Fresh lemonade was my one true and steady pregnancy craving. I started making my own homemade lemonade cribbed from a recipe in a Sesame Street cookbook (officially “Big Bird’s Sunny Days Lemonade Recipe,” ha…) and I realized that making fresh lemonade is (a) really easy, (b) super cheap and (c) so much tastier than any lemonade I’ve ever bought at the grocery store — seriously, you’ll never buy powdered lemon-flavored-whatever or schlep home a heavy bottle of pre-mixed 10% juice not-from-concentrate again.

And what’s more perfect in the summer than fresh homemade lemonade? Either alone or, uh, with a little bit of mother’s helper?? Get the easy fresh lemonade recipe below…

WANNA MAKE IT? Fresh homemade lemonade recipe –>

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I’m back with another DIY or Buy, this time featuring pin cushion thread catcher patterns. Trust me, if you like to sew, this guy is going to become your new best friend. Thread catchers act as little trashcans for your stray threads and empty spools and you can set them wherever you happen to be working …sewing machine, sofa, you name it.

Here’s my free pin cushion pattern and tutorial that includes a weighted pincushion. Be sure to read the comments …lots of great reader ideas shared.

The free pattern for Polka Dot Apron’s thread catcher free tutorial uses belting around the top which is a stiff but flexible band.

For traveling light, try Needling Things’ triangular thread catcher tutorial.

This next thread catcher pattern from Bloom is a paid PDF pattern called ‘Beyond Measure’ so not free like mine but so cute I have to share here. And I went to university in Sydney and have a fondness for Australian designers.

Don’t have time to sew your own thread catcher and looking to buy? Sewsouthernquilts has a shop full of thread catchers reasonably priced with a range of cute patterns – I like this retro 30s reproduction fabric:

This free tiered baby dress sewing pattern has subtle gathered ruffled tiers and a classic pillowcase-dress-inspired neckline with ribbon ties that’s perfect for late spring and summer. And it’s super easy to sew.

This sewing pattern was totally inspired by a piece of fabric; specifically, the Texas Modern Strips Coral fabric at Spoonflower by Jacinda from Prudent Baby. When the fabric arrived in the mail I swooned, dreaming up in my head a free sewing pattern with elegant, subtly gathered tiers that would showcase Jacinda’s hand painted watercolor coral stripes in a classic yet modern way.

And well, I have a little secret to tell you. This pattern didn’t start as a baby dress pattern. Oh no. It started out as a tiered toddler tunic shirt pattern for my 2-1/2 year old daughter, Elise. I made it at night while she slept, not trying it on until the morning. And I realized too late that I had designed a super cute free pattern ….that was was waaay too small under her arms. And I was crushed.

But then came the lemonade! I realized that the free pattern I made was not only a super cute tiered ruffled BABY DRESS pattern but also THE PERFECT SIZE for Dagny, my downstairs neighbor Jamie’s adorable 6-month-old baby girl. Yippee!

The final free baby dress pattern size measures 10″ from underarm to underarm, 12″ across the bottom of the front panel, 16″ across the bottom of the middle tier, 20 inches around the bottom of the lowest tier, and 13.5″ from top to bottom. You could increase it as needed to fit larger sizes, details below.

Such amazing fabric. Such a cute combination of ruffled tiers with a classic pillowcase dress top. Lemonade it is.

WANNA MAKE IT? Free sewing pattern, step-by-step tutorial and supply list for making a tiered ruffle baby dress –>

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These free DIY printable garden seed markers are made from recycled plastic salad containers.  The packrat in me always kinda feel bad about throwing these plastic salad containers away so thought I’d try to make something useful from them. And I thought that the salad container plastic could make a great waterproof outer case for garden seed markers.

This year we decided to 86 buying flowers for our deck and instead just grow vegetables and other edibles. So far Elise and I have planted tomato seeds, lettuce and basil. These seed markers not only help you keep track of which seeds are what but they also show plant maintenance and care including watering instructions, thinning distances, and harvesting guidelines.

The geometric design was inspired by the latest patterns at Anthropologie that I first saw on design*sponge and uses the super cool font Blanch from the Lost Type Co-op.

And bonus! This project gave me an excuse to use one of my favorite hardware store materials: colored electrical tape…

Hopefully we’ll have a good growing season in Chicago. And with our budding lettuce crop, Elise and I will hopefully be buying way fewer plastic salad containers this summer.

WANNA MAKE IT? Free printable template, step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list for DIY garden seed markers from recycled plastic salad containers –>

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Thanks to everyone who entered to win a copy of This Is Your Book: a fun, modern spin on the traditional baby book. Many of you liked the idea of gifting (or having!) this fill-in baby journal with a pop culture twist: not only do you record standard newborn info like height, weight, birth hospital and hair color but also current events, fun statistics, and other pop culture, everything from Academy Award winners to countries at war to the cost of a Starbucks coffee to musicians your parents liked.

To enter this giveaway, I asked you to tell me who this book would be for in your life:

• Rebecca Cynamon-Murphy said “My brother and sister-in-law’s baby-to-be. They are stylish and super-busy. This seems perfect.”
• Liesel said “Me! We are expecting our first, a little guy, in just a few weeks. I haven’t bought a book because they are all hideous and generic. I love this!”
• Lia Lara-Tellez “My little sister was in a coma last year. This year she’ll be giving birth! Daddy is a graphic designer & both of them are awesome so this VERY awesome book would have to be theirs!”

Oh, I wish I had free copies of This Is Your Book for every one of you gifters and new moms! Keep reading to see the lucky winner randomly selected by Rafflecopter…

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