As silly as it sounds sparkling Christmas trees make the season bright and more festive.  I love, love the different lights during the holidays and anything that sparkles.  A twinkling Christmas tree just feels like home and is calming to look at against the dark night.  Despite the beautiful finished product, decorating the tree can be a real pain.  Fragile…

Tis the season for Christmas Trees!  I am fortunate to live in a place that Christmas Trees are the major export crop.  There are so many ways to decorate a tree – you can have ornaments and lights in every shape, color, and size.  As a big fan of the holiday season, I like having several trees around my house.…

Create the perfect centerpiece in minutes for your holiday table for almost no cost!  Check out Julie’s appearance on Charlotte’s WCCB News Rising for an easy how-to in no time.  You may vary your centerpiece size and material list depending on your table and what outdoor elements are available to you.  A beautiful and time saving table is just around the corner!…

I love having people over for dinner, lunch, holidays, movies – I like being in a group with people I love.  I think my favorite part is eating and laughing with my friends.  It is also fun to plan the menu and set a table that is interesting or pretty.  Creating a centerpiece for different occasions without breaking the bank…

I hate shopping for greeting cards.  There are so many to choose from and each one says almost the right thing…but not always.  By the time I read each one on the rack, I’m tired and indecisive.  The climbing prices for poetry on fancy paper are a bit of a deterrent also.   This year for Mother’s Day I decided…

Welcome to another installment in our series ‘101 for $1.01’ – Gift Wrapping!  I love receiving beautifully wrapped gifts as much as I love the present inside.  Spending time wrapping lovely presents adds a little something special to the gift.  My only problem is the cost of gift wrapping necessities. Bags, bows, ribbons, and paper can be super pricey.  So…

Anyone planning a party, wedding, bar mitzvah, or shower knows there are too many invitation choices.  There are literally thousands of color, pattern, paper, or print styles to choose from.  Your budget can range from reasonably inexpensive to mortgage level spending depending on what you select.  It gets exhausting, especially since invitations are usually the first item to pick in…

While shopping for decorative elements for my table at Christmas dinner, I saw several candle holders that I loved.  The theme this year is a rustic table incorporating nature with light.  I didn’t want to spend too much money on candle holders and the retail price points I saw were more than I wanted to spend.  So, I decided to make…