Christmas is The holiday of the year for many bakers, as the festive occasion offers more than enough excuses to bring out their best cookies, cakes, cupcakes, and yummy desserts. All red and green and Christmas-themed, of course. Christmas allows those creative juices to flow, but offers up very specific icons to work with.
Fashionable things come and go (remember gladiator sandals?), but truly cool things stay around forever. Take pyramids, for instance. Since the Egyptians (well, arguably, the Mesopotamians) invented them more than two thousand years ago, they still fascinate people all around the world, and the Giza pyramids are still one of Egypt's top tourist traps. And songstress Charice recently devoted an entire song to pyramids.
Fish tail braids are basically the grown up version of the braids mom used to put in your hair every morning for school. With less of an uptight, "braid-y" look and more of a loose, touseled appearance, fish tail braids offer us a fun way to experiment with hair without looking like an 8-year-old.
If winter is the season of giving, and spring is the season of living, then summer is the season of grilling. Lots of outdoor barbecues make the summer one of our favorite times of year. After all, who doesn't love biting into a wood chip-smoked slice of steak paired with freshly made cole slaw and grille corn?
New to Microsoft Excel? Looking for a tip? How about a tip so mind-blowingly useful as to qualify as a magic trick? You're in luck. In this MS Excel tutorial from ExcelIsFun, the 679th installment in their series of digital spreadsheet magic tricks, you'll learn how to summarize yearly totals from monthly totals when there Year Criteria is entered as a serial date. See the SUMPRODUCT and SUMIFS functions. Learn about criteria and how to enter it into the SUMIFS functions.
At the end of last year Google released Chromium OS, the source code to their soon-to-be-released operating system Google Chrome OS. This has allowed millions of people to preview the new OS and make suggestions. Do you want in on that action? This video will show you how to install and run Google Chrome OS on a Mac using a virtual machine like VMWare or Virtual Box. Now you can be a part of the future of operating systems. Maybe.
Got a few cans of sardines you've been stashing in your emergency kit that are so old you don't even know when you purchased them? Well, as long as your sardines aren't expired (canned goods can last years) you can actually put some use to them before the world ends simply by tossing them into a pasta.
The lamb persillade is a favorite of many households because it's both tasty and easy to make. Composed of lamb covered with a delicious persillade made of parsley, garlic, herbs, oil, and vinegar, it's succulent for any time for the year.
Eyeballs are spooky any time of the year, not just at Halloween. Whether they're on a necklace chain as evil eye pendants or simply being displayed as diagrams at the optomotrist's office, they're inherently creepy.
We're totally not lying when we say that the necklace featured in this video sells for upwards of $100 at some fine retailers in Beverly Hills. Composed of a long, sparkly necklace chain and a teardrop shaped pendant attached with intricate wire wrapping, this is a necklace that looks a lot more difficult to make than it actually is.
We don't know how it happened and can't particularly pinpoint when it happened, but over the last few years cupcakes have way overtaken cakes as to go-to dessert. Perhaps it's because they're pre-portion sized, or perhaps it's because they're so darn cute and easily transformed into any shape we can imagine.
Over the last few years, the musical "Wicked" has become a highly popular phenomenon whose awesomeness has spread mostly through word of mouth. Well, that and the musical's extremely talented and gorgeous costars, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, have unparalled charisma and vocal ranges that do nothing less than astound.
We all have a bag of old clothes somewhere, or old clothes lying randomly around the closet. You know, the t-shirt that's too ratty or that dress you got from Ann Taylor that looked perfectly in season a few years ago but now you can't bring yourself to wear anywhere.
Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger in the "Harry Potter" series, is actually a lot like the character she embodies. Both are quite intelligent (Watson just finished her freshman year at Brown), strong, and independent, and both rely on minimal makeup to enhance their features.
In this tutorial, we learn how to make French baguettes using a bread machine. To make this, you will need: 2 c water, 5 c bread flour, 2 tbsp white sugar, 2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp rapid rise years, and 1 egg yolk whisked with 1 tbsp water. Place all of your ingredients except for the yolk and water into the bread machine and let it knead the dough. When finished, sprinkle corn meal onto a hard flat surface, then shape it into baguette shapes. When finished, brush the egg yolk and water mixture ove...
Let's face it: Without armor, we'd all be very squishy. While armor isn't necessary on the every day when we're going to school or hitting up the post office (at least we HOPE armor isn't necessary where you live), it certainly is and has been in battle.
Just a few years back, spray cans glorified their artists, writing reputations in stone with florid colors and extreme street stylization. These days, though, graffiti artists are increasingly glorifying spray cans, the very tools of their art and, for some, livelihood.
Bunny rabbits don't only have to be reserved for Easter. In fact, bunnies are pretty darn cute all year round. While real bunnies, with their fuzzy fur and floppy ears, are the most cuddly and endearing, for those who can't raise one in their homes, this origami bunny is the next best thing.
In this clip, learn how to make a warm and cheap costume that is still adorable. This video will show you how to take a piece of fabric and sew it to a sweatshirt to make a lion mane for your little girl or boy. This is a super cute way to make an inexpensive costume that your kids can wear for years.
This is kind of like origami, except there is some glue involved, which diehard origamists would call cheating, but when it comes to your children, it's the perfect kids craft that they can enjoy year round! Making colorful paper bracelets is easy and fun for both you and your child. The perfect afternoon activity, and all you'll need to make one is:
Keeping up with the Kardashians also means keeping up with the constantly gorgeous fashion, hair, and makeup choices on the red carpet. Having been in the media spotlight for several years now, the Kardashian sisters - Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe - have learned a few tricks for getting flashbulb-ready.
The number of Korean people that still make kimchi (or Kim Chee) from scratch is dwindling, but no store bought brand will ever taste as great as homemade. In this tutorial, take a trip to New York and visit Yu Um Chon, a great grandmother who has made kimchi over 10,000 times for her family. She will show you exactly how to make this tasty salad and offer you a few tips she has developed over the years (like adding a bit of artificial sweetener to make the salad less slimy). Follow along wit...
In this Pets & Animals video tutorial you will learn how to safely care for your kitten with Dr. Gaspar. Your kitten's first year life is critically important. First make sure your home is safe for your kitten. Remove anything that you wouldn't leave about in the presence of a child. Get your kitten home over the weekend so that you have plenty of time to get acquainted with the kitten. Introduce your kitten to the litter box. The box should be roomy and uncovered. Place the box in a quiet lo...
We ladies have had to primp and scrutinize ourselves for thousands of years, painstakingly plucking, waxing, painting, and slathering in order to conform to societal ideals of the perfect woman. And until recently men haven't felt the need to conform physically to much of anything until recently. According to British publication "The Guardian," there's a new revolution in male grooming and accessorizing/dressing where men actually want to look model thin, well dressed, and well groomed.
Your mother puts up with your crap the entire other 364 days a year and constantly toils away making the most scrumptious meals and treats for you, so can you really even justify not making something for her in return on Mother's Day? Luckily, you don't have to be Martha Stewart to create this lovely lace flower brooch craft.
Any artist who excels enough in his profession will create some sort of signature on his painting to notify other it's his work. Some painters, like Jan van Eyck, are cryptic with their inscriptions, putting it in almost impossible to see areas in the painting, while others, like Chinese painters, put their literal stamp on paintings with a carved seal stamp.
Learn how to create a crack in a 3D object in two minute or less with this video guide. The technique involves no scripts, just a powerful tool that has been right under your nose for years! Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial. For more information, including step-by-step instructions,...
There are a zillion ways to make stuffing for your Thanksgiving bird, but only one way to make it Martha Stewart-style. If you're cooking for a big party this year of 20 people or more, Martha offers a delicious, buttery recipe for stuffing that'll satiate all the mouths you'll have to feed while still having leftover for casserole.
One of the coolest parts about modern PC shooters is that most of them include level editors, allowing you to create the map of your dreams. This video will teach you how to make a scavenge game mode map in Left 4 Dead 2, Valve's zombie shooting fest from last year.
Before you know it, Valentine's Day will be here. Or your boyfriend's birthday. Or your two year anniversary. And while buying the newest techie gadget for your boy will earn you a gold star on your head, you can truly get his heart racing by making him a pair personalized boxer shorts.
This video tutorial will walk you through the basics of mahjong. Mahjong is a popular gambling game that is played all over the world. Once you pick up the basics, you can play against people who've been doing it for years. It's as much a game of luck as it is skill. With this video, you'll learn how to play mahjong Hong Kong style like a pro.
Just got yourself a brand new copy of Sony Vegas 8 or 9 but don't want to commit the next ten years of your life crawling as a snail's pace through the exhaustive instructions manual?
In this tutorial, learn how to make a divine, delicious dry cherry and cranberry compote. This recipe is a little bit sweeter than normal cranberry sauce and can even be served as a dessert. This is a yummy recipe that is great year round, but will make an extra special addition to a holiday table.
As a mom and now in her late 20s, Christina Aguilera sports classy and age appropriate makeup, attending red carpets with classic ruby lips and light cat eyes.
Dogs can be wonderful additions to any family and provide years of love and companionship. If you are considering adding a new pup to your brood, check out this video. In it, you will learn how to teach kids about dog safety and what to do if your child gets bit. This clip will walk you through caring for an animal bite so that you whole family - whether they are on two legs or four - stays safe and happy.
Unfortunately kidnapping is a sad reality. Millions of children are abducted around the world every year by both family and non-family members. In this tutorial from Metro Parent, get advice on what to teach your kids about strangers and how to keep them safe. You will also get advice just in case the worst happens and you find yourself dealing with a kidnapping. So, take a few minutes to watch this clip and help avoid every parent's worst nightmare.
This tutorial is perfect for kids who might be in kindergarden or first grade. It's a common activity that has been done for many years and makes art easy to do. This video shows you how to draw a turkey using your own hand. All it takes is a pencil, your hand, and maybe some crayons for coloring. So good luck and enjoy!
The process of making man - whether you believe we were brought here magically at the whims of an intelligent maker or we evolved slowly from apes over millions of years - was agreeably complex and arduous. Cut the crap and make your own species of miniature humans in a zillionth of the time by watching this video by Jo Nakashima.
The spread offense is the newest, most exciting offense to come out of college football. It creates a lot of exciting big plays and confounds more old-fashioned defensive formations and coaching. This video explains some of the basic formations and techniques of the spread offense so that you can use it to improve the performance of you 11-12 year old's football team. If Jim Tressel can't figure out how to stop it, the opposing coach that you are facing in your youth's league probably won't b...
Spooky Halloween parties necessitate a certain amount of creeptastic spider webs, but the cheap cottony stuff that comes in plastic bags at most retailers feel fake and have been overused over the last few years.