Last Thurdsay, October 1st, was World Vegetarian Day, the day that kicks off Vegetarian Awareness Month throughout October. Did you know that October was World Vegetarian Month? I did not!

World Vegetarian Day is observed annually on October 1. It is a day of celebration established by the North American Vegetarian Society in 1977 and endorsed by the International Vegetarian Union in 1978, "To promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism."[1] It brings awareness to the ethical, environmental, health and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle.

World Vegetarian Day initiates the month of October as Vegetarian Awareness Month, which ends with November 1, World Vegan Day, as the end of that month of celebration. Vegetarian Awareness Month has been known variously as Reverence for Life month, Month of Vegetarian Food, and more. (www.wikipedia.com)

I recently found out about the day and month of observance and it struck a cord. See, I've been debating going vegetarian recently. I've dabbled on-and-off in vegetarianism throughout the years, but with a Latina background, I've grown up eating meat and I do enjoy it. While I don't eat it every day, I do crave it sometimes. That being said, as my body has taken on some changes recently and I've gained weight that I'm not happy about, I've found myself preparing, cooking and eating more fruits and vegetables and I've been content. And I'm debating making this the norm. In honor of this decision and to acknowledge the day and celebrate something we should all consider for not just our own livelihoods, but that of the Earth and all well as the Earth, I decided to combine two of my deep loves - environmental concerns and stationery and give our readers something to use in your homes and kitchens - a recipe card template.

About the template - This recipe card is double-side printed card that you can print to your hearts content. Please share it! All art and hand lettering was done by yours truly, Sara Stroman of S2 Stationery & Design. There are a two options for those interested - you can cut out your own card like a paper crafter**, or you can print the card exact to size*.

*If you would like to print it to size, use the following files: Side 1 and Side 2

**If you'd like to cut out your card after printing, use the following files: Side 1 and Side 2 and then see the steps below:

Necessary Tools:

White heavy paper stock, preferably 80lb cover stock (you can use any stock you have on hand)
Ruler
Pencil and eraser (to trace lines between crop/trim marks if using a scissor)
X-acto knife (preferred), or scissors
Cutting mat, if using xacto knife
Bone tool
Printer, color preferred

Steps:

1. Gather all your materials (see photo above)

2. Check that you can see your crop/trim marks (the PDFs for both sides have crop/trim marks) - these are going to be what you use to cut the card out.

3. Align your ruler against the crop mark lines, making sure the ruler is set against them as close as possible and that you are pushing the ruler firmly down against the paper as you cut. You will do this a total of four times as you cut around.

(IF using scissors method, please see "NOTE" below instructions.)

4. Cut between the lines. Do not cut to the edge of the paper, otherwise, you will lose your way to cut straight lines!

5. Once cut on all four sides, your card should pop out without any problems. If there are any, you will need to go over the edge with the X-acto knife for a clean edge.

6. Once cut out, you have the choice of leaving the card flat, or scoring the card on the dotted line on each side. If you decide to score the card, you will follow the same rules in step 3 above - align the ruler as close to the line as possible and run your bone tool down the line using your ruler as your guide.

7. Once scored on each side, fold the two sides in. The words will fold in. See below (and above in the gallery!).

Note: If you use scissors to cut out the card, I highly recommend that using a pencil you lightly create your cutting lines using your ruler between the crop/trim marks. Then cut carefully to get a straight edge.

And viola! That is your recipe card! Again, use to your hearts content. Share with your loved ones. Pass along some veggie love!

Enjoy! If you have a recipe you want to share, or want to share photos of your cards cut out and in use, please do so in the comments!

Cheers!
Sara