Free Bag Pattern from Made by Rae

This bag is so cute! Find out how to make it at Made by Rae. Please note she has posted this for personal use, not for re-sale.

General Deasil's All Natural Cleaning Solution (available on Etsy)

It seems our grandmothers (and great-grandmothers ) knew how to be thrifty in the depression days of the 30's. Though we haven't quite reached that economic crisis (and I hope we never sink to that point) it does make you think about ways to reduce spending and waste.

There are countless ways to do things on the cheap or ways to reuse or fix a material object. The first question should be - "do I need it? Is it a want?" And "could I make that?"

Things to make....

Obviously the handmade movement is in full swing and many many things now are being crafted in our very own homes, but what can we make that is a normal everyday necessity?

Cleaning products.

What you say, make my own Lysol! Ok, some things I don't know how you would create without a lab equivalent to S.E. and Johnsons, but simple everyday cleaning products can be made in your very own kitchen. Not to mention these products are all natural and therefore much kinder to mother earth. It's a win both ways.

These recipes were taken from Better Homes and Gardens

Soft Scrub
Add enough soap to 1/8 cup baking soda to make a creamy mixture. Apply with sponge to clean; rinse the surface well. Use and discard.

Appliance Cleaner
Dry baking soda shines up small appliances and even removes bread wrappers burned onto the toaster. Try rubbing a teaspoon onto your grubby blender or food processor with a clean flannel cloth.

Toilet Cleaner/Deodorizer
Sprinkle toilet bowl with 1/4 cup baking soda. Drizzle with 1/4 cup vinegar, then scour with a toilet brush.

Oven Cleaner
Sprinkle oven with 1/2 cup baking soda (more if needed) and spray with water. Let sit for several hours or overnight before scraping up stains and spills. Rinse thoroughly with water.

Hardwood Floor Cleaner
In a pail or bucket, mix 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar in one gallon warm water. Mop wood or linoleum floors, then rinse with water, making sure not to leave large pools to dry.


Need more ideas, try looking at these books for more recipes and tricks.

Real Simple's 66 natural cleaning products
Tree hugging family 25 homemade cleaning supplies
Being Frugal's homemade cleaning tips, plus loads of comments and other tips from readers

Hygiene products....

What's gentler on your counters also works on your face. Bath soaks, soaps, face wash, you name it.

All natural beauty has a huge list of homemade goodies for your body such as ginger skin cream and yogurt body mask.
More ideas from Kristin's guide

Food....

Cooking at home is definitely cheaper than eating out each night (not that you need to completely give that up). Try making things in large batches and freezing them. You can make waffles, pasta sauce, ice cream, and so much more. Make extra of dinner and freeze it for a later lunch. Use a re-usable container instead of buying frozen dinners with extra packaging. Go pick hordes of strawberries in early summer and freeze them for year round use.

Grandma would be proud!

Featured Etsy seller - HARE and DRUM

New to my list of favorites, Hare and Drum's House of Color hosts a wide assortment of gorgeous hand-embroidered wall art, boxes, and business card holders among other goodies.

Pretty!

Craftstravaganza

This was my first time doing Craftsravaganza and really a large craft show at all. What an amazing experience. Mix in equal part of nerve racking prep work with last minute trips to Target and then this wonderful show that literally flys by in what seems like only a few hours when it was a full day event.

I have to say I was impressed at the group of vendors that were there this year. I recognized a few from last year, have had the pleasure of getting to know a small handful over the last year, and met some really amazing and talented people. To see pictures from the show, check out this Flickr link

My two awesome friends were there to help me and I couldn't have done this show without their support.

Kelly made that new sign for me and I love how it turned out.

Overall very happy with the display and the clothing rack. Didi find out it wanted to collapse on me at one point and a few times I had to gently warn little kids not to step on the bottom poles. That would have sucked. Big Time.

There are some things I have learned and hope that may be of use to other craft fair newbies:

1. wash and tag clothing as you make it. Don't spend a solid 3 hours doing this at 9:00 the night before. That and ironing everything at once really sucks.
2. Take pictures of your goods (if you need a reference for future re-makes) before the show. I ran out of time and scratched this off the major to do list. I regret that now.
3. Get lot's of sleep the night before. Make a cut off time where you just stop and go to bed. Some things can be done in the morning.
4. Eat breakfast. I don't remember if I did this, so probably not.
5. Bring lot's of quick snacks to nibble.
6. Make sure to smile and greet everyone who comes up to your table. I don't believe in being pushy or hounding, but DO NOT ignore people by chatting with your friends.
7. Go in with low expectations in sales because you will be sure to surprise yourself! Or, have a reasonable goal and just make sure to have enough inventory to meet that goal.
8. Having things at different price points is good. Some people look for gifts, others for something small for themselves.

Free Pattern from Anna Marie Horner

Horner has teamed up with Amazon to provide a free pattern from her book, Seams to Me. By the way, amazing book and I highly recommend it. Her use of color and pattern is out of this world!

I love Burda

I stumbled upon Burda Style about a year or so ago and absolutely love this site. People post their patterns for their sewn creations which are either free or for a small fee. Directions along with the pattern are then printed out at home on your very own printer.

Patterns are rated by those who have made them along with a difficulty meter. You can also see pictures of people's results.