More Style Than Cash

You've Got Mail - Day 18

By Ingrid Talpak on December 7, 2012 5:00 AM | 1 Comment | 0 TrackBacks

From those friends of your that are sooo organized you are probably already receiving Christmas Cards.

A Christmas card can really show a persons personality by what they decided to send you.

From my dear friend Brenda I am not surprised to receive a lovely one showing a little girl pulling her dog on a sled because that sums up her relationship with her dogs perfectly, she would do anything for them.

Any ideas of how you are going to display your cards?

Are you ready to send out your cards yet? Have you even got started?

Continue reading You've Got Mail - Day 18.

19 Days to Christmas Recap - Day 19

By Ingrid Talpak on December 6, 2012 5:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Presents bought? Wrapped? Wrapping station set out for the rest of the family?

Christmas cards signed, Christmas letter written, family photos taken?

Baking started? Gingerbread house on the go?

House decorated? Inside? Outside?

Parties to go to? Parties to host?

There is a lot to do and not that much more time to get it all done. No need to panic. If you have kept up with your calendar you know exactly when you have time to do everything and if things haven't worked out perfectly then don't worry about it.

Continue reading 19 Days to Christmas Recap - Day 19.

Photographing Your Christmas - Day 20

By Ingrid Talpak on December 5, 2012 5:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

I am putting up the finishing touches of my outdoor decorating, setting the swags on the front doors, and wreaths over the windows.

Even though my lights were placed outside weeks ago I leave the other decorating until December so I don't get Christmas fatigue.

As I turn on the lights tonight I will also be heading outside to take photos of the house all decked up. While many of us have all sorts of photos of Christmas day year after year we forget to take photos of the day to day moments through out the month and how our home looks all decorated.

Continue reading Photographing Your Christmas - Day 20.

Shopping, Gifts and Wrapping - Day 21

By Ingrid Talpak on December 4, 2012 9:27 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

I hope that you have most of your gifts bought so you can avoid the craziness of the stores now.

Sometimes it just isn't possible to get all the gifts you want until latter, especially if one of your children has a November or December birthday and you need to see what they get for that before you decide on their Christmas gift.

You of course will be shopping several times between now and Christmas just to keep up with your groceries and everyday things that you need.

You need to check over your master Shopping List to make sure that you are not over looking anything, you might not have to make a special trip to the mall to pick up extra items if those same items are sold at your local grocery store. Keep your list with you and your eyes open.

Continue reading Shopping, Gifts and Wrapping - Day 21.

Candy for Christmas - Day 22

By Ingrid Talpak on December 3, 2012 5:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Chocolates, Bon Bons, peppermint candy canes and all the other great candies that you can buy for the holidays. Enough sweets and sugar to make a poor dentist rub their hands in glee!

Do you have a favorite candy that you look forward to every Christmas?

You might find yourself buying candies for stocking stuffers, as part of gift baskets or just to have around the house to nibble on.

Continue reading Candy for Christmas - Day 22.

Bars and Squares for Easy Desserts - Day 23

By Ingrid Talpak on December 2, 2012 5:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

What is your idea of the perfect dessert? Sweet and crunchy or smooth with a tang to it.

When serving up desserts to a crowd of people it is always hard to please everyone.

Add to the fact that you also might be dealing with food allergies and lactose intolerance there probably isn't just one dessert you can place on the holiday table.

Continue reading Bars and Squares for Easy Desserts - Day 23.

December Deals

By Ingrid Talpak on December 1, 2012 2:44 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

The merry month of December, when retailers pull out all the stops to get you into their stores.

This is the month when one days difference can reduce an item from $100 to $10.

No retailer wants their store shelves to be full of Christmas themed merchandise on the 26th of December so the deals start happening fast and furious as Christmas approaches.

The problem is that there is a limited amount of the "good stuff" and what is often left for sale is the shoddy and cheap.

Continue reading December Deals.

The Gingerbread House - Day 24

By Ingrid Talpak on December 1, 2012 5:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

How is this for a vision of Christmas, the Gingerbread House topped with all sort of yummy candy to eat.

Have you ever made a Gingerbread House? Would you like to try?

In the Christmas market stall of Germany it is quite common to see elaborate Gingerbread Houses on display. Through out North America there are competitions and the entries can be jaw dropping.

Surprisingly, Gingerbread Houses are actually quite simple to make!

Continue reading The Gingerbread House - Day 24.

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies - Day 25

By Ingrid Talpak on November 30, 2012 8:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

I truly believe that there isn't any nicer way to be greeted, than to walk through the front door and smell home baking.

It might be a cliche but a home seems cozier when there is some one baking in it.

If you are looking for inspiration it seems that every web site and magazine has cookie recipes for you to try!

Continue reading Cookies, Cookies, Cookies - Day 25.

Oopps! Things Don't Look That Good - Christmas Decorating Rescue - Day 26

By Ingrid Talpak on November 29, 2012 5:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

You had a great plan for how you wanted your home to look like at Christmas but as you are pulling things out and placing them about it just isn't turning out like you had hoped.

The decorations that you packed away so safely last year don't look as good as you remembered. Or now that you have pulled out all your nice shiny and bright things the rest of your home looks a bit drab.

You don't have time to do major renovations and you don't have the cash to go out and buy a whole lot of new stuff. How do you rescue your home for Christmas?

Continue reading Oopps! Things Don't Look That Good - Christmas Decorating Rescue - Day 26.

When Good Christmas Trees Go Bad - Day 27

By Ingrid Talpak on November 28, 2012 5:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

A Christmas tree has to be the most recognized symbol of the season and the one decoration in the house that most people want to look perfect.

If you were decorating the inside of your home this weekend then chances are that you were also putting up your tree, if it is an artificial one.

Maybe one of the reasons that artificial trees have become so popular is that you know exactly what they will look like from year to year.

But it doesn't matter if your tree is artificial or real, sometimes things happen and it just doesn't look as good as you would like it.

Here are some solutions you can use to get your Christmas tree looking picture perfect.

Continue reading When Good Christmas Trees Go Bad - Day 27.

Buying and Sending Plants and Flowers - Day 28

By Ingrid Talpak on November 27, 2012 5:00 AM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Having flowers and plants in your home is a great way to brighten it up since greenery always adds life to a room and we need that now that the days are getting shorter.

Sending seasonal plants and flower arrangements to family and friends is also a great way to keep in touch and make the season brighter for them.

Whether it is a poinsettia, flowering arrangement or Norfolk pine there are things you need to know before you buy or send Christmas greenery.

Continue reading Buying and Sending Plants and Flowers - Day 28.

Rescue Re-cap - If You Haven't Even Started Yet - Day 29

By Ingrid Talpak on November 26, 2012 5:03 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

We all have good intentions and if every one did what they were suppose to do when they were suppose to do it what a different world it would be.

But life happens and we either can't do what we want when we want or we just run out of time.

This is your rescue re-cap and I am going to try to get you all caught up to still make your Christmas a joyful easy holiday to celebrate.

There will be something that you will just have to either scale back on or opt out of all together but Christmas is suppose to be fun not a marathon.

So here is my list for getting caught up.

Continue reading Rescue Re-cap - If You Haven't Even Started Yet - Day 29.

Inside Decorating - Day 30

By Ingrid Talpak on November 25, 2012 5:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

With Thanksgiving over you can really start on the inside decorating of your home.

It dosn't matter if you have loads of Christmas decorations that you put out every year or if you are just starting out in a new home, you need to have some sort of plan.

Have you been flipping through magazines and getting inspiration on how you would like your home to look?

Even if you don't have a lot of cash or specific Christmas themed decorations you can make your home shine at Christmas.

Continue reading Inside Decorating - Day 30.

How Much Do They Eat and Drink? Day 31

By Ingrid Talpak on November 24, 2012 5:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

When it might be easy to figure out how much your own family eats and drinks on a regular basis we tend to get worried about our guests.

Have we bought too much or too little? What is the one thing that you should absolutely stock up on. What can you do if you think you are running low at a party.

It doesn't matter if you are serving 5 or 50 you want to seem like a good hostess so here are some ideas on food and drink.

Continue reading How Much Do They Eat and Drink? Day 31.