DIY Bed Warmer (and Cooler) | Making Our Sustainable Life Brrrrr….. it’s cold outside! You know how it is. It’s winter and it’s cold, no, it’s actually freezing outside. It’s time to go to bed and you just know that bed is actually made of ice. Of course after about 15-20 minutes of pure misery (don’t move, don’t move) the sheets will finally warm up and then everything is fine for the rest of the night, thanks to your down comforter. Well, next winter you can prevent this scenario with your own rice (or corn or beans) bed warmer! But wait, there’s more! All you need is some fabric, thread, stuffing (rice, flax, corn, beans, peas, cherry pits, most anything organic, clean and dry works) and a bit of time! Lets start with the fabric. Once this is done, fold the fabric in half lengthwise. Sew a seam along the top and bottom, inside out. Turn to right side out, poke the corner out and press the seam down. Turn right side out, poke corner out so it looks nice, then press the seam with an iron. stitches. First sew a seam down the very middle.
Make your own firestarters by Claire Wolfe I bought an old house last summer and inherited lots of the former owners' stuff — some of it good and welcome, some strictly landfill-fodder. Among other things that the sellers left were bags of stove pellets. Now, that's a good thing. I asked readers of my Backwoods Home blog what they thought I should do with bags of ruined wood pellets. Why bother, I thought? Well, I can tell you I'll probably never market "Firebrands," but I've discovered that making firestarters is a lot of fun. • They tend to work better. • They're less expensive — virtually free when made from materials already on hand. • It's easy to make several months' supply in one session. • You can custom-design your firestarters to have characteristics you want. • They're a great project to make with your older children. • You can make them plain for everyday use or fancy (and fragrant!) Here's what you need • Some form of wax. • A large pot (a water-bath canner with a rack in the bottom does nicely, but a stewpot will do) 1.
How to Make a Solar Food Dehydrater From… Beer Cans! Please Share This Page: Google + stumbleupon tumblr reddit If you are a first-time visitor, please be sure to like us on Facebook and receive our exciting and innovative tutorials and info! This video by rickvanman is a must see for everyone who grows their own food! Drying food is a tried and tested way to preserve it – generally speaking home-dried vegetables will last for anything up to a year, although under ideal conditions it can be many years more! The technology used here is really simple and the materials are easy to come by. As the video was posted very soon after Rick made the dryer there are a couple of slight modifications needed – one is simply a 3-inch hole on the back (near the top) of the box to allow warm air to vent out. Another tip to make the most of this device would be of course to buy larger quantities of fruit of vegetables when at a reduced price and dry them at home.
Last Shopping Trip Ever: What to Get if You Only Have One Chance Left | The Prepper Journal The news on Wednesday mentioned closed door meetings with the President and the heads of the several agencies and organizations dealing with finances. It included members of the Federal Reserve (which is not a government agency) the FDIC, the CFTC and the SEC as well as the Federal Housing Agency. This meeting has a lot of people spooked and you can read some reasons why on the SHTFPlan blog. News like this makes me start to mentally go over my preps and I start analyzing what I still haven’t done, or need to check on again. One of the recurring comments from that post was that I didn’t offer solutions. I will take the same scenario but shorten the time a little and let’s say you have 12 hours advance knowledge of some event. Before I continue, I must say that this scenario, if it really was as dire as I am painting would be deadly for a lot of people. What would you do? Quickly define priorities Do you have a gallon of water for everyone in the house for at least one week? Make a Plan .
How To Make An Amazing DIY Portable Stove Please Share This Page: Google + stumbleupon tumblr reddit If you are a first-time visitor, please be sure to like us on Facebook and receive our exciting and innovative tutorials and info! When you are in the mood for an inexpensive but satisfying outdoor pastime in some mountainous area, to experience nature’s wonders, a wise backpacker knows very well the value of every square inch of space inside his or her bag. Truth be told, carrying a backpack isn’t the most fascinating and thrilling experience on any trip, especially on your poor, would-be-strained back muscles, but it is “part of the deal” of camping, backpacking, or travelling outdoors. Avid campers, picnickers, backpackers, and the like appreciate a great deal of portability and tend to rationally avoid pointless bulkiness. A portable stove might be a camper’s or backpacker’s best friend in the wilderness when hunger kicks in and his stomach starts grumbling in protest.
How to Bake Without an Oven Winter just does not feel like winter without an ample supply of baked goods. My husband is a cobbler and pie lover, and I a muffin, cake, and cookie gal. Together, we have spent many a winter eve enjoying a fresh blackberry cobbler with whipped cream, or woke to a delicious blueberry muffin. But this winter, baking has been a bit more challenging because we do not have an oven. Thankfully, we have learned several creative ways how to bake without an oven. My two favorites are Dutch Ovens, and what I will call Stovetop Bakes. Baking in Dutch Ovens Being more of a backpacking family than a camping family, we had never really explored the world of Dutch Oven baking. Both of these posts suggest using charcoal briquets, and it is a more refined way of controlling temperature for your baking, but our family prefers to use wood over charcoal briquets. First, we build a great big campfire in our backyard… Then, we pile red hot coals on top of the Dutch Oven, and underneath. Stovetop Bakes
How to Make Your Own Wicks for Candles Candle making is a popular crafting activity. They make fun and unique gifts, are customizable and give of lovely scents when lit. Many crafters create their own candles but wicks are often purchased at a hobby store. For a completely handmade candle, use just a few steps and simple materials. Things You'll Need Cotton Kite Strings Or TwineClothespins And LineTable SaltScissorsOld NewspapersPaper And Binder Clips show more Dissolve two tablespoons of table salt and four tablespoons of borax in 1-1/2 cups of warm water. Soak a 1-foot length of regular cotton kite string or twine in the solution for 15 minutes. Hang the string with a clothespin for five days to be sure it is completely dry. Use a paper clip to dip the string in melted wax three or four times, coating it completely. Store wicks rolled up in a newspaper. Add only one chemical for color variation.
The Bug Out Bag Most of our go bags only borrow the name, featuring the things we like to carry on a regular basis. Reader Scott Kelley takes his gear a little more seriously and has a "bug out bag" system that's versatile and geared towards survival. Scott posted a ton of detail on his Kinja blog, so rather than summarizing it and missing out on much of the good stuff, we're republishing the whole post here. Check out everything he's currently doing below. If you have a great go bag with a useful organization scheme and great features, let us know! 81Reply <a href="#" class="reply-to-post reply-count hover-icon proxima text-small" rel="nofollow">Discuss<span class="icon icon-img downsized icon-bubble-plus-solid"></span></a>
Hydroelectric Hydroelectric Power - Water power - micro hydro systems Micro hydro power is probably the least common of the three readily used renewable energy sources, but it has the potential to produce the most power, more reliably than solar or wind power if you have the right site. This means having access to a river or creek that has a high enough flow to produce useable power for a good part of the year. Many creeks and rivers are permanent, ie, they never dry up, and these are the most suitable for micro-hydro power production. A micro hydro turbine can take several forms, the most widely recognized of which would be the water wheel, used extensively for grain grinding up until this century. Waterwheels are still used in some situations that do not require a fast-spinning turbine, such as for pumping water. However, other type of turbines have become quite common. The Campo Nuevo Watermotor is the only modern turbine designed to drive common machines directly with waterpower. By Joe Cole
"Smokeless" fire Dakota fire hole for efficient cooking and minimal smoke signature I put "smokeless" in quotes because all wood fires produce some smoke. You can, however, greatly minimize and even very nearly eliminate your fire's smoke signature, with some effort. One good way to do this is by using a Dakota fire hole. There are many variations on this method, but I'll demonstrate here the one I like best. If you can, put the air tunnel on the side of the pit from which the prevailing winds in the area come, as this will help to fan the fire. For your fire, start with very dry wood, preferably long-dead branches, still attached to the tree, which have been protected from moisture by the boughs above them. All set up and ready to strike. The hole is approximately twelve inches in diameter, widened out around the bottom to accept larger pieces of wood. Fire took on the first strike, using a firesteel and length of old dulled hacksaw blade. Looking in through air tunnel: Firehole and tunnel.
DIY Solar Water Heater For About $30 In PVC Supplies And Paint Did you know that 70% of your home energy cost are on water heating? In response to this, a Brazilian Eco Designer developed a low cost and intelligent method of reducing energy costs and preserving the environment reusing waste. He created a simple passive solar water heating using PET bottles and and some PVC pipe. According to his calculations this is an extremely low cost and safe project that you can do yourself at home. This project has become popular on the web and has been adapted to homes and even schools. 6 tips to recharge and refresh your mind When we eat a lot of junk food or overindulge at a party, our bodies let us know right away that we need to detox by drinking lots of water, sweating it out, and eating healthy foods. But the mind needs detoxing, too. We cram it full of disturbing media messages. We don’t give it enough rest. Or we strain our brains to the max with workplace worries and deadlines. If your mind is foggy, if you lack clarity, or if you have a difficult time coming up with quick and smart solutions to problems, this is a good indication that you need a mental detox. Here’s a 21-day mental detox program to get your brain performing at its peak. 1. Four new studies presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Vancouver confirm that exercise helps to prevent low mental function that’s caused by stress and aging. 2. For the next 21 days, organize each day before the day begins. 3. 4. Unfinished projects leave us feeling self-critical and hassled. 5. 6.
Seventeen Sneaky Secret Hides 01/17: Door-Top Stash, Sean Michael Ragan (link) 02/17: Plywood Secret Compartment, Yi Ting Ching (link) 03/17: Easy Hidden Pocket, Instructables (link) 04/17: Dead Drop Device, Brian Dereu (link) 05/17: Single Book Safe, John Edgar Park (link) 06/17: Stack-of-Books Safe, Matt Maranian (link) 07/17: Junction Box Stash, Derek Diedricksen (link) 08/17: Secret Breakroom Beer Stash 10/17: Secret Garage Door Remote, Sean Michael Ragan (link) 11/17: Hidden Phone Jack USB Storage, Instructables (link) 12/17: USBattery, Andrew Lewis (link) 13/17: Secret Chessboard Compartment, Andrew Lewis (link) 14/17: Secret Playroom Behind Armoire, Douglas Shepherd (link) 15/17: Secret Stairway, Creative Home Engineering (link) 16/17: Concealed Exterior Door (link) 17/17: Secret Garage, Beausoleil Architects (link) View All To celebrate the publication of my little stash project in MAKE Vol 34, I’ve rounded up a pseudorandom smattering of some of my favorite secret-hiding-place posts from our online archives. Buy now!