New Baskets

Find more photos like this on CRAFTSU: Buy and Sell Crafts

Make do Monday

Welcome friends!  Today make do is saving money with oatmeal.  Instant oatmeal, you know the little packs of flavored oatmeal come in a cute little six pack is very pricey.  The big round tub of old fashion oatmeal is a lot less money.  Use one cup water and 1/2 cup oatmeal, heat in the microwave for 2minute 30 seconds, then add your own favorite toppings.  I like a little brown sugar and cinnamon.  You could add some blueberry, apple sauce, cinnamon and sugar, maple syrup, what every you have on hand.  Good hot meal on a cold winter day and money going back into the bank.  Remember you can just boil some water on the stove and add the oatmeal, just like your grandmother did!  Enjoy your day!

Ode to Winter Challenge by the Dirt Road Team

  

The artists on the Dirt Road Team are having a challenge about winter.  Each artist has been asked to make a item that reminds them of winter.  The items all are wonderful and different.  Follow the link below vote for your favorite, and then register to win a prize.  Pam of PW Originals has donated a amazing purse for someone to win.  Have fun and good luck on winning Pam's purse.

http://www.dirtroadart.com/contest.html

Here is picture of what you could win, just by voting!

What is it Wednesday - Airing out the house

Welcome to an other What is it Wednesday.  Today the old fashion way of killing germs that live in your home.  Are you and your family always getting sick?  Then open up a window for a few minutes and get some fresh air in.  We have caulked out homes making them air tight.  This is wonderful in keep our heating costs down, but now we are breathing the same air all the time.  If one person gets sick the whole family gets sick.  Open a window for a few minutes once a week and kill those germs.  I open a window a little while I'm cleaning that room then shut it when I'm done.  I know a lot of people that never open up a window and air their homes out even in the summer, then they wonder why they are sick all the time.  Enjoy a little fresh air today!

Make do Monday

Welcome to Make do Monday.  With all the snow and very cold temperatures covering the country let's make a very warm quilt.  Using some old flannel shirts or flannel sheets cut them into squares or have them cut into random shapes, for a simple nine patch or crazy quilt. Use some very thick and warm batting and make a quilt for your bed or for camping in front of the TV.   If you kids are home from school and are old enough to use scissors, have them help cut the flannel up.  Maybe teach them to sew the squares together.  The top photo is a crazy quilt, with some top stitching, and the bottom is a nine patch that is machine quilted.  These are not your beautiful quilts for shows, but just plan warm comfortable quilts.  If you have enough flannel make a small lap quilt for each family member to watch TV with.  Fun project for the family and one that everyone can enjoy.  I have mine on the bed with some flannel sheets, and we can dial down the thermostat saving on the gas bill and still be warm!  Have fun with this recycle project.

Dirtroad Team - Scented Luxuries and Candy Quotient Jewerly

Welcome friend's!  Hope everyone is staying warm.  Some very cold weather will be visiting just about everyone this weekend.  So with your warm slippers on and something warm to drink lets visit some artist from the Dirt Road Team.  This week I have two more wonderful shops for you.  The first is Scented Luxuries, and this shop smells wonderful (yes you can smell this through the monitor). This shop is in a small town in Texas and is filled with soap, candles, jewelry, plus roll on perfume and body spray.  You will find something here to lift your winter spirits.  The next shop Candy Quotient  is from a small town of Somonauk, Illinois.  From making her own beads to using vintage beads you will find earrings and knitting markers.  The knitting markers are made from millefiori and fimo beads.  Wonderful addition to your knitting project this winter.  So get some candles, body spray, and knitting markets to help the winter fly by.  Remember you can type "drat dirtroadteam" into the search bar on Etsy for more amazing shops and artist!  Enjoy your visit.     

Old Fashion Winter Fun

Follow the link below for some old fashion winter fun!  Unplug your kids and yourself and have fun!

http://countrylife.lehmans.com/2011/01/19/old-fashioned-winter-fun-for-children/

What is it Wednesday - Playing with Matches

The above match holders where very popular to have in the kitchen.  Each time you went to cook something you had to light the stove.  They where hung on a wall near the stove for easy use.   My mom would strike the match then turn on the burner, and light it.  Sometimes it was easy other times not!  If the burner would not light you tapped the burner with the pilot light to get the gas going.  The handy wooden matches where also used to light the wood or coal furnace.  We are talking about a time before the Bic lighters and gas fireplaces.  The big boxes of matches where sold three at a time, if the striker paper got damp the matches would not light.  So you had to keep them in a dry location.  

Now I going to share a story with you about my husband and the wooden matches.  We are going back to the late 50's.  A elderly neighborly lady heated her house with coal.  She could put the coal in and light it, but she had a hard time cleaning the coal ashes out of the furnace.  So my husband being of eight was sent over to clean out the furnace and  carry the ashes outside.  This lady had no money, no cookies or candy to pay him for doing this chore.  So she gave him two wooden matches to play with while walking home.  He would strike the match on the zipper of his jeans and watch the flame burn down, drop the match and watch it burn out.  Each week he would clean out the ashes and get two matches.  Never once did he think to burn something in the alley walking home (just maybe his figures).  If you where to give a kid a match today you would be in so much trouble.  Kids playing with matches is a big No NO!  The simply joy of watching a match burn that you earned is gone.  Let a lone kids cleaning coal ashes.  Do kids even know that you can heat your home with coal?

Make do Monday

Welcome friends!  Over the next couple of week I will be sharing how to and make dos.  Today I'm sharing some homemade pancake mix.  I found this many years ago in an Amish Cook book.  Easy to put together and make very light and fluffy pancakes.  Plus it is easy on the wallet!

Pancake Mix

12 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

4 cups milk powder

2 tablespoons salt

3/4 cup baking powder

Mix together well all of the above ingredients and store the mixture in a tightly sealed container.

To Make Pancakes

To make pancakes combine the following ingredients.

1 1/2 cups of the pancake mix

1 egg, beaten

1 cup water

2 tablespoons salad oil

Mix together and cook on a hot griddle, serve with butter and homemade syrup.  Here is the link to the syrup I made last summer. 

http://basketsbyrosebasketsbyrose.blogspot.com/2010/07/chirstmas-in-july.html

 

Enjoy!

Dirtroad Team with Into the Trees and Sheonal Hamilton Grant

Welcome friends to Friday.  The Dirt Road Team is growing and I will be featuring two artist each week.  Today I have amazing artists that do very different work.  One works with palm frond and the other a pencil, plus they live in two very different places in the world.  First lets go to Florida and visit Janet from Into the Trees.  Her very colorful work is done on recycled palm frond wood.  This self taught native of Florida has been painting on palm frond for over 10 years.  Love the chef mask myself.  If you find something you love please convo her for the shipping rates, her pieces are large (4 to 5 feet long). Check out her other shop on Etsy called Sweet Lucies.  Then lets go across the world and visit Sheonal  from the Sheonal Hamilton Grant shop.  Using just pencils (like 108) you will find life like drawings.  She has capture the animals she draws so well that you can see them running across a field.   Sheonal born in Scotland, and now lives in Belgium with her family.  She worked with horses for ten years, grooming and riding them.  Half of that time she worked with an Olympic gold medalist in Germany.  Now she is raising her children and working with her pencils.  Please visit her web site and her blog.  Enjoy your visit today with these great artist.

Many members of the Dirt Road Team are having a sale this weekend.  Here is the link to get you started!

http://www.dirtroadart.com/sale.html

What is it Wednesday - with Blind Pig and the Acorn

Welcome to What is it Wednesday.  Today I have a artist and a great blog for you to visit.  Tipper is a fourth generation self taught Appalachian Folk Artist.  Making cards, treasure boxes, and journals.  Her blog and Etsy shop are called Blind Pig and The Acorn.  Her blog covers living in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, but a lot of what she writes about is also here in S.E. Michigan.  How many left the Mountains for a job with the auto industry and brought their wording and ways with them and just became part of this area.  You will find Grannyisms and vocabulary test.  How many words do you know?  Plus the blog has great music from her family, a very talented family.  The picture is the snow they just received and making  snow cream.  Take a minute to visit her blog and etsy shop and enjoy your stay and getting to know a wonderful person.  I'm sure you will come away with a new friend.

Monday Market with The Old Farmhouse Gathering

Welcome to a new year, and some more great shops from The Old Farmhouse Gathering.  Today I have just two artist for you to look at, but we will be visiting five shops on Etsy.  So on this cold day in January, get something warm to drink and lets go for a visit.  The first shop is The Quilted Pumpkin.  Laura is a busy stay at home mom, who works with quilt shop fabrics and wood.  Nothing in her shop is made in mass production a lot of care goes into her work.  When you are done looking over this shop stop by her other shop called Wild Thyme Threads.  You will find pincushions hand made.  The next shop for you to visit is Thrifty Notion.  Bette has this shop filled with patterns, pattern books, vintage items.  Looking for something new to make this year then stop by, and see what she has to offer.  Bette other shop is called  Tomorrows Treasure, filled with e-patterns.  Purchase a pattern, download it to your computer and you are off and sewing in hours.  If you do not have time to sew or know how, the visit her third shop called Handmade by Better.  Bette has this shop filled with finished items.  Love the fabric baskets and bags.  Check out the clothes pin bag.  Never to early to get one, we will have warm weather to hang clothes outside soon!  Enjoy your visit with all five shops and come back next Monday.

Blog Party Sunday

Show off your handmade items for Valentine's Day!  Stop over at the By Your Hands, enter your handmade items, then post on your blog, facebook, and twitter.  Fun!  Please family friendly items only.

Follow this link and have some fun!
http://byyourhands.blogspot.com/2011/01/blog-party-sunday-show-off-your.html

Dirtroad Team - Allie Cat Beads

Welcome to a New Year!  My first shop being featured in the new year from the Dirt Road Team, is Allie Cat Beads.  Gina is a stay at home mom who does it all in taking care of her family.  She has found her creativity in making jewelry and scrapbooking.   You will find jewelry for both adults and children.  Check out the Rosaries great for the up coming Communion or new baby in 2011.  If you have your family members Rosary and they need to be repaired send Gina a convo on getting them repaired.  It is so nice to keep those in the family and past them down to the next generation, from Grandpa to Grandson, or Grandma to Granddaughter.   You will also find handmade cards from Gina.  Please remember you can type "drat dirtroadteam" into the search bar and find more wonderful shop from artist living in small towns around the world.  Enjoy your day and come back.

Handmade Hamburger Buns

Hamburger Buns in your Bread Machine  by DotM

 

Found this on the internet - good and easy!  Love it!  

1 cup water

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil plus 2 tablespoons 

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoon bread machine yeast

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

sesame seed

Add ingredients in order listed, except for the egg and 1 T. Water that is for the egg wash later.

Select dough/pasta setting when cycle is complete remove dough from machine to a lightly floured surface.

Divide dough into 10 - 15 balls

Press ball falt between hands.

Place on a greased cookie sheet.

Let rise 30 minutes or until double in volume

Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water , and brush on rolls.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake at 350 for 10 20 minutes