I know so many people are having to tighten their belts this year due to the rising cost of everything. I hope these suggestions are helpful or spurs ideas of your own.
Instead of buying presents for everyone, consider having the adults draw one name a piece and set a reasonable money amount. for the gift. You can also add “stealing” a gift you want when it’s your turn. When we play it’s the third time the person gets to keep the gift. I forgot what the game is called. Anyway, this keeps you from having to buy a gift for everyone.
If you run out of wrapping paper you can use some freezer paper. Use some rubber stamps and colour the images with marker, coloured pencils, maybe crayons (I haven’t tried those yet.) Some people use the pages of the comics, but be creative. If you have a colour printer, find a background and print it out. Obviously, this won’t work for a large gift but for small ones this could help you out.
Scrap material/remnant pieces of fabric are another option. If you don’t sew. save clothes that are too small and use that for your wrapping fabric. Fill a stocking and tie a ribbon around it if you can, if not you could add some Velcro dots to close it.
Shop sales during the year and put things back. Consider stores like Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Family Dollar. if you don’t normally shop there. You might be surprised at what you find. Those stores are great if you’re creating gift baskets or filling stockings. An empty frosting can and lid makes a great container to protect a small gift. A plastic Lay’s potato chip can has lots of uses, too.
If a gift bag is in good condition save it and reuse it, the same for wrapping paper. Trim the edges and use the portion that is good. Think about what people did during World War II. If you’re not sure watch Wartime Farm with Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, and Peter Ginn. Check out YouTube to see if Christmas Wartime Farm is there. All of the Farm series with Ruth, Alex and Peter are fantastic.
Christmas doesn’t have to be expensive up-to-your-eyeballs in debt. If you have a talent for sewing, woodworking, fine art, cooking (you get the idea) use these skill for your family, not only that but pass your knowledge on to someone who has a desire to learn from you.
Share your holiday ideas. I’d love to hear them!
Image by author and artist Tasha Tudor
Smudge MacRuff and I wish you a blessed holiday season.
New cover for my short erotic romance, Wicked Temptations
April 6, 2022
Hello everyone,
It’s been a little while since I’ve posted. I had breast reduction surgery during the first part of December 2021. My neck doesn’t hurt as much and the strain on my lower back has been reduced, less headaches too. The surgery took 5 hours. The swelling can take up to a year to go down. There are areas that are still swollen. Was it worth it? YES.
At the end of December, I found out I had Covid and bronchitis at the same time. Not an experience I want to repeat. But, I am so grateful and blessed I didn’t have to go to the hospital.
Recently, I’ve joined the professional writing group Sisters in Crime. I’m looking forward to learning from the members and the activities offered. As with any writer, there are topics I love to research. Currently, I’m researching spycraft. Some of the books I’ve purchased: The Official C.I.A. Manual of Trickery and Deception by H. Keith Melton and Robert Wallace. OSS Special Weapons & Equipment Spy Devices of WWII by H. Keith Melton. And Ultimate Spy by H. Keith Melton. If Mr. Melton’s name is familiar you might have watched him on the Netflix show Spycraft.
Other topics of interest to me are the Victorian and Edwardian eras, Celtic mythology, Scottish and English history along with some Welsh and Irish history too. Cooking and hand sewing techniques. The Knights Templar, King Arthur, my family ancestry, aromatherapy and essential oils, herbalism, Ayurveda. Toss in a bit of paranormal stuff. When you write, you gravitate to things that interest you and that inspire your passion and imagination.
I’m a big fan of the Tudor Monastery, Victorian, Edwardian, and Wartime Farm series. I have Tales from the Green Valley, Victorian Pharmacy, and Victorian Farm. As you can tell, I love Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, and Peter Ginn. I still need to purchase Tudor Monastery Farm, Edwardian, and Wartime Farms. I have favourite historians (y’all aren’t surprised at this information.): Lucy Worsely, Ronald Hutton, Susannah Lipscomb, Dan Jones, and Neil Oliver.
If you’re looking for a wonderful craft person I’ve been watching Nik the Booksmith and Jennibellie on YouTube for a number of years. Nik and Jennibellie are fun and creative. Bernadette Banner is wonderful! Her skill in working with Vintage clothing is amazing. Amber Burchart’s series A Stitch in Time is interesting and well done. Other YouTubers I subscribe to are Lost in the Pond, Dr. Kat, and Dr. Octavia Cox.
I never know when an idea for a story or character will come so I try to keep my mind open. Ideas for characters and plots are everywhere. Write what you love and be a life-long student learning the craft of writing. I hope you found some useful information in this blog post.
Wishing you much love and happiness, Tambra Nicole
I know this is a wee bit early before October but I wanted to go ahead and share some resources to help you prepare for National Novel Writing Month (November). If you have problems finishing a manuscript NaNoWriMo might help you finish. It teaches you how to muffle/choke your inner editor. Bribery works for my inner editor.
What if you aren’t writing fiction and still want to participate in this frenzied event? You can be a NaNo Rebel. A NaNo Rebel is a NaNoWriMo participant who chooses to write something besides a novel of at least 50,000 words in November. Some rebels choose to revise and edit their novels, while others wander into the worlds of nonfiction, video games, scripts, and academic writing.
Back to the topic of novel writing. It’s easy for a nonwriter or someone who only writes short stories to say, “writing a novel can’t be that hard.” It can be. Many people wistfully say they want to write a novel one day. I’ll bet they started to really think about it, then broke out into an icy sweat while slowly backing away from that idea.
Writing a novel can be a daunting task. I’ve found that breaking such a large project into smaller pieces makes the process less overwhelming and easier to organize. I write my stories in Word but keep them organized in Scrivener.
To have an idea of where I’m going, I write out what I know about the major plot points and/or the pinch points in my story. This is a good start but I also need a way to keep myself on track without interfering my flow of creativity. Using the Hero’s Journey and the 3-Act Structure, along with the plot points I’ve written out give me a road map to follow. BUT, this method also gives me the room I need if I come up with ideas that are better than my initial effort. A Google search brings up lots of resources to help you prepare for NaNo.
Here’s the word count breakdown to reach the 50,000 word goal: 1,667 words per day or 7 pages. If you can’t sit down and write that number of pages in a single sitting you can write 556 words in three sessions which will keep you at the daily goal.
Do you have a child or teen who’s a writer? NaNoWriMo has a Young Writer’s Program.
I hope the links provide a good starting place for your novel preparation. If you’ve always wanted to write a novel, don’t put it off. Take the plunge! Don’t worry if you don’t reach the 200 pages goal what’s important is that you learned more about writing, yourself, and maybe made some new writing friends.
I wanted to let you know I’ll be teaching my Essentials of Characterization and Plotting workshop. It begins October 6, 2021 and ends November 1, 2021. The cost for Hearts Through History members is $15, non-members $25. This is the only time this year I’ll be teaching it.
The length of the course is four weeks. I post lessons every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you’d like to read testimonials from people who’ve taken the course you can find it on my website: https://tambrakendall.com
Here’s a list of the lessons. I’ve tried to organise the material so the lessons build on each other making the material as cohesive as possible.
If you’re at my website, please consider signing up for my newsletter. In exchange for signing up, I offer a mini-journal. The schedule is approximately every quarter, unless something special is occurring. I’m passionate about using essential oils/natural healing, recycling/upcycling, Celtic mythology, the Templars and Arthurian history.
I wanted to share with you my latest recycle. I’m sure you’ll find a number of uses for this project. I hate throwing away the plastic Lay’s chip container. Here are some of the things I used them for: watercolour brushes, silverware/plastic ware for camping or picnics, crayons, markers.
Today, I used some decorative tape (with paw prints) around the body. It will be added to Smudge’s tote bag to hold an extra leash, a roll of doggy poop bags and leaving enough room for a baggie with some treats and a small squeaky toy. I’m positive cat lovers would find a use for this idea.
Recycled plastic Lay’s chip container
I hope y’all are doing well and that this quick idea will help you. Camp NaNoWriMo starts today, so I’m off to see what I can get on the page. If you happen to participate in the literary activity you can find me as Tambra Nicole.
I have a VitaMix and there is no way I’m going to use it to make my paper, so I went to Walmart and bought a 56 ounce blender for $20. By creating my own paper from junk mail I can also add things like flowers, flower petals, glitter to my pulpy mess. I haven’t made anything yet since I just purchased the blender.
I think a hand crafted journal is going to be a great contest prize. The winner can use it for themselves or give it as gift. Maybe sewing isn’t something your interested in, but this might be something for you to explore. This could be a project you can do with your kids. There are lots of video’s on book binding. I love Nik the Booksmith, Sea Lemon and Jenniebellie’s video’s on book binding methods.
homemade paper
Homemade papermaking will work for all the areas of writing I do. As with most creatives when I sew, paint, or do crafting it helps stimulate my imagination and writing. In a previous post I had mentioned holding a contest for my blog subscribers. I signed up for Rafflecopter, so you’ll be seeing a contest in the near future.
I wanted to share my favourite sewing and refashioning resources with you. One the things I’ve missed most during the pandemic is the chance to go and poke around in my local thrift stores. Recycling and upcycling items help my creativity while giving something a brand new life. To some people this sort of activity isn’t fun, but for me it’s exciting. So, if any of you are contemplating the joys of refashioning and upcycling come along with me.
I understand not everyone is excited about sewing, refashioning, and thrifting. If you know someone who is please pass the link to this post to them and share the love.
There is a difference between recycling and upcycling. RECYCLING is the destruction of waste and making something new. Example: Automobile windshield glass made into drinking glasses.
UPCYCLING it taking an item and creating something new from it in the current state it is in. Upcycling is creative and reduces the need for recycling. Example: My purse made from a pair of old blue jeans. I get lots of complements on this purse and I love it. Pinterest has lots of ideas for upcycling denim as well as other sewing projects.
Jillian of ReFashionista.net is the one person I credit with giving me the courage to even attempt refashioning. She gives clear directions and warns you of possible pitfalls along the way. I love her sweet, bright personality that’s bursting with creativity. I hope you’ll stop by and take a look at all her wonderful creations. https://refashionista.net/refashions/dress-refashions/
After the ReFashionista got me enthralled with refashioning I found other ladies who are of the same mindset. I came across Beth of The Renegade Seamstress creates amazing refashions like Jillian. Beth has wonderful videos that show you step-by-step how to create a variety of projects for yourself, your family, and your home. If you’re looking for a book with a great variety of refashioning projects check out Beth’s book. I’ve already chosen the first project to make out of my copy. You can find the Renegade Seamstress here: https://therenegadeseamstress.com/
I wanted to add So Sew Easy is another fab resource. These ladies have a nice variety of projects and at various difficulty levels for wherever you are in your sewing journey. https://so-sew-easy.com/
Some of you know I love vintage clothing and I’ve found some amazing designer/seamstresses. Bernadette Banner has absolutely gorgeous Victorian/Edwardian period clothing. I think if I ever met her we would be friends. She made an Inverness coat and a Lady Sherlock outfit, an 1890s ballgown. If your interested in this era of fashion, please visit Bernadette’s YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSHtaUm-FjUps090 S7crO4Q/videos
For 1920s era on up, Evelyn Wood is fantastic. I believe she has course on Teachable, too. I just love her personality and the way she explains how and why she makes the decisions she does in her refashions or whatever garment she’s creating. I love learning about vintage sewing skills. You can find Evelyn here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ59owAiWL2IgaANbG-jm0Q
For dress eye candy on Instagram I always look at Molly Nguyen Designs. Her exquisite ballgowns and wedding dresses with floof and sparkle make me so happy.
If you’ve always wanted to try sewing or upcycling I hope I’ve given you enough places to encourage you to step in and give this a try. Or, if you have some basic sewing skills you’ll find plenty of places here to inspire you.
The other news I wanted to share is I have a shop at Society6. If you’re looking for unique gift ideas, I just might have something to fill that need. Or, if you’d just like to see some of my photography you can do that, too. https://society6.com/tambranicole
Anne’s Flower Garden, taken at Chicken Paradise, San Antonio, Texas
When I began writing I started out with articles and studying children’s literature. Gaining a bit of confidence, I submitted one of my articles to a local writing group’s contest. It was the first time I’d entered my writing in a contest before and I was nervous.
I won third place! One of judges contacted me about publishing my article in his magazine. He was active in Toastmasters International and he had a dynamic presence. A few years later I joined Toastmasters International and it gave me the confidence to speak to an audience about writing and teaching. What does this have to do with writing short stories, you’re asking. Well, writing a speech uses the same skills. You need to be focused, making every word count, have a beginning, middle and end, leading to a satisfying conclusion.
On my bookshelves I have several writing craft books by Jack M. Bickham, a former Creative Writing Professor at the University of Oklahoma. Mr. Bickham was a protégé of the late Dwight Swain.
Much of the information in Bickhams books still apply today. Years ago, I had the honour of meeting him. He was a gracious and gentle man. If there had been a way for me to take his university courses I would have jumped at the chance. Jack Bickham wrote over eighty novels, and three books for Writer’s Digest Books. Mr. Bickham also wrote The Apple Dumpling Gang which was made into a movie in the 1970s-early 1980s, I think.
Study the masters of short story writing. What story situations do they tackle? How do they create characters you relate to?
Here’s what I’ve learned writing short stories and information from Mr. Bickham. I hope this will give you a place to start. Learning to write short can be a fun challenge.
Tambra’s Short Story Tips
Write out what you know about the characters and the story you want to tell. Go through it and edit out the parts that don’t push the story forward. In short stories you usually find two to three characters because you don’t have the room for more.
Remember this is a short story. Traditional short story word lengths run from 1,500 (six pages) to 5,000 words (roughly 20 double spaced pages.)
Six pages is going to call for some concentrated, concise writing. Twenty pages still means you need a narrow focus and must making every word count. Some people find writing short easier than writing long. This will take some practice but don’t forget to have fun. I believe writing should be fun and exciting.
When writing a novel, you have the luxury of delving deeper into the GMC (goal, motivation, and conflict) of your main characters and villain, a complex plot with room for a bit of backstory. Flashbacks and backstory slow the pace of your story which is why they must be trickled in. If you’re unfamiliar with GMC I highly recommend Debra Dixon’s book, GMC. I can’t tell you how much it helped me. From her I learned to love plotting.
Drop your character into trouble as soon as you can. But make sure the situation can be resolved in a satisfying manner in allotted number of pages you have available. Rushing the ending will make the reader feel cheated and dissatisfied.
Remember you don’t have time for long passages of backstory so a few sentences to let the reader know. Example: Gina and Dee Dee met at college and Gina invites Dee Dee over for supper and a study session.
Gina opened the door holding her new puppy. “Come on in!”
Dee Dee white knuckle gripped her tote bag and licked her lips. “Can’t. Dog.” Her brain and body were frozen.
Gina frowned and walked back. “A bad experience with dogs?”
Dee Dee nodded.
“She’s asleep. Can you hear her snoring?”
Dee Dee stepped inside and closed the door. “A neighbor’s Chow Chow jumped the fence and bit me.I was three years old. I’ve been scared of dogs no matter the size since then.” She swallowed. “I have wanted to pet a puppy. It would nice to at least be able to do that.”
Gina sat on the sofa and Dee Dee followed. “If you want you try softly petting her with your index finger on her head.”
Slowly Dee Dee reached out and stroked the Westie’s head. Her fur was so soft! The knots in her chest and stomach loosened making it easier to breathe. She did it. She actually pet a dog.
In the example I didn’t do a long flashback on Dee Dee’s situation that led to her getting bit. The readers need to care about the characters. Everyone has been scared, so we understand how hard this must have been for Dee Dee.
Your plot will probably be on specific event that can be handled within the limits of the genre. Give just enough information about the setting so the reader isn’t confused.
The other elements of fiction writing apply. Adding in the senses, enough description so the reader is transported and can visualize it. Check the flow and pace of your story.
Every word, every sentence counts. Readers emotions, their hearts, must be pulled in and engaged in the story you are telling. Writing short will serve you well if you write longer pieces of fiction. Writing short it forces you to write tighter and more concise. You’ll find yourself getting to the heart of a scene much quicker.
I’ve never regretted started out writing short pieces of fiction and nonfiction.
I hope this post helps you understand the basics of writing short stories. It’s really fun! I hope you give it a try. You might like it.
Smudge Alpin MacRuff has a new Doggy Bloggy. I guess my blog isn’t big enough for the both of us so he has his own.
In the Chewspaper, there is a section for Interview with Authors and their pets. So far, we have three authors filling out the form and getting their information together.
Come on over and join in the fun! Maybe you’ll find a new author to add to your towering To Be Read pile. We’d love for you to subscribe!
Tambra Nicole Kendall 
