There is nothing better than fresh food made from scratch! This eggplant parmesan was made with all natural and fresh ingredients, most of which was grown right in my backyard! The sauce is made fresh from cherry tomatoes I picked, the ricotta is made from scratch, and the eggplant is right out of the garden! I also used fresh grated parmesan cheese and fresh mozzarella. There is nothing better! Simply delicious :-)
Simply delicious!
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I had always loved these old looking signs but never really thought about making my own until I came across a Pinterest Pin on how to do it yourself. Then when I really started doing some research I actually came across several different ways they could be done. I settled on the method I use below because it really is simplest and I had all the materials to get started right away. I absolutely love the results and can't wait to make many more as gifts for the upcoming holidays. I am even working on a sign for my craft fair booth!
Many thanks to Tammy at Homespun Happenings for the post "I Made A Sign." I couldn't have done this without you! Supplies needed:
DIY RUSTIC SIGN LETTERING YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL:
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Check out more do-it yourself projects on our Pinterest page!
Sincerely,
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- I just don't feel like going to the beauty parlor and sitting there having my hair done for an hour or more. I really have no patience for just sitting around waiting when I truly have so many things I would rather be doing.
- I don't know if I am lucky or what, but having somewhat wavy, or even curly hair at times, is awesome! If I cut it and I mess it up, it's hidden in the curls. So in the end, I really can't go wrong other than possibly cutting too short.
- I have long hair, so the possibility of cutting too short is really not an issue. If I am keeping it long, even if I cut a little extra, it is still medium length so no problem!
- My hair grows FAST. I don't understand it. Maybe it is the vitamins I take but my hair grows as fast now as it did when I was 20! The only problem is that this means the gray that I now have comes back that fast too!
- Since my hair grows so fast, and the gray comes back so fast, it needs to be colored every 3 - 4 weeks. I definitely don't have time to go to the beauty parlor that often! And I am definitely not sitting there bored to death while letting the dye sit in my hair for 45 minutes - the amount of time that is necessary for full gray coverage! If I do this at home while the color is setting I can do laundry, freeze corn, pick weeds, and a multitude of other useful things! This time I made Homemade Cherry Tomato Sauce, Homemade Ricotta, and used it to make Fresh Eggplant Parmesan!
- And finally, a quality color, wash/cut/dry would cost close to $100! I have way better things I would rather spend my money on! And yes, I know I am worth it, but that is not what I CHOOSE. I would rather buy something useful that will last longer than a color and trim! It's that simple :-)
- Looks aren't everything and I am pretty sure nobody would even have had a clue if I didn't tell them I trimmed my own hair! Thank God for somewhat curly hair :-)
Check out 5 DIY Hair Cuts to Try Today! by howtohairgirl.com I did #3 Long Layers with Face Framing. Check out Point Cutting Technique by howtohairgirl.com |
Thank you for visiting and remember....life can be simpler!
Sincerely,
Watch this short video to see how easy it was to make!
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Sincerely,
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Homemade Tomato Ketchup by Common Sense Homesteading. Now ketchup is something I will use and she gives the option of using cherry tomatoes or other tomatoes to make it. Can't wait to try it! Note that she also shares a fermented recipe but it was the canning one I plan on trying! This recipe is smooth and creamy just like the ketchup you buy in the store that most children love!
http://commonsensehome.com/2-homemade-ketchup-recipes/
Tomato Jam (really an adult ketchup) - by Never Enough Thyme. She actually says this is a grown-up ketchup because it has a little more kick to it. I like it because it looks really rich and healthy and because she actually made it with cherry tomatoes! I included this because it is different enough from the first ketchup recipe and seems like it would make a great gift as well.
http://www.lanascooking.com/tomato-jam/
Cherry Tomato Jam - by Matkonation. Now this is really more of a jam - it literally calls for a pound of sugar and sounds absolutely scrumptious! The recipe looks really simple too.
http://matkonation.com/en/cherry-tomato-jam-a-baby-shower-gift/
Lazy Cherry Tomato Salsa - by grow it cook it can it (that's exactly how it is on the website). This is very similar to the two recipes above, but we love salsa so it was different enough to make a mention of here! And, in my opinion, worth trying!
https://growitcookitcanit.com/2012/09/23/lazy-cherry-tomato-salsa/
Sweet Cherry Tomato Pickles - by Diary of a Tomato. These look absolutely delicious. I might swap out a few ingredients but the overall idea is great. I found the suggestion to puncture the tomatoes with a toothpick to prevent floating very interesting.
https://diaryofatomato.com/2013/10/10/putting-up-sweet-cherry-tomato-pickles/
Pickled Cherry Tomatoes - by That Recipe. Wow! These look and sound amazing and the best part is that they only take 20 minutes if you are refrigerating them! If you choose to can them they take longer, but talk about simple!
http://www.thatrecipe.com/blog/2015/07/14/pickled-cherry-tomatoes-and-tasty-tuesdays-link-up/
Real Sun Dried Cherry Tomatoes - These are mine so of course I had to share it. If you go to the link I use grape tomatoes, but the picture above is of sun dried cherry tomatoes I made recently to show you that sun-drying works great for them too. Enjoy!
Cherry Tomato Sauce - from scratch! So simple and delicious I just had to make it to go with my eggplant parmesan.
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Since nothing goes to waste in our house, I already had all the materials. In fact, I had been waiting for a good reason to use some of them! The only thing I had to buy was stamps :-)
Supplies:
- Small round magnets (left over from an old 7th grade science lesson)
- 4" x 6" photo paper (You know - all that free stuff you get with printer ink!)
- 8.5" x 11" card stock paper (any color)
- 4 ply cotton yarn (any colors)
- Computer with Microsoft Word
- Color Printer
- Scissors
- Single hand held hole punch
- Size 7 crochet hook
- Yarn needle
- Craft Glue
- Double sided foam mounting tape
- Black sharpie marker
- Invitation envelopes
How:
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If you like to crochet then check out the our FREE crochet patterns here!
Also check out the many crochet project patterns on our Pinterest Boards Crochet ONLY and Crochet for the Kids!
Please feel free to comment, e-mail, or contact me through my Facebook or Google+ pages and follow us too :-)
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Here's how:
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And nothing gets wasted!
So simple :-)
Thanks for visiting!
Sincerely,
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I started doing a little research and discovered that most 'sun-dried' tomatoes aren't really sun dried anymore, they are dehydrated or cooked in an oven. Since my goal is always to do things in simple ways using as few resources as possible I was determined to really, truly, make real sun dried tomatoes. And I did! It was so simple and so successful that I have made many more batches since then!
After drying them, which generally takes a minimum of 2 full-sun days (depending upon the humidity of course), I freeze them instead of just storing them dry because they last longer in the freezer and I don't need to check them regularly for any mold growth. Mold growth can occur if any of the tomatoes are not 100% dry. Any little bit of moisture left over can start growing mold, so since we live in a humid environment and I have a freezer I decided it was just easier and safer to keep them there.
When we are ready to use them for cooking all we do is boil some water, cover them with the hot boiled water and let them sit for 15 - 20 minutes. This rehydrates them so they can simply be added to any dish we choose!
The best part is they cost me practically nothing, they are organic (because they were grown in my own garden), they retain all the wonderful nutrients of fresh tomatoes, and they can be enjoyed all winter long when I have no fresh garden to pick from!
Check out my You Tube video below to see how I made them:
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Sincerely,
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For years my daughter has been urging me to sell at the craft fair where she lives. Every summer they have a community fair to raise money and every year she reminds me that I should rent a table and sell all my handmade 'stuff.' I usually say no. I am not sure why, but I guess I just really never knew what to make that people would want to buy. And what if they don't buy it? It is very intimidating to try something new like this, but I finally just said YES! After all, the worst that can happen is my stuff doesn't sell but I get quality time with my daughter and I get to spend a weekend on Fire Island in the summer!
And then after saying yes, I thought, uh oh....what have I gotten myself into? I am not the type of person to just wing something like having a craft sales table. I have to have a plan for exactly how and what I am going to do and that is what this post is all about.
There were some criteria about selling at the fair: I rented one (1) 8' x 30" banquet table and two chairs. Anything and everything I sell would have to be on top of that one table. No other stands are allowed. I also needed to get everything onto a ferry - it is not a craft fair where you can pull your car up and unload. Everything has to be lightweight, portable, and literally carried by hand.
Here are the steps I took to get ready for our first craft fair ever:
- I 'Googled' and looked and literally hundreds of pictures of the way sellers set up their tables and booths at craft fairs
- I 'Googled' and read nearly as many blog posts about anything and everything having to do with advice for selling at craft fairs
- Bottom fitted banquet tablecloth (most tables at fairs are banquet size)
- Second decorative tablecloth for on top of the fitted one - in a complimentary color
- A spinning table-top display for my pendants
- Signs with prices and descriptions
- Signs with our company name etc.
- Business card holders (with business cards of course)
- Sign showing that we take credit cards (I read that being able to take credit cards is a must!)
- A container to do a FREE giveaway raffle to collect e-mail addresses
- A mirror so potential customers could try on the pendants
- Baskets to put display products in
I didn't just want tablecloths...I wanted them to be special and stand out!
- Purchased a fitted tablecloth from Amazon (affiliate link).
- Purchased a square tablecloth from Amazon (affiliate link).
- Personalized the tablecloth with a crochet border - Read about it here!
I didn't want to simply order signs from someone else...I wanted mine to be handmade like all the products I sell!
- Chalk board signs with chalk paint for individual signs (affiliate links).
- Sign for credit cards - simply displayed in a photo frame
- Crochet Sign for table - made and sewn onto tablecloth front (video below on how these were made!)
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It was at least $90 to buy one and I didn't like any of them anyway, so of course my husband and I decided we could make our own and put our own handmade crafty 'spin' on it - pun intended :-)
- This is my favorite! It is a combination of *peg board with *hooks, cotton scrap yarn to hold it together, a lazy Susan (affiliate link) bottom, a foam board top with a simple cotton crocheted 'hat', and chalk-board signs written with chalkboard paint (affiliate links) on the top! Check out the video below to see how we made it :-)
- *peg board 2' x 4' common at $10.47 and hooks at $10
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- There was left-over pegboard from the spinning display so we used it to make a quick and simple display for my crochet hair scrunchies! We simply cut the left-over piece in half, painted it up to match everything else and used the crochet yarn to hold it together at the top and bottom. Add a few hooks and a chalk-board sign to the top and it's the perfect little A-frame display!
- Business card holders $2 (affiliate link)
- Mirror 6.5" for $15 (affiliate link)
- Baskets (already had them!) - note: my wonderful husband cut up and drilled holes in some of the chalkboard signs so I could attach them with colored yarn to the front of the baskets!
- We made a special display for the Little Lamb Lovey Blankets using a plastic soup container, a half of a paper towel cardboard center, and hot glue!
If you are anywhere near Ocean Beach Fire Island, NY the weekend of August 13th - 14th 2016, stop by our table and say hi!
Please follow us on social media!
Sincerely,
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It was easy enough to buy the bubbles through Amazon and/or Oriental Trading in exactly the color bottles needed to match our party 'colors.' We could have purchased labels pre-printed with my picture, name, etc. on them, but after reading the comments about them on Oriental Trading I figured it was easier to just make my own, and of course I was right! They were a little more expensive but I am really happy with the way they came out and that is all that matters since it was my birthday :-)
- Bubble Bottles in White and Red (affiliate links)
- Avery Self-Laminating Labels - water resistant & tear resistant (affiliate link)
- Computer
- Printer
- Scissors
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Thanks for visiting and if you like us, please follow us on social media!
Sincerely,
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