Homemaking
How we go about transforming our houses into homes reflects our commitment to the present and our vision of the future. Take advantage of the growing list of links below. Be inspired to make your home a place of peace, health and creativity.
Expert Village - "World's Largest How-To Video Site". There are thousands of videos in 13 categories here showing you how to do everything from install an electrical outlet to making soap to planting a garden or controlling fleas on your dog.
The Pied Piper - Very detailed information about the various pests that can plague a household ranging from cockroaches, mites and moths to gulls, rabbits and bees. Large photos on every page along with descriptions and plans of action.
^^^^^^
Cooking with Cast Iron
Backwoods Living, A New Firepit - Brief directions for making a really nice firepit with photographs. There are stone walls, a wooden tripod and a description of making a meal in a Dutch Oven in the new firepit.
Byron's Dutch Oven Cooking Page - Lots and lots of information and recipes here. Some recipes flagged as easy for beginners. Cooking tips, photos and more. Part of the Scouting Webring.
The Irreplaceable Cast-Iron Skillet - Detailed information about how to cure, clean and maintain cast iron cookware. History, links and recipes with photos.
^^^^^^
Frugality
39 Dollar Glasses - Not only did the Wall Street Journal give a thumbs up to buying eye glasses from this site, we can personally attest to buying glasses this way as well. Here you can choose from adult or children's frames, plastic, metal, rimless, bendable titanium, bifocals and more. They have an efficient system for you to give them all of the information they need so that they can provide you with just the glasses you need. What a great thing to be able to buy high quality eye glasses for $39.
Debt-Proof Living - This was formerly The Cheapskate Monthly. This is the site of well known author and newspaper columnist Mary Hunt. A sophisticated web site full of news, calculators, budget helps, articles and other things helpful to living frugally.
Frugal Blogs - Entryway into a lengthy list of blogs about frugality.
Living on a Dime - "Making the Most of What You Have"; The mother and daughter team who fill this web site with information and perspective about frugal living are well known on the Internet and elsewhere. Find articles (including ones dealing with frugality and chronic disease), recipes, a great list of links, a blog, newsletter and e-books. As with other frugality sites, make wise choices with regards to food ingredients.
Miserly Moms - Another well known frugality web site. This one has the added emphasis of moms "coming home" and practicing a frugality there that is family building and takes babies and children into account.
^^^^^^
Natural Home Care
Charlie's Soap - A revolutionary laundry soap that actually cleans rather than masks dirt and odors. Charlie's Soap is hypoallergenic, completely biodegradable and safe for septic systems. There is an All Purpose Cleaner formulation also. Highly recommended. We use it and it works really well.
Food Grade H2O2 - Healthy and environmentally safe, hydrogen peroxide has a wide range of uses in and around the home. Find uses in the home, the garden and the pool detailed here. This is one more important way to simplify home routines and expenses while boosting physical and environmental health. We have used it for years in the ears to reduce sickness, in the kitchen to keep our "dairy" clean and in the laundry.
Our Green House - Real Life... Naturally - This family business offers a wide array of wonderful products for the home ranging from organic baby clothes and wooden toys to healing skin care products to Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products (which we love here) to environmental testing products and green home building supplies. Our Green Home offers at least a little organic something for everyone including our pets.
Refreshingly Free - This site is geared towards the chemically sensitive and contains a satisfyingly wide range of natural household and personal care products including even homeopathics and zeolite odor control products.
^^^^^^
Unusual Sewing Patterns and Handcrafts
Knitting Tips by Judy - This woman has been handknitting for 50 years. She has a company that produces knitted items for movies, TV and celebrities. I thought the celebrity part would be dopey but it isn't. The short stories are kind of interesting. Her web site contains instructions for beginners, patterns and lots of videos demonstrating various aspects of knitting.
Primrose Design - This blog has a marvelous tutorial called Stitch School that teaches embroidery. So far Janet McCaffrey has carefully covered 18 different stitches complete with written descriptions and large, close-up photographs. In related posts, she discusses needles, thread and other tools. Her blog touches on other topics as well such as handmade gifts, books, and life in the country.
Sense and Sensibility - A source for carefully crafted dress patterns for girls and women from the Regency, Romantic, Edwardian, Titanic, and Swing Eras. Matching 18" doll patterns. Photos of dresses made up by happy and creative customers, detailed sewing tips and classes, research, links and a message board are all included on this site. Fine taste and craftsmanship throughout.
Sew Modest - Amy Ringger, proprietress of a home sewing business specializing in modest clothes, has added this web site for women who sew their own clothing to have a "do-it-yourself alternative to buying custom made clothing from Ringger Clothing". She offers patterns and step by step instructions with photos so that you can learn techniques for creating the look you want, making clothes that fit right, and even altering "off the rack" clothes. She utilizes mail, email, newsletter and personal communication for conveying patterns and instruction.
If you would like to support the Pockets of the Future Project, prayers, encouragement and donations are always welcome.
◬ Home ◬ Our Blog ◬ Plan B ◬ Essential Links
◬ POTF Video Blog ◬ Donations ◬ Contact Information
◬ About Us