Welcome!
Simplicity, Creativity, Self-Sufficiency, …..MinivansWhether you’re a seasoned DIY-homestead-green-frugal lifestyler or a totally newbie to the fact that corn isn’t born in a can, this page will help you orient yourself on our site and find a good place to start.
Why buy expensive factory-made products when you can reduce your costs and increase the quality of your home spa experience with an easy recipe? Try our lotion bars, head to toe clean, herbal sugar scrub, stick deodorant, sunscreen, or lip balm.
Homemade cleaning concoctions save you money, headaches, and time staring at shelves of chemically-laden nonsense. We have well-tested laundry detergent, Swiffer hacks, and many other easy cleaning and laundry solutions
Whether you build, soap, crochet, or knit, crafting skills can take you a long way. It can increase the quality of your gifting and dramatically reduce your presence in the most expensive aisles in the discount store. Try out our Gardener’s Soap, Seedling Tray, Handmade Gift Planner, and TL’s Gee-Haw Whimmy Diddle!
Growing your own food seems like MAGIC. I still haven’t gotten over how amazing it is that I can eat stuff from the yard. Dirt + water + sun + seeds = food? Bananas! Start your own delicious backyard magic with newspaper seedling pots and our printable Spring, Fall, and Herb Garden guides.
Finding uses for “waste” products can reduce your costs and give you a big boost of self-reliance, not mention a feeling of accomplishment that you’re conserving natural resources. Check out 7 Far Out Ways to Recycle, How to Compost, and TL’s super-gorgeous Aluminum Can Ornaments.
We all know that cookies can be made at home, but did you know that you can make your own dairy products, extracts, and syrups? Spoil yourself with easy homemade cheese, 7-minute butter, the easiest pie crust ever, or the best breakfast sausage of your life.
Hens are low-maintenance, inexpensive pets and a great education for the kids. They need no roosters, minimum space, and pay for themselves in breakfast food! Check out Secrets of Raising Backyard Laying Hens for the ins and outs of a backyard flock.
Trying new things is about not being afraid. Not being intimidated is about laughing at Ivory and TL’s screw-ups. HA! See our dead zucchini, bad beer, sticky soap, crashed trellises, pitiful potatoes, and…well, I’m not even sure what this is.
But if all of this just seems like a lot of hard work for no reason, be sure to check out Why DIY? for some compelling reasons to at least take a stab at it!
Welcome!
Ivory and TL
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi!
I am addicted to your blog. . .unfortunately, the daily emails I used to receive no longer arrive. Can you reinstate me to the list? I will be SO grateful!
jill
Is it back now?
I love all of your posts. I live in the country and would love to have some chickens. I do have 2 cats who go out side and one hyper dog. How could this work. Any ideas.
TL is making a covered chicken run because of her dogs and cats…and children. There are plenty of pictures on http://www.backyardchicken.com
i stumbled on to you two. its great. from the midwest (kansas) please email me on any of your information.
kris from oz
Happened upon your site on StumbleUpon-like it! Didn’t see where you were on Twitter.
Dear TL and Ivory,
Good morning ladies !
Please tell me how to make a picture show up with my profile. I don’t wanna hide in the shadow-photos any more.
Thanks in advance!
Sarah
@Javalady–HA! I have no idea.
Hi,
A friend just forwarded this blog to me. Great blog – I love it. We have a similar passion (although I don’t have any chickens in my backyard right now but grew up with a flock) – living a simple green living.
I just signed up with my e-mail and am looking forward to reading your articles. Hope you’ll visit me too.
Karen
Hi girlz (& guyz, I suppose),
Need help… have one new lonely crying goat…. I know – I know…. I should have bought two. Anyone out there have a loaner goat?
Kate
now that i’ve found this site i won’t lose it, as i feel as if i’ve finally people with a similiar attitude to life – even if you are all on the other side of the world to where i am on the east coast of australia!
@JavaLady For a picture next to your name — get a free account at Gravatar.com and upload it there. Most WordPress blogs enable Gravatars by default. (Gravatar stands for “globally recognized avatar.”)
Good morning ladies, It’s time for me to come clean, I’ve been enjoying your site for about a year now without joining. Today I have to make that happen because sometimes I want to join in, (providing I have the time). So here I am, confessing that I’ve been nosing in your website often to see the things you make and discuss. I think you’re site is AWESOME! I’ve been telling others about it for a long time. You inspire me to do things I’ve never thought of. I will soon be making some of the soaps that you have graciously given recipes for. Thank you so much for all you share with everyone! Off to work, but will return soon, you can count on that!
MsRobyn–Good morning to you! Thank you so much! We’re glad you’re in for the discussion and will love to hear your input on anything and everything. Appreciate your spreading the word and hope to live up to your kind words. See you soon!
I’m so grateful to have found this blog. Of all places I found it linked on the blog catalog. This is exactly the kind of home and garden type website I’ve been looking for. I specialize in air conditioners, but am always looking for websites to improve livelihood around my home. Thank you.
I just ran across your holiday gift basket ideas from last year, and I’m so excited to try all the homemade goodies! This may be a silly question, but can I use olive oil where it calls for vegetable oil (lip balm and lotion bar)?
Thanks so much! And thanks for these great, simple recipes! What a treat!
Kate–You can use any liquid-at-room-temp oil (like olive or canola). Use any solid-at-room-temp oil for the solid oils, be it shea butter, shortening, almond butter, etc. Mix and match.
Thank you for your comments and hope you have fun! (I need to get started on a few of these myself.)