CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--VALENTINE TOPIARY

Valentine Topiary

Last week’s craft project used Valentine candy hearts. There was some candy left over from the bag that I bought. If I’m going to consume candy calories, you better believe it’s going to be really good candy. Candy hearts are cute to look at and use for craft projects around Valentine’s Day, but as far as candies go, they’re at the bottom of the yummy list.

So I decided to use the remainder of the candy pieces in another craft project, a Valentine Topiary. You could also make these with colored mints for a baby or bridal shower.

Materials:

4 ounce canning jar, candy hearts, 8” Styrofoam cone, assorted trims, ribbons, and laces, 1” white silk rose, low temp glue gun

1. Fill jar with candy hearts. Close jar. Glue cone to lid of jar.

2. Beginning at the bottom of the cone and working toward top, glue assorted laces, ribbons, and trims around cone.

3. Glue ribbon rose to top of cone.

4. Glue candy hearts randomly around cone.

BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--GUEST AUTHOR W.S. GAGER

We’re joined today by award winning mystery author and former newspaper reporter W.S. Gager. Her third book, A Case of Hometown Blues, was a finalist in the 2012 Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. A Case of Volatile Deeds, the fourth book in her Mitch Malone series about a crime-beat reporter always on the hunt for the next Pulitzer will be out this February. Learn more about W.S. and books at http://wsgager.com and her blog. – AP 

Killing people in books keeps me from killing people at work

A friend has a tag line on her email signature that says: “Writing is cheaper than therapy.”  That is so true for me. A couple of years ago I was working at a real estate office that was suffering some growing pains.  It was splitting and individual realtors needed to decide if they were going to stay or go to the other office. The realtor I worked for decided to stay.

With the office staff being cut in half, the support staff would be reduced and while I worked for a specific agent and just followed him, the other people weren’t so lucky. It was everyone for themselves and the back-stabbing began. It went on for two months as everything sorted itself out but was sad to watch three people, who were friends, dissolve.

I hated working in that atmosphere. What I found really helpful was writing about horrible people. I created a battle-ax of an office manager at a real estate office who got to be horrible to anyone she didn’t want to talk to.

I believe that was the inner me dying to bang some heads together at my real job. It really helped my stress level at work to be able to have her be mean to my main character, Mitch Malone, as he came to ask questions about the explosion in the office.

There were days I didn’t want to go to work. The four hours were shear torture, but the emotion I channeled in the next four hours as I wrote A Case of Volatile Deeds was worth it in hindsight.

Not only did I get a great book out of the turmoil, but the writing also helped me deal with the emotional stress and be nice to everyone while I was there. I knew I could write all the nasty things I wanted to say when I got home.

If I hadn’t been writing, I might have gotten fed up with the back biting and said something I might have regretted. I was able to hold it together until everything settled and keep working with at least somewhat of a cool demeanor. If they only knew that when I came home, my characters take on murderous intentions. In the beginning of the book, bodies start piling up fast. Could it be that I was killing off my coworkers? You will have to read the latest Mitch Malone Mystery and let me know what you think. Have you ever wanted to kill somebody (or seriously maim someone) and used a pen or keyboard to do it?

A Case of Volatile Deeds:

Mitch finally scores a weekend dinner with a cute receptionist, but true to his reporter instincts an explosion in a high rise office building makes him stand up his date as he runs for an exclusive.  When he investigates, he learns his date is the only casualty in a botched robbery at a real estate office. When femme fatale Patrenka Petersen returns, Mitch learns that much of what he knows about his date and her work aren’t what they seem. His world continues to twist when the police captain asks for his help and a city hall informant is found floating in the river. Mitch must keep his head down or a cute dog with a knack for finding dead bodies will be sniffing out his corpse.

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BEAUTY WITH NICOLE--GUEST BEAUTY BLOGGER MARCELA DE VIVO

Photo by Sérgio Savarese

We’re joined today by Marcela De Vivo, a health and beauty blogger from Los Angeles, California. She currently writes about skin care for Skintrium.

3 Homemade Skincare Recipes

You’ve probably read all about homemade skincare products, or at the very least, seen recipes in magazines that have piqued your interest but, it can be hard to know which recipes are the good ones and which ones are just page filler that won’t really help your skin.

While you do need to experiment with homemade skin care products a little bit to see what works for you, there are some basic recipes that pretty much work for all skin types.

These recipes are also very easy to make, and are made with ingredients that pretty much anybody can find at their local grocery and drugstore.

Cucumber Facial Cleanser

Everybody knows that a cool cucumber slice can work to reduce puffy eyes and get rid of dark circles.

Cucumbers are also beneficial for cleansing the skin when mixed with one or two other ingredients.

You’ll still need to use your regular face wash, but adding a homemade cucumber facial cleanser to your cleansing regimen can give your skin a more refreshed feeling.

What You’ll Need:

1/4 cucumber or 1/2 Persian cucumber

4 tablespoons whole milk

Step 1:

Peel, then chop the cucumber. You can also use a juicer to extract the liquid if you have one. If not, puree the peeled cucumber in a blender.

Step 2:

Put the processed cucumber in a small mixing bowl and add the whole milk. Stir the mixture thoroughly.

Step 3:

Dip a cotton pad or a few cotton balls in the mixture and gently dab the cotton on your skin, working in circles toward your temples.

Step 4:

Leave the cucumber and milk mixture on your face for about 10 minutes. Rinse your skin with lukewarm water and pat it dry before applying your regular moisturizer.

Tips:

If you have dry skin, try adding 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil to the mixture. For oily skin, the same amount of tomato juice can be added to the mixture.

All-Purpose Pumpkin Mask

While this pumpkin mask may not fix absolutely every skin problem, it deserves its name as an all-purpose mask since pretty much every person and skin type can benefit from using it.

Using this pumpkin mask every few weeks will help to make your skin look more vibrant, clear up breakouts and reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and minor skin damage.

What You’ll Need:

1/4 cup pumpkin pulp

1 whole egg

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Step 1:

Puree the pumpkin pulp in a blender or food processor until it is smooth.

Step 2:

Transfer the pumpkin pulp to a clean mixing bowl and add the egg and brown sugar. Stir the mixture vigorously for about one minute to fully combine the ingredients.

Step 3:

Apply the mask to clean skin and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse your face with cool water before patting your skin dry with a clean towel.

Homemade Vitamin E and Yogurt Cream

Vitamin E has been added to night creams and moisturizers for years because it works to reduce the visibility of fine lines, wrinkles, and acne scars by making your skin appear fuller and healthier.

Vitamin E may also help to speed up skin cell regeneration, allowing your body to slough off dead skin cells faster, giving you a rosy, healthy looking complexion.

What You’ll Need:

300 units vitamin E oil (removed from capsules)

2 tablespoons full-fat or Greek yogurt

1/2 teaspoon warm honey

1/4 teaspoon lemon or lime juice

Step 1:

Combine the vitamin E oil and full-fat or Greek yogurt in a small mixing bowl or container. Stir the mixture with a spoon to fully combine the ingredients.

Step 2:

Add the honey and lemon or lime juice and stir once more. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature if it’s too warm to apply directly to your skin.

Step 3:

Apply the mixture to your entire face and leave it on for 30 to 40 minutes. Rinse the mixture off with lukewarm water and pat your skin dry with a clean towel.

Tips:

Vitamin E and yogurt cream will keep in the refrigerator for about 72 hours, so don’t worry about making too much.

MONEY MATTERS WITH SHEILA--GUEST AUTHOR TERRY AMBROSE

There are all sorts of cyberspace scams that prey on people, separating them from their money. Mystery author Terry Ambrose stops by today with some tips for online safety. Terry started out skip tracing and collecting money from deadbeats and quickly learned that liars come from all walks of life. He never actually stole a car, but sometimes hired big guys with tow trucks and a penchant for working in the dark when “negotiations” failed. Learn more about Terry and his books at his website. -- AP 

Three tips to stay safe online

I recently received an email from a friend, who is a very nice man, does lots of community service and other good things, and who also sent out a slew of spam. He didn’t do it intentionally, but was the victim of someone hacking his AOL account. A couple of days before that, I received another spam email from another friend who’d had his email account hacked. This unfortunate and all too frequent issue points out just how difficult it can be for people to avoid becoming the victim of a scam. Here are three quick tips to help keep your financial information safe.

Work at home scams

Some of our relatives recently retired to California from their place in Florida. Once they got here, they decided that it would be nice to be able to work from home to stay active and make a little extra cash. The interesting thing is that many of those “work at home” offers are no more than scams. Robert Brauer of The Internet Truth Project (www.theinternettruthproject.com), an organization that helps new internet entrepreneurs avoid scams and focus on honest ways of growing their businesses warns that, “Most are complete scams -- in fact, government studies show that 54 of 55 are scams.”

Keep your financial information confidential

Let’s return for a moment to that AOL email I mentioned at the top of this post. The email told me that my friend had gone to the Philippines and had been mugged. He was in need of cash. This scam is one of the oldest around, but continues to be used by scammers because these guys are good at practicing the old adage, “don’t fix what ain’t broken.” If you receive this type of email and want to check with your friend, be sure not to simply reply to the email, but create a new one or, better yet, call him and him to change the password on his email account.

Spoofed websites

Perhaps one of the most dangerous threats is the “spoofed” website. A spoofed website is a fake site that has been set up to look exactly like the real thing. These sites typically have domain names that are similar to the ones they’re imitating. For instance, AARP issued an alert to it’s members before the holidays about a site using the address “www.tiffany.co.mn” instead of the legitimate “www.tiffany.com”. The thing that makes these sites so dangerous is their appearance, which is virtually identical to the original. It’s unwise to ever click a link in an email, but if you do, make sure the address matches what you expect and isn’t some dangerous derivative.

If you’d like more tips on how to stay one step ahead of the con, check out my Crime and  Courts column on Examiner.com or the tips I provide on my website.

License to Lie:

Never trust a soul—even your own.

Two experts in the art of communications. Both are driven by their goals—and they’re on opposite sides of the law. But, when her father is kidnapped, they join forces—and learn that with $5,000,000 and their lives on the line, it’s hard to trust each other—or themselves.

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COOKING WITH CLORIS-RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Valentine’s Day is a little more than a week away. Here’s a special treat to surprise your special someone that day. Or any day.

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes approximately 6 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1-1/2 cups brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup dried raspberries

Cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add gradually to butter/sugar mixture. Fold in chips and raspberries. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake in 350 degree oven 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from cookie sheets.

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--CANDY HEARTS VALENTINE BOX

Candy Hearts Valentine Box

Materials: fine grit sandpaper, wooden box with lid, primer, mint green acrylic paint, foam brush, candy hearts, tacky glue, pink rickrack, satin finish acrylic sealer

1. Lightly sand the box and lid.

2. Apply a coat of primer to the box and lid. Allow to dry completely, then lightly sand.

3. Apply a coat of mint green paint. Allow to dry completely, then lightly sand. Apply a second coat.

4. Position candy hearts on box lid. Glue in place. Tip: glue the perimeter candy first and allow to dry before gluing the remainder of the hearts.

5. Glue rickrack around side edges of lid.

6. Apply several light coats of sealer to box and lid.

THIS WEEK'S BOOK WINNER

Thanks to all who stopped by Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers this week and special thanks to our guest authors, Judythe Morgan, E.F. Watkins, Ashlyn Mathews, and Barbara Graham. Barbara offered a copy of Murder By Vegetable to one of our readers who left a comment. The winner is Mina Murray. Mina, Barbara will contact you to make arrangements for getting the book to you.