ArtyFartyCreations

Autumn Apple Crisp

2011-10-26T17:11:00.000-05:00

Autumn Apple Crisp:

Living in New England, apples are a major part of our autumn meals.

Here is a recipe for our favorite seasonal treat, Apple Crisp.

For the filling:

10-12 large apples, peeled and sliced (Cortlands are our favorite)

3/4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the crumb topping:

1 cup quick oats

1 cup flour

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan.
Place the sliced apples pan. In a small bowl, mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tsp cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Stir carefully to coat the apples.
In a bowl, combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes, until apples are soft and topping is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Original recipe from here, just slightly adapted.

Zibbet Q&A: My buyer didn’t pay. What should I do?

2011-10-26T08:06:00.001-05:00

Zibbet Q&A: My buyer didn’t pay. What should I do?:
When a buyer goes through checkout, they are presented with a ‘Commit To Buy’ / ‘Pay via PayPal’ button. If they click this button, the sale will show up in your ‘Sold Items’ section.

At this point the buyer has committed to the purchase, but still needs to pay. The next step is to complete the payment at PayPal, which is where the buyer is automatically taken after clicking the ‘Pay via PayPal’ button. Unfortunately, some buyers don’t complete this step. We refer to these buyers as ‘Non Paying Buyers’ or NPBs.

There is a variety of reasons why you may have an NPB. The buyer may not have a PayPal account or he/she may have changed their mind about making the purchase. The buyer may think they’ve already paid when they actually haven’t. A distraction such as a ringing phone or crying baby may cause the buyer to forget to complete the transaction.

The general approach among sellers is to give the buyer a few hours to complete the payment before sending a friendly reminder message. When you send a message, be sure to thank the buyer for the purchase and provide instructions on how to complete the payment. If you don’t receive a response from the buyer within a reasonable length of time, it’s safe to assume that the buyer doesn’t intend to complete the purchase.

You currently have two options at this point:

1. The order will automatically be cancelled if no action has been taken, and the items relisted after 7 days.

2. Contact Support with the order number. We can cancel the order and relist the items for you.

In the future, you will have the ability to cancel your orders manually.

Here are two sets of instructions for completing the purchase that you can share with your buyer:

1. Go to http://www.zibbet.com and log in to your My Zibbet.

2. Select ‘Purchases’ from the right-hand column.

3. Find the order in the purchases list.

4. Select ‘Pay via PayPal’ from the drop-down menu next to the order.

5. Complete payment via PayPal.

Alternatively:

1. Go to http://www.zibbet.com and log in to your My Zibbet.

2. Select ‘Cart’ from the top of the page.

3. Find the order at the bottom of the page which still requires payment.

4. Select ‘Pay for Order’.

5. Complete payment via PayPal.

Best wishes for much success on Zibbet!

Vicki is committed to assisting her fellow Zibbeters improve their shops for successful online selling. She is the owner of five Zibbet shops: LOC Design Studio, Denim and Pearls, A Stitch and a Prayer, Black Creek Crossing and Think Like a Fish. You can follow Vicki on Twitter and through her LOC Design Studio blog.

Today's Sewing project

2011-10-17T18:07:00.000-05:00

I made a dolly. She is 8" tall

and doesn't have a face or hair yet.

I prepared the patterns to make her clothes

and that was time consuming but

"a good job done". Tomorrow is grocery day

but I plan on finishing my dolly and getting

at least one outfit cut out for her.

Dinner With My Family #35: Peanut Butter and Apple Wraps

2011-10-15T12:50:00.001-05:00

From The Simple Dollar

Dinner With My Family #35: Peanut Butter and Apple Wraps:
Each week, I’ll present a low-cost meal (or a meal that demonstrates a lot of options for cutting costs) that my family eats for dinner and enjoys. Many of the recipes will be vegan or vegetarian, with options to add other ingredients for non-vegetarians.

This week’s goal was simple. What sort of healthy lunch can we make with the stuff on hand that’s in the spirit of fall (and has some of the flavors of the season), while still being relatively light, appeals to the kids, is inexpensive and uses a lot of what we had on hand already, and can easily be made in a large batch to pull out of the refrigerator in a day or two for a tight meal?

I think we pulled all of that off with this one. These wraps make for a perfect lunch and can also accompany a stew or soup for the evening meal – in fact, I ate these wraps in both of these settings. They’re a bit sweet (from the peanut butter), but both fall-flavorful and fairly light at the same time.

I’ll give Sarah a lot of credit here. She came up with these during some of her kitchen alchemy, where she just seemingly pulls out a bunch of random stuff and assembles a meal from it.

What You Need

All you’ll need is some peanut butter (I’m honestly not sure how much – just get out a jar and a butter knife), some tortillas, 1/4 cup minced apple per tortilla, 1/8 cup shredded carrot per tortilla, 1/8 cup granola per tortilla, and 1 teaspoon of roasted wheat germ per tortilla.

Roasted wheat germ is easy. Just spread out the wheat germ on a baking dish and pop it in the oven at 350 for about five minutes. Perfect.

We were able to find all of this stuff on hand at our house except the granola, which we picked up for a few nickels at our local grocery store.

The Night Before (or Early That Day)

The thing to do beforehand is to prep the carrots and apples. Simply chop the apples into oblivion and shred the carrots. You might also want to toast the wheat germ.

Of course, assembling the wraps is so easy that this is the real work of the meal.

Preparing the Meal

Lay out a tortilla in front of you. Cover it in a thin layer of peanut butter, then add the other ingredients as described in “What You Need.” Here’s what one looked like before wrapping.

Once that’s done, simply wrap it up, slice it in half, and enjoy!

These wraps work as a standalone meal. They also work as an accompaniment to other foods, particularly soups.

Optional Ingredients

You can substitute other spreads for the peanut butter. In fact, the last time I made these, I actually used almond butter. You can try things like hazelnut butter as well, though it’ll make the wrap very sweet. If you want it less sweet, use cream cheese as the spread. For other ingredient substitutions, you can leave things out as you wish or used other vegetables as a substitute, such as shredded sweet potato.

Zibbet Q&A: How do I add my items to the Gift Guides?

2011-10-12T12:05:00.001-05:00

Zibbet Q&A: How do I add my items to the Gift Guides?:
Listing items in Zibbet’s Gift Guides is a feature available to Premium sellers. Each Premium seller is allotted space for twenty-five items of their choice to be featured in the sixteen basic Gift Guide categories. Throughout the year, featured Gift Guides will be added for a limited time that focus on a holiday or special event. While these special Gift Guides are available, Premium sellers can add an additional twenty-five items in the featured Gift Guide. It’s a good idea to try to list items in each Gift Guide category if possible and to take advantage of the extra exposure provided by the featured Gift Guides when they’re available.

It’s easy to add items to Zibbet’s Gift Guides. When listing a new item, simply select a category from the drop down menu in the optional Gift Guide area on the ‘List a New Item’ page. If a featured Gift Guide is available at the time, the name of that Gift Guide will appear in the category list.

To add an item to a Gift Guide after the item has been listed, click the ‘Edit’ link on your ‘Listings’ page and then select the Gift Guide as described above. Be sure to click the ‘Save Changes’ button at the bottom of the page before leaving.

To see a list of items from your shop that you’ve added to Zibbet’s Gift Guides, click the ‘Items in Gift Guides’ link under ‘Listings’ on your My Zibbet page. Please note that you can remove items from Gift Guides by clicking the ‘Remove’ links.

Gift Guides are another great reason to upgrade to a Premium account. To upgrade to Premium, click one of the upgrade links on your ‘Account Info’ page.

Best wishes for much success on Zibbet!

More New Listings :)

2011-10-12T11:49:00.000-05:00

I made 4 bags today !!!

I just listed them in my shop.

Here are a few photos :)

Wednesday Sewing Projects :)

2011-10-12T09:16:00.001-05:00

Just finished the Black to Dragon print Bucket bag :)

See the listing HERE :)
I need someone to model this.... Dad said NO WAY !!! LOL

Free Gift With Purchase !!!

2011-10-07T17:24:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to think of something neaty cool

to offer as a "Thank You" to any one who makes a purchase

from ArtyFartyCreations and I think I found it !!!!

Years ago when I taught at Erickson's Sewing Center in Antioch, Illinois,

I designed this flower pattern. :)

Time To Stop And Fix Lunch :)

2011-10-07T12:15:00.000-05:00

Busy sewing morning today....

I just listed 4 Makeup Brush Rolls.

They turned out really nice

click HERE to see them in the shop :)

No Sewing Today

2011-10-06T16:18:00.000-05:00

Mandy came over and we went to Hobby Lobby. I found the black and the beige cotton that I need to finish the "Feedbag" Purses that I started a few days ago. I paused to take a look at my sewing area while preparing for tomorrow's sewing and decided to take a few pictures. Disgusting isn't it? LOL

New Items Listed Today

2011-10-05T14:55:00.000-05:00

I excavated some items that were used for samples in my sewing classes.

Since they were never used and have been wrapped in tissue all of these years,

I decided that I would list them in my shop today.

HERE is the link to see them at "ArtyFartyCreations" the shop :)

I drew up the patterns for the Kaleidoscope Bag and Little Lady Pocketbook.

I wasn't able to find the patterns and now that I spent the day re-drawing them

I will probably find them . bah

Just Finished.... Four Little Wallets

2011-10-04T16:04:00.000-05:00

These are actually more like card cases

but they work just as well for holding

a little cash too.

I love these little wallets.

There are three sections in each one and

a velcro closure.

The decorative stacked buttons

are a fun accent and best of all.....

the tiny "Made with Love" charm

that hangs on the side.

CLICK HERE

to see them in the shop.

Chocolate, Pimento, Soft Gold and Robin's Egg Blue FiddleSticks Bag

2011-10-04T11:57:00.000-05:00

Great fabric !!!

If you have been reading my posts,

this fabric will look familiar.

I originally bought it to use in the

"Quilt Your Colors" 2011

Quilt contest for JoAnn Fabrics.

Well....needless to say...

it screamed:

"MAKE ME INTO A BAG!!!!"

that is my story and I'm "sticking" to it !!!!

lol

HERE is the listing :)

The Freddie Fiddle Sticks Bag

2011-10-03T17:08:00.000-05:00

I just finished the first

"Freddie Fiddle Sticks" Bag

named after my brother in law

who was kind enough to make me

a box full of the sticks used

to make this wonderful little bag.

HERE is the link to see this pretty little bag

in my Arty Farty Shop.

New Item In The Shop

2011-10-03T14:57:00.000-05:00

Introducing.......

The Small Bag !!!!

I plan on making more of these

sweet little bags .

This one was made from an Ann Taylor dress

that used to be Mandy's.

Becky is modelling it .

She always seems to stop by at just the right time :)

Here are a few photos.

Tomorrow I want to make a

Freddie's Fiddle Stick Bag.

Friday September 30, 2011

2011-10-01T07:12:00.000-05:00

Add caption

Busy day with no sewing again. Shopping with Mandy and then Becky and Jon stopped by in the afternoon. Mandy and I went to JoAnn Fabrics to look at quilt fabrics. I want to make my Victorian quilt and enter it into their "Quilt Your Colors" 2011 quilt contest. I "shopped" online at the website to have an idea in mind before we went. I even printed a fabric swatch that caught my eye and Mandy found it, along with another companion print that works perfectly. I bought a yard of each along with a few solid colors. After everyone left, I prepared my applique patterns, 12 total. This is going to take a lot of time but i am excited about making another one of these quilts, especially with more "modern" fabrics. I have included photos of the two main fabrics in this post. I need to purchase Heat and Bond which will be on sale next week so today, I want to work on a purse that I have all cut out and ready to go for the shop.

No Sewing Today....

2011-09-29T19:00:00.001-05:00

I spent most of the day getting stuff ready to send out to Mom's caseworker to apply for Medicaid. It would really help if she got it. One more stop tomorrow and I can get it sent off on Monday. More sewing on Saturday .

Becky stopped by today :)

2011-09-28T16:51:00.001-05:00

She "modeled" the new bag for me with Gary looking on in the background :)

Thanks Beck !!! :)

Crayon Rolls !!!!

2011-09-28T16:49:00.000-05:00

These are just a few of the Crayon Rolls that I made today !!!

My sewing machine has really been getting a workout the past few days :)

Reversible Bucket Bag

2011-09-27T18:37:00.000-05:00

This is a bag that I designed and taught in one of my sewing classes about 6 years ago. It is a lightweight bag that is very versatile. I have 4 of them cut out and sewn in varying stages, but I wanted to finish one to get it photographed and listed.

First Post

2011-09-27T09:22:00.000-05:00

Well, Here I am on "Blogger". This is my first post. I have much more research and "setting up" to do. I want to try to post here a few times a week. My next step will be to add Picasa and then put photos of my ArtyFartyCreations on my blog. I have been enjoying using the Zibbet forums and getting lots of ideas and inspiration there. I want to make a list of my "friends" shops on Zibbet and also their blogs. When I have all of that settled....I have a bag pattern that I designed a few years ago that I want to work on. I haven't been this excited about anything in quite awhile :) Thank you to my 3 beautiful daughters and my sweet husband for pushing me to do this (finally).

Zibbet Information Resources

2011-09-24T08:38:00.000-05:00

Zibbet Information Resources:
Zibbet information is currently available through a combination of resources. Today I’d like to highlight those resources for you here in one place. I encourage you to make this article a favorite or bookmark in your browser of choice so that you have quick and easy access to links to the various sources of information about Zibbet.

Zibbet’s Knowledge Base contains information in a Q&A format. This resource will be greatly expanded as the rebuild is implemented. For now you can find answers to basic questions here. Our Ideas Forum can be accessed on the Knowledge Base page. Use the Ideas Forum to post your suggestions for new features and other changes you’d like to see on Zibbet.

Zibbet’s Community Hub is our social networking site. Membership requires a separate account and login from your actual Zibbet account. Our Community is a gathering place for Zibbeters with a wide range of experience and expertise. You’ll find valuable information by reading existing forums and by participating in chat. You can start a discussion to ask a question as well as to share information and insights from your own experience.

Success on Zibbet articles are written specifically for helping our members achieve success. They contain a wealth of information on a variety of topics that we hope you find useful. To make finding articles on specific topics easier, you’ll find a cross referenced index of articles in the Success on Zibbet Article Index discussion located in the Community.

Zibbet Support is only an email away. If you’re having a technical issue, we encourage you to contact us there as soon as possible. Our goal is to respond to your inquiry within 24 hours. At the same time, we also encourage you to search the resources listed above when you have a question. If you can’t locate the information you need, don’t hesitate to send us a message at support@zibbet.com.

For the next couple of months, in each week’s Success on Zibbet article I’ll answer a different question that we commonly receive through Zibbet Support. I hope this will help you find the information that you need quickly and easily.

Best wishes for much success on Zibbet!