Archive   |   October, 2009

mail order delight: pie for a cause from the sweet potato project

Posted by in giving, holidays, living green, surfing

addiespie
I love food this time of year. Heavenly spiced cakes and hearty stews hit the menus and seasonal pumpkin treats are everywhere. The typical sweet potato pie is a mainstay at most Southern Thanksgivings, but the folks at The Sweet Potato Project want you to eat it all year ’round by ordering Sweet Potato Pie from Addie’s Fine Foods. The recipe was created by Mississippi resident Addie Simon back in 1966 — it was the only dessert she could stomach while going through chemo and radiation treatments for cancer. Not only does she feel her pie is “a true blessing in providing her with a healthy dessert alternative rich in cancer-fighting nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C and beta-carotene,” when you order your own for just $15, you support the Children’s Heritage Foundation. While it doesn’t take much to convince me to eat a piece a pie, supporting a good cause while taking down a tasty dessert is like the whipped cream on top! –Erica P.

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easy halloween diy: groovy ghosts

Posted by in crafting, decorating, holidays, living with kids

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As we are truly celebrating Halloween this month at Shelterrific, I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for every cool bit of ghoulish decor I can. A friend recently made a bunch of these adorable ghosts in no time flat using just four items: a white balloon, a sharpie, monofilament line, and white tulle (she actually used white and off-white). I thought they would be perfect as a super easy, kid-friendly holiday craft — just blow up the balloons, draw on your favorite spooky face, and cover with two roughly cut half-yard lengths of tulle (it’s fun to shred them around the base, too). Tie around the base of the balloon with monofilament line, and then hang. I can just imagine these hanging at different heights in a giant picture window, or perhaps hiding among trees with some twinkle lights to illuminate? –Megan B.

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home design on 990,000 dimes

Posted by in decorating, living green, surfing

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I love to see people coming together to make the future brighter through design, so I was thrilled to see the results of the 99K House Competition. Sponsored by the Rice Design Alliance and the American Institute of Architects, Houston Chapter, the goal of the international competition was “to create an innovative design for a small house that is affordable, sustainable and energy efficient.” All entrants had to design a single family home with up to 1,400 square feet, three bedrooms, and 1 1/2 to 2 bathrooms that could be built and sold for $99,000 or less. The winning design was built in Houston’s Fifth Ward in the hope of revitalizing the neighborhood. For more inspiration, you can view all the finalists here or purchase a book on the competition. They’re all so different and inspiring it’s hard to choose a favorite, but I guess that’s a good problem to have when good design and good intentions come together! –Sarah C.

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target halloween giveaway spooky decor contest, entry #8: dana’s year of the crow

Posted by in decorating, holidays

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Birds of a feather flock to this entry from Dana! Will we receive more entries, or nevermore?

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Dana writes: “This year was the “Year of the Crow”… I found some great crows at the Dollar Store and I ended using them everywhere! The first pic is of my built-in China cupboard, with a glitter skull (from Target!) and my dollar store crow and spiders.”

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“The next pic is of my dining room table with my sticks-n-crows (it was hard to photograph…)”

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And this year I actually put some decorations on top of my kitchen cupboards — I was inspired by the cat silhouette I found at JoAnns, and of course I had to use a crow somewhere. The other pictures are just other Halloween touches around the house.”

Thanks, Dana! The witching hour is drawing near…we’ll give you until midnight to enter! In the meantime, click for more photos! (more…)

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target halloween giveaway spooky decor contest, entry #7: maria’s kid-friendly pumpkins

Posted by in decorating, holidays, living with kids

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familypumpkins

Maria of la vida evita has our next entry — a cute roundup of decorated pumpkins that are family friendly.

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Maria writes:

“Since my daughter is 3 and creeped out by the spookier aspects of Halloween, my decor this year is super kid-friendly (and out of reach of a child who occasionally confuses pumpkins and soccer balls). The “question mark” pumpkin has been a fun way to tell people that we’re expecting our second baby!”

Congratulations on the new arrival, Maria, and thanks for entering! Wonder if we’ll get any last-minute entries as our deadline ticks near…?

The entries to date:
Cheri’s Eek! Entryway
Ally’s Pumpkin Porch
Tracy’s House of Horrors
Karla’s Bat Magic
Catherine’s Simple Mantel
Ramona’s Cute Collections

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