Holiday Hints

They say the early bird catches the worm…and the savings! We know our readers love deals and we couldn’t resist sharing another good one.

If you’re like me and are making early plans for your holiday greeting cards this season, take note! Now through Sept. 30, you can save 30% on personalized cards and calendars from FedEx Office. (It’s even easy to remember – 30% by the 30^th!). You can choose from hundreds of holiday designs or personalize cards, greeting cards and calendars with your own photos and messages. Even better, seven-day delivery is included at no charge for all Design & Print Center orders! 

Terms & Conditions

*30% discount available on FedEx Office® Design & Print Center orders made through the fedex.com/greetings website with no minimum purchase required. Does not apply to rush or shipping or courier charges. Discount offer expires Sept. 30, 2010. Discount applies to orders placed online only.

For many, Labor Day signals the unofficial end to the lazy days of summer. This might sound depressing, but I think the holiday should be a celebration of all the hard work we’ve been doing at home and on the job. Whatever your profession–nurse, teacher, mom, firefighter, lawyer – you’ve earned the right to celebrate!

No matter how you plan to mark the occasion, we at Out of Office want to help you make the most of your Labor Day. ...read more

This is Part Three in our three-part series on celebrating the upcoming Fourth of July holiday in style!

With Independence Day coming up this Sunday, I can’t wait to celebrate with family and friends (and enjoy a long weekend, too!). I always look forward to seeing our Fourth of July fireworks, but this year I wanted to find different ways to celebrate the holiday. I thought I’d share some fun and festive ideas I discovered online:

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What’s better than spending a rainy afternoon coloring? How about baking chocolate chip cookies? 

I thought both sounded pretty satisfying and came up with a way to combine the two for the ultimate Father’s Day craft project – a colorful and custom mailing tube, filled with homemade cookies!  Whether you’re shipping the cookies or just using the tube as a fun wrapper, this is definitely an affordable, fun and delicious Father’s Day gift idea that adults and kids will surely love making.

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This Memorial Day, when you’re enjoying your day off from work and perhaps grilling out or spending time with family, take a moment to remember the reason for the holiday. It’s a time to reflect on our country’s history and thank those who have served in the armed forces to protect our freedom and safety. Both of my grandfathers served in World War II (one fought in Iwo Jima and one was an airplane mechanic), so I am especially thankful on this holiday.

To help commemorate the occasion, consider sending a care package to a serviceman or woman serving overseas right now.  

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With Easter just a little more than a week away, I thought it was time to share some helpful sites (besides our own!) with ideas for celebrating this special holiday. My best friend’s 3-year old, Cade, is to the age where he is starting to understand holidays and as “Uncle Adam” I’ve been thinking up Easter activities. The first thing that comes to mind is the traditional Easter egg hunt. Even though it can be a fun activity – as adults search for devilishly difficult hiding places and kids scurry around trying to find them – I wanted to “hunt” down tips for less common ways to enjoy the day with family and friends. And of course, since it is me, I have been putting some serious thought into Easter dinner. With that in mind, here are a few sites with ideas to help celebrate this April holiday. ...read more

Every year, I look forward to Valentine’s Day because I know it means getting delicious sweets from loved ones. This year, I thought I’d return the favor and bake up some goodies for my friends and loved ones to enjoy. (Not that I don’t still want that heart-shaped box of chocolates for myself, too!) And what better way to show others you care than with some tasty treats made just for them! So for our weekly round-up, I’ve found some yummy recipes worth sharing for anyone else in the mood to bake this weekend! And make sure you check out the fun project I whipped up at the end to go along with the goodies! ...read more

When you’re thinking about what to give for Valentine’s Day, you may be tired of the same old gift ideas — chocolates, roses, jewelry, etc. This year, consider a handmade gift for the people you love, because they always seem to be the ones that are treasured long after the holiday has passed.

An easy-to-make gift is a booklet of love coupons. The coupons themselves can be for anything – cooking a meal, doing a chore or errand for your loved one, or just a fun activity. And because it’s totally customizable you can do this for absolutely anyone – a significant other or friend, kids, parents, and more. Think of it as giving the gift of time. ...read more

Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and even though I’m single I still love the holiday! The blogosphere is absolutely overflowing right now with holiday projects. Next week we'll feature some drool-worthy food finds, but for today's post I’ve spent a few hours surfing the Web looking for some of the most creative ideas for fun or romantic gifts, home decor, and family projects. (I have a rough job, right?!) I absolutely adore the ideas below and I hope you will too. ...read more

Now that the holidays are over, I’ve got about a half dozen rolls of holiday paper taking up space in my already-crowded hall closet. Instead of storing it until this time next year I’ve come up with some ways to use it all year round. I admit many seem to involve lamination, but if you have any you think I’ve missed (lamination or no!), please leave it in the comments section for us to check out.

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• Placemats – cut a piece of wrapping paper to 14”x18” and have it laminated. If you have the time – and patience – you could also weave together 2” strips of two types of wrapping paper to make a more colorful and dynamic design.
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• Coasters – cut out and laminate several 4”x4” squares to make easy-to-clean but festive party coasters.
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• Bookmarks – slice elegant wrapping paper into 2”x9” strips. Place the strips back to back and laminate to create a two-sided bookmark. You can also punch a hole at the top and attach a tassel of color-coordinating thread.