♥ Friday Flickr Inspiration: Fall Decor ♥

retro_mama: "patchwork pumpkins"

aprilhas5kids: "Autumn Owl Garland"

lilfishstudios: "Acorns"

calsidyrose: "Fall bird"

Teeny Tiny cabin: "Autumn Fillings"

bewitchedmagic: "Kitchen halloween pumpkins"

verymom: "Fall pillow"

♥ HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US ♥

I couldn't resist this cute photo! Yes, today is our 4th anniversary. We are in Gatlinburg TN this week. We were actually married in Pigeon Forge. Sometimes I can't believe it's only been 4 years and other times I think "where did the time go?" LOL. Either way, I wouldn't change a thing (well, only a few stressing times maybe!) Happy Anniversary to my best friend! :)

♥ Welcome Fall! ♥

I am so very happy that it is finally October...my favorite month! Not only because it's my anniversary month, although that's makes the icing on the cake, but I love the cooler weather and the changing colors. We are already having Autumn Rain...which is my favorite of course. With the cooler nights and all the rain, we are already seeing the colors of the leaves changing early. I love the smell of autumn and the change in cooking habits too. I am already wanting more warm soups and more "comfort foods". I always think of cinnamon scents in the fall & warm candlelight. Of course, being a crafty kind of person, I find I'm more into crafting too. During the summer, we stay so busy but autumn makes me think of more craft shows and Christmas projects.

Next week, we will be in Gatlinburg TN for our anniversary and their Fall Craftsmen's Fair happens to be during this time too. Yay! I am always inspired by all the artisans and come home ready to jump into making more goodies! What inspires you most about the fall?

Have a blessed weekend!

Hugs,
SHERI

Tea on Tuesday: Applesauce Spice Cupcakes

Ingredients:
* 1/3 cup butter, softened
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
* 3/4 cup applesauce
* Cream cheese frosting

Directions:
* In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with applesauce.
* Fill greased of paper-line muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Frost cooled cupcakes.

Yield: 1 dozen.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 164 calories, 6 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 49 mg cholesterol, 247 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.

~~yummy recipe and photo from: Taste of Home | October/November 1998~~

Friday Flickr Inspiration: Autumn

kayskreativekorner: "Autumn Owl Wreath"

Lady Zarobi: "Autumn Rainbow Beaded Scarf"

Arizona Quilts: "Autumn Leaves tote"

stjac11: "Autumn Owl Charm Bracelet"

Knit One Smock Too: "Needlework fall Pumpkin"

knitting guru: "Autumn Leaves Necklace"

Hump Day Humor

Tea on Tuesday: Quick & Easy Frosted Pumpkin Muffins

I love autumn & I love pumpkins! This is a great quick muffin recipe when you don't have the time to really "cook". :)

Ingredients:
* 1 package (16 ounces) pound cake mix
* 1 cup canned pumpkin
* 2 eggs
* 1/3 cup water
* 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 can (16 ounces) cream cheese frosting
* 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, optional

Directions:
* In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, water, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes.
* Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
* Frost muffins. Sprinkle with pecans if desired. Store in the refrigerator.

Yield: 1-1/2 dozen.

~~yummy recipe and photo from: Quick Cooking November/December 2003~~

And the winner is.........

True Random Number Generator
Min:
Max:
Result: 2

Congrats to..............

LINDA J. of "Friendship Tea"

I wish I had a copy to give everyone! Thank you for those who left comments. I really enjoyed reading all of them...and agree with you all! I love the fall weather, the yummy comfort foods, and all the fall events. We have finally dropped out of the 90's here and are enjoying some 80 degree weather....I love it! As soon as it drops even more, I will be even happier. I may be biased about autumn being my favorite season since I was married in October ;) but I like cooler temps and all the fall colors.

Linda, please send me an email with your snail mail and I will get this out to you! (tea4sheri@yahoo.com). Thanks everyone! Have a blessed weekend!

Hugs,
Sheri

P.S. I'm working on another giveaway soon, so don't give up! :)

Friday Flickr Inspirations: Fairy Jars

Artsy Fartsy: "Baby Fairy"

cedarjunction: "Chocolate-stealing fairy"

Satay-viola: "Nature fairy"

angellea: "Captured Seashell Fairy"

ouekaren: "Jar Fairy"

Genteel Poverty: "Fairy Jar"

speckled-egg: "Fairy Jar Swap"

littlethings1: "Christmas Fairy Jar"

It's almost time for a winner!

Just a reminder that tomorrow will I will be announcing a winner for the Fall issue of Celebrate! If you haven't left a comment, you can do so HERE. Good luck to everyone! :)

Hugs,

Sheri

Hump Day Humor

Friday Flickr Inspiration: Mermaids

Sea Treasure: "Mermaid Shadowbox"

remembermeemily:" Mermaid paperdolls"

fairydustedmermaids: "Tuxedo mermaid aceo"

Honeybeehi: "Mermaid doll"

SurrendrDorothy: "Mermaid Tears charm bracelet"

Chaoticartworks: "Altoid Tin Altered"

Sea Treasure "Mermaid ornament"

Cuddly angel: "Tilda mermaid"

pilliebee's: "Saucy mermaid"

Beth's Bagz: "Mermaid Pin Cushion"

My first craft fair!

About 2 weeks ago, I went to my first craft fair here locally to be a vendor. It was a new experience! I have been wanting to set up and sell a few items but was really afraid to "take the plunge". What if I didn't sell anything? Surely I would feel like a failure! Two hours went by before my first sale, and I have to admit, I was definitely feeling discouraged as I watched others around me selling from the first 5 minutes! I wasn't really sure what to expect and I even priced my items a bit lower than I normally do... I really wanted to sell some jewelry! I wish I had taken pictures of my jewelry before-hand but I only have a few of some items I did sell. It was great to "get my feet wet" with a home town show. Now I have a much better idea of what to expect. I normally list my items on Etsy and Ebay, which you know about a million other jewelry-makers do too, so you know how that goes. ;( Oh well....I'm encouraged to keep making though and who knows...I might find a Christmas craft show to be in next!

Hump Day Humor