5 Things: Already thinking about the holidays

Oh, my! Another week just flew by! As you may be able to tell from this week\’s \”Five Things,\” the holidays are already on my mind. What about you? Well, here goes nothing:

1) Holiday Mail for Heroes – Want a way to let some of our troops know how much you appreciate them? Holiday Mail for Heroes is a program through the Red Cross which is as simple as adding a few extra cards to your list at Christmastime. Defending the country is a rough job and this is the least we can do in return.
Aside note: The deadline to send cards is December 7.

2) FlamingoToes.com – This is one of my absolute favorite blogs. Bev has a great sense of humor and does such a wonderful job of creating doable craft how-to\’s for great things like knock-off versions of Anthropology necklaces (which I can actually do!) and decorations for holidays. This little beauty was the first one I attempted (and which several of the females in my family got for their birthdays in varying colors) and I was hooked! The Felt Hot Cocoa Ornament and Highland Hot Air Ornament are going to be my next projects for Christmas.

3) Kiss Nail Dress Strips – If you are like me, home manicures rarely stay pretty past a couple of days. In addition to that there is a male in the house who cannot stand the smell of nail polish so I have to do clandestine manicures in the bathroom with the window open (which \”Sonic Nose\” still manages to detect) or outside on the patio (weather permitting). Well, now, problem solved. While I also love the Sally Hansen, version (which have a very slight odor like regular polish), Kiss Nail Strips only have a mild rubber scent.Both brands of strips have fun patterns and last me at least a week (often almost two weeks) without chipping. Walgreen\’s and Amazon.com seem to have a really good variety and I love that you can check availability via Walgreen\’s website before you pop into the store.

Aside note: This is an unsolicited review. I purchased both Kiss Nails Strips and Sally Hansen Strips on my own.

4) Dancers Among Us by Jordan Matter – Jordan was on the Today Show this week with some of his amazing work. The photos are all of dancers doing what they do best in crowded streets, beaches, and even perched in some precarious places. All of them are gorgeous and worth checking out!

5) Knifty Knitters – Years ago my grandmother tried to teach me to crochet. More recently a friend tried to teach me to knit. Both instances were horrible failures and for some reason I couldn\’t wrap my brain around the initial knots let alone knit vs. purl. Fortunately, the Knifty Knitters were invented to help people like me feel like we can be crafty. I can make scarves, hats and legwarmers with no trouble at all and have even branched out into varying the stitches… it\’s that easy! Check out the wide variety of tutorials to make all sorts of fun projects.
Aside note: This is an unsolicited review. I purchased this product (and many, many skeins of yarn) on my own.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great weekend! Please feel free to let me know what you found interesting this week using the comments link below.