Free Thanksgiving Printables Roundup

Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away for my state side readers. If you happen to be hosting Thanksgiving this year, I've gathered up a collection of free Thanksgiving printables to help your holiday hosting a little easier.

Count Your Blessings Tree from Somewhatsimple.com

In All Things Give Thanks Printable by Happy Go Lucky

Free Printable Thanksgiving Collection by Yellow Bliss Road

Thankful Chain by Silverbox Creative Studio

Thanksgiving Tablescape by I Heart Naptime

A few free little lovelies to help with your holiday decorating and celebration.

Free Pattern Friday: Sewing For Baby

Babies are so much fun to get ready for.  Starting afresh, they need everything.  Thanks to the fabric store and a sewing machine, customizing baby's world is easy.  Thanks to the internet, and the generosity of creative crafters, there are many free patterns that make sewing for baby, and customizing their world easier and more affordable.

I thought I'd give you a little round up of some free sewing patterns that will help you prepare baby's environment for their arrival.


The Anywhere Chair, perfect for traveling with baby.

Free Pattern for Baby Sleep Sack, great for those wiggly little babies that can't keep their blanket on.

Oversized Diaper Bag, for all of babies diaper changing necessities.

Contoured burp clothes. I made these for my last baby and loved them, especially when backed with minky.

Knot Top Infant Cap, you can find my version here.

Baby Toms.

Baby Boy Cap, just what a little guy born in the Fall/Winter needs.
There are of course many many more free patterns available, but this will give you a good starting point. I still have some sewing to do before I welcome our third little guy in six short weeks. So much to sew, so little time.

Zucchini....Tis The Season

You don't have to have you're own garden, this time of year, to be bombarded with zucchini.  Our dear sweet neighbors, that we have had limited interaction with, kindly knocked on our door, to deliver several zucchini.  This, on the same day that I'd decided to dehydrate some of the zucchini that we picked from my parents garden.  I'm not complaining though, I love zucchini, and it can be turned into a number of delicious treats. 

First up: Zucchini bread.  I used Betty Crocker's recipe, and make a couple of loaves for the gluten eating men in my life.

I was in a chocolate cake kind of mood, so rather than make it from scratch, I found a box of gf chocolate cake mix, and added a cup of shredded zucchini to the batter.  I omitted 1/2 cup of liquid from the recipe, and the cake come out nice and moist.  Bonus, I ate my vegetables (and a full cake).

 We also dehydrated some zucchini.  I had a really large zucchini that we cut into 1/4" slices, and then in halves.  These will be great in the winter to throw in a pot of soup.

We threw some shredded zucchini on the top tray.  We'll use this in spaghetti sauce.

It feels great to put the zucchini to good use.  I like it when I don't have to throw food out. 

Source: sixsistersstuff.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Zucchini Brownies

Source: vegalicious.org via Tricia on Pinterest

Mexican Zucchini Soup

Source: curiouscountrycook.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: youtube.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Dehydrating Sliced and Shredded Zucchini

Craft Fairs: Tips, Checklists, and Suggestions

Mind you, these tips, checklists, and suggestions aren't coming from me, but I'm rounding up some of the more useful information that I've come across lately.

I've had craft fairs/shows on my mind lately.  I've mentioned before that my husband is returning to school in the fall.  I'm really excited for him to get started on his graduate studies, but I'm a little less enthusiastic about the student budget we'll be living on.

We still don't know how much he'll be able to work when school starts, or if he'll be able to work at all.  I'll continue supplementing our income, but may have to find additional work also.

I've contemplated expanding my etsy shop, but I don't love running to the post office with the boys, and stressing over filling orders is less than enjoyable.  Craft fairs, while filled with work, would eliminate trips to the post office, and deadlines (except for the craft fair dates of course), but are they profitable?

I looked into a local Harvest Festival that is going to be held mid September (pretty soon), there will be craft vendors, but other events as well.  I figure that could be good or bad for business.  The booth rental is fairly steep ($125), and I want to make sure that I would at least break even.  I've also considered local artisan's markets.  There are a couple in the area, but dedicating every Saturday (and finding a babysitter every Saturday) would be difficult at this stage. Perhaps next summer when Miles is a bit older.

So...in an effort to make some plans and decisions, I've scoured the web looking for craft fair related resources.  Here are a few that I've found:

Source: mermaidscloset.blogspot.com via J on Pinterest

Mermaids Closet: Craft Show Tips-All You Need To Know

Source: indiefixx.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Indie Fixx / Craft Show Checklist: what to bring with you

Source: ohmyhandmade.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Breaking into the craft fair circuit

Source: blog.craftzine.com via Tricia on Pinterest

How-To: Price Your Handcrafted Goods

Source: spunkyjunky.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Spunky Junky: Top 10 tips for selling your stuff at local market

Source: sunnyvanilla.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Sunny Vanilla: Craft Fair Do's: A Preparation Guide

Source: caroselloblog.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Carosello: Craft Show Tips and Tricks
I'd love to hear about your Craft fair/show experiences.  Have you participated in any?  Were they profitable?  What were the booth fees? How did you find out about them?  
The craft bazaar that I vend at is becoming more and more profitable.  After a year of selling, I think that I'm starting to figure out which items I can make the most profit on, and which items I can tolerate mass producing.  It's been a good learning experience, but not a huge money maker. I figure that if I'm going to participate in any craft fairs this year I need to get down to business, figure out displays, packaging, how to accept credit cards, etc.
 
 

Printable Mother's Day Card Round-up

I know that I just did a round-up, but I couldn't help but share some free Mother's Day card printables.  I   I love FREE PRINTABLES, they make me quite happy. I don't know how many times I've jumped online and found a free printable card before running out the door to grandma's house. This year I'm way ahead of the game, I have some printed off already, and I'm sharing a few of my favorites with you.

Source: creativemamma.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Lemon Lemon

Source: marthastewart.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Little Lemon Souffles

I love a little lemon, especially in the spring and summer.  The flavor is fresh, and light, and delicious.  I just thought that I'd share some pin-spiration from the flavor boards.  

Source: sophistimom.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Lemon Cookies

Source: ivillage.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Lemon Blackberry Cheesecake

Source: foodpluswords.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Lemon Poppyseed Cake

Source: tasteofhome.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Lemon Meringue Cake

Source: foodgawker.com via Tricia on Pinterest

White Chocolate Lemon Truffles

Source: sweetpeaskitchen.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

Source: coconut-desserts.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Coconut Lemon No Bake Dessert

Valentine Love Round Up...more than a couple good ideas

Source: howaboutorange.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Free Valentine Printable courtesy of How About Orange

Source: getcreativejuice.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Free Printable to frame in glass and update daily with a dry erase marker.

Lil' Bit of Love: a mini-series

Normally I don't get too excited about Holidays.  I like them, but I don't go overboard.  I decorate for Christmas....and that's about it.  I don't know what it is about this year, but I'm getting  excited about Valentine's day.  I blame Pinterest.

Another thing, I normally don't like heart shaped things, jewelry in particular, but this year it's winning me over.  So in celebration of my change of HEART, I've decided to run a week long mini-series to include everything red, pink, and heart shaped.

I'll be popping in with some Valentines themed projects, and of course several round ups.

So let's start out with the best part of any holiday...the food.  Here a few festive treats to celebrate the day.

Source: stylemepretty.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

Source: mommygaga.com via Tricia on Pinterest

White Chocolate dipped marshmallows on a stick.

Source: cookiesandcups.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Strawberry frosting and white chocolate chips make up this two ingredient fudge.

Source: lifesafeast.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Cotton Candy Macaroons

Source: sweetsugarbelle.com via Tricia on Pinterest

The prettiest heart shaped cookies

Source: createdby-diane.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Peanut Butter Cookies

Source: sprinklebakes.com via Tricia on Pinterest

and because chocolate is an integral part of Valentine's Day...Chocolate Soup for two

Source: divine-baking.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Flourless Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Source: Uploaded by user via Tricia on Pinterest

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

Sewing Tips and Tricks Round Up

Here are a few clever tips and tricks that I've rounded up on pinterest. What are your favorite sewing tips?

Source: futuregirl.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Add tape to the bottom of your presser foot to sew vinyl easily.

Source: scientificseamstress.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Printable bias tape maker.

Source: sewmanyways.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Keep spools and bobbin thread together with golf tees.

Source: scrapbooksetc.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Store ribbon in oatmeal canister.

Source: fivegreenacres.wordpress.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Add seam allowance to your own patterns.

Source: marthastewart.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Make the perfect hem.

Autumn Flavored Round-Up

For those of you in the United States, Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away.  I'm sure that many of you are already slaving away making pies and the traditional Thanksgiving food.  I've always loved Thanksgiving, but to be quite honest, the pie is the only thing that I really get excited about.   So rather than doing a Thanksgiving food round-up, I'm sharing some treats that I've been drooling over on Pinterest. If you need something more than turkey and mashed potatoes, here are a few autumnal treats to try.

Source: adventurescooking.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Autumn Brittle

Source: blondiescakes.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinteres

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Apple Cider Caramels

Source: m.hersheys.com via Tricia on Pinteres

Reese's Bark: We made this yesterday, it was very easy.

Source: eat-drink-smile.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Salted Caramel Pecan Bars

Source: myfarefoodie.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Salted Maple Caramels

Source: lillyella.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Truffles

Source: scrambledhenfruit.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies