Heirloom treasures are one of the most precious things that can be passed down the family line, especially when family members are represented through the years. This embroidered tablecloth can be made and used at the holidays, and will serve as a precious memory of past holiday gatherings. Handmade Holidays has pretty much been my theme for 2020, and I have really been ...
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How To Save Money by Freezing Pumpkin Puree
Growing pumpkin is relatively easy and depending on the type you are growing, each one can yield quite a bit. Freezing pumpkin puree is a good way to save money on food if you use canned pumpkin frequently, and if you aren't picky about the type of pumpkin you are freezing. Having had to be pretty tight with my budget over the past 30 years (save for the past 6), I've ...
Easy Thanksgiving Side Dishes for an Almost Effortless Holiday
Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that takes a ton of preparation, especially if you are making the whole thing on your own! Most people don't take on the whole meal, but rather, divide the cooking duties between many family members for a potluck style meal. These easy Thanksgiving side dishes are a perfect addition to any Thanksgiving table! Four Easy Thanksgiving ...
How to Roast Your Best Turkey This Holiday Season
Roast turkey is one of the most iconic foods for the holiday season in America, and as it should be! It's wonderful, delicious, and heart warming all at the same time as we enjoy the amazing flavor, and the nostalgia of past holidays, with every bite. It makes sense that you would want your turkey to come out perfectly, whether or not you are hosting a large gathering or ...
21 Adorable Embellishments to Make Your Christmas Gift Wrap Pop!
Christmas is expensive enough without having to buy every. single. thing. Handmade gifts are a great way to hold costs down, and so is making homemade gift wrap from things like newspaper, grocery bags, and the back of gift wrap you hate. Still, when we hand make everything, we don't want the whole gift to scream "I AM CHEAP"! Here are some ideas for embellishing your handmade ...
How to Make Your Own DIY Sugar Scrub
Spa and body care products can be super expensive, and the truth is, some of them are so inexpensive to make at home and they don't take long at all! This DIY sugar scrub will take 15 minutes tops, and you may already have everything you need to make a batch for yourself, with some extra to give away as holiday gifts! This scrub would be a really nice addition to a bath ...
How to Bottle Your Homemade Fruit Wine {4 Ways}
Making homemade wine is an excellent way to use up a burgeoning fruit harvest, and it's easy! This is step five in my fruit wine making series, and in this step, you will learn 4 different ways to bottle the wine you worked so hard to make. Steps for Bottling Your Homemade Wine Before we get started, you'll want to choose a bottling vessel. There are a few good ...
How to Make and Can Super Easy Salsa
If you love salsa, but don't have all the ingredients needed to make it from all fresh, you will love this recipe! It tastes great, has a lot less prep time, and comes together in a snap! Here's how to make and can the easiest salsa ever! Part of the goodness of having a tomato harvest is that you can make so many different products out of them. With your ripe tomatoes, ...
How to Make and Can Cherry BBQ Sauce
When you think of cherries, maybe what comes to mind is eating them fresh, in a pie, or even as a jam. All of those are wonderful, but once you discover cherry bbq sauce, you will never forget it! Cherry BBQ Sauce to the Rescue Last year, Todd and I tried peach bbq sauce and fell in love. The marriage of fruity sweetness with the smoky and spicy herbs tasted perfect, ...
How to Make and Can Delicious Peach BBQ Sauce
Whether you are purchasing peaches from the store or using your peach harvest, you may not have thought of making something savory with them. After you've made your jam, fruit leather, and wine, make sure to save a few lbs to make peach bbq sauce! Barbecue is some of the best food on earth, thank God it's so easy to do! Todd and I ran across this recipe when we were trying ...
Make This Easy Fruit Leather Recipe with Any Fruit!
If you have your own fruit trees or partake in loss leader deals at the store, you may find yourself with lots of extra fruit on hand during the summer. Rather than letting your overripe fruit go into the compost pile, why not take advantage of the sweetness of fruit at this stage and try this fruit leather recipe? It's nature's candy! So you've made your strawberry jam, ...
How to “Handmake” Your Christmas with a Holiday Planner
It's within a few months of the holidays and your mind turns to Christmas shopping...only you don't want to think about Christmas shopping because that means spending a TON of money, and you don't have a ton of money. You have some crafting and cooking skills, but it seems so overwhelming to make everyone's gifts. What would I make? Do I have the time? How will I get everything ...