It's that time of year again… December 15th – officially 10 days before Christmas.  Maybe you have all of your shopping done, cookies made, and cards delivered and are currently curling up on the sofa with a nice cup of hot cocoa.  I think most of my readers wish they were you:-) 

If you fall into the categories of "not quite finished", "halfway there", or "how the heck am I ever going to get all of this done?!", look no further than your own kitchen to fill in the gaps.

As many of you know, I am not especially skilled in the culinary arts.  That's why I always appreciate any help I can get from those whose wisdom exceeds my own.  If someone handed me a book containing the secrets to her culinary success, I think I would do a happy dance there on the spot.  Consider spreading some joy this Christmas by sharing a guide to your own kitchen creations by creating a recipe book. 

You can make it fancy using services by Blurb or Lulu for professional-looking layouts and high-end printing.  These sites walk you through each step and will allow you to order the exact number of copies you need. 

For a more frugal approach, Better Homes and Gardens has a quick and easy guide to creating your own handmade recipe book from some decorative papers, chipboard and 4X6 index cards.  By using some of the terrific scrapbooking art on the web, such as the FREE word art from Shabby Princess that I used at the top of this post, you can create a really beautiful, custom book for an itty-bitty, little price.  (You really need to check out her site, by the way, for free papers, fonts, and embellishment collections.  I love them so much I used one set for my Thanksgiving invitations and another for my Christmas cards!)

I hope this makes your Christmas planning a little less hairy and a little more fun.  Off to coop!