Goodbye until the new year

I'm off to spend Christmas with the fam. Happy holidays, everyone, and I'll be back in 2008.

(Illustration by me.)

Great T-shirt

Katrina T. sent me a link to this T-shirt from J. Crew, saying it made her think of me. It makes me think of me, too. Hoping it goes on sale...

(Image from J. Crew)

Kill time online before the office party starts

Have an online snowball fight with the characters from Elf. Or Scrooge yourself. Or Elf yourself. Or cut out some snowflakes.

Food-in-a-jar gifts

From Sunset Magazine, four different types of cocoa in a jar. From All Recipes, many varieties of cookie mix in a jar. At Angry Chicken, already-baked cake in a jar, which could revolutionize holiday food gift-giving.

(Image from Sunset Magazine.)

The blog of vector stuff

Free vector graphics, brushes, fonts, etc. can be obtained at the Vector Art blog. Which I came across at Dooce during my once-in-a-blue-moon visit to see what the most popular blogger in the world is writing about these days. Actually I'm not sure that's the most popular blog in the world, but it ranks right up there.

(These brushes made by vihr2.)

Decals for the loo

Now you can decorate your throne with vinyl, available from Vital's shop. I'm intrigued, but I think we'll stick to walls for now. (Ha, accidental pun.) Via Modern Cottage.

(Image from Vital.)

Chocolate bread pudding

This is so yummy. The perfect warm, gooey, wintry comfort food.

Ingredients:
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups chocolate milk
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs. melted butter
1 Tbs. cocoa
6 cups cubed French bread
1 cup (6 oz.) chocolate chips

What to do:
Combine eggs, milk, and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well. Add bread cubes; let sit 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in chocolate chips. Put mixture into greased 9-inch square baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350º for 50 min. to 1 hour or until set. Serve warm or at room temp. Add some whipped cream if you like.

Dress up your table

If you're hosting a holiday party and need some last-minute ideas, check out the tabletop decorating themes over at Hostess with the Mostess. The image above is the "Green and Serene" scheme.

Gifts to make for guys

An anonymous reader recently wrote: "My husband wants to do make-or-bake Christmas and I don't really do manly crafts—do you have any ideas for what I could make for a guy?" Uh, that's a tough one. Here's the best I could come up with:

Print-and-assemble modern calendars (I think I want to make that faux bois model shown above for myself!)
A T-shirt made using one of these screen-printing short cuts: this way or this way
The ever-popular paint chip business card holder
A boot rack
A lamp using manly fabrics: this or this, perhaps? "Manly" is so subjective.
A duct tape wallet
Suede iPod sleeve
Box made from playing cards
A pinhole camera, for the guy who needs a whole new hobby (see impressive gallery)
Clock made from a book cover (We found one made out of a Jimi Hendrix record album once that Alex was drooling over. This has great potential for coolness.) You can get clock movements at Michaels or other craft places.

(Image above from Canon)

It's like looking into other people's windows

Alex teases me because I like to look in other people's houses at night. I never smoosh my face right up to their window, so what's the big deal? I stay on the sidewalk. It's not my fault people leave their curtains open so you can ogle their pianos and chandeliers. And now I've found the same thing, but online: Square America's Christmas Spectacular! A collection of old photos and postcards from other people's Christmases past. Take a look. (Via Swapatorium.)

How to make 25 paper Christmas ornaments

Here's a roundup of ornaments you can make from paper.
Above left: I made with these instructions
Above right: I made with these instructions

More:
Printable snowflake 1
Printable snowflake 2
Paper snowflakes stapled together into something 3-D
Not 3-D, but nice snowflake cutting templates

Origami star
Ornament made with circle cut-outs
Flower ornament
Ball-like star
Ball-like... ball
Flower ball
Geodesic ball
Multi-colored balls made this way, but fastened with wire
Many-pointed star
Mini star-shaped booklet
Glitter star ornaments
Moravian stars
Recycled paper ornament
Crystal ornament free download plus a gallery of inspiration
Huge spiky starOrigami Christmas tree 1
Origami Christmas tree 2
Kirigami Christmas tree 3

Happy folding!

Candy for my eyes

Look at what I found in etsy seller Blue Bell Bazaar's shop, via BB-Blog. Sigh. I am trying not to covet.

TasteBook looks like a good gift idea

At TasteBook.com you can create a personalized cookbook of your favorite recipes. Choose your cover design, add recipes from the web or from your own stash, insert photos, and organize any way you want with colored tabs. This could be a really cool Christmas present or wedding gift.

How about orange ornaments?

Here's a paper ornament I made the other day during a coffee break with my downstairs neighbor. They're hanging in my office windows. The ornaments are, I mean—not my neighbors. That would be creepy. To make your own:

1. Download the template here.
2. Print it on colored paper.
3. Cut out each shape, score it on the dotted line, and fold it in half so the printing is on the outside. (It's easiest to cut out the middles after the shape is folded.)
4. Use a glue stick to adhere the side of one piece to the side of the next piece, and so on.
5. Trim off any parts that hang over or don't match up properly.
6. Poke a hole through the top and thread some string through to hang.

Add fancy borders to your photos

Big Huge Labs has an online tool that lets you upload a photo and then instantly apply your choice of border to it. Try it here.

Craft project: Retro ornaments from foam

I had a few sheets of that strange craft foam lying around, so here's my attempt to make something out of it. You can download the template I whipped up right here.

You'll need: Foam sheets, sharp scissors, X-acto knife for cutting out holes, craft glue, string for hanging, and tape.

What to do: For each ornament, cut out two "frame" pieces, one solid ornament piece with the center intact, and whatever doodads you want to stick in the middle. Form a loop with your thread and knot the ends. Tape the knotted end to the top of one side of your solid shape. Then glue your frame pieces on each side like a sandwich, hiding the ends of the string. Glue some doodads to the hole in the middle. Place it under a light book while you wait for the glue to dry.

Tips: Cut your shapes very carefully. Make the inner solid piece a tiny bit smaller than the frame pieces so it doesn't poke out around the edges. Once it's glued together, don't try to trim the edges further. It will end up looking like your dog chewed on it. Cut it well the first time.

Holiday party excuse generator

Well, folks, it's that time of year when the holiday party invites come rolling in. But how to gracefully back out of events you'd like to avoid? Try the Holiday Party Excuse Generator. Tell the generator about your situation, and voila! An emailable message will be generated for your host expressing your regrets.

Get some rock posters

Aesthetic Apparatus makes interesting posters and art prints you can purchase. Check them out here.

News flash

How About Orange has made MidwestBusiness.com's "List of Top 10 Blogs in the Midwest Region." Isn't that nice of them? The chocolate cupcakes I mailed them must have paid off. (Actually I learned of MidwestBusiness.com just now. It is "the leading source of business and technology news and information in Chicago and the greater Midwest.")

Download a free self-mailing notecard

Evie of evie s. emailed me about her self-mailer you can download, print, and send to a friend. The design is perfect for the holidays. Download it here!

Turn any photo into wallpaper with a calendar

For a handy online tool that will turn any photo you upload into custom-sized wallpaper with a calendar, click here. You set the size, whether it's for your computer, your iPhone, or any other device, and then pick from options that let you edit your photo and position your calendar.