Denim Baskets {A tutorial}

 One of the denim projects that I have had fun with lately is making baskets. I get kind of excited about these because they are completely out of "trash" (if you don't count the hot glue) and I think they are rather cute. I also find baskets to be fairly useful so that is also a plus in my book.

 For these baskets I have used plastic strapping that comes around my flower boxes for the spokes of the basket. If you don't have this strapping stuff available I am sure you could find something else to work as a substitute OR you could ask around at various businesses (flower shops, lumber yards, anybody that gets boxes...). I made each basket a little differently but took pictures of each step on the smallest one so that is the one I will tell how to make. If you try this just have fun experimenting and make a basket in the way that you like!

 I used:

• Plastic Strapping
• Denim seams. This portion of the jeans I used to always throw away but not anymore!
• Hot Glue
• A milk carton as a form to work around. You could easily use something else or do it without a form which is what I did with the other two baskets.
• Rubber bands

Step 1. I cut 14 strips the same length (long enough to go across the bottom and up the sides a little farther than I wanted the basket to be tall) out of the strapping and then laid 7 of them side by side across the bottom of the basket and up two sides. I rubber banded them in place.

 Step 2. I took the other 7 strips and wove them through the first strips across the bottom and then up the other two sides- tucking them in the rubber bands.

 Step 3. Start weaving in my denim strips (which were the seam edges). I wove one around and secured it where it met with some hot glue. Continue weaving in strips until it gets the height that you want it to be. Rotate the basket while weaving so that when you join the ends of the strip of the corner it isn't always on the same corner.

 Step 4. When you have woven as high as you want then take a denim strip and glue it to the outside (don't weave) of all the strapping spokes.

 Step 5. Pull it off of the milk carton. You may have to pry a little as I did if you were a little over eager with your glue. Cut of the strapping spokes that are sticking up.

 Step 6. I glued two seam strips together to make a handle. Then I glued the handle to the inside of the basket.

Step 7. Glue another denim strip around the inside edge of the basket rim.

 Step 8. I decided to finish it off by gluing another denim strip laying down as shown along the top edge of the basket.

Step 9. My final touch was to make a flower out of rolled up seams (gluing them together) and then glue it on the side.

 This was a fun and pretty quick project and I am sure I will be making more of these in the future.

What have you been making lately?

My fellow Minnesotans.... {and those of you in Colorado and Missouri}

Our family with Congressman Chip Cravaak. We had fun visiting
 with him while waiting for Santorum to arrive.

 If you care about the direction our country is headed- I want to encourage you to attend your caucus today. This is your opportunity to let your voice be heard. You can stay home and complain all you want but you won't make a difference unless you get involved.

  The caucus is the first step to getting involved. At the caucus you will have an opportunity to vote in a presidential straw poll. Though this vote is not binding it does allow the voice of the people to be heard and it serves to encourage or discourage the candidates. At the caucus you also get the opportunity to work at the first part of the process of refining the MN party platform. You can submit resolutions that either add to or take away from that. You also get to elect delegates (and you could be one!) that will go to county convention where they will elect delegates to go to district and state conventions where they will elect delegates to go to national convention where they get to actually vote for the Republican Nominee. It is a kind of complicated process but it is fun to be a part of it.

  Anyway... If you care about our country I really encourage you to get involved!

  Yesterday our somewhat small town was honored to have Senator Rick Santorum come to visit. It was a pretty big deal here and we had fun getting in on the action (Ken was asked to MC the event which was an honor).

Senator Rick Santorum

Easy to make denim bunting for a fun decoration

 Since I decided to continue my Denim Days theme this month I figured I had better share something denim!

  I finally got around to turning a long held idea into reality when I made denim bunting from some old jeans. I really like patriotic decorations and I enjoyed making this fun using Red, White and Blue.

 To make this I used:

• Denim Pieces that I had cut into a diamond shape. (Double the size of triangle that I wanted for my finished product.
• Red Yarn (Ribbon would work great too)
• Stars which I cut out of Red and White Felt.
• Snaps and Buttons which I cut out of old jeans.
• Hot Glue
• Red Thread

Along the length of the yarn I folded the denim pieces over it and then zig zagged all around the triangle to look cute and keep it in place. I did that until I had used up all my denim pieces (I think I have 25 pieces in all but I am thinking about lengthening it).

Then using my hot glue gun I attached the stars and buttons on every third triangle in whatever way I liked. This was fast and fun. :-)

We decided to hang it up in the boys' room over top their window that doesn't have a curtain. The boys were pleased with the new decoration.

Another denim project that I am working on is another crocheted denim rug.

I am linking this to Homestead Revival's Homestead Barn Hop

We have a wonderful God!

 "Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,

 And for His wonders to the sons of men!

 Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,

 And tell of His works with joyful singing."
Psalms 107:21 and 22

 There is so much in our lives that does (and should!) leave us in awe of God!

On Thursday we had our monthly homeschool get-together and the theme this month was "Art". It was SO COOL to get up that morning to see the masterpiece of frost that God had created during the night! It was so overwhelmingly obvious Who the greatest Artist is and always has been!

 The last two days Mara and I have had the fun opportunity of attending a beekeeping class. We learned more about the intricacies of bees and other parts of nature at the class and it makes me feel so very thankful to our God who made these things!

 Let's give thanks to God and tells others of His greatness!

 We have a God who can even make basketball hoops beautiful!

I don't buy.... Napkins

We have used cloth napkins for a long time but most of that time we have also used paper napkins some of the time too because either I didn't have enough napkins (or perhaps I didn't do laundry often enough!) or the ones we had did not pass the "Ken test" as he wants the ones he uses to be large and very absorbent. So generally we would use cloth but paper was still being used too. Also I tended to take paper napkins with us on picnics or places like that.

I think we have gotten to the place where I can say I don't buy them. That is not to say that I won't ever again for some situation but for normal home use we don't need them anymore. I actually had bought a package of napkins several months back (at the time I had been having trouble keeping up with laundry) but then we never opened them. Yesterday I took the package to the church building so they could be used there as I didn't need them taking up space in my house.

Here is how we have made cloth napkins work for us:

-Cloth napkins could be expensive if you went out and bought them (though over time I would guess even that investment would be worth it) but they are super easy to make! Ours are homemade. You do want to choose a material that absorbs well. Since I like to recycle things what has worked best for us is making them out of old cotton t-shirts or thick cotton work shirts. When you upcycle it makes the fabric free too! Simply cut them out the size you desire - I am personally happy with ones that are 8 inches square but Ken prefers them about a foot square. They don't all have to be the same size (and they aren't at our house). As far as sewing just a straight seam hem on the sides does the trick.

-We have them in a basket on the middle of our table and you take one if you need one.

- They get laundered with our other laundry. They are simple for even little kids to fold (those and washcloths are what I have always started my kids out with when they help fold cloths).

-They are easy to take on picnics and trips too. If I am packing food that means I am also going to have some dishes or containers. I simply keep the napkins with them and everything gets washed upon our return.

-I solved some of the issues I had mentioned simply by making more napkins that Ken liked- so now we don't run out very fast at all. My Mom also made and gave me some for my birthday so that helped our stash out. Those were nicer so some of them I set aside for "company" napkins. :-) I haven't actually counted but I would guess we have over 60 napkins now.

 I don't know how much money we save every year by using cloth instead of paper but it is something. I also really like the fact that we aren't creating more garbage (though if you do use paper- remember that you can compost them).

I am linking this to Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Update on my "No shopping challenge"

 I didn't get an update done on Monday for my No shopping challenge but we are still merrily going on our way of using what we have and not buying stuff.

 We did buy a dining room set which Ken teased me about (wondering if it was allowable with my challenge that I had going) but I assured him it was fine because IF the Ingalls had been in the market for a dining room set and IF they would have had a neighbor selling one then they could have bought one too even though there weren't any trains coming.

 We did also make one other purchase that I had tried to avoid but it didn't end up working out. The case was this- on Friday we went skiing. We were there in the evening over the supper hour. I knew we would want to eat and it would have been so easy to just go ahead and buy food at the chalet but I figured out a warm and packable supper and we brought that along. We also brought along hot chocolate in a carafe. Well the carafe broke (the glass inside) which caused it to leak all over and there was no hot chocolate to drink. I hadn't brought anything else to drink and so Ken purchased beverages for everybody. That was our splurge of the week.

  Other than that I haven't been spending and I haven't been in any stores at all. I am happy about that.

Here are some things I have been doing to avoid needing to shop:

• My mop handle broke (it had rusted through), I thought about just doing my mopping on my hands and knees but I quickly dismissed that idea! I decided I had better figure out a way to fix it. I found some little metal rods (saved from an arch that was broken)  that I had and I put one inside the handle and the other next to it and with some duck tape I taped the handle back together again. It might not be the most beautiful mop in the world but it works fine and I like it because instead of throwing it and buying new - I was able to fix it!
• Making sprouts. Making sprouts is so easy to do (and cheap!) and it provides fresh food any time of year. Great in salads, sandwiches and more. I have been making radish, alfalfa and wheat sprouts. Some of my sprouting seeds were old as I haven't made these as often as I should so this has been a great time to use them up!
• Finding nice ways to stretch eggs. Ken really likes to have eggs for breakfast (and we would be having to buy these along with our milk except my parents graciously give us some from their chickens) but we ran low last week. I made us scrambled eggs last week using only 3 eggs for all of us and we all had plenty. I stretched them by adding a bit of squash (it makes it look nice and yellow like there is cheese in it), a chopped up baked potato, hummus (a good protein addition that we didn't notice the taste of), a bit of dry milk and water and salsa. It was good! Another time I added grated zucchini, green pepper, squash and potato. That also was good. I am also learning that eggs aren't necessarily needed in baking/cooking. I have successfully made pancakes, breads and cakes with far less eggs then are called for.
• I have been trying to use more herbs and kelp powder and less salt. That hasn't always been wonderfully successful and I will need to buy salt soon! :-)