Best Viewed Using

Internet Explorer

Gloria Hander Lyons

I love cooking (and eating), so that’s why I’ve written and published 15 cookbooks so far. My kitchen is in non-stop test mode, creating recipes for new books. NEW! Quick & Easy Sandwich Wraps

I’ve been a crafter for many, many years (that’s a hint for how old I am), and I miss the fun craft shows that my sister and I used to do during the early 1990s. I enjoyed hand-painting humorous signs, like the one at left, only for me, it would say “After 50 It’s Patch, Patch, Patch!”

 

I love cooking and crafting with herbs—especially lavender. I’ve written two books on lavender: Lavender Sensations has more than 40 projects for crafting bath products, relaxing eye pillows, fragrant sachets and more, plus tasty treats and mixes to give as gifts.

Self-Publishing

I was having so much fun publishing books, I decided to help others get their books published, too, so I wrote Self-Publishing on a Budget: A Do It-All-Yourself Guide. You’ll find free self-publishing tips on my Self-Publishing Page. If you have any questions about self-publishing, please e-mail Gloria Lyons: gloria@bluesagepress.com. It’s a topic I love to talk about.

 

I teach classes in League City, TX for the College of the Mainland Adult Education Program on self-publishing and interior decorating. Visit my Classes page for more information.

I began my writing career in 1983, designing original craft projects featured in magazines, such as Better Homes and Gardens, McCall’s, Country Handcrafts, and Crafts (view some of my Clips & Credits). Creativity is my passion, so I love to learn everything I can about art, sewing, cooking, decorating and design. But I also love to write, so I found myself sharing what I had learned by writing handouts and teaching classes on each topic.

 

After taking a class in 2006 at the College of the Mainland Adult Education Program in League City, TX called “Writing Booklets for Fun and Profit” I realized I had found my new career. I started my own publishing company, Blue Sage Press, to write and publish fun how-to books about everything I know.

 

I now have 33 books in my line, with more planned for the future. You can see them all on the Blue Sage Press Books Page. Most of my books are also sold on Amazon.com. I’m now offering E-Book versions of all my booklets and many of my books. You can view them all on the E-Books Page.

 

If you have questions or comments about any of my books, e-mail me at: gloria@bluesagepress.com.

Crafting

A Taste of Lavender has 60 delectable recipes for using dried lavender in main dishes, soups, breads, salads, beverages, desserts and more. You can read more about them and try some of the craft projects and recipes on the Lavender Page.

Visit the Lavender, Herbs & More website where I sell my lavender books. You’ll find lots of free recipes, party ideas, and craft project instructions for making relaxing lavender bath products, eye pillows, sachets and more.

 

Taking the time to make handmade gifts always makes gift-giving more special. If you like to craft, visit my Homemade Gift Ideas Page on the Blue Sage Press website for free craft projects and recipes for making simple homemade gifts.

Classes, Presentations & Book Signings by Gloria Hander Lyons

· Self-publishing from Self-Publishing on a Budget: A Do-It-All-Yourself Guide

· Hosting afternoon tea parties from: If Teapots Could Talk: Fun Ideas for Tea Parties

· Cooking and crafting with lavender from: Lavender Sensations and A Taste of Lavender

· Interior Decorating tips from No Rules—Just Fun Decorating

· Preparing microwave desserts in a mug from: Easy Microwave Desserts in a Mug

 

I also teach classes on Self-Publishing and Interior Decorating at College of the Mainland in League City, TX as well as private online classes. Visit my Classes Page for more information.

I love to hear from readers and fellow crafters and writers. Please send your suggestions or comments to

Gloria Lyons: gloria@bluesagepress.com.

 

Visit the Blue Sage Press Website to read more about all my creative how-to books

Share Your Thoughts

I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned with others through presentations and demonstrations in the Galveston County/Clear Lake area. If your group needs a speaker, I’m available to give talks on the following topics:

An impromptu book signing with fellow members of our Writer’s Critique Group for my cookbook, A Taste of Memories: Comforting Foods From Our Past

You’ll find more gift ideas on The Crafty Cottage website, with FREE craft projects, patterns and instructions for decorative painting, cross-stitching, customizing lamp shades, no-sew window treatments, quilting, fabric dolls, herbal crafts, party ideas and homemade gifts from the kitchen. If you love crafting or want to learn how, visit The Crafty Cottage soon!

Cooking

I also offer book publishing & design services to help others publish their own books, or create custom invitations, announcements, newsletters, flyers and more for printing or e-mailing. Visit the design services page for more details.

Decorating

Another of my passions, is interior decorating. My arts and crafts activities naturally spilled over into decorating my home, and my insatiable need for learning inspired me to earn a certification in interior decorating.

 

I’ve written seven books about decorating your home, home staging, and de-cluttering and organizing your home. You can read about them on the Decorating Page.

Visit my decorating website, No Rules—Just Fun Decorating, where you’ll find lots of FREE Decorating Tips for furniture layouts, color schemes, lighting, accessorizing, home staging, de-cluttering and more! If you’re planning a home decorating project soon, check it out for helpful hints and creative ideas.

You can view all of them on the Cookbooks Page and try some of the recipes on the Recipe Page, Easy Microwave Desserts in a Mug Page,  Tea Party Page,  Lavender Page, and Gift Ideas Page.

 

Visit my new cooking website, The Cozy Kitchen, for lots of FREE recipes.

 

I’ve also created fun musical greeting cards with recipes from nine of my cookbooks that you can view and e-mail to friends and family.

Planning Weddings, Tea Parties & Theme Parties

I’ve always enjoyed planning creative theme parties, and in 1996, when my son was planning his wedding, I earned my wedding consultant certificate so I could help with the event. After working as a consultant for a while, and getting hands-on experience with some of the pitfalls of wedding planning, I wrote The Super-Bride’s Guide for Dodging Wedding Pitfalls. It includes a plan to get organized, budget-setting advice, money-saving tips, helpful hints & fun ideas to make your wedding unique. Visit the Wedding Page for FREE wedding planning tips and favor ideas.

I followed that book with If Teapots Could Talk: Fun Ideas for Tea Parties. It has recipes for tea party treats like scones, tea sandwiches, appetizers and tea time sweets, plus creative theme party ideas  and suggestions for invitations, games and activities, decorations and party favors. I post a “tea party of the month” article in my monthly newsletter. You can find the details on the Tea Party page.

 

I couldn’t stop there, so I wrote Flamingos, Poodle Skirts & Red Hots: Creative Theme Party Ideas. It has 33 party themes based on period themes, travel locations, movie or book themes, holiday themes and more, and includes suggestions for invitations, decorations, party favors, and fun activities. You’ll find the details for A Caribbean Sunset Party on The Crafty Cottage website.

Motivational & Humor Books

After 58 years of living and learning, I realized that I’d finally reached a point in my life where I felt a sense of joy. I’m not certain how I arrived at this stage, whether through experience or wisdom or just getting older, but I felt it was important to reflect on this phenomenon and pass along my conclusions. I wrote Pearls of Wisdom For Creating a Joyful Life so other women, both young and old, could learn from my mistakes and be spared some of life’s pain and frustration. So I offer you these 25 pearls of hard-earned wisdom in the hope that they will speed you along to a more joyful life. But don’t let the joy stop there—it’s even more rewarding to share these “pearls” with others. This book makes a great gift for daughters, mothers, friends and co-workers.  Share the Joy!

I’ve always enjoyed writing humorous, “slice-of-life” stories based on life in modern-day America, and found myself saying frequently, “What’s up with that?” So I began writing a collection of short stories by the same title. This book includes 19 short stories that depict a few of these “head-scratching” moments you might have encountered at some point during your life. If you’ve ever eaten at a restaurant where the lights were so dim you couldn’t see your food, been trapped in an elevator with someone wearing so much cologne you couldn’t breathe, or been stuck in a traffic jam in the “drive-thru” lane at a fast food restaurant, then you can relate! Life in modern-day America can be challenging—to say the least—so why not look at the humorous side and vent some of our stress through chuckling instead of exploding? I hope you’ll enjoy reading these stories as much as I enjoyed writing them. Read more about What’s Up With That? on the Motivational & Humor Books page.

I’ve released the Third Edition of my first cookbook, Easy Microwave Desserts in a Mug. It has more than 100 single-serving mix recipes (all the original recipes plus 20 new ones) that are prepared, cooked and served in a mug in less than 5 minutes, like Chocolate Brownie, Peach Cobbler, Pecan Pie, Blueberry-Lemon Coffee Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Cranberry Oat Scone and Chai Tea Latte.

 

Stir up a mix anytime you want a treat, or make them ahead of time for later use. Each one contains all the ingredients you need to prepare your dessert—all you add is butter or margarine and/or water and microwave for about 2 minutes. These recipes also make fun cooking projects for kids and unique, inexpensive gifts, like “Birthday Cake in a Mug”. They’re easy, quick and “right-out-of-the-oven” delicious! Try some of the recipes on the Easy Microwave Desserts in a Mug Page.

I also teach classes in League City, TX for the College of the Mainland Adult Education Program on interior decorating. Get more information about them on my Classes page.

A thoughtful gift for girls and women ages 12 & up

Kiss My Grits, Sugar: Southern Humor with a Side of Tasty Fixin’s

 

Since I’m a Southern girl through and through, I figured it was high time I got around to writing a book filled with good old Southern recipes. My mouth is watering just thinking about fried chicken, potato salad, banana pudding and pecan pie. This book is chock full of my family’s favorites. And because I’m not the serious type, I like my food served up with some humor on the side. So I tucked in a few tall tales from my childhood about me and my kin to tickle your funny bone. Inside you’ll find 19 humorous short stories about growing up in the South in the 1950s, plus more than 80 recipes for good old-fashioned Southern cooking. Come on in a sit a spell, sugar. Enjoy a chuckle or two, then whip up some of these tasty fixin’s. Read more about Kiss My Grits, Sugar on the Motivational & Humor Books page. Size: 6”X9”, 116 pages. $7.95