To bring back this ornament idea, my daughters and I will be stringing bell, star, snowman and star shaped cookie cutters with satin ribbons in copper, and silver. We will be making the copycat wreath from scratch, and then will match things up by wrapping coordinating ribbons around the wreath with identical mini cutters woven in. By the time this memory surfaced, I had already planned out the baked goods that I would be making for the holiday season, and sugar cookies were not on the list. However, I am reconsidering this, and imagine that I will simply not be able to resist baking at least a baker’s dozen or so just to make things complete.

Commit yourselves to keeping your remotes in one container. Something that is large enough to house them into one spot works best. One of the best things about this is that you probably already own the very thing that would be perfectly suited for this. Think of big mouth vases, or glass bowls. Place whatever your container of choice happens to be in a convenient spot and say goodbye to those annoying searches, and petty arguments of who had it last, and who should find it.

This will of course work beautifully throughout the house, so there is no need to limit it to the living room. Replicate this container approach in the game room, bedrooms, and any other place where those remotes lurk under cushions, comforters, toys, books, rugs and pillows. Once you have won this battle you can get back to airing out linen closets, and bringing out heavier duvets.

At one point, I had a whole collection of binders filled with magazine clippings of creative curtains and panels. I seemed to be on a quest to out do my last creation with the next, and close to being deemed the crazy curtain lady. Whether it was heavy damask fabric pooling on the floor, or vintage toile swags hung in layers I did it with panache.

Then with the advent of readily accessible Internet, I became a talented cut and paster of these soft furnishings. I gathered images from online magazines, brochures, store websites and more often than you would have expected, resources that had nothing at all to do with windows, but just so happened to have good looking drapes in the photos.

When I was not making window treatments for my own house, then I was steadily focused on completing a bunch for friends and family. Eventually my eyesight started to dwindle, and threading needles became a treacherous mission. I just flat out seemed to lose interest all of a sudden. This of course was all much to the chagrin of my youngest daughter who had just purchased her first house and was ready to receive her highly anticipated, one of a kind decorations from me.

I must admit that I did feel guilty about not having provided her with what so many others had been presented with over a few decades. With the way she responded, you would have thought she had just found out she had been cut out of my will. For in a way I suppose it was part of family tradition she had been denied.

Anyhow, once I no longer had the desire to sew, I put all of my supplies, and resources into my attic. Though I feel pretty confident that my moment in time as a seamstress has come and gone, you never can tell. Plus, maybe one of my granddaughters, or even a grandson will want to give it a go.

In the meantime, my daughter has come to grips with the reality of the situation, and is no fool. Thus, she has bargained with me to buy her some ready made curtains as a consolation gift. Once that has been done, I think I will be ready to find a new hobby.

Take this as a sign that it is indeed prudent to look into a security system for your home. In this day and age people tend to forget that an alarm system is there not only to alert the authorities, but for several other reasons as well. It can serve to scare off any burglars, bring to your attention that every part of your home is not secure, and make you aware of potential harm.

This is why we think that as far as home accessories go, this is the year to make them security based. Take some time to look into the options, and learn what is available. It might very well be an eye opening experience as to what other Londoners have, and do not have, in the way of home protection and the reasons for the increase in demand for jobs in this area.

Start with the low ceiling situation, by placing the curtain rod higher above the window frame you create an elongated line, which draws the eye up, and leads the mind to believe the space is taller. Or, if the area has few, or no windows, use mirrors to reflect the light source. This will create the illusion of additional windows. The best part is that when angled up against a wall the mirror also makes a room appear taller, so this is a two for one remedy.

And here is one more, tackle the problem of your room lacking interest. Always create gatherings of odd numbered groupings when decorating. Think sets of three or five, and avoid two whenever possible. If everything seems bland then pick one interesting colour as a commonality when choosing accessories, and all will not only be mood altering, but tied together with the shared dapple of colour.

In the past year he has tested out more sports than any one person should in my opinion. He has been on a quest to find a new hobby, and along the way tried swimming, cycling, running, and even riding a motorcycle. And while I must concede that he did not waste money on buying equipment for all of these, he has claimed a need for a different pair of eyewear for each. And to be completely honest, I did not even know that there was special eyewear for each.

Thus, when we reviewed our spending habits for 2010, it was evident that he had spent a fair amount on glasses, and I had done the same on the High Street. He said we both had spent the funds on accessories, his for his face, and mine for the house. And as long as he was not asking me to cut back, he did not think it would be fair to ask him to do so. 2011 should be a very interesting year for our finances I think.

Do a run-through of your home with your realtor and identify what could be done to make the house most desirable to a large group of potential buyers. You may not be interested in undertaking all of the changes, but keep an open mind. Their insight can be invaluable, and some recommendations should include the introduction of some home accessories. These can be easily accommodated, and the purchases can be brought with you to your next house. Just carefully weigh your decisions on what you are and are not willing to put money towards, and this process should work to your benefit. Your place will stand out among the other homes for sale.

If the problem is the eye section, make or buy a felt mask to cover the blunder. Felt is the best material because it is flexible, yet retains its shape once in place. The best part is that it will still allow the candlelight to flicker through the eye sockets that were carved. Otherwise, if your mishap is not able to be concealed in a crafty disguise, then resort to the carving patterns so readily available online. Select a larger cut out than the one you have already made and in seconds you will have saved face.

Luckily for me I can share my enthusiasm for my subject area with others through paid shopping reviews. That’s right, I get money for sharing my comments, thoughts and sound advice with others.

I must say I spent more time researching the first item than I had planned, and possibly longer than it would have take to venture out and buy direct from a brick and mortar shop. But, once I got the swing of it I learned which reviews were of use and which sites to avoid altogether.

In the end, I found the following to be reasons to buy off the web. If you buy from one manufacturer you can ensure colours will match. There is also greater stock available on the websites, so options improve. Often, shipping can be free, and thus you save the gas and time that would have been spent running around town. Finally, usually you can find a deal along with good guidance from the review section.

The response from my kids was brilliant. They had never seen anything I had made as a child, and they were mesmerized. In fact, it made me feel inspired to take some art lessons with my children. But the point of this is that I believe that my grandmother is on to a great idea.

Once we have kids of our own we showcase their arts and crafts for a few years and then everything gets stored away. Well, after some time has passed, take them out, along with those you made as a child, and those your parents made as children etc. Everyone will be grateful to see the art display, and a forgotten artistic bliss may resurface.