As we’re gearing up for a spring and summer of fresh veggies, we like to turn to our cookbook shelf for inspiration, and over the years, have come to realize that our favorite cookbooks are the ones that are organized by season! It makes dinner (and dessert) planning so easy when you go to the farmers’ market, pick up a pile of fruit and veg, and then open your cookbook to spring and see that you have the ingredients for a handful of recipes! Today we’re sharing the publications that we love, and they are all united by their seasonal organization.

We love Marisa, the creator of the blog Food in Jars.  She’s a food writer and canning teacher, uh, hellllllo, dream job!  Her books, Food in Jars and Preserving by the Pint, are both laid out by the season, making them great canning guides throughout the year.

From the Cook’s Garden is the perfect source for your evening dinner dilemma.

Rustic Fruit Desserts will inspire your desserts (and breakfasts, if you’re like us!) throughout the seasons.

 Taproot is a seasonal quarterly that screams (or maybe gently sings) local authentic living and community connectivity.  It is a beautiful publication from start to finish and as of one minute ago, I ordered my yearly subscription.

Planning a potluck? Pick up Handmade Gatherings: Recipes and Crafts for Seasonal Celebrations and Potluck Parties.  It’s another goodie by Ashley English that offers up party ideas, arts and crafts and recipes that are meant to build community via collaboration.

Keep your container garden growing all year long with Continuous Container Gardens.

Do you have any favorites we didn’t mention? We would love some new leads!

Image from the Library of Congress archive.

This weekend I’ll be making the trip north to visit family in Pennsylvania.  Whenever I think family holidays, friend gatherings or vacations, I start day dreaming about the magical spaces where they take place.  When I was younger, I’d picture enormous mansions and vacation rental homes, but as I’ve grown up, my daydreams have wandered into the woods and specifically under the amazing roofs of a-frames.

I love all the windows in this one.

This tiny a-frame is so quaint! Somehow there’s room for a wood stove.

The Allandale house is so much more than a simple a-frame. I suggest you scroll through the album and fall in love like I did.

Great news, this red a-frame and this modern a-frame are for rent.  They’re both located in the Sierra National Forest near Yosemite, um, yes please!

Instead of renting, you could always build one yourself.

That siding? That sliding door? This looks like the artist retreat for me…

When I’m finished with my residency, I’ll just drive a few hours across Oregon and move into this modern a-frame. I imagine the conversation will go something like this, *knock knock* “Oh, hi Jonya, Brandon and Julian!  Your new housemate is here. Don’t mind me, I’ll cook and clean, you guys just do your thing…”

If they reject me, I’ll seek out this home.  The photos on Heath’s flickr stream are really inspiring BTW.

As much as I love homes meant for large families and entertaining, I love simple, tiny a-frames.  I imagine a blissful little summer of solitude or a cozy winter where I spend my time reading books and sipping tea.

Lastly, this blue guy. Sadly, I couldn’t locate a source no matter how hard I tried.

Here are more a-frames and  some simple space inspiration if you need something to draw from for your daydreams.

Have you ever stayed in an a-frame?  Was it yours or a friend’s?  Did you rent it?  I must know every detail.  Happy daydreaming!

 Image property of the Library of Congress archive.

Between the beautiful weather, the cherry blossoms reaching peak bloom, and Easter coming up next week, we were drawn to photos of beautiful spring tables this week. Katie’s hoping her cherry blossoms open in time to decorate the table next week, but if they don’t, we have plenty of beautiful alternatives to pick from below.

Love these little bird’s nests place settings and this less tailored look as well.

Check out these really simple name cards.  They could work for almost any type of get together: coffee groups, knitting circles, even baby showers.

The napkins are the key players on these tables. After years of working in catering, I’ve never come across this cute fold.

In my opinion, this simple napkin speaks just as loudly as the bunny ears. [Katie here: I saw some quail eggs at the Asian market last week, and I’m thinking it would be fun to try to blow the egg out and use them as a spring decoration! Sarah, are you up for the challenge?!]

This may be my favorite spring setting of all and I think we can all agree that it’s easy enough to pull off in a pinch.

If you have lots of space on your table, try this or this.  You could even gift the plants to your guests!

If you want a more tailored floral look, try grouping some vases with pretty blooms.

Baby A is turning one and we’re on a geometric mission!  We want his special day to be filled with stripes, smiles and music.  He looks real fine in stripes and he’s a kazoo master, which is how we came up with the theme.  Here are some of our ideas so far, but if you think of anything we’re missing, let us know!

Striped bow ties for the gents and party hats for everyone!

I doubt we’ll get this classy, especially since little A will tear those tassels down in an instant, but how cute is this black and white striped scene?

We haven’t decided on a cake yet because there are so many great options…

These cookies are pretty cute too!

Or we could go the popsicle route and try these or these.

Straws for sipping and forks for cake? Check and Check.

Speaking of sipping, how cute are these cubes for keeping your drink cold?

Even though our family isn’t that big on sweets, we may have to have a striped candy bar.

I’m not sure what to get the birthday boy yet, but I’ll definitely be making some striped wrapping paper. And wouldn’t this card complete the package?!

We’re also ordering kazoos and stunna shades.

Check out the rest of our stripe inspiration here and be sure to let us know what we’re missing!

Image from the Library of Congress archive.

This week I worked two smaller gigs that paid in cash and after each one I stopped off at Michaels, A.C. Moore and Lowes on the way home.  I realized I have a tendency to immediately spend my cash on craft supplies even though I already have a whole room full of fabrics, papers, ribbons and yarns.  Are you the same way?  What are your favorite craft supply sources and items?  We’ve rounded up a few fun ones here, but we’re always looking for those mystical bead shops or that warehouse full of fabrics so let us in on your secret supply stores too.

In a few weeks we’ll be sharing some map-tastic crafts so now would be a good time to stock up on these.

These safety pins make awesome removable stitch markers for your knitting projects, and with 300 in a box, you have plenty to lose, share, or stash!

Our mom left Katie with an extra (EXTRA) large crochet hook. What to do with it? Maybe this cowl? Or a crocheted rug?

And then there’s this yarn. wow.

Need a place to store your supplies? Katie uses a library card catalog she picked up on Ebay.

We also love metal tackle boxes for storage. One for jewelry supplies, another for the tools and bobbins we use when at the sewing machine.

Shop Goodwill is a great site for so many reasons.  Sarah is currently perusing their listings for a good sewing machine.

We don’t own fringe scissors, at least not yet! But don’t they look equally scary and exciting at the same time?

When it comes to making wearable gifts for others, the hardest part is getting the sizes right. Size charts like this one for hats are my go-to reference.

Of course, crafting doesn’t have to require buying the supplies, sometimes you have everything you need at home. Take these wine cork stamps as an example. (We all have wine waiting for an excuse to be opened, right?)

Have a great weekend everyone and hopefully it involves a little pro-craft-tination.

Ps. you can find us here now!

*Image via Library of Congress