Little Red House

Foodie Gifts for the 2013 Holiday Season

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Hi all!

Well, it’s that time of year again.  My FAVORITE time of year!  I love everything about the Winter holiday season–Thanksgiving, cold weather, hot tea, snuggling up under fuzzy blankets, cheesy Christmas specials on tv, cooking up big pots of hearty soups and stews, and most importantly an abundance of time with my loved ones.  And yes, I love presents.

It is a strange tradition, to show people you love them by buying them things, but I take it as an opportunity to show people not only that I love them but that I KNOW them!  I actually take a long time to think and plan and purchase for each person on my shopping list.  It’s important to me to pick things out that I know they will like, but that they might not necessarily pick out for themselves or treat themselves to, or even know about.  I like to be creative, have fun, and be thoughtful, and while it might be partly selfish, I love seeing that look on their faces when they unwrap their goodies.

All of that being said, my list of holiday gifts centers on food-related stuff.  I am almost willing to bet that all of us know somebody that is handy in the kitchen; either somebody who loves to cook, loves to bake, loves to entertain, loves to own pretty serving ware and keep their kitchen looking like something out of a catalog, or loves to EAT!  I think I have something on my list for all of them, so I hope this helps! Continue reading →

Gift Ideas for the 2013 Holiday Season

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Apologies for the lack of posts last week– we hope you all had wonderful Thanksgiving celebrations! I have a whole mess of recipes I’d like to share from our week with family, but for now, let’s talk presents.  Continue reading →

Kitchen Snapshot: Cooking Meals for the Week

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I think that spending a Sunday afternoon cooking is one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself (and for your family)! I know that this is coming from someone who a) loves to cook and b) loves to cook, though. If spending time in the kitchen isn’t your favorite, cooking a week of meals ahead of time also has the following benefits:

  1. You save time during busy weeknights, because you can heat up your meals and go.
  2. You save money by having food prepped and ready (so you won’t have to resort to the ever-tempting takeout)!
  3. 99% percent of the time (I’ll admit I don’t have a reference to back up that statistic but…) it’s healthier for you to eat at home than going out.

So, to recap: If you spend a few hours on Saturday or Sunday cooking meals for the coming week, you’ll save time, money, and calories. I don’t see how you can lose!  Continue reading →

DIY Tartan and Lace Infinity Scarf Tutorial: Two Ways!

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While browsing Pinterest recently I came across this lovely little jersey and lace infinity scarf, which (of course) linked directly to one of those subscription-only shopping sites. Boo.

That scarf (even without a direct link to buy) appeared to be extremely popular with my fellow pinners: it has been repinned 47 times since I pinned it myself!  I wanted one, but I thought that I could easily come up with a tutorial for something similar… and I have!Below, you can see that I came up with two different styles based on mixing jersey and lace (mine was actually rayon, oh well), which you could easily make up with some scrap fabric or some old t-shirts. I put both of them together this morning, and they didn’t take much fabric. Keep reading for a full tutorial on how to make each one, complete with pictures.   Continue reading →

A Little Dinner Party

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Good morning to all! Bringing you a different kind of post on this dreary October Monday.  My husband and I had another couple over for dinner on Saturday night, and I thought I’d highlight a few items from our evening and share some tips on hosting, cooking, and making a lovely little tablescape that is NOT fussy, NOT obnoxious, and not hard at all to do!First of all, try to do as much of the prepping, cooking, table-setting as early in the day as you can.  You might think this goes without saying, but not for me.  I am often guilty of making several things that have to be done right before serving, or having two separate dishes that have to have the finishing touches at the same time, right before they hit the table.  Soon I’m a sweating, stressed mess.  Why do this to yourself if you don’t have to??  Same goes with setting a pretty little table. Continue reading →

DIY Chocolate-Coffee Face Mask

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Today’s post is something quick and simple for when you feel like pampering yourself. As the weather starts to get cold, I’m hoping this easy little DIY will keep dry and flaky skin at bay. The best part? I’m 99% sure you’ll already have everything you need in your kitchen.  Continue reading →

DIY Two-Loop Infinity Scarf (Only 3 Seams!)

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Infinity scarves are everywhere you look these days, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing even more of them as the weather turns cool. I found this awesome fabric (I’ve been on a leopard print kick lately) at JoAnn’s, and was excited to get to try out the product of my handiwork during a trip to Upstate New York this past week. At temperatures of 20-60 degrees, I was more than happy to break out the scarves and boots!With this tutorial, you can make a two-loop infinity scarf from your favorite fabric with only 3 seams. That’s it! Pin and sew three times, and you’re done. Here’s what mine looks like (apologies for the selfie, courtesy of Instagram– I didn’t have another set of hands to help me with the finished pictures!):  Continue reading →

DIY Pleated Bodice Wrap Dress

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There’s something inherently satisfying about making something yourself, especially if you often shell out (too much) money for someone else to do it for you. Stick it to the man! Make your own clothes (at least once in a while…)!I bought a bunch of knit fabric with the intention of making a dress (or two), a maxi skirt, or a top. It took me weeks to decide on a wrap dress (ah, a classic cut that looks great on literally everyone… examples here, here, and here). It then took me about a week to find a pattern, since I’ve never used one before (except those I have drafted myself using my own clothes as guides). I found this FREE! and very simple pattern via Craftsy, by Deby Coles. The bonus of this pattern is that it comes as a series of PDFs… simply print, match up, and you’re good to go!  Continue reading →

DIY Magnetic Spice Rack

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Every once in a while, I plan to post really simple, quick DIY projects. This is one of them!
I had a plain, beat up, old magnet board laying around since, oh, 2005. After digging through my spice drawer(s) for 10 minutes (again), I’d decided I had enough.I’ve seen this done a TON for makeup, and thought: Why couldn’t I hot-glue magnets to the back of my spice tins? So I did. This board recently got an upgrade from metal sheet to pretty backsplash. For a super, super quick tute, see below:  Continue reading →

Postcard Art

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As I’m sure I will mention in many a post, I live in a fairly small apartment, with another human being, so a lot of modifications need to be made in our space in order for it to be livable and happy.  For instance, as much as I may or may not want to indulge in that grown-up female urge to decorate the heck out of every square inch, I can’t.  So, what is the answer?  To the walls!I can cover every last bit of my wall space in all sorts of things if I want to.  Now, I don’t want to, first of all because I have minimalist inclinations, and second of all, because I’m picky.  I don’t want just any old thing that anybody is bound to have hanging up in their house, and I want to be creative to any extent that I can be creative.  And a few years ago, I discovered postcard art!  Continue reading →