There’s a rule of 2 out of 3 that goes like this: of time, price, and exactly what you want, you can usually get two out of three. To get exactly what you want when you want it, you may have to pay more. To get the lowest price and exactly what you want, it may take time. And if you are in a hurry but can’t pay a large price, you may not get exactly what you want.
If money is tight this Christmas, then it is more important than ever to use time on your side. That means starting early. It may mean starting now!
But there’s one thing missing from the 2 out of 3 formula. And that ingredient is creativity. With a little creativity, we can all plan for a delightful, meaningful Christmas, even if our budget is a little tighter this year.
Here are some tips:
- Make gifts. Just beware that some handmade gifts actually cost more. Calculate the entire cost of your project including framing or accessories or finishing.
- Purchase gifts with a lasting value. How many gifts have hit the trashcan by New Year’s because the novelty wore off or the item broke or the item was used up?
- Calculate the number of paychecks between now and Christmas. Divide your spending evenly among these checks (do not count the paycheck before Thanksgiving – it has its own expenses).
- Plan free or nearly free activities and surprises.
- Emphasize what Christmas or Hanukkah means to you, whether that is music, time with family, or a religious observance.
When I was in Peru adopting our first child, a number of American and Canadian families were staying in the same hotel, all separated from loved ones at Christmas. No one had much money to spend considering the cost and unknown length of our adoption processes.
One couple found American candy bars and bought one for everyone else. Then they wrote a poem parody of The Night Before Christmas, featuring each of us. They snuck around the back stairs, secretly delivering their treats.
We all had a very delightful time, laughing and giggling like children. It’s always been a great reminder to me that holidays are as special as we care to make them.
How have you made Christmas or Hanukkah special? What plans do you have this year?
Cobalt Blue Glass Cracker Jar in the Grape & Cable Pattern by Mosser Glass
Did you know that you can shop for cobalt blue glassware at Laurie’s Cobalt World by glass pattern? You can! Did you know that you can find links to all of our past newsletters? You can! And did you know that there are recipes on the Laurie’s Cobalt World website? There are.
The place to easily find all of these is our Site Map. You can quickly scan down the page and find a link to our Mosser Glass Grape & Cable Pattern page. Or you can see that we have 7 different cobalt blue glass paperweights and 7 different cobalt blue glass salt & pepper shakers. You can also click a link and read our April 2009 newsletter (which has a great cheesecake recipe in it).
So take a moment and visit our Site Map. You might be surprised to see all of the wonderful treasures it contains.
Tags: cracker jar, salt & pepper shaker
We’re just added seven new pieces to our offerings at Laurie’s Cobalt World. Three are Libbey Glass, two are brand new from Blenko, and two are from Mosser Glass.
Stemless Wine Glass from Libbey
Libbey Glass
We’re branching into new territory with a stemless wine glass. They are very modern and sleek. You’ll especially enjoy red wine from these glasses since the warmth from your hand will unleash the bouquet and intensify the flavor. They are part of the Libbey Premiere collection so they will go well with our iced tea glass, champagne glass, wine glass, teardrop goblet, and martini glass.
Iced Tea Glass from Libbey
Speaking of the teardrop goblet, we now carry the iced tea glass to match. I love the graceful shape of the teardrop goblet and am thrilled to have the iced tea glass, which would work equally well as a water glass. As with other pieces of the Libbey Premiere collection, the cobalt blue color is very rich. The lines are smooth.
Wine Glass from Libbey
The last new Libbey glass is a wine glass. Cobalt blue wine glasses are very popular at Laurie’s cobalt world, so we wanted to give you another option along with our teardrop goblet, Montibello wine glass with clear stems, and the stemless wine glass.
Blenko Glass
Cobalt Blue Glass Pitcher from Blenko
I was so sad to see the beautiful Blenko pitcher with topaz handle discontinued by Blenko. But honestly, I had always wished that the handle were crystal so that it would fit in with even more cobalt blue decor. Well, I got my wish! Blenko is now making a cobalt blue glass pitcher with crystal handle in a tall, graceful design that holds 96 oz.!
Cobalt Blue Glass Decanter from Blenko Glass
Also new from Blenko is a 9.75 inch tall cobalt blue glass decanter with crystal stopper. This decanter would be lovely beside a bathtub filled with fragrant bath oil. Or use it to serve your favorite flavored oils in the kitchen. Of course, it’s beautiful enough to stand alone as a decoration. Or, lay the stopper aside and fill it with a few special flowers. This is a very versatile piece.
Mosser Glass
Elizabeth Fruit Bowl from Mosser Glass
One of the very first pieces from Mosser that we carried was the Elizabeth square cake stand. It’s very beautiful and extremely popular. So when I found that Mosser had a fruit bowl and fruit plate (13-inch platter) available in the same pattern, I was thrilled to add it to our offerings.
The Elizabeth fruit bowl is 10.25 inches in diameter and 4 inches tall. It’s plenty large enough to serve whole fruit. But wouldn’t it be lovely filled with a fruit salad, gelatin salad, or pudding?
Cobalt Blue Glass Fruit Plate from Mosser Glass
The Elizabeth fruit plate is a very generous 13 inches across. It will come in handy when serving larger items such as sliced bread, sandwiches, and buns. Of course either are beautiful enough to use as a centerpiece, with or without adornment.
Laurie’s Cobalt World has a large and growing collection of quality cobalt blue glass made in the USA. Come by and visit today.
Tags: Blenko glass, cobalt blue glass pitcher, decanter, Libbey Glass, Mosser Glass, wine glass
Laurie's Cobalt World Earned an Honorable Mention In Last Year's Contest!
Please vote for Laurie’s Cobalt World in the HomeBased 100 contest held by StartUp Nation. It’s already that time of the year again. Voting is very quick and easy.
I love having a home-based business. Luckily, a few years ago, my father, husband, and I added a lot of space to our home. (Dad and I built the house together in 1999-2000). In the additions, we have a craft room, classroom, and glass room. Try saying that three times fast.
You can often see pictures taken in the craft room in photographs we take for the crafts sections of my monthly newsletter.
The classroom has turned into a combination classroom, weight room, and teen lounge since it was first built. I suppose we should call it the multi-purpose room now!
The glass room is actually a long room with two large closets. One closet has built-in shelves full of cobalt blue glassware. The other closet has shipping supplies. That was originally a computer nook for the classroom, but we “stole” it for Laurie’s Cobalt World. (And consequently got each of the three younger children a computer for their own room.)
The large glass room is also full of glass – some on built-in shelving, others in cases under the work tables. More is on industrial strength floor-to-ceiling shelving. Some is on the work surfaces. And often there is a piece or two queued up in the light box, where my husband takes photos of the glass for the website.
I’m always looking for ways to add more glass to the glassroom since I’m also interested in adding more quality cobalt blue glass made in the USA to Laurie’s Cobalt World. It’s pretty stuffed right now, but I think I could add some cases to that closet!
The additions to the house also contain two office spaces. I used to have the smaller space when I only had my two rabbits websites. But when Laurie’s Cobalt World started doing well, he agreed to switch offices with me. Now my commute to work is about 12 steps. It would be about 4, if I slept on the other side of the bed!
Working at home means that I am often here outside of our posted business hours. I have taken phone orders on Sunday afternoon or late in the evening. It means that I can turn around an order quickly since we are not a huge organization – there’s no lack of communication between the office and the warehouse.
It also means that I’m intimately familiar with everything I sell. I inspect it all and I’m very proud of the quality of glassware we sell. I love talking with our customers on the telephone. And I really enjoy all of the emails we receive from happy customers.
I love having a home-based business. And we do a good job of it. We sell a great product, offer exceptional service, provide a newsletter at no expense, and operate our business with integrity. Please vote for Laurie’s Cobalt World.
There’s a saying that if you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door. If the same principle holds for baby bowls, then the world should soon be beating a path to the door of The Baby Dipper Bowl.
But let me back up for a moment. Why does a 47 year old whose youngest child is 12 care about baby bowls?
Have I mentioned lately that I’m going to be a grandmother in the late summer? Oh yes. It’s a boy who will be named Eli. It’s hard to believe that it is possibly time for that, but considering that my little sister (by four years) became a grandmother almost two years ago, I guess it’s definitely time.
So when I got the chance to review the Baby Dipper, I was more than interested. I had already noticed from my great niece and nephew’s things that lots of really great products have hit the market since my baby was a baby.
And the Baby Dipper is cobalt blue. That, by itself, told me that the inventor has good taste. Plus she’s a real mom, so she knows what moms need and want.
So now let me tell you why I like this better baby bowl so very much. And it does go beyond the color, I assure you.
Before opening the package, I read it all completely. I found what I wanted: dishwasher safe, top rack. If a baby product can’t go into the dishwasher, forget it. I’ll save my handwashing for my prized hand-crafted cobalt glass, thank you very much!
The first thing that impressed me was the non-skid bottom. I hate for a bowl to slide when trying to feed with just one hand. And it worked perfectly.
The second thing I really liked is that the bottom is sloped. How much time of my life have I spent scraping baby food up so that I could get it onto the spoon? This bowl is contantly helping out by allowing the food to flow into one corner. Great!
The best part is how the spoon fits snugly into the lowest corner, allowing the feeder to easily scoop up a full, but not overly full spoonful of food.
In my case, I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with my great niece this week. We tried it out with oatmeal to both our satisfactions. She’s old enough to feed herself, after a fashion, but also enjoys a little help with really soft foods. So we both got a chance to try out its qualities.
It will be some months before Eli is born and several more before he eats food, but The Baby Dipper Bowl will be there for him when he’s ready. In fact, I think there will be more than one. It so very easily became a favorite to this future Nanna.
Tags: Baby Bowl, Baby Dipper
