With lots of hard work, and determination, we created the perfect little cabin! We have been blessed with such a great opportunity to give homesteading a try. Granted we are not full-time homesteaders, we are learning and trying so many different ways to be self-sufficient. From learning which types of poultry we enjoy to what grows best in the garden, every step is truly an adventure. It had been a goal of ours for 3 plus years to build a small cabin in the back of the property for a place to getaway. At the beginning of 2021, we decided this is our year, we are building the cabin or it will never get done. Our first step was to figure out how to get started. We read so many books ...
Our Little Cabin
Valentine’s Day Gnome!
Make This Cute Gnome For Your Special Valentine! Gnomes are everywhere lately! There are so many adorable different versions for every holiday. With the hustle and bustle of the holidays behind us, I like to find fun, simple projects to make for Valentine’s day. With a few items from around the house, you can make a special Gnome friend for your valentine. There are so many ways to make your own gnome, this is our favorite, simple way. Feel free to use our instructions as a starting point for your project, and get as creative as you would like! Gather Simple Supplies To make these Valentine’s Day gnomes you are going to need a few items, you can probably find around the ...
Maple Brown Sugar “Toaster Pastries”
A special recipe celebrating a childhood favorite! There are those foods from your childhood that really take you back to Saturday morning cartoons and a much simpler time. One of my favorites is those lovely toaster pastries! These pastries have been a weakness of mine since I could remember, and every once in a while I still enjoy a "tart" or two. Recently I searched out to find a way to enjoy these lovely toaster pastries without all the extra preservatives. Surprisingly to make your own toaster pastries is pretty easy, and fun too! Basically, for this recipe, all you need is pie crust dough, your favorite filling, 1 egg, and some powdered sugar to make your ...
Homemade Yogurt – 2 Ways!
Homemade Yogurt Tastes Amazing and is Surprisingly Easy to Make! A few years ago I learned that you can make your own yogurt. I was so super surprised and couldn't believe how much better it tasted than commercially made yogurt. You can tailor homemade yogurt to your taste, and it's beyond easy to make. There are many different recipes out there to make homemade yogurt, and I've tried a good amount of them. The recipe I'm sharing today has become my favorite method and makes just the right amount of yogurt for me to enjoy within 2 weeks. With this recipe, your yogurt will have the texture of traditional yogurt, not Greek yogurt. To make homemade Greek yogurt, there is a straining ...
Maple Buckeye Candy!
Make These Quick and Delicious Candies, Inspired by The Buckeye Nut! Growing up in Northeast Ohio you become very familiar with a few things. You hear the phrase "Lake Effect" and freeze in your tracks. Our weather changes as quickly as a blink of an eye. You support the Cleveland Browns no matter what, you drink pop, and Cleveland is the city of Rock and Roll! You also know when someone gets out the peanut butter and chocolate it's time to make Buckeyes, those tasty morsels that are impossible to stop eating! Buckeyes are a delicious mix of butter, peanut butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar formed in a "dough" and then dipped in chocolate! After the Buckeyes are all complete, ...
Wren’s Eggs – Pinecone Bird Feeders
Make some quick and easy pinecone feeders - a great hands-on project! Welcome to Wren's Eggs, quick projects great for the whole family! Winter has arrived here in Northeast Ohio, and we like to make sure the wild birds have a little extra to eat when visiting our yard. From Cardinals to Chickadees, we always have such great visitors. A really easy way to feed our bird friends is to make a pinecone bird feeder! This project is a wonderful hands-on project for all ages. The supplies needed are very simple. All you need is some pinecones, a plastic spoon or knife, peanut butter (or another good fat for spreading), a small piece of yarn, and birdseed. It's really fun to head out ...
Paw Print Ornaments
Create an Ornament to Celebrate Your Furry (or Feathered) Friends! Every year one of my favorite traditions is to make homemade ornaments. It is so fun to unwrap the memories year after year. One of my favorite methods of making homemade ornaments is to make salt dough ornaments. I'm sure at one point in time everyone has had experience with salt dough. Do I need to mention those handmade ornaments from kindergarten? Salt dough ornaments are so incredibly easy to make and can be made with items you probably already have around the house. The recipe is very simple and can easily be doubled if you need more salt dough. To make the salt dough you need salt, flour, and water, it's that ...
Self Watering Wine Bottle Succulent Planter
Recycle wine bottles into a unique self watering planter! Before we get to crafting, I want to share a little background. I'm always on the search for a chance to be creative. Nothing is better than a late evening just creating. It really is the best stress relief. Seven years ago I discovered a "craft" that was a bit life-changing. By teaching myself how to cut wine bottles from a 1960s McCalls magazine, I was able to open a lot of doors and create some great memories. You may be thinking, it's just a craft, but some crafts really spark something in you, and you will never forget them! Creating the wine bottle planters led me to run a little business. I have learned so much by ...
Amazing Duck Gourd Feet!
Display Your Gourds in a Fun and Unique Way! I'm sure by now everyone has seen the Pinterest pin of the gourds with wire feet made to look like ducks! It is such a fun photo, and I have to admit I tried the wire method, and sadly my gourd ducks kept falling over. I had put the idea of a duck gourd aside, as a "Pinterest fail" in my book. Recently a good friend suggested, why don't you design and 3D print your duck gourd feet. Hmm...I thought I have the tools to do it, why not give it a try! Challenge accepted! Not to mention we have an amazing Duckie for inspiration! I went to designing some duck gourd feet in Tinkercad, which if you are new to 3D printing, is a great place to ...
Creepy Cool Concrete Ghost
Create a unique ghost for your Halloween decor! After creating our Concrete Pumpkin Planter, we had some extra concrete left over. The flower beds were looking a little empty and needed a spooky touch. I decided to try the technique of making a concrete ghost! Like the Concrete Pumpkins, everyone has their favorite method of making these. This process I'm sharing, I found to be the easiest way to make a fun concrete ghost! To get started you will need to gather some supplies. You will need a 1 - 10 lb bag of quick-dry concrete, a container to mix your concrete in, some thick rubber gloves, an old towel, and some pieces to build your ghost armature from. We used some PVC pipe, and a ...