halloween, Just Treats

Hard Candy Lollipop Lip Gloss $6.00

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It's possible to be to old for trick or treating, but you're never too old for candy.  Hard Candy Lollipop candy flavored lip gloss is a sweet indulgence that unlike real candy, won't go straight to your hips.  Sure there are a lot of lip glosses out there that promise to plump, moisturize and nourish lips, but sometimes it's good to remember that makeup is supposed to be a fun treat, not necessarily a treatment.

I am rarely able to use the words glam and goth in the same sentence, but thanks to Ann Sui I can.  This Anna Sui Ring Rouge for $16.00 has a black rose design that acts as a lid for a hidden recess that holds deep and dramatic goth yet glam lip gloss.  I love the idea of a ring with a secret little compartment, and the simplicity of the black rose design prevents it from getting too cute and gimmicky.

Anna Sui Ring Rouge $16.00

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Given the fact that most of my handbags are black, I can't see myself tossing this elegant rose themed mirror by Ann Sui into the dark abyss also known as the inside of my handbag.  Where I could see this is on a mirrored tray on a vanity table.  The shiny silver mirror tray would provide a nice backdrop to the sleek slightly schulptural design of the compact.

Anna Sui Beauty Mirror $22.00

Trendy Fall Trenchcoats Cover You in Style

For me trench coats can exude an aura of mystery evoking images of femme fatales who graced the silver screen in days gone by. Of course in black and white movies light fabrics contrasted against shadowy backdrops for dramatic effect. Removed from the trappings of the silver screen and worn by real women in their daily lives trench coats can evoke images of frumpy women in crumpled beige paper bags.  Luckily this classic wardrobe staple has been given a fashion makeover with decidedly non-frumpy results. 

Newport News Metallic Leather Trench Coat $139.00

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......INC International Concepts Belted Leopard Print Trench Coat $129.00.

This INC International Concepts Leopard Print trench coat for $129.00 is definitely a different animal than the classic biege trench coat.  The pattern is deep and rich sophisticated blend of complementary warm shades.  The above the knee length is perfect for wearing with pants or a straight skirt 

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The best trench coat for going out and dressing up may very well be this Target.com's Trench Coat with Bubble skirt for $69.99. which also comes in grey and blue. This satin textured jeweled colored trench coat could almost pass as the type of elegant evening dress it's covering.  Volume in the bottom portion of the coat   means what is under the coat should be streamlined without volume or a lot of frills like ruffles.  To mix things up a bit you could wear this coat with dark blue jeans and ankle boots with a little height in the heel.

Trendy Fall Trenchcoats Cover You in Style

For me trench coats can exude an aura of mystery evoking images of femme fatales who graced the silver screen in days gone by. Of course in black and white movies light fabrics contrasted against shadowy backdrops for dramatic effect. Removed from the trappings of the silver screen and worn by real women in their daily lives trench coats can evoke images of frumpy women in crumpled beige paper bags.  Luckily this classic wardrobe staple has been given a fashion makeover with decidedly non-frumpy results.  Read the rest of this article. 

Halloween Costumes come out of the Closet

As a self proclaimed Diva I love the idea of playing dress up and Halloween is the perfect opportunity to dress in a character different from my normal day to day persona.  As a Cheap Diva however, I refuse to pay for a cheaply made synthetic costume worn once a year, and possibly only once if it turns out the costume is uncomfortable.

Costumes can be easily created from store bought items that can be worn outside of Halloween or what is already in your closet.  A pumpkin costume can be created by buying a large orange sweatshirt stuffed with crumpled newspaper, black iron on patches purchased at a fabric store and a dark green scarf.  Draw two triangles for pumpkin eyes on the patches and draw a pumpkin mouth on another patch.  Iron the patches on the sweatshirt, wear with brown or black pants and buy a narrow winter scarf in dark green to wrap around your head leaving one end of the scarf hanging down for the stem.

The bored housewife costume is a humorous look at the stereotype of the housewife as someone who sits around eating bon bons all day.  Put a bulky bathrobe over a long night shirt and accessorize with giant fuzzy slippers.  Stuff a T.V. guide in one pocket of the bathrobe and a box of bon bons in the other pocket.  Put your hair in rollers or use small strips of fabric to roll hair like you would a regular roller.  Tie the ends of each strip together when the hair has been rolled.  Instead of wearing a mask, apply cold cream to the face and leave it on all night.  Do not use a regular face mask which will dry out and get stiff.

Dr. Death is an easy costume requiring very few pieces.  Hospital scrubs can be bought at places like Walmart for very little.  Buy the standard woven V-neck top and elastic waist bottoms of a scrub outfit in a medium to light color.  Layer the short sleeved top over a long sleeved T-shirt if your get cold easily.  Accessorize with a cotton scarf wrapped around your head to give the impression of a medical cap, and tennis shoes.  Dribble something red , like nail polish over the scrubs to give the appearance of blood.  If you happen to have a turkey baster handy you could a tape some sort of stick, like skewer stick to the end of it, tie it to a cord and wear it around your neck or waist like a giant needle.

There are a lot of other possibilities of course, just look to your closet for cheap inspiration.

Halloween Costumes come out of the Closet

As a self proclaimed Diva I love the idea of playing dress up and Halloween is the perfect opportunity to dress in a character different from my normal day to day persona.  As a Cheap Diva however, I refuse to pay for a cheaply made synthetic costume worn once a year, and possibly only once if it turns out the costume is uncomfortable.

Costumes can be easily created from storebought items that can be worn outside of Halloween or what is already in your closet.  A pumpkin costume can be created by buying a large orange sweatshirt stuffed with crumpled newspaper, black iron on patches purchased at a fabric store and a dark green scarf.  Draw two triangles for pumpkin eyes on the patches and draw a pumpkin mouth on another patch.  Iron the patches on the sweatshirt, wear with brown or black pants and buy a narrow winter scarf in dark green to wrap around your head leaving one end of the scarf hanging down for the stem.

The bored housewife costume is a humorous look at the stereotype of the housewife as someone who sits around eating bon bons all day.  Put a bulky bathrobe over a long night shirt and accessorize with giant fuzzy slippers.  Stuff a T.V. guide in one pocket of the bathrobe and a box of bon bons in the other pocket.  Put your hair in rollers or use small strips of fabric to roll hair like you would a regular roller.  Tie the ends of each strip together when the hair has been rolled.  Instead of wearing a mask, apply cold cream to the face and leave it on all night.  Do not use a regular face mask which will dry out and get stiff.

Dr. Death is an easy costume requiring very few pieces.  Hospital scrubs can be bought at places like Walmart for very little.  Buy the standard woven V-neck top and elastic waist bottoms of a scrub outfit in a medium to light color.  Layer the short sleeved top over a long sleeved T-shirt if your get cold easily.  Accessorize with a cotton scarf wrapped around your head to give the impression of a medical cap, and tennis shoes.  Dribble something red , like nail polish over the scrubs to give the appearance of blood.  If you happen to have a turkey baster handy you could a tape some sort of stick, like skewer stick to the end of it, tie it to a cord and wear it around your neck or waist like a giant needle.

There are a lot of other possibilities of course, just look to your closet for cheap inspiration.

Local Attractions Provide Fun for Fall

A chill in the air serves as a reminder that Fall is not far away.  What better time than now to curl up under a cozy blanket with a hot drink and a good book?  Winter, winter when you are snow bound and unwilling to risk frostbite to go anywhere is a much better time to stay home with a good book.

Your local paper or your state tourist websites should provide lots of ideas.  One idea is to grab your friends, family and most important of all, your allergy medication and hit the road!  Hayrides, corn mazes, and pumpkin picking are popular Fall attractions at local farms.    For something a little less lively, graveyard tours with a talking guide are a spooky way to learn the history of the people who reside there.  Historic homes sometimes include a few hauntings with their historic charm.  check into local small towns to see if their are any haunted home tours.  If you visit an attraction you at night it's a good idea to bring a flashlight.  With so much to do there is no need to stay homebound all the time just yet when October offers many opportunities to go out and have fun before snow season starts.   

Local Attractions Provide Fun for Fall

A chill in the air serves as a reminder that Fall is not far away.  What better time than now to curl up under a cozy blanket with a hot drink and a good book?  Winter, winter when you are snow bound and unwilling to risk frostbite to go anywhere is a much better time to stay home with a good book.

Your local paper or your state tourist websites should provide lots of ideas.  One idea is to grab your friends, family and most important of all, your allergy medication and hit the road!  Hayrides, corn mazes, and pumpkin picking are popular Fall attractions at local farms.    For something a little less lively, graveyard tours with a talking guide are a spooky way to learn the history of the people who reside there.  Historic homes sometimes include a few hauntings with their historic charm.  check into local small towns to see if their are any haunted home tours.  If you visit an attraction you at night it's a good idea to bring a flashlight.  With so much to do there is no need to stay homebound all the time just yet when October offers many opportunities to go out and have fun before snow season starts.   

Holiday Decorating Compliments Home Decor

Hallmark Blackbird Park - Black Cat Trio $39.95

While holiday decorating is a chance to let loose and indulge in decorating whims, holiday decorating should reflect your personality and appeal to your personal sense of style just like year round home decor.  Decorating intensive holidays, I'm thinking of Halloween in particular, can sometimes give your home a split personality.  My attitude is that if I don't normally include bloody dismembered body parts in my home decor why should I at Halloween?    My preferred Halloween decorations tend to be more spooky and mysterious than gorey, the silhouette of a black cat in the window or a deep red tablecloth with a spiderweb fabric draped over it decorated with simple black dishes for example.  Read the rest of this article.   

Holiday Decorating Compliments Home Decor

Hallmark Blackbird Park - Black Cat Trio $39.95

While holiday decorating is a chance to let loose and indulge in decorating whims, holiday decorating should reflect your personality and appeal to your personal sense of style just like year round home decor.  Decorating intensive holidays, I'm thinking of Halloween in particular, can sometimes give your home a split personality.  My attitude is that if I don't normally include bloody dismembered body parts in my home decor why should I at Halloween?    My preferred Halloween decorations tend to be more spooky and mysterious than gorey, the silhouette of a black cat in the window or a deep red tablecloth with a spiderweb fabric draped over it decorated with simple black dishes for example.    

Lillian Vernon Bat Basket $14.98

If your style is generally streamlined and simple you don't bother buying a lot of Halloween stuff that would stay in storage most of the year.  A black and white themed Halloween can include a few simple props scattered about everything from ghosts, to skeletons to bats etc. to celebrate Halloween simply.  White dishes on a black tablecloth can hold chocolate cookies in the shapes of bats, a black cat or a withes hat. Fat black pillar candles set the mood.  For a dash of color add solid bright red or orange accents, such as napkins, into the mix.

Macys Halloween Bear with Frange Mints for $19.99

If you would describe you favorite decorating style as cozy and you are sentimental down to your soul, then just about anything with a handcrafted look and feel that includes scarecrows, pumpkins, fall leaves etc. in it's design adds to the already welcoming feel of your home.  Feel free to embrace traditional fall colors.  Warm spice colors, muted oranges, rich browns burgundies etc. are more subtle and inviting than high contrast colors scemes like black and orange.

Another decorating look for those who prefer less gore, more glam would be a Victorian influenced ornate lush style. Elegant candelabras draped with fake spiderwebs, yes the spiderwebs are fake, I'm not that bad of a housekeeper, look sp0oky and elegant for Halloween and can be reused for other special occasions.  Fancy vases filled dying flowers and ornate silver gravy boats or bowls are perfect for serving candy.  Expand on the vintage haunted house look by buying old books at used book store or thrift stores and stacking them under serving dishes to add height and variety to your table decor.  A black lace shawl used as a tablecloth or draped across a window complements the look.   

The important thing to keep in mind whatever theme you like is to be consistent with a theme. Eclectic styles such as bloody gore alternating with cute smiling cartoonish pumpkins, send mixed messages and cancel each other out instead of creating any one kind of mood.  If you love distinctly different decorating styles, decorate one room in one style and another room in another style.

Falling in Love with Fall Fashion

Swimsuit season is officially over, thank goodness.  Unforgiving lycra swimsuits that hide nothing, flip flops that make the wearer waddle like a duck, and shorts and sandals that reveal exactly how long its been since you shaved and got a pedicure are no longer part of your seasonal wardrobe.  Fall fashions are far more forgiving and better at concealing the shape your really in.  In theory I should be getting up before the sun rises to stretch, tone and sweat like a wet rag being rung out to lose all that weight I intended to lose before swimsuit season.  In reality I enjoy to comfort of my bed more than I enjoy listening to some unbelievably toned fitness instructor on a DVD reassuring me in her breathless yet perky voice that "You can do this!" Sure, I could do it, but how much fun would that be?  And if it's so easy to do why is the instructor who exercises 8 hours a day and has 0 body fat out of breath?  Read the rest of this article.

Falling in Love with Fall Fashion

Swimsuit season is officially over, thank goodness.  Unforgiving lycra swimsuits that hide nothing, flip flops that make the wearer waddle like a duck, and shorts and sandals that reveal exactly how long its been since you shaved and got a pedicure are no longer part of your seasonal wardrobe.  Fall fashions are far more forgiving and better at concealing the shape your really in.  In theory I should be getting up before the sun rises to stretch, tone and sweat like a wet rag being rung out to lose all that weight I intended to lose before swimsuit season.  In reality I enjoy to comfort of my bed more than I enjoy listening to some unbelievably toned fitness instructor on a DVD reassuring me in her breathless yet perky voice that "You can do this!" Sure, I could do it, but how much fun would that be?  And if it's so easy to do why is the instructor who exercises 8 hours a day and has 0 body fat out of breath?

My preferred form of exercise is shopping.  Experts are always saying how healthy walking is for you, and what better place to walk than a nice climate controlled shopping mall?  I am not suggesting that you turn into one of those mall walkers who when they retired they retired their sense of style as well and now wear nylon jogging outfits and a fierce look of determination as they stride briskly past any store that doesn't carry nylon jogging suits.  Walking the length of a good size mall will eventually make you feel lighter.  Or maybe thats just your wallet that feels lighter.

In any case fall fashions always have something fun and wearable to offer.  That giant plaid pattern that would have made you look like a walking tablecloth if you had bought is as a summer dress is now featured on a long narrow scarf that will add some color and interest to an otherwise plain outfit.  Baggy shorts and  T shirts declaring the appeal of "Bob's Barbecue Shack, Y'all come Back!", are replaced by trench coats and knee high boots that bring out a little of the femme fetale of old black and white movies.  Slimming dark colors that look out of place in bright sunshine come out of the closet along with body skimming sweaters that eliminate concerns about fit.  Unlike a tailored blouse or jacket which really do need to fit properly, a sweater that is anywhere between falling off the body and strangling it like saran wrap is considered a good fit.  No need for alterations with a sweater.  While lightweight summer clothes are worn in scorching heat more as an alternative to going naked and being cited for indecency, fall clothes are more for pleasure.  Wearing a sweater is like being wrapped in a nice warm blanket that hides your secret passion for trashy lingerie much better than lightweight summer apparel.

Of course there are the accessories.  After a scorching summer that left too many fashion victims looking like a lobster because they would rather get burned than wear a "silly" looking straw hat, fall returns with it's berets, newsboy caps and knit hats for those more willing to subject themselves to "hat hair" than pneumonia.  And then there are the gloves in bright colors, fun patterns, rich metallics along with some furry versions that make the wearers hands look like they are turning into the Wolfman.  Boots come in high heel versions for stepping out on the town, and more wearable lowers heels for stepping out on the ice without the risk of involuntarily ice skating down your sidewalk in front of the neighbors. 

While summer styles are more pared down, fall is for piling it on.  Add layers, mix textures, dress up for the holidays, add more accessories and  banish that nasty old swimsuit somewhere to the far back reaches of your drawers, it's sweater season!