Helping a Community I Believe in!

Hi Everyone,

Today I am sharing a video created by a community called The Survival Podcast.

I have been an avid listener of this podcast for over a year now and I thought this was neat and important to share..

Enjoy!:

Now that you have heard the positive message, you may be wondering what was that about?

It was in response to this:

If you like this post please help me spread it around! Use the Facebook, Twitter, and Google buttons to like!

I know this is not a new or lost craft, but both messages sure make ya think!

Cheers!

Willie

 

PS.

It may seem at times like you have ‘done it all’ but there are many new crafts and lost skills out there for all of us! This is my mission!

Subscribe to get updates! They happen several times a week!

Live and Learn, Learn and Thrive!

 

 

Crochet Tutorial, Granny Squares!

Hi everyone!

Here is the second of the crochet videos which were filmed when Lex and I went to visit my mom (Grandma) and her home near Phoenix, AZ.

The first video we made which is more for true beginners is here – Beginner Crochet Lesson

The granny square pattern is pretty neat as it allows you to make progress very fast. In addition you can make individual squares (maybe a few per session) and combine them all for a larger piece!

Here it is!

I hope you enjoy this lesson. Many thanks to my mom for offering to make this! I know she would love to hear from you with any questions or comments!

As always please follow me on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter and consider subscribing to my mail list to be notified of new episodes and special happenings (the red sign up area to the right).

Cheers!

Willie

 

PS.

It may seem at times like you have ‘done it all’ but there are many new crafts and lost skills out there for all of us! This is my mission!

Subscribe to get updates! They happen several times a week!

Live and Learn, Learn and Thrive!

 

Marshmallow Gun, Assault Style!

Hi Everyone!

I thought this would be a fun episode! Came across one of these at work the other days and it brought back tons of memories! If you have never had your own marshmallow gun , well, you have not quite lived yet!

Here is how to make one!

 

Parts List (for this exact one, get a few extra feet of PVC tube for future modifications!)

4 feet — 1/2″ PVC

2 x 1/2″ PVC “T” fittings

2 x 1/2″ PVC end caps

1 x 1/2″ PVC 90 degree fitting

1 x 1/2″ PVC 45 degree fitting

Bag (maybe 2) of mini-marshmallows!

 

Look for a nifty button at the bottom of this post which makes it very easy to print this list, or any of my posts!

This is a pretty amazing thing! With a good breath (hopefully you can see my shot in the vid) I can get about 50 feet! If your standing close it can actually sting!

In any case the chipmunks around here should be happy for a while!

I hope you enjoy this, please comment and sign up for updates on new posts (top right,, red sign-up area)!

And hey, what do you think of my new video intro? Let me know!

Cheers!

Willie

 

Small Container Garden Update, Nice Wheels!

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick update on the small container garden experiment. Everything is actually going pretty well! We just need some warmer weather to get these ‘puppies’ outside for some nice sun more often!

As it stands these containers are a little to heavy for either of the girls to move unless they drag them, so it got me thinking, lets get some wheels on these bad boys!

I came across a heck of a deal on some furniture dollies and they work perfectly.  So this video was born!

Now, Every day Lexi helps me move them into the sunny spots and then get them back in to protect them from the still freezing nights.

Here are the first two episodes if you need/want some background:

Part 1 — Small Container Garden

Part 2 — Staging another Container

Thanks for visiting and please take some time to join my mail list for updates on all future posts!

Cheers!

Willie

 

PS.

It may seem at times like you have ‘done it all’ but there are many new crafts and lost skills out there for all of us! This is my mission!

Subscribe to get updates! They happen several times a week!

Live and Learn, Learn and Thrive!

Assemble a 72 hour bag, AKA Bug Out Bag!

Hi Everyone,

This is a post I have been meaning to make for some time.  It seems like whenever I got around to it I would put it off because there was something else I wanted to add before filming.   How silly.

I reality this is a new craft for many of us, and you just have to realize it is something you will probably always be adding to and changing . It will probably never be perfect, but hopefully if will be sufficient when you need it!

Many of the items I carry are home made and I have provided links to them in a section called “resources” below.

In addition I have decided to start a ‘living document’ which I will make available to everyone who wants it. This will hopefully help those of you who are just getting started!

Here it is: Bug out Bag Item list!

It is amazing how every time I take my kit apart I discover some things to change or add.  In the process of making this video I added the following:

– Pencil, Pen, and Paper (Paper in a zipper bag, for leaving notes)

– Duct Tape (I rolled several meters around the above mentioned pencil)

– Water treatment, added a small vial of liquid bleach.  I intend to look into a fancy filter, but this will work for now.

– A way to charge my small electronics.  I will either upgrade my crank flashlight to one that has a charging port,  or get a small folding solar setup, (or both).

– Extra zipper style baggies, just seems like a good idea.  I have several sandwich size a and a couple of gallon size.

– Work gloves.

 

Resources:

Several of the items are DIY, and, in many cases, I have already prepared a video on how to make these items.  Here are the links to those:

Cotton ball fire starters

Tuna can burner – AKA buddy burner

Toilet paper heater

Paracord wrapping method

Fresnel lens demonstration

 

I hope you enjoy this post.  I would love to have a discussion start on this subject and get some more ideas from the viewers!

Cheers,

Willie

PS.

It may seem at times like you have ‘done it all’ but there are many new crafts and lost skills out there for all of us! This is my mission!

Subscribe to get updates! They happen several times a week!

Live and Learn, Learn and Thrive!

Beginner Crochet Lesson!

Hi Everyone,

This is a quick video on how to get started in the world of crochet!

This video was filmed during a spring break vacation to my mom’s house in Phoenix,  AZ.  Lexi and I went for a week-long visit and had a blast. We made three videos: how to microwave corn on the cob in husk, this one, and another crochet video showing how to make ‘Granny Squares’!  The granny square video is on its way!

I am a pretty accomplished crochet artist myself,  but nowhere near as accomplished as ‘Grandma’.

I hope you enjoy!

These are the basics, and if you can get the feel of this ‘single crochet’ down you are on your way to learning more styles very quickly and easily. It takes a little practice, but nothing is cooler than handing someone a functional, beautiful item that you made yourself!

This qualifies as an old craft, not lost, but for sure an old skill where new twists are being added all the time.

I hope you enjoyed this!

Cheers!

Willie

 

PS.

It may seem at times like you have ‘done it all’ but there are many new crafts and lost skills out there for all of us! This is my mission!

Subscribe to get updates! They happen several times a week!

Live and Learn, Learn and Thrive!

 

 

 

 

Use Your Oven To Dehydrate

Hi Everyone,

One of the coolest methods of food storage out there is dehydration. The results are typically long-lasting and delicious.  However I think there is a misconception that you need some fancy gadget to accomplish the process when you really don’t!

So, in this post I show you how to use a standard oven to dehydrate a lovely bag of mixed vegetables (which were on a great sale!)

We then like to use these in a ton of our recipes. It is really cool just grab a pinch and throw them in.

I also wanted to point out that these taste really good as is (yep dried). The corn and carrots are especially sweet little treats dehydrated!

What a fantastic way to have some nice vitamins on hand.  Not to mention taking advantage of a killer deal on frozen veggies! If you keep these in a dark place and use the O2 absorbers these will store for two years and up.

Why dehydrate frozen veggies?  They have already been blanched if needed!  Fresh veggies often require one additional step called ‘blanching’  to help them preserve their flavor and color better. By all means learn how to do this also (another subject for me to film maybe).  The frozen mixture was just a very easy demo for this post.

This was one of many videos, with more to come on how to store food.

Update here is a similar video on dehydrating strawberries!

Also check out, How to microwave corn on the cob, and how long to microwave corn on the cob in husk. These can get ya some corn (remember to blanch!) if you want to do something other than frozen.

I hope you enjoyed this.  Cheers!

Willie

PS.

It may seem at times like you have ‘done it all’ but there are many new crafts and lost skills out there for all of us! This is my mission!

Subscribe to get updates! They happen several times a week!

Live and Learn, Learn and Thrive!

Make a Paracord Bracelet (Cobra-Weave)

Hi everyone!

In this post I show you how to make a paracord bracelet. This project is similar to my paracord keychain fob post a while back. This is definitely one of those new crafts which has gained a lot of popularity recently!

I hope you enjoy.

This is a very fun hobby, and pretty darn inexpensive as well. I like to make paracord items to give as gifts, I have never received a complaint!

From my prepper side, what a great and stylish way to have some cordage on you.

Like I said in the video, take it easy because this will give you blisters.

Cheers!

Willie

 

PS.

It may seem at times like you have ‘done it all’ but there are many new crafts and lost skills out there for all of us! This is my mission!

Subscribe to get updates! They happen several times a week!

Live and Learn, Learn and Thrive!

 

Junk Coin Identification, ‘Junk’ Silver and ‘Junk’ Copper

Hi Everyone,

** Pre-note, 1964 and earlier half-dollars, quarters, and dimes are 90% silver (I screwed up in the video and said 95%), sorry for the
mistake.

Anyhow this post is about USA ‘Junk’ coins, so,,,,, What is a ‘Junk Coin':

Junk is an informal term used in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia for any coin which is in fair condition and has
no numismatic or collectible value above the bullion value of the metal it contains. Such coins are popular among people seeking to
invest in metals, particularly in small amounts. This term used to apply primarily to silver, but is now being used with copper. There are
folks out there with buckets full of pre 1982 copper! I’m not gonna go that crazy but it is interesting!

Here is my guide:

This is probably my new favorite hobby.  Whenever I get change back from a transaction I love looking through it for these small
treasures.  Trust me they are out there! I hope this video and post get more folks looking a little closer.  You might be surprised what you
find.

Fun fact for silver:

A full troy ounce of  silver is contained in any combination of 90-percent silver U.S. coins which have a face value of
$1.40!  So as a reference, as of  4/3/2012 , that $1.40 is actually worth $33 spot price (market) value.

Watch your change!

Cheers,

Willie

It may seem at times like you have ‘done it all’  but there are many new crafts and lost skills out there for all of us! This is my mission! 

Subscribe to get updates! They happen several times a week!

How To Microwave Corn on the Cob!

Hi Everyone,

My daughter and I got to go visit Grandma in the Phoenix, AZ area last week for spring break!

So,  it has been a while since my last post,  but I needed the vacation.  Now I am “back in the saddle again” , and armed with several videos from the trip!

Here we show you how to microwave corn on the cob!

Enjoy!


This is a re-creation from a very popular video posted by  on YouTube a few months back. We treated it like a ‘myth-busters’ experiment, (it just seemed too good to be true), the result is “Confirmed”!   Yummy corn very quickly.

A few pointers:

– The recommendation is 4 min per ear. That may be a little much. Treat it like anything in the microwave, the more you add maybe add another 60% of the original time and keep it going like that, 6 minutes probably would have been fine for two ears in the set-up you see here.

– The second ear came out a lot easier, let them sit for a few minutes!

– I am intrigued by the original video by , I think the “ove-gloves” might be a great idea. A little more gripping could not hurt!

Why boil corn on the cob unless you have to?

I hope you enjoy, drop a note with any questions!

Cheers,

Willie

 

PS.

It may seem at times like you have ‘done it all’ but there are many new crafts and lost skills out there for all of us! This is my mission!

Subscribe to get updates! They happen several times a week!

Live and Learn, Learn and Thrive!