Tag Archives: Make-It-Yourself

12 Easy Ways To Repurpose Empty Coffee Canisters

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by Texas Homesteader ~

RancherMan & I love our coffee. We enjoy that hot cup-o-joe each morning.

Although I hate plastic, our favorite coffee comes in a plastic canister. Of course when they’re empty I offer those handy containers to others around me who I feel could use them.

But when I could no longer give them away I started looking for various ways to repurpose them myself. If you’re looking for inspiration too, come see what I’ve been able to make with them. Links to details are in the titles.

Come see different ways I've been able to repurpose those empty coffee canisters. They're handy for so many things. #TexasHomesteader

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Making Your Own Natural Beeswax Jar Candles

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by Texas Homesteader ~

I love beeswax candles. But back in ‘the day’ I had lots of regular scented candles and I burned them often. I loved the gentle flicker of the flame and the scent of the candle itself.

But then I heard of the nasties that can be released by burning traditional paraffin wax candles. So as time went on I burned them less & less. When they were gone I just did without.

But now we have our own apiary and I have access to that precious all-natural beeswax. So today I think I’ll make beeswax candles with it!

It's easy to make your own natural beeswax jar candles. It's fun, it's easy, and it's natural. And who doesn't love a beeswax candle?? #TexasHomesteader

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Frozen Applesauce – An All-Natural Frozen Sweet Treat

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by Texas Homesteader ~

My aunt always shares bushels of apples from her tree. Oh how I love them! I’m not sure what variety they are, but they’re flavorful, crisp and sweet. I’ll tote all those apples home and get to processing Apple Pie Filling, dried apple slices, Fruit rollups, and much more.

Many times I’ll take the less-than-perfect apples and immediately peel and core them for applesauce. Heck it’s so easy, chunk it all in a slow cooker and just let it do its thing.

When they’re soft I take a stick blender to make it smooth. There’s no need to add sugar, these apples are already sweet. Sometimes I’ll add a tiny amount of vanilla. But what to do with this applesauce?

Homemade applesauce is used in many different ways in our household. But today I'm making it into a frozen sweet treat - apple sticks! #TexasHomesteader

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How I Make Cheap ‘Oat Flour’ With Whole Oats

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by Texas Homesteader ~
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I’ve experimented with sandwich bread recipes for several years. I prefer whole-wheat bread for the health aspect as well as the heartier feel of it.

But I’ve not been pleased with bread made completely with whole wheat flour. It’s just too dry for our tastes.

So I started mixing different ratios of all purpose and whole wheat flour for RancherMan’s Sandwich Bread to get the best of both worlds.

But whole wheat flour is expensive in our area. And I figured oatmeal’s healthy, right?? So I decided to offset a portion of whole wheat flour with whole oats ground into flour when I make my Oatmeal Sandwich Bread or my Honey/Oat Bread Machine Recipe.

We loved it. It still had the hearty feel that whole wheat offers, but cheaper! You’re not gonna believe how easy this is.

I grind whole oats into 'oat flour' and include it as a healthy ingredient in my homemade bread. The same hearty feel as whole wheat. #TexasHomesteader

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Soap Grows On Trees! Using Soapberries For A Natural Shampoo

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by Texas Homesteader ~

I have a super-smart friend from whom I always learn oh-so-much. Recently we were at a luncheon together & she mentioned that she uses soapberries for shampoo – no conditioner required.

She puts dried soapberries in water and lets them sit for about 6 weeks before she removes the berries. Then she adds a bit of baking soda and uses it to clean her hair.

Well color me intrigued! I found a Soapberry Tree on our property several years ago. So I decided to give it a try.

Using Soapberries for a natural shampoo is easy on your hair and easy on your budget. It's true - soap really DOES grow on trees! #TexasHomesteader

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BBQ Rub & Beer-Based Mop Sauce Recipe

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by Texas Homesteader ~

Every year RancherMan & I host a fun family gathering we’ve always called ‘RanchFest‘. It’s actually celebrated on the anniversary of the date we purchased this little piece of paradise. But we consider it a mini-family reunion.

Back when the kids were young (but before we actually lived here) we’d bring our kids and my siblings would bring theirs. We’d have a big celebration & bonfire. Oh how much fun it was to get together, and the kids loved hanging out with their cousins.

But they’re all grown and most have children of their own now. So every year at RanchFest we get together to relive those fun times. This year we’ll be serving pulled-pork sandwiches using meat from the wild hogs RancherMan’s harvested. He’ll smoke the meat, but we needed a BBQ Rub & Mop Sauce. And he certainly found a good one!

A delicious beer/coffee based BBQ mop sauce and dry rub recipe for smoked meat on the grill. Super easy to whip up in a flash. #TexasHomesteader

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How To Build A Quick 5-Frame Beehive Nuc Box

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by Texas Homesteader ~

Spring is an exciting time in beekeeping. The bees are finally able to get out of the hive & forage from the blooming plants. The hives grow by leaps and bounds this time of year too. It’s a good time to split the hives to keep them from becoming too crowded.

But spring is also a time when some hives will swarm. Sometimes when we capture a swarm we put the bees into an empty deep hive box with frames and let them get busy. But sometimes so many swarms are caught that we don’t have a deep hive box available. Let’s make some 5-frame nuc boxes for temporary housing for them. They’re super quick to put together & you can build four nuc boxes with a single sheet of plywood!

We needed temporary housing for a swarm of bees we caught. We can quickly build FOUR 5-frame nuc boxes from a single piece of plywood. #TexasHomesteader

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MYO Simple Craft Paintbrush In A Pinch

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by Texas Homesteader~

The other day I decided to try a gardening hack I’d read about. I wanted to paint some small rocks red to look like strawberries. The idea is to Trick Birds Away From Your Garden Strawberries. The birds see the bright-red faux berries and decide to swoop in for a little snack. A few pecks of that rock hard ‘strawberry‘ and they decide you’re an awful gardener and move on, leaving future strawberries for your own harvest.

I already had the paint, I already had the rocks, but I didn’t have a small paintbrush. So I decided to make one on the fly. All I  needed was a tiny scrap piece of absorbent material & an ordinary clothespin.

I needed a small craft paintbrush so I fashioned one in seconds using a piece of repurposed scrap cloth and a clothespin. #TexasHomesteader

 

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