Archive for the ‘Art and Entertainment’ Category
July 9, 2007
Photo Credit: Amazon
The Complete Yurt Handbook, by Paul King was a title that I ran across repeatedly when doing my online yurt research a few years back. With all of the rave reviews, and the fact that we’ve been looking into yurts so seriously, I felt we needed to pick up a copy and see for ourselves.
The piece is done in black and white with loads of diagrams and information. If you are looking for an “ooh and ah” book with lots of colorful interior design images, this isn’t it. However, if you are looking for extensive information on the details regarding the history and the assembly techniques for building your own, this is the book for you. Personally, it might be a fun family project to try . . . someday. But for me, the first one we put up for our personal use will be from a company with detailed instructions. However, those of you with handy building skills will really appreciate this book for the detail it offers.
June 21, 2007
Flickr Photo Credit: ChattingJason
Halloween is such a fun holiday with a ton of affordable ideas for decorating and party throwing. Got some old clothes and newspapers? Create a scarecrow. Extra pumpkins? Carve away! Hay bales, gourds, corn stalks and other autumn harvest goodies? Create a great welcome display for your house. When I decide to go with something store bought, one affordable item that can be reused is the stretchable white cobweb stuff. It adds a ton of atmosphere, is easy to work with and doesn’t require a great deal of storage space until the next year. Creating spider webs out of yarn is great, particularly when you do a huge one that guests have to unwind in order to find a supply of treats. (This makes a great small group scavenger hunt.) Some ideas from around the web?
Another cute thing I’ve seen in the past year or two is something a friend of ours did with her daughter years ago. They still have this piece, as it hold up year after year. Basically, they used one pointed flat fence piece so the entire sign could easily be driven into the ground. Then, there were 2 or three other pieces of small thin flat boards that were nailed cross-wise across the vertical pointed piece. They were a little bit crooked, and I think they were actually supposed to be to add to the feel of the piece. Then, the entire thing was spray painted black. From there, you lightly sketch on words or phrases appropriate to the holiday (beware, gouls only, etc.) and paint over the letters in white or a glow in the dark color. She let her young child do this and the extra dripping of the paint actually added to the creepy Halloween feel of the sign. Her daughter is a teenager now, but on Halloween, they drive the pointed sign bottom into the ground outside the door, put out a carved lighted jack-o-lantern on an accent table, add some cobwebs and Halloween sounds . . . voila! The single parent’s 5 minute Halloween decorating job. The great thing about the scary sign idea is that it actually stores flat against the wall so you can put it behind something else and easily store it for the year if you are renting a small place.
David and I are also fans of picking up the Halloween sounds and songs CD’s on clearance at the end of the season. These also are affordable and take up very little room to store and add some punch to the Halloween festivities. Something else we’ve been doing for a couple of years now is picking up Halloween themed erasers and pencils at the discount store and keeping them with our decorations. Instead of giving out sugary candy treats (and having the extras around to end up on our hips), we give out these items. They are fun, kids love to get them, and they have a more academic focus so children will be excited to get back to school and use them. Another bonus? You can store them year after year, so having extras just adds to the diversity of your treat selection. Besides, you can also pick them up after season and have little to no prep to do for the holiday if you find you are having a hectic year. I know a woman who gives out individually wrapped brand new toothbrushes every year, which I think is particularly clever. Not themey enough for you? Make sure they’re orange!
May 1, 2007
This is a cookbook I ran across during a house sit in the Middle East. Written by Ron Popeil and R. Steven Surrey, this is one of the most comprehensive resource books on dehydration I have found.
In addition to the general background information provided on the topic, this book contains recipes and directions for such fun things as making your own dry “cup of soup” mixes, fruit leather, dried cinnamon ornaments, homemade potpourri, jerky and more. Worth a review if not a purchase.
November 20, 2006
Photo Credit: Barbara Schnell from DianaGabaldon.com
A good friend turned me on to these books by author Diana Gabaldon. I’m on the third one of the series, and have enjoyed them all thus far. The second title moved a bit slower in my opinion, but because I was so hooked on the characters and story from the first book, I was able to persevere. Here are the titles in order, for those of you who are interested in trying them out:
Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, Fiery Cross and the last title thus far, A Breath of Snow and Ashes.
These are an interesting mix of thoroughly researched historical fiction, romance, and time travel all rolled into one continuing saga. Worth the effort.
November 12, 2006
Photo Credit: Simple Dollar
This title is the complete collection of Amy Dacyczyn’s newsletters, previously available by purchasing the first, second and third volumes only. It’s a larger hardcover piece with the information provided in short articles that are easy to find the time for. A great book to have by the couch to pick up when you only have time for a few minutes of research, but still want some ideas for saving a few pennies around the home. You’ll find new tidbits each time you read it. This book was one of my main tools for carving out the cash we needed to invest in our business and real estate over the past five years. We wouldn’t be where we are without it.
November 12, 2006
Photo Credit: RichDad.Com
Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter’s book that details the different perspective certain families have about money, and how that perspective can drastically affect the direction their children’s lives take. We like this book series because it provides powerful information in an easy to absorb format.
November 12, 2006
Photo Credit: RichDad.Com
Written by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter as a follow up to their previous book, this piece chronicles the various arenas from which we all have the capacity to generate income. For those of you interested in moving out of a traditional employment situation and towards greater financial independence.
November 12, 2006
Photo Credit: Amazon.Com
This book by Joel S. Moskowitz provides a fairly detailed analysis on using tax lien certificates as higher rate investment tool. Obviously, this strategy is for those who are comfortable trying investments that are outside the traditional box.
