"Bless Thee" Vintage Bookmark Set ~ Free Printable Gift For You

Like our "give thanks" bookmarks, these would be a sweet gift to anyone and of any age this season.

They would also make a precious favor for a nostalgic place setting.

Tuck one into a letter for a far away friend.

Use it as a gift tag...

Include a beautiful book (some favorites here) and you will delight a child.

Simply download your free set from HERE. They are best printed on a thicker card-stock. For extra fun, punch a hole at the top of the bookmark and attach some pretty ribbon. And finally, a special thank you to the The Graphics Fairy for the lovely clip art!

"The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:

The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."

~ Numbers 6:24-26

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, The Homesteader Hop, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

5 Wonderful Winter Projects for Seasonal Homemaking

"This is the time of year when we can take pleasure in our earlier labors and

feast on the flavors of spring and summer that are filling the shelves of our kitchen and pantry...

1. Make Marshmallows ~ A Sweet Treat

It is the time to nurture ourselves with delicious foods,

to luxuriate in scented baths and to pamper ourselves with tempting sweets...

2. Prepare a Batch of "Almond Joy" Body Scrub

It is the season of giving, when we can make gifts for our friends and family...

3. Make Some "Welcome Winter" Room Spray or Essential Oil Diffuser Blend

and fill our homes with the smells of traditional spices that are an essential part of the seasonal festivities.

4.  Decorate Your Family Dining Room with Scripture

It is a time to look forward, and in doing so,

5. Dry Citrus Slices and Enjoy These Easy Homemaking Projects

... we complete the eternal cycle and once again greet the coming of spring."

~ The Country Store by Stephanie Donaldson

"Out of the south cometh the whirlwind:
and cold out of the north.

By the breath of God frost is given:

and the breadth of the waters is straitened.

~ Job 37:9-10

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, The Homesteader Hop, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them). Clip art background courtesy of Free Pretty Things for You.

Greetings, dear ladies! For the new few months, I will be sharing a few pre-scheduled posts (and round-ups) as I prepare for and enjoy a wonderful extended visit with out-of-town family. With that being said, I will not be able to do much online "visiting" and commenting but would still love to hear from you in the comments should you desire to share. Thank you for understanding and have a lovely week!

Love, JES

5 Wonderful Winter Wellness Tips

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” 

~ Benjamin Franklin

There is nothing like prevention when it comes to winter wellness. We are able to avoid many of the seasonal sicknesses by applying the following lifestyle practices. Is there anything that you can add to our little list?

1. Drink plenty of herbal teas - This is a gentle and warming winter habit that you will enjoy! I like to keep a teapot out all day filled with herbs. As it is consumed, I refill it with more hot water to keep it available to all who could use a soothing cup. Immune building herbs such as elderberry, rose hips, peppermint, hibiscus, lemongrass, citrus peel and nettle are all good choices (mix and match your favorites). Echinacea should be added to teas as soon as you feel the cold/flu symptoms coming on but discontinue use after a few weeks in order to avoid an immunity (you can take the other herbs as often as you please but echinaceas effectiveness will decrease if used continually). Ginger, honey and lemon stirred into hot water also makes a nice (and medicinal), warming winter beverage.

2. Drink homemade broths and stocks - Nutrient-dense bone broths provides the body with much needed minerals, immune-boosting and infection fighting powers and overall health support. Keep a thermos filled with hot broth and serve in between meals as a warming beverage, use as a base for soups, stews, sauces and in place of water in rice. 

3. Eat lots of onions and garlic - What a tasty way to provide immune support! The sky is the limit to using these medicinal foods. Both being a part of the allium family, they contain allicin which is an immune stimulating compound which promotes the activity of white blood cells to destroy cold and flu viruses (among other immune support benefits). Eating the foods raw is more favorable. Try adding them to homemade salsas or sprinkle raw garlic over pizzas with a drizzle of olive oil and herbs. 

4. Stock your pantry with (and use) medicinal spices and foods - Stir herb infused honey into teas, pour herbal syrups over pancakes and herbal honey into hot oatmeal. Add plenty of the immune building spices to your meals such as turmeric, cumin, cayenne, ginger, coriander, fennel, black pepper, curry powder and cinnamon. You will find many of these kinds of recipes in our ebook here.

5. Enjoy essential oils - If you have an essential oil diffuser, add the citrus oils, cinnamon, eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender and/or the Thieves and On Guard Blends. These will help to purity the air, kill bacteria and keep moisture in the dry winter air. If you run a fireplace, keep a pot of water filled with some essential oils in the room to help avoid dry coughs that can bring on the croup in young-ins (or place pot directly on wood burning stove and continue to add water as it evaporates). Apply the On Guard and/or Thieves oil blends onto the back of neck, front of neck and shoulders when going out in public (or frugally make your own here). Make up some "Get Well Soon Spray" which will not only disinfect but also cleanse the stale indoor air. Use it as a room spray, germ killer and sanitizer for door handles, sink handles and telephones.

Besides keeping hydrated, balanced nutrition and getting the proper amount of sleep each night, these are easy ways to keep a healthy home during the cold and flu season. To your health, dear reader! 

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, The Homesteader Hop, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them). 

Greetings, dear ladies! For the new few months, I will be sharing a few pre-scheduled posts (and round-ups) as I prepare for and enjoy a wonderful extended visit with out-of-town family. With that being said, I will not be able to do much online "visiting" and commenting but would still love to hear from you in the comments should you desire to share. Thank you for understanding and have a lovely week!

Love, JES

Ebook Tutorial Tour, Free Printable Tabs & Other Tidbits! :)

“And to all this she must yet add something more substantial,

in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.” 

~ Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Hello there, dear reader! Today I wanted to answer some of the questions I was getting on our ebook (100+ DIY Projects to Make with Fruit Scraps) as well as highlight some of the tutorials from the ebook from other lovely bloggers. I also wanted to share some printable tabs for your convenience along with some other idea-like tidbits! :)

photos courtesy of Annabel at The Bluebirds are Nesting

For instance, I was asked if the buyers were permitted to print the ebook out. The answer is YES. If you purchased it, feel free to print it out for your household! Annabel at The Bluebirds are Nesting had hers printed out in full color and bound. Her copy looks really nice (she shared pictures above)! She also wrote up a review for those who are interested in more information. Her blog is one of my favorites and I encourage you to make a visit over!

I printed ours in black and white and had it spiral-bound with a plastic cover. I found it less expensive to take a copy of the PDF file to a printer-shop than paying for our printer ink. I personally love a hard copy of this type of information, for around our area, electricity isn't taken for granted. Another thought with the black and white copy, is that you can color in the matching labels yourself if you would like to have a brighter and prettier product display (as that was initially my drawback for having a black/white copy).

My daughter wanted a color copy (and also wanted to have it for her hope chest). At this point (because our printer ink is expensive), I suggested she print out each recipe as she uses it so that we are not wiped out of ink and it affords us the ability to not pay for ink on recipes she isn't interested in using at this time. She can place the recipes in a binder and conveniently add to it. She can slide in the "cover page" into the front binder insert slot. This may be a solution to some of you who wanted to print out color copies but were concerned with the printer ink; just print the recipes you need as you go along to ease the "printer-ink pain" and store them in a 3-ring binder.

Many had hoped for a hard copy but once I put the figures into Amazon self-publishing, the book would have ended up costing over $35 with all the full-color photographs and labels (yikes!). I wouldn't even pay that! The idea of the ebook PDF format is that you can choose what you want to do with it depending on your budget and needs. 

For those of you who have chosen to print it out, I have prepared some tabs which you can glue onto each chapter for convenience should you desire them. Just follow this link: free printable tabs. The tabs are best printed on card stock, folded in half, affixed with glue to each chapter section and staggered as you attach them.

photo courtesy of Jan at The Nerdy Farm Wife

And lastly, I wanted to present our "Ebook Tutorial Tour" which share some of the posts that featured a few of our recipes from the ebook by some lovely ladies. Jan at The Nerdy Farm Wife shared a beautiful tutorial for our Lemon Honey Bee Balm. Her blog is filled with many neat bath, body and herbal recipes and I am sure you will enjoy your visit there!

Photo excerpted from our ebook, 100+ DIY Projects to Make with Fruit Scraps.

Shelle at Prepardness Mama shared this quick recipe for our Spicy Seasoning Blend. It is fun to fill the pantry with homemade mixes such as these and our Ebook is full of them!

photo courtesy of Lynn at Quaker Hill Farm

Lynn at Quaker Hill Farm shared her rendition of our Autumn Simmering Potpourri. Her pictures are just gorgeous and I can practically smell the potpourri from here! Can't you?

Sandy at Herbs and Oils Hub shared our recipe for the Mulling Spice Medicinal Honey. This is a flavorful and medicinal electuary which is perfect for cold and flu season and/or preventative health. An "electuary" is simply powdered herbs and medicinal spices mixed with honey (or other sweeteners). Such a pleasant way to make the medicine go down! 

We shared a guest post at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home of our DIY Frugal Version ~ On Guard® or Thieves® Protective Oil Blend. For those of you who purchased the ebook, this tutorial shares more detailed pictures for making a medicinal oil which may be helpful to you.

We also shared a guest post for our Lemonade Lip Balm at Raising Homemakers. For those of you who purchased the ebook and wanted a quicker way to infuse your oil, visit here for an easy method!



Did you know that you can make your own cleaning products from fruit scraps? Here is a tutorial recipe we shared from the ebook of our DIY dusting spray.

And finally, we shared our recipe for this Apple Cinnamon Scrap Syrup right here on this blog for those of you who are interested. It is one of my favorites! 

Susan R. from Tasmania kindly shares a picture of her homemade Lemon Astringent from the ebook.

Well, that is it! I hope you have enjoyed the tutorials we have shared or the Ebook if you purchased it. If you did purchase the Ebook and were willing, I would really appreciate if you would take a moment to leave a quick review on Amazon here! It would be VERY helpful!

If you liked these recipes, you will find 100+ more frugal ideas on how to use up those nutrient-rich fruit scraps in our Ebook here (which also includes printable labels making it a great gift-giving resource)!

Happy kitchen-crafting, ladies!

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, The Homesteader Hop, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

Benefits of Mother Reading Aloud to Her Older Children

"My son, hear the instruction of your father,

And do not forsake the law of your mother;

For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,

And chains about your neck."

~ Proverbs 1:8-9

As mothers, we feel like we are always teaching, preaching and lecturing (and rightly so!). However, I wanted to share a more peaceful and enjoyable approach to instilling values into our children. What I have found to be very beneficial, is saving some of my "little sermons" for our special reading time together.  For once you enter that world of literature, much instruction from mother can take place in a natural and non-invasive way. The bonus is all those wonderful memories being shared together with wonderful books which also imparts a broader knowledge of vocabulary, history and human nature. And please don't forget that a cup of tea always nurtures a cozy and peaceful atmosphere which sets the stage lovingly.

Radient Morning by Lisa Auger

I am not merely speaking of children who can not read but more specifically, those that do. Older children have a lot of physical, emotional and spiritual needs which reading time with mother can help to nurture.  Reading a variety of literature, inspirational and instructional books help to place experiences and ideas in front of our children prior to them experiencing them in the "real world". This is so helpful because we can not follow our children around all through their life (though some may want to!). They are eventually going to be unleashed and left alone in this wicked world. We may wonder if we taught them enough? Are they prepared for what is ahead or what situations may lie in their paths? This is where the beautiful bonding of reading together comes in!

Through the pages of noble books, we are placing thousands of different scenarios in front of our dear children and, we are available at that moment to offer gentle instruction in a "should this happen to you, sort of way". We are placing a scene detailing the importance of honesty, purity, mercy or perhaps even safety before them! We are watching a character from a book being introduced into a potentially harmful situation. Or, perhaps the girl in the novel is facing a spiritual dilemma. Now, at that point, we can discuss the appropriate way to handle the obstacles that are placed before the main character in the book. What does Scripture teach about this certain situation?  This would be applicable for all ages and reading, whether it be picture books, chapter books, classics or instructional books. We have the perfect opportunity to share the wisdom of God to our children through carefully chosen literature.

Reading by James Shannon

For example, in the book, Dear Princess: A Book for Girls by Mary M. Landis, the author places some girls in a situation where they are alone, walking on a country road when a car of strange boys drive by and start to interact with them. There are many safety lessons at that point that can be discussed with your daughters. What would they have done in a similar situation? What would you suggest is a good approach to their predicament? You are able to place the seed of safety into your young maiden's heart prior to experiencing something on her own. She is that much more prepared and wise for the outside world.

When reading Beautiful Girlhood by Mabel Hale, the "Dreams" chapter beckons us to ask our daughter's to share their dreams. Have they changed since she last spoke of them?  Are they godly goals? If so, what preparations can be made in order to facilitate them? If they are lacking in noble direction, your motherly instruction described in Proverbs would be in order.

Another example would be, when reading something as pleasurable as Anne of Green Gables together, we can stop at the chapter when Anne loses her temper and hits Gilbert over the head with her slate. We can ask our daughter casually, "what would you have done?" We can talk together about a more "fitting" way to have handled that test of patience and we can laugh about how we may have wanted to handle it like Anne!

A Story Read by James Tissot

Reading together gives you the opportunity to see how your children react to certain circumstances. It is the perfect time to talk about situations hypothetically instead of waiting for something to happen in "real life" when you may not be available to help them. Discuss different scenarios with them so that if they ever experience it in "real life" they have your loving insight to fall back on should the need ever arise.

As I don't have a son, my examples are geared toward young ladies. However, it is worthy to mention that the same concept applies to your young men. Books can foster the development of character of a true, godly, courageous, noble gentleman who will one day lead a home of his own in honor to God.

Mother and Daughter by George Goodwin Kilburne

"My son, keep your father’s command,

And do not forsake the law of your mother.

Bind them continually upon your heart;

Tie them around your neck.

When you roam, they will lead you;

When you sleep, they will keep you;

And when you awake, they will speak with you."

~ Proverbs 6:20 - 22

Dear mothers, this message of "teaching" is written TWICE in Proverbs which only stresses the importance of passing knowledge down to your children. What better way than by your example, the influence of good and proper books and the Scriptures to guide you through life's lessons. It prompts the question in your child's mind, "What would Jesus do?" and by God's grace and your diligent instruction, the Holy Spirit will strengthen them to do it!

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, The Homesteader Hop, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them). This article has been slightly adapted from our original article here.

Greetings, dear ladies! For the new few months, I will be sharing a few pre-scheduled posts (and round-ups) as I prepare for and enjoy a wonderful extended visit with out-of-town family. With that being said, I will not be able to do much online "visiting" and commenting but would still love to hear from you in the comments should you desire to share. Thank you for understanding and have a lovely week!

Love, JES

{DIY} Make Your Own "Frugal & Fun" Lemonade Lip Balm

{Note: This is the last recipe I will be sharing from my Ebook this year, I hope you enjoy it!}

'"Is your lemonade sweet enough?" Mrs. Oleson asked. So Laura knew that it was lemonade in the glasses. She had never tasted anything like it."

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder, On the Banks of Plum Creek

Lemonade needn't be saved for summer! As the season of lemons is actually winter, let's utilize this fruit in a fun and frugal project that will benefit you year round! The following recipe is an excerpt from our Ebook, 100+ DIY Projects to Make with Fruit Scraps. It is from the chapter of "Bath and Body Care" recipes, which features a variety of all-natural products to fill your powder room shelves such as balms, bath salts, face care products, natural perfume, scrubs, easy to make soaps, oils, powders, etc.

For the simple directions on how to make our lemonade lip balm, please visit us at Raising Homemakers where we are guest posting today! (P.S. I would love for you to leave a little note there to let me know you stopped by!). Happy homemaking, ladies!

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, The Homesteader Hop, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

From Curtain Covers to Regal Repairs ~ A "Shabby Chic" Frugal Farm Lifestyle ~ Entry #4

"She maketh herself coverings of tapestry..."

~ Proverbs 31:22 a

Welcome to another edition of a "Shabby Chic" Frugal Farm Lifestyle! I am your hostess, JES :) If you haven't yet delved into the world of curtain covers, I am very happy to introduce you to them. They are the frugal decorator's best friend! All you need is an in-expensive spring-rod and some excess fabric (such as a tablecloth, curtain panel, flat sheet, you name it) and miracles are made! This concept was the solution to many-a-problem in our old farmhouse and can help to "remodel" many areas in your home. I am able to find beautiful fabrics in various forms at second hand stores for just a few dollars and these gems can transform! Like the Proverbs 31 woman before us, we can make-shift our own modern "coverings of tapestry" to embellish the humble parts of our home!

Here you see the author of this blog doesn't have a commercial kitchen! She makes do. The drawers wouldn't open well because they were warped so I removed two of the four and placed a large basket inside each remaining one. This took care of the problem and still gave me extra drawer space because of the deeper drawers the baskets allowed. The sink was 6 inches below standard size and we didn't have hot water for some time.

What makes this "shabby chic" is that you are able to hide the "eyesores" behind the curtains while introducing a pleasant print to your home decoration. For instance, our kitchen was barely a functioning kitchen when we moved onto the homestead. The one cabinet our sink had wouldn't open and close (without a lot of force) and was very undesirable to look at. We couldn't afford "new" anything so I simply removed the cabinet doors, inserted an old shower curtain rod across the area and hung a pretty panel I had. I didn't even sew it (it was safety pinned in place!).

5 years later, we were able to raise the sink (for which I am so thankful as my back was taking a beating), add hot water and purchase a new countertop. However, the cabinets were still out of the budget and so the curtain cover comes to the rescue again! As a side note, my hubby turned those difficult drawers into shelves for me. The third shelf lacks a basket that fits so a plastic tub sits there until something can be found frugally.

This is the same area in the kitchen (only painted) and with a different curtain cover! When I feel like a "remodel" or want to decorate with the seasons, all I need is a fresh piece of fabric to change the look of everything and with little or no cost!

Picture #1: This curtain cover hides a door which has a hole in it with an air conditioner sticking out! Yikes! I couldn't use a spring rod to cover it because there was no sill or ledge to brace it against. However, I found an old towel bar, painted it white and used that as my curtain rod. It isn't the perfect solution but it was free and keeps our room looking clean and tidy which is important to me.

Picture #2: You could see the white cafe curtain in the corner which hides our excess toiletries, toilet paper, bathroom cleaning supplies, etc. I allow the nicer items to be seen while hiding the rest behind the cover. What areas can use a bit of camouflage in your home to make it pleasing on pennies?

In our bathroom, there was an accordion closet door that did not function and it was quite creepy inside! Tearing out the accordion door cost nothing. A coat of paint inside gave it a fresh look. However, I didn't want everything in my bathroom "closet" showing so I curtained half of it off with a spring-rod and an old cafe curtain. It cleaned up the bathroom quite nicely and for just a few dollars (the price of the spring rod).

This storage table/shelf was made by my husband with leftover wood pieces found around the farm. I painted it white and added a spring rod. The curtain is a panel I found at a Goodwill Store for just a dollar. I simply folded it in half and pinned it in place. Cleaning buckets, rags and bulky laundry supplies are stored behind it. Any table can be made into a nice storage area with a clever curtain cover! 

In our first home, we repurposed an old-out-of-style-cast-off entertainment system that someone gave us (these can be found easily at thrift shops and garage sales). It was contemporary and I prefer the old fashioned look. However a storage piece of furniture is gold so I removed all the modern hardware and doors, painted it white, added an inexpensive spring rod across the top and hung a dainty white curtain over it. The end result was a pleasant "French country" pantry for my kitchen!

Using the same concept, book shelves can store items that aren't the prettiest to look at (such as your small kitchen appliances, cookie sheets, large stock pots, etc.) and can be covered with a curtain as well.

We have a large shelving unit of school work, plastic tubs of books, etc., that we store all our homeschooling "stuff" on. We placed a wire with a hook and eye across the whole wall and hung a flat sheet across to completely hide the storage and give the room a cleaner, less cluttered appearance.

When we couldn't afford a double door in one of our rooms, the spring rod/curtain system came to the rescue once again and separates the two areas. As you can see, curtain covers are the frugal solution for many home decorating problems!

"While I am a firm believer in less being more,

I am also an advocate of recycling rather than discarding..."

~ Rachel Ashwell, Shabby Chic

Moving on to the subject of "regal repairs"... I thought I was quite the thrifty housewife when I would find the best deals to replace what was no longer working.  What I didn't realize was the option to fix so many things, both big and small! This involves more than just the general repair of automobiles and appliances! My husband is such a blessing in this area (and was taught by his amazing mother -- you can read about her here) and I am constantly in awe at what he is able to do and think of to save us money. For instance, when we first moved into our home, we had two broken, hanging ceiling fans. My husband used the parts from both broken fans, put them together and created one working fan! Approx. savings $50 - 100.

Another example occurred during a very bad storm. A lightening bolt travelled through an electrical switch in our home and zapped my cell-phone charger which was plugged into it (our wiring is very old and probably way out of code). My mind was already thinking on the need to replace it when my husband started digging into our "electrical/computer cord" box that I keep of odds and ends. He pulled out an old charger from his old, damaged cell phone and spliced the zapped charger wire to the older functioning charger (this allowed us to keep the proper charging tip for our phone). A trip to the store was no longer necessary! This may have saved us only $8 (to some people's thinking) but continue reading to see how it grows! 

As I was clipping roses outside one lovely spring day, all of a sudden, the inspirational music was gone on my headset. To my dismay, I had snipped my cord along with the vine! I could have cried as it was a beautiful set of Bose headphones my husband had bought me as an anniversary gift many years ago! They were quite expensive and a normal splicing wouldn't work because the wires were fiber optic. He didn't give up, he purchased a mini-sautering kit (for less than $10) and after carefully putting the wires properly together here and there, and after many attempts, he was able to bring the sound back into the speakers! I wouldn't have replaced this as it wasn't a necessity but it kept the $150+ gift safe and sound!

Then there are the little things in life that add up. My plastic kefir strainer cracked last week (and "they" claim you must use plastic so as not to deactivate the grains). Hubby came to the rescue on the humble little strainer and another $3 was saved with just two small drill holes and a tiny piece of wire. A little here and a little there and you have saved much! Just the few examples shared here (both big and small) has earned us $210. Imagine a whole year of documented repairs!

"Simple industry and thrift will go far toward making any person of ordinary working faculty comparatively independent in his means. Almost every working man may be so, provided he will carefully husband his resources and watch the little outlets of useless expenditure. A penny is a very small matter, yet the comfort of thousands of families depends upon the proper saving and spending of pennies."

~ The Royal Path of Life, 1882

It is time for me to close this little chapter... I hope it encourages you to take a fresh look at your home and realize that most of those undesirable areas can be "covered" with a little bit of fabric and a lot of love. This creates a sweet patchwork of beauty and coziness for a "shabby chic" frugal farm lifestyle. And to maintain that lifestyle, before you begin to replace something in your home, try and think resourcefully about how it can be salvaged. We can be eager students of our pioneering and Depression Era ancestors with just a bit of creativity and ingenuity! These were the facts of life years ago and perhaps it is time to "rewire" our modern day thinking once again to those basic 5 R's... reuse, recycle, repair, resourceful and repurpose!

What about you? What inspiration can you share with us in the area of curtain covers and regal repairs?

Previous Posts in the Series:

A "Shabby Chic" Frugal Farm Lifestyle ~ Introduction ~ Entry #1
From A - Z {Alpha to Zucchini} ~ A "Shabby Chic" Frugal Farm Lifestyle ~ Entry #2
From Beautiful Books to Blueberries ~ A "Shabby Chic" Frugal Farm Lifestyle ~ Entry #3

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