If you want to add a special touch to your holiday gifts, Amy Butler has you covered. You can download a variety of adorable gift tags in PDF form at her site. Then, just print out the patterns on heavy card stock and you're set to go (and give).
As facile and affordable as your pharmacy variety gift tag stickers may be, they're a little lacking in the humor department. That's why I'm refreshed — and your giftees will be, too — by the Shine Box Print Gift Givers Tag ($6.95). These gag gift tags come with the requisite "To" and "From" fields, but they're given a dose of light-hearted humor with wry one-liners like, "I made this myself, in China," and "No elves were harmed in the making of this gift."
One great way to personalize a gift during the holiday season is by creating unique gift cards. I recently found a cute, easy tutorial for doing just that. You start out with a simple shipping tag, like the one seen above.
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Deborah Needleman, the founding editor of Domino, is a goldmine of savvy advice on decorating your home, honed from years of experience heading up the style-centric magazine as well as decorating her own home. You can read the first half of my interview with her here. Deborah's tips and thoughts on decorating continue in the second half of this interview.
As you continue contemplating your wedding registry, consider your bathroom. After all, the bathroom is the most public private room in your home: you can guarantee that every guest who steps into your home will use it, and they'll develop an impression of your style and habits through it. So, you want to keep your bathroom as organized, clean, stylish, and guest-friendly as possible.
Last year, many of you told me that you were making or buying handmade gifts. Many of you also took the handmade pledge. So, if you're in the market for a one-of-a-kind gift for a special someone in your circle of friends, I thought I'd round up some of the best handmade gifts I've come across, using, of course, my favorite purveyor of everything DIY and handmade, Etsy.
In these strange economic times, it's even more important than ever to support nonprofits and charities that are working to preserve people's homes and healthy living spaces. With that in mind, I've chosen some of my favorite charities that work with gardens or housing issues. I can't emphasize the importance of these programs enough.
What to do with that fat stack of last year's Christmas cards you've got stashed in a drawer? Well, if they're photo cards, save 'em. But if you've collected some cards with holiday-themed graphics, Real Simple says repurpose them!