Before Beatrice was born I froze a bunch of meals and they were pretty awful. Instead of enjoying a relaxing quick meal I found myself wrestling with giant casseroles that baked for hours but were still frozen in the middle, eating half cold and half overcooked burritos, and trying to force frozen squares of hot […]
Tutorials
Welcome to our tutorials! (Or, how we tried something and what happened, to hopefully spare you our mistakes.)
How to capture memories before they’re gone
December 27, 2012 by
When I was little we’d occasionally visit my Great-Aunt May. Her house was always dark — she kept the shades drawn and lights off — and she seemed to spend most of her time doing word-find puzzles and eating chocolate. When we’d visit my brother and I would play with the only toys she had […]
How to make snowman tags
December 1, 2012 by
This one is super-simple, but so charming you may get a disproportionate amount of satisfaction out of seeing your adorable little snowmen all lined up in a row. Exactly the kind of project I like. This project was inspired by Pinterest, naturally, but pursued because I was trying to avoid one of my least-favorite holiday […]
How to make soup mix in a jar
November 27, 2012 by
I mentioned last post that Noah is not a project or craft kind of guy, so when it came time for him to work on his Christmas gifts, our options were limited. Fortunately, soup mix in a jar is a very popular gift and recipes abound for them. I was suspicious, though, as I read […]
How to dye chair cushions using iDye
November 25, 2012 by
Will dying my chair cushions leave me gloating with success or shame-faced with failure? Read on to learn more how about the dye chair cushions using iDye. I don’t even want to tell you how many hours I spent thinking about what kind of chair to get for the nursery. Rockers, gliders, new, used, ugly, […]
How to make spice mixes for gifts
November 23, 2012 by
Every year my boys and I make gifts to give their teachers, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. I’m determined that they learn the joy of being thoughtful gift-givers, and they are required to participate in the gift creation process. Owen has always been a project and craft guy, so it was easier with him. We made […]
How to make homemade marshmallows and hot cocoa
November 18, 2012 by
Last year for Christmas Jen and I made the exact same gift for friends and family — homemade marshmallows and hot cocoa mix. Around the same time I proposed starting Borealis together, and it seemed like kismet — although we are very different people in many ways, we still think eerily alike. In time for […]
How to make an advent calendar
November 16, 2012 by
I think I’ve said a few times here that I love creating traditions for my family and my kids. The Christmas season is like the candy store of kid traditions, the ultimate celebration of expectation and surprise. Kids need order and stability in their lives, which is probably why they love traditions so much. My younger son, especially, […]