Handmade

Easy DIY Barn Wood Shelves

April 25, 2018 by Abby Jo 3 Comments

I love the DIY Barn Wood Shelves that I often see online, but none of them were quite what I wanted.

So, Daniel got out his pad and pencil, and these beautiful DIY Barn Wood Shelves happened.

He handmade the wooden corbels, which I love. Corbels have such a European feel to them, which when paired with old Barn wood it has a fantastic look. A flair of old world style, and a reminder of more recent homesteaders.

Daniel decided to film the process, and I’m so glad he did! We usually get so caught up in a project that we forget to take before and after pictures. But this time, we went beyond that and filmed the process of building these DIY Barn Wood Shelves for you guys. Aren’t you proud of us? I know I am!

To Make:

With a level, draw a level line on the wall.
Mount the brackets or corbels evenly to the line
Place your lengths of Barn Wood onto the brackets/corbels
Screw them into the brackets/corbels from the top
Now, the most crucial step is to step back and admire your beautiful work.

Ideas On Finding Barn Wood

Now, finding barn wood can be difficult. If you’ve purchased an old homestead, then you’ll have barn wood galore, but the rest of us may not be so lucky. If you’re one of the latter, then look out for old buildings and talk to their owners. Perhaps they’ll be willing to bargain, or chicken trade in exchange for your skills. People LOVE homemade food, a loaf of bread or a fresh pie can carry a lot of weight in bartering deal!

Tips on building DIY Barn Wood Shelves

Now, if you were mounting this shelf on brackets I seriously recommend using these hollow wall anchors, I’ve hung a sixty-pound chandelier from them before. Their primary function is for hanging heavy items when you can’t find a stud or the location of the stud won’t work with what you’re doing.

DIY Barn Wood Shelves Video

One of the things I love most about DIY (Do It Yourself) is the connection people get to the old ways. The benefits of DIY cannot be understated in a culture that is driven by consumerism, and the fast-paced lifestyles which support it.

Truth to be told, I feel more grounded, satisfied and happy after having completed a DIY project or just working with my hands. When my DIY project comes to fruition, I appreciate the finished product in a way that exceeds just going out and buying something new.

Looking for more DIY projects? Check out this DIY Wattle Fencing Tutorial, and Kicksled Tutorial!

Are you inspired to try your hand at a DIY project this coming weekend? If we were your inspiration, tag us on Instagram @forgottenway_farms we’d love to see your handiwork!

-Daniel & Abby Jo

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Homemade Kicksled Adventure

January 3, 2016 by Abby Jo 3 Comments

A Homemade Kicksled, this was my first DIY attempt at making a Homemade Kicksled about five years ago. I made it with scrap wood from our clothes drying rack business and a broken chair. The kids helped me to build it in the living room. They were handing me screws and gave much-needed guidance on where what should go. And, thus begins the Homemade Kicksled Adventure. (Do you spy that lovely Wattle Fence in the background of the photo below? Click here for a DIY Tutorial on making Wattle Fencing!)

Homemade Kicksled at Forgotten Way Farms!

In the same spirit of building with what I have on hand, I repurposed an oak head board from a broken daybed. The kids bought me a pair of cross-country skis last year, in hopes that I could again make a Homemade Kicksled for them. The old one didn’t make it past two seasons of heavy use. I beefed this one up, and am really happy with it.

I also cut diamond shaped grooves into the wood to make it easier for snow boots to stay on without slipping. Two Thumbs Up for this Homemade Kicksled!

It was on a Sunday around 6 pm that the inspiration hit me, so my second oldest helped me until 9:30 pm. Some of the kids were in bed already, but as news spread that Dad had made a new Kicksled, they all came out for a peek. What was supposed to be a peek turned into an all-out sledding party until 11:00 pm, we went to bed with our faces hurting from smiling. Nothing beats sledding at night in an empty street with street lamps lighting the way, no cars coming or going and the snow softly falling.

Afterward, hot drinks for everyone and then a good night’s rest!

Making a Homemade Kicksled Material List:

Repurposed Wood

Anything will do, in my case, broken oak furniture worked. Check your local thrift store as well, they might have some broken furniture that needs hauling away.

Used Cross-Country Skis

Again, check your local thrift store. Also, during the Winter it’s usually quite easy to find them at affordable prices, second hand.

Screws and a Little Imagination

I had a bucket of random screws and nails in the shop that I used for this project.

My go-to Cordless Drill

This baby works well for all kinds of projects around the homestead.

Have you ever made a Homemade Kicksled?

Don’t break this one.

-Love Dad

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A Handmade Rose is Born

December 16, 2015 by Abby Jo Leave a Comment

After watching a few youtube videos showing how to make a metal rose, I decided to try my hand at it.

Using the help of one of my sons, we did some brainstorming to improve the design. For one, we added more petals and used copper wire for the stem. Texturing each petal was the fun part, we traded the texturing job, one for you, one for me, one for you, and one for me.

Abby loves flowers, and now she has a forever rose. Her reaction was priceless,” I don’t even know how you made this” then raising the rose to her nose she added, “I need my rose perfume.”

It has found a good home on the computer desk, in a slender vase where we can enjoy it all day.

- Daniel

The Christmas Hamper Basket

December 13, 2015 by Abby Jo Leave a Comment

The Christmas Hamper, a perfect old fashioned gift.

When Daniel and I started this homesteading journey long ago, I fell in love with the Christmas hamper basket. We started out on our land building a homestead from scratch, we sure didn’t have a lot of money, but I loved giving gifts. Reading old books got me seriously curious about the old fashioned idea of Hamper baskets. It seemed the perfect answer, I grew my own food, made my own soaps, candles, and herbal teas.

And, to me, homesteading has always been about the food! What a perfect way to showcase your bounty from your homestead, along with seasonal favorites.

The tradition of giving hampers really started during the Victorian times, when wealthy families put together hamper baskets of food and drink for their staff, and the poor. There was often enough food for a week. The food, usually seasonal produce, would be enough for families to have a Christmas feast of their own.

What is really interesting is that giving of hampers was often a charitable gesture, until a London department store caught on to the idea of sending hampers as gifts to family and loved ones.

What a delightful tradition. Simple, frugal, and you don’t have to worry about your gift going into a yard sale pile next year 😉 And really, I couldn’t think of a better way to share your own handmade delicacies.

I collect unique hamper and picnic style baskets all year long, I often find my best ones at thrift stores. I also keep on the lookout for vintage mugs, tea cups, and cool jars.

Here are a few ideas to fill your baskets brimming full with all kinds of Christmas goodness!

Start out with a beautiful basket, jars, bags, tissue paper, twine and labels.

Fill your basket full, brimming is best. You want someone to feel blessed, loved and fed.

Here is a list of things you might want to put in your Hamper Basket:

Dried Fruits
Canned Food
Jams and Jellies
Herbal Teas
Baked Goods
Bottled Drinks
Chocolate
Nuts
Honey
Vegetables
Fruit
Smoked or Dried Meats
Coffee, Tea, Cocoa
Cheese
Homemade Butter
Homemade Candies and Confections

You get the idea! Food, lots and lots of food.
I also like to add Mugs, soaps, lip balm, candles, hand towels, heirloom seeds, and anything that adds a cozy charm to the hamper.

Christmas hamper – “In primarily British usage, it refers to a wicker basket, usually large, that is used for the transport of items, often food.”
-Wikipedia

Think about how everyone lives in different areas and climates and how unique and individual everyone’s hamper baskets could be. I hope you all revive this wonderful tradition on your homestead.

Sending love, and holiday greetings from our homestead to yours.

– Abby Jo

Nifty Thrifty Thirty Cent Skirt

March 22, 2014 by Abby Jo Leave a Comment

It all started in our favorite thrift-store, my little sister found a bundle of material for thirty cents. She brought it home and wanted to make a skirt. I soon found myself involved, and with a bit of pinning and left over jean we were ready to sew.

The needle was broken on mom’s sewing machine, so we went looking for mine. I had bought it a few years ago at Habitat For Humanity for $15.00. So far, I never had used it and now seemed the perfect time. All we had to do was find it. We hunted through the shop, garage and my room. We finally found it and wrestled it in to the house. I then spent 15 minutes trying to figure out how to wind the bobbin. The instructions weren’t worth the paper they were printed on, but once I finally figured it out, it was pretty nifty! It worked amazingly well and the skirt was soon done.

One thing I love about old sewing machines is how they were built like cars. Who thought of making all those knobs look like they came off a vintage car radio? It adds so much character and glamour.

This skirt was made completely of repurposed materials. The elastic band came from some retired boxers, the jean was a left over from an old skirt, and the material was second hand. A grand total of thirty cents, is the price of this adorable skirt. I felt a link to the past as I used this wonderful old machine, making such a thrifty skirt.

I’m hoping to make many more things like it, this summer and I’ll keep you posted.

Happy Spring!

– Johanna.

I linked up to:

Farmgirl Friday
Simple Saturdays Blog Hop
Down Home Blog Hop
Homesteaders Hop
Homestead Barn Hop
Homemade Mondays
Nifty Thrifty Sunday

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