Be Ye Separate

It's FINISHED!!!

Blessings!

   Well, it's NEARLY finished:P As many of you know, we moved here over a year ago in the middle of a very cold and snowy winter. When we first got here I laid claim to a small space to call my own...okay to call OUR own with my daughters that is:P It was a simple little fruit drying shed that had been built by the original builders of this property. Placed in the perfect spot on the property, surrounded by beautiful shading trees, this shed doesn't get too heated up and has the greatest built in shelving and character:)

   Here's the picture of the before when it was empty and ready for me...Left sideAnd right side...I still have some fine tuning to do as I rearrange some things to make it fit my style of use but truly you would not believe how filled this little shed was unti this past Saturday:) In fact, it was my dear friends daughter Madi and our youngest Miss Sarah who actually pulled all the rest of it out and worked dilligently all afternoon on it:) They were wonderful! I'm so very blessed:)

   Now here's the left side...And here's the right...

   Now, what you don't see is behind the camera:P That area, though it's stacked nicely and carefully, it's boxes that I need to empty myself as much of that is special things that have a necessary place. You know, craft items vs. sewing things etc. It will be a few more days but I can now finally get inside there and start doing some of the much needed sewing projects:)

   THANK YOU GIRLS!

   Shortly I will be having a special giveaway contest. As soon as I get it all ironed out and ready I'll spell out the rules and post it here:) I look forward to it!

   Have a very blessed God filled week!

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

More simple ideas for recycling

Blessings!

   I have had a few folks write and ask me about other things to recycle:) One was what to do with leftover juice cans (besides pencil holders):)

We don't do juice cans anymore but when we did, here's a few ideas for using them for other things.

1. Candle Holder: Take the can and cover it in any way you like. You can glue buttons, beads, seeds, magazine pages, shelf paper, mod podge  or anything you like to decorate it once you are done fashioning it. Take an exacto knife (make sure you help the children with this according to age and ability), cut any designs you like out of it to create openings. Be sure to put holes in the top of it to place a hanger in it. DON'T use string! It's easy to cut up a clothes hanger for this part:) Once you have finished decorating your can, place a glass inside of it (the kind designed for votive candles) then place your candle in it. Light it carefully and you have yourself a lantern:)

   Remember that wax melts and will run everywhere so it's just as easy (and cheap) to grab some of those clear glass (or colored if you prefer) candle holders that fit nicely right down inside the can.

   Make the handles long (approximately 8-10 inches taller than the top of the can) so they can be hung up on just about anything inside or out. You can also use the lid ( don't throw that away) by poking holes in each edge to match up with the holes for the handle on the can. Bend the lid just slightly and thread your handle through each hole before attaching to the can. This gives you a heat shield and protects little hands.

   Using different colors are fun too if you are decorating for an evening cookout or playing pirates:)

1.Recipe Holder: Get that old fashioned plaster of paris out and have some fun:) You can decorate your can any way you like. You can even cut it down to half and decorate as desired. Take a 1/2 inch down approximately 12 inches long and cut one end at an angle. You can use hot melt glue or even a little screw to place a hinged clothespin to the angled edge of the dowel.

   Mix your plaster and pour into your can till it's about 1/2 inch from the top. Carefully poke your dowel down into it till it hits the bottom of the can and place a piece of foil over it. Poke the dowel through the center of the foil and pull it down to the top of the can and secure it. This will keep the dowel from tipping over while it's drying.

   Once your plaster is dry, you can decorate your "stem" any way you like. You can paint it to look like a giraffe, or make a foam flower to go over the clothespin and some leaves below on the stem (paint it green). Anything you like at all.

   You can also fill the holiday (empty space at the base of the stem) with something decorative. You can put peat moss in there, dried flowers, bubbles (a spray foam fun idea) or anything that tickles your fancy:)

   Most of us have those receipts on index cards and if you are like me, they are dirty, smeared and bent because they've been set on counter tops, handled with baking/cooking hands, dropped into or onto things, and generally well loved:) Just clip your receipt into the clothespin and you have a handsfree (cleaner) time:)

   You can also use it or holding up other things. My daughters use them for holding up pages that need typing so they don't have to lay them down on the table. They use them for a favorite photo, and my eldest girl has one that holds her baggy of medicines next to her bed so she doesn't lose them:) She gets her meds for the morning and places them into a baggy and her "butterfly" holds them so she won't forget to take them first thing in the morning:)

3. Soap Mold!: My personal favorite:) When I make soaps I like to do a bit of different shapes. I wipe the inside of the can with olive oil and have them lined up to take the 5 lbs of soap (it takes approximately 20 of them). I pour the soap in and let them set to dry. When they are ready (about 2 days later) I simply turn them upside down and slide the soap tubes out. I can then cut them in round slices. Makes for a pretty guest bar:)

   Those are some of the ideas. I will continue to share more as time permits:)

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

Making it last

Blessings!

   I am asked often about how we use things to their fullest potential so I thought I would share a few things with you. They aren't complicated at all, just fun and easy:)

   I can't abide waisting things. It just turns me sideways to see things tossed or left behind that have a potential to give a little more of itself. My husband used to tease me about some of the things I would "save" for later. You know what I mean...always finding a potential in something rather than throw it away? Well, my husband put his foot down one day and said, "no more"! I had boxes and shelves and bags FILLED to overflowing with all my "I can do something with that someday" stuff. Soooooooo, the children and I were put to the task 10 years ago to make it happen or toss it! (GASP!)

   Toilet paper and paper towel rolls. Who hasn't saved THOSE for a child project at one time or another. How many of you STILL have bags of those hanging around?:P Here's what we do...

1. take the children, a bag of birdseed, kabob skewers, string and peanut butter and sit them down at the table. (Our children are nearly grown and they STILL enjoy this). First poke holes with the kabob skewers at the bottom in a crisscross so they stick out in four places. Remove the skewers and set them aside.  Also poke holes in the other end (just two of them) and lace a string through it and tie it for a hanger.

   Let the children (dont' hesitate to participate) spread peanut butter over the paper roll. It doesn't have to be a thick layer, just enough to stick seeds on it. The roll the peanutbuttered tube in the seeds (or if you are feeling very crafty, you can get all kinds of different types of seeds and make neat designs). Carefully push the kabob skewers through the holes you already made and voila!  A easy, fun, disposable birdfeeder! They can be hung in the trees, from eves, just about anywhere that you have birds. We put them in the trees near out garden and they dont bother my vegetables:)

Torn clothing? Or any clothing that needs disposing of for whatever reasons. My husband and son are avid fix-it men. Needless to say they can stain up a pair of pants to unusable pretty quickly. They also tend to tear through them and stain shirts etc. They DO have work clothes but even those need retiring at some point:) Everyone puts holes in this and that at times and renders an article of clothing unwearable now and then.  Or perhaps you have things that belong to your children that want to keep but we all know, over time, things tend to yellow with age and those little spitup stains that hardly showed at all turn to a dark color after a few years in thos storage bags:P Here's what you do (and do it right away mind you or things pile up). We used to donate things to the mission and to the second chance stores but more than not they would turn us away because they had no room to take more. Now that we make all our clothing, we wear things till they nearly wear out completely so who will want it then?:P Instead of letting it pile up anymore here's what I do...

2. Spend time going through the clothes that everyone has outgrown, worn through or otherwise given up. Make templates out of old cereal boxes or if you happen to have quilt templates you can use those. Use the best amount of the fabric from the clothing as possible and cut out your squares, triangles and strips. Have large plastic baggies that are marked with the size and shape. Fill those baggies until you need another:) When you do this make sure you clip all buttons, snaps (if they are the old sew-on type), hooks & eyes and zippers to put in your sewing stash.

   Throw away all unusable portions and you have your future quilting pieces all organized and ready when you are in the mood for stitching:)

Sheet-tastic! Got old sheets that are faded or you don't use the anymore? Give them a new life...

3. If you have little children the sheets make great (very durable) shirts for boys (even hubby):P, dresses and pinafores and sunbonnets and skirts for mommy or teens. They can be cut up in squares and hemmed for cloth napkins to dress up your table or picnic:) and they make great quilt backings:) It's also cheaper than most yardage so don't hesitate to search for sheets at the second chance store:) If they are faded or you want a more vibrant color on solid sheets then use a little Rit Dye:) And don't discount the fitted sheets...they have plenty of yardage in them too:)

Well, those are just a few things and I am being called to noon meal. I'll share more over time. I pray this is of some use to someone:)

God be with thee!

Sister Lori