Every women needs a she-shed. We call mine “the studio.” My word for 2023 is Artist, and my studio helps make that word more attainable. What do you devote yourself to? In the past, I devoted myself to thirteen different jobs and constantly burned out, looked for worth through productivity, and lacked satisfaction. Now, this…
Tag: sewing
Cloth Dolls (Homemade Christmas pt.1)
My studio is warm and bright with windows and an electric fireplace. I can hear the rooster crowing and a duck that I raised from birth waits outside the she-shed door. Christmas records are turning on the record player and I am busy at work in my workshop. One of the positives of everyone we…
Trading Skills
My husband and I started a non-profit animal sanctuary, Encanto Sanctuary, almost a year ago. We got our 501(c)(3) status and I went to work full out with website, social media, brochures, fund raising sites, and started taking in more animals that needed a safe place to live their lives. “Farm Animal Sanctuary and Learning…
Inspired Crafting
When the children were small, I did more crafting. I made wreaths and puppets, throw pillows, and baby blankets. I set up holiday projects for the children. Glue, construction paper, and scissors were always in the house. Markers, and colored pencils, paints, and craft idea books filled our home when our children were little. A…
The Hand-Cranked Life
The dawn filters through the windows white and glowing after the night of snow. I put my warm robe on and wander out to the wood stove to start the fire. It starts spreading heat quickly and the kitties gather and curl up on furniture around the stove while I start the coffee. The grinder…
Of Handkerchiefs and Trash
I am always trying to improve our life, our health, save money, and lessen our footprint. When I look at my shopping list, I look for the things I can prepare myself. I see what I can grow myself. We think of what we can do for ourselves. We try to do better. We recycle….
Cloth Napkins (an easy, eco-friendly sewing project)
I have always loved cloth napkins. Beautiful china set with shiny silverware, wine glasses, and a stark paper napkin just doesn’t work! I also do not love throwing away bleached paper napkins day after day. What a waste. And who knows where those trees used to live. Best to use cloth. If we are only…
Cowgirls, Colonial Dresses, Apples, Tinctures, and the Family Farm
Emily is driving “over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s” (Grammie’s) house this morning. We are taking my six year old granddaughter, Maryjane, to her first horseback riding lesson. If you have been following me over the years, or if you know us, you know that Maryjane Rose came into this world a…
Homemade Christmas Presents (planning now!)
I know no one likes to speak of Christmas before Halloween, y’all, but for us that like to make homemade presents, there is a bit of panic in the air. How close are we to Christmas? Nine and a half weeks! That may seem like a long time and there is still plenty of time…
Farmsteading Scenes and Living Life Well
When we first began this journey, we went into it wholeheartedly and completely naive. We learned, we cried, we laughed. A homesteading/farmsteading lifestyle makes life amplified. The good is really amazing, healing, and life-giving; babies being born, fresh food from the garden, baby goats prancing sideways, a lamb’s comical yell, gathering fresh eggs from the…
Farmgirl School 