Playing House: A Starter Guide to Being a Grown-Up Review

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(More customer reviews)I saw an article on this book in Cosmopolitan and I liked the tips that were offered, so I went ahead and bought the book.
It is an easy read and it has a lot of common sense stuff that you probably would have figured out yourself but would have preferred someone told you.
Mrs. Perron makes a good job of offering affordable tips and plenty of resources. The decorating tips and guidelines will help you make your living space much more comfortable and 'yours'.
The cooking and wine sections are complete without being complex and eventhough I defend myself rather well in the kitchen, she gives simple ideas to make every meal better.
The entertaining section is one of the best parts of the book. Once I marry, I hope to host get-togethers at home and this chapter offered lots of simple yet great pointers.
I bought this book because I am getting married next March and I want to make sure that I have an idea of how to keep house. This book is a great reference guide and I would recommend it to both girls and guys who want to make their living space a comfortable and hip place to live.
I would have given it 5 stars but I was a bit disappointed that the book has almost no pictures or diagrams which would have been useful for some of the tips and instruction Celeste offers.

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The Christmas Kitchen: The Gathering Place for Making Memories Review

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(More customer reviews)Tammy Maltby's latest book "The Christmas Kitchen" is a must for those looking for creative holiday ideas and recipes. It contains ideas to create a beautiful Christmas atmosphere at home and inovative gift ideas that can easily be done on a budget. Practical, well written and full of clever gift suggestions, not to mention the delicious recipes. It is a book that will be perennially re-read.

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The Heart of the Home Even in today's busy times, the kitchen is the heart of the home. Author Tammy Maltby believes the true meaning of Christmas is realized when families gather to share activities that make Christmas "the most wonderful time of the year." More than any other holiday, Christmas is when family and friends gather for a cup of hot chocolate, fresh-baked cookies, and lots of laughter. Look inside this holiday treasure for: - Easy-to-do holiday recipes - Hints for new traditions - Personal gift ideas - Kid-friendly activities - Simple decorating tips The Christmas Kitchen is more than a recipe book, it's a book designed to help you enjoy the holiday season, not be burdened by it. Take a few minutes each day to browse these pages for the help you've been looking for. Merry Christmas and may your kitchen be filled, first, with the sweet aroma of love, and then with the spices of the season.

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Around the Table: Easy Menus for Cozy Entertaining at Home (Non) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was expecting a sophisticated collection of easy recipes, more in the vein of the Barefoot Contessa books, but this is merely a rehash of 70's suburban-housewife buffet food. Do we really need a recipe for franks and beans? And scrambled eggs with Velveeta? Also surprised that the apparently talented photographer took on this book...some of the food looks truly unappetizing, for instance the creamed spinach on page 121. Very disappointing book.

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Easy and Stylish Menus for Cozy Entertaining at Home - in full color

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Budget Celebrations: The Hostess Guide to Year-Round Entertaining on a Dime Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a book with 143 pages to give you some entertaining ideas. It is titled budget, but the first celebration shown is Halloween with a walk and porch lined with 24 large pumpkins. Unless Shelly Wolson knows of a place to get pumpkins at ¼ the cost of what I have seen them for, this is no budget decoration. There are some ideas, such as using garbage bags and cutting it into streamers, but many of her thoughts will take more money than what is normally defined as `budget'. Many of the decorations shown are store bought. The ideas are good, as are the recipes for many of the celebrations.
As for recipes, there are 5 for Halloween, 14 for Thanksgiving - a dinner, except her pumpkin pie recipe hardly has any spice in it (at least to my family's taste), 9 cookie and appetizers for Christmas, New Year's and Valentines- 15, 7 for Easter.
There are a few good ideas for Christmas; but she does not advise light weight rubber gloves to make decorations with red pistachio nuts, and unless you want to run around with celebratory red fingers, that is an omission. The Christmas pecan-jam stars (cookies) are wonderful.
There are really only a few celebrations contained here, they are: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and Valentines Day share the same chapter, Easter, then 4th of July and special occasions. This is really not an all encompassing budget decorating, entertaining book. There are some good ideas, but one finds themselves looking at Easter with only one decorating idea?
The ideas are strangely uneven at times - between decorations and recipes, and it is almost as if plans for decorating run out of steam by the end of the book. There are 5 recipes for summer but no decoration? There are detailed how to instructions at the end, but they are really focused on Halloween and Christmas. There are some good ideas in here, but many are certainly not budget.

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Simple Stunning Parties at Home: Recipes, Ideas, and Inspirations for Creative Entertaining Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is one of my favorites in Bussen's Simple Stunning series. I have almost all of them but this parties book is the best! The recipes are easy and the ones I've tried are delicious and each party idea is original and so creative. And the book itself is just beautiful to have on your shelf or coffee table. Highly recommend it!

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Classic Crafts and Recipes for the Holidays: Christmas with Martha Stewart Living Review

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(More customer reviews)Martha's Holiday book this really touched my heart. My mom has always grown Amaryllis and Christmas Cactus, chapters 4 & 5 really were a delightful surprise. I now know the Christmas Cactus the I have is called "White Christmas". When I told my mom about the charts, she was so interested in the book (she lives in Ohio and we live in Fl.) that I am immediately sending her one for Christmas. My son is a personal chef - so we all love to cook and I love to decorate. The pictures are great as usual, but I think I like the charts about the topic in each chapter. They are beautiful and informative. It was great to see the different types of pine cones and citrus. The best part is that even if you don't use these ideas during the holidays - the things you have learned will be useful all year and will be great to share with friends and family.
Some items may have been in Martha Stewart Living - that's great that the special ideas have been put in this holiday book to keep and treasure. (I don't keep every magazine - I will treasure this book).Thanks again to Martha!!!!

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If the words "classic Christmas" make images of Christmas cactus, fruitcake, and roast turkey dance in your head, then Classic Crafts and Recipes for the Holidays will make all of your yuletide dreams come true. Arranged in ten chapters with such names as "Cranberries," "Nuts," "Citrus," "Leaves," and "Pinecones," this festive compendium of holiday ideas and recipes is certain to show you how to make every Christmas one to remember. In "Winter Berries," berries are used to make wreaths, garlands, and centerpieces. In its own chapter, fruitcake has been reinterpreted so it will never run the risk of being left uneaten. "Leaves" shows how to make keepsake gifts out of embossed leaves and cards, and throughout the book there are clever packaging and wrapping ideas to suit every taste and budget.From now on, when you think of a classic Christmas, you'll think of Classic Crafts and Recipes for the Holidays.

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