Welcome to one of our favorite parts of family life on the homestead – holidays and traditions! Homesteading is hard work and takes a lot of time and effort but it’s so important that we leave time for celebrations. Some family times are simple days of rest or quiet moments like bath and bedtimes. Other celebrations are loud and messy and full of crafts and foods! Both kinds, and everything in between, are worthwhile.
We feel so strongly about this topic that we’ve written a whole book on it. Look for our publication, Homestead Holidays, in our shop. You don’t have to buy the book to access the free content here on the blog. Pick a holiday, craft or recipe and try it this week. Be sure to do it together and to have some fun – those are the only two rules when it comes to celebrations on the homestead.
If you love fresh linens but are tired of buying single use herbal sachets, here’s a DIY tutorial for making your own re-usable lavender sachet. There are two sets of instructions; one for a quick lavender sachet that requires minimal sewing, and another that’s slightly fancier so that you can use it in place of single-use wrapping paper. Make these re-usable lavender sachets for your own linens or as a gift for someone special – Mother’s Day IS coming up, after all. 
If you need a confetti cake for that special birthday or tea party, but don’t want all the commercial dyes and sugars, this spring flower natural confetti cake recipe is for you! Foraged spring flowers add just the right pizzaz to this natural confetti cake!
Have extra edible flowers on hand? Made some some sugared violets for a cake and have some left over? Don’t toss them! Make this family-friendly violet popcorn and make your movie night a thing of elegance. 
If you’re looking for a unique gift for that special gardener in your life, try these 3 seed gift ideas. Each seed gift idea is simple to make from materials you may already have on hand. These DIY gifts are so easy that even kids can make them with some supervision. Celebrate Earth Day, Easter or Mother’s Day with these unique gifts! Continue reading “3 Seed Gifts”
Using ones you buy or ones you make, you can decorate candles with kids this holiday for simple decoration or to give as gifts. This is a frugal DIY holiday gift and decoration idea that also provides a new and useful skill. Plus, it’s super fun to decorate candles with kids at parties for any holiday – Valentine’s Day, Easter, Christmas! Why send your guests home with plastic toys and more candy? Decorate candles together for a unique craft; here’s how.
Are you trying to find activities and crafts for family fun times that are a little more green and a little less wasteful? Honestly, how many toys and packages do my kids really need to celebrate their birth every year?! Making candles with children may sound too difficult, but just read through this tutorial on Candle making for Kids Parties with an open mind. With a little effort and a little mess, your kids could be celebrating their next event with this satisfying green craft.
Continue reading “Green Fun: Candle Making for Kids Parties”
Making paper is a useful green craft that can be done with minimal materials and recycled paper. It’s a simple step in the paper making process to add special items to produce custom made holiday paper. Use these six simple steps at any time of year to make your own holiday paper! Continue reading “Upcycled Craft: Make Holiday Paper”
On our homestead, Valentine’s Day is a family affair full of special traditions, healthy treats and fun crafts like homemade Valentine’s Day cards and this homemade natural moon sand. This recipe has no flour, no powdered drink mix dye and no yucky ingredients.
Continue reading “Natural Moon Sand Recipe – A Family Valentine’s Day Activity”
Have you heard the term “hygge” used lately? Ever wondered what it meant and how it might apply to making your home and land cozy and peaceful? I think of this concept as vital to my family for reducing chaos and increasing peace! Below we’ve outlined specific steps for children and adults to create a hygge homestead.
Everyone has a scrap paper stash for grocery lists and keeping the kids coloring and reverent during Sunday services. Here’s how to take your scrap paper and turn it into homemade paper for crafts and card making. This upcycled craft project is so simple that kids and adults alike will enjoy it – we give you specific instructions for making homemade paper with a group. You do need some simple equipment, but it’s nothing you DIY peeps can’t handle. So, grab your students, your kids and your friends and get going on your homemade paper!
Continue reading “Homemade Paper for Teachers, Parents and Parties!”
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