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5 FREE Back-to-School Printables!

Hello August! We are still soaking up those last few days of Summer. I love-love-love Fall and I've never really liked August, but I'm honestly not ready to rush into the holiday season. I hope this month goes slowly!

This month I had our new intern Emily pick the theme and color scheme for our desktop background and wallpaper. She helped create this from start to finish, and I love it.

To download the phone wallpaper simply save the above image to your phone/tablet.

To download the desktop background you can go here and save the image. Once you have saved the image you can set it as your background through your system preferences (desktop/screensaver)/control panel (appearance/personalizaiton).

*As with all my freebies, please remember these are for personal use only for you to enjoy. Please link back and credit. Thanks!*

Summer is my favorite time for discovering new books. I don't know if it's because it's a slower season or because I enjoyed all the Summer reading programs I participated in as a child. Regardless, it's always fun to add to my currently reading list. To help you discover some new books, our favorite bookstore, The Bookshelf, is sharing their current top five favorite books.

Clock Dance by Anne Tyler

Calypso by David Sedaris

The Ensemble by Aja Gabel

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

And if you're always carrying around books to read when you can, we have a brand new tote bag in the shop perfect for toting around your latest reading material. You can find it HERE.

And for all things bookish make sure to follow The Bookshelfon Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I love hearing about new releases and discovering new authors through their posts. Plus! all of the books they share are available in store and online. 

You can also check out their podcast, From the Front Porch, HERE, where they share conversations on books, small business, and life in the South.

I don't know about ya'll, but strawberries are a big favorite in our house. Every summer we get a huge crate of strawberries from a local strawberry patch. We freeze them for smoothies and we make a batch of homemade jam with the help of my mom (aka Nana).

We like to spread the jam on toast English muffins for a quick breakfast or snack, but it's so good, I could just sit and eat it with a spoon. Ha! My kids also love it in place of jelly with their peanut butter sandwiches. If you have a house full of strawberry lovers, you're definitely going to want to try this recipe out.

Ingredients:

6 cups prepared strawberries (buy 6 pints fully ripe strawberries)

4 cups sugar, measured into a separate bowl, then divide into ¼ cup and 3-3/4 cup and set aside

1 box Sure-Jell for Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes Premium Fruit Pectin (Pink box)

½ tsp. butter or margarine (optional

8 (1-cup) jars with lids and rings

Jar Preparation Steps:

Bring boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

Jam Preparation Steps:

Wash berries before cutting off stems and drain well. Stem and crush strawberries thoroughly. Measure exactly 6 cups prepared fruit into an 8-quart saucepot.

Mix ¼ cup sugar (from measured amount in bowl) and pectin in small bowl. Add to fruit in saucepot; mix well. Add butter or margarine to reduce foaming (optional). Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining 3-3/4 cups sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within ¼ inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw band tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in water-bath canner, covering jars by at least 1 inch. Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

(Reference)

You can find our mixing bowl mini cards HERE. They're great to have on hand for when you share your homemade goodies with friends and family! 

Hello July! This month's red, white, and blue desktop calendar/phone wallpaper is fun and festive. We are celebrating July 4th this year on a little trip with lots of rest, relaxation, and viewing fireworks from the back porch. I hope you you have a wonderful 4th of July!

To download the phone wallpaper simply save the below image to your phone/tablet.

To download the desktop background you can go here and save the image. Once you have saved the image you can set it as your background through your system preferences (desktop/screensaver)/control panel (appearance/personalizaiton).

*As with all my freebies, please remember these are for personal use only for you to enjoy. Please link back and credit. Thanks!*

Fun Summer hostess gift ideas!

We are making room for some NEW products (coming soon), so we are retiring over 100 prints!

Hello Summer! Who is ready for lazy days and sunshine? Summer has started for us and we are already experimenting with homemade ice-pop recipes.

We are big fans of podcasts around here. Whether you are in need of laughs, inspiration, business ideas, wisdom, or just some good parenting advice, there are amazing podcasts out there to meet those needs.

We are sharing a few of our favorite podcasts with you today.

The word "party" doesn't exactly make me feel like sitting down and writing out lists and plans—I just want to get to the part where we have fun. Ha. But even the smallest parties require at least some sort of planning for basics like inviting people, drinks, and napkins.

Laura Ingalls Wilder said it best -- Home is the nicest word there is.

Over the past few years I have totally become a homebody. I look forward to the weekends where we can work on the garden, cook good meals, and just be together. I feel joy in making our house a home.

One question that people often ask is how do you stay creative all time? Most people probably assume artists, designers, and makers never have a problem with creativity. This is so not the case. I often struggle with creativity and not just in my work but in daily life.