My Fresnel lens give away is officially over, so please watch your e-mail in the next few days.
I received 30 new sign-ups, so a third of you will be getting a Fresnel lens of your own! I’m starting to get convinced that there are folks really interested in old and new skills out there! This is really cool!
Please expect an e-mail from me in the next few days. The message will be directly from me ‘willie at newandlostcrafts.com’. I will ask for your mailing address and any special instructions, that is it. If I do not hear from you by April 9th 2012, I am sorry but I will choose another winner.
For those of you who respond sooner, you will get your lens sooner.
Thanks so much to everyone for participating!
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!
I thought it would be a good time to do an update to my first container gardening video.
Things are going great. I am very proud to have some small plants going strong, and it is not even April yet (this is a big deal at 9000 ft)!
I still bring my container in at night, and, with the plastic clear cover, it is basically a mini green house all day. It works so well! I have started to ‘harden’ the plants a little by taking the cover off for a few hours while still in the sunlight in the afternoon.
Today was a little heart breaking for me because I had to pull a bunch of these little beauties for spacing purposes. It was hard to do for me, but is a necessary evil in the end (I feel like I went a little wild sowing).
Check it out!
The carrots have taken almost a week longer than expected, but they are coming up. I will be making another container essentially exactly like this one in the next few days. The idea is to keep the supply of veggies coming from the dirt to our plates.
It’s ironic, all three of us here are licking a popsicle for sore throat, and there is a garden going!
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!
Sorry, been a few days without a post. I have been feeling a little crappy for several days now, this has been a crazy sick season in Colorado!
Anyway, I’m back
In this post I share a cool way to make a toilet paper personal heater out of TP, a can, and some rubbing alcohol.
Check it out:
In the video I used a normal lighter, but these can be started with any sort of spark, including a fire steel!
This heater will last for several hours but eventually the isopropyl alcohol will burn off and more will need to be added. Make sure to extinguish the flame completely and allow to cool before adding additional rubbing alcohol to the wick.
Always use the lid to extinguish the heater. Alcohol burns with a flame that can be difficult to see – don’t get too close and don’t try to blow out the flame.
Finally, remember – any flame will consume oxygen, so make sure you crack a window or have some other means of allowing some fresh air in. Isopropyl “rubbing alcohol” produces very little carbon monoxide, but it is always a good idea to have fresh air circulating at all times!
Using the paint can is key to this project if you intend to make these as a prep. The alcohol will evaporate and rust other containers. It is worth the $1 to $2.
Enjoy!
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!
I have not done this in a long time and was pleased to discover its like riding a bicycle (once you got it down, you got it down).
Check it out:
A few pointers:
1) Ther finer the steel wool the better (0000) is the best, but it will all work even with SOS type pads.
2) A 9v battery or bigger works the best, but, remember, you are basically shorting the battery out! It will not do this for long! So, do not think you are giong to put some steel wool and a 9V in your emergency kit and be good for more than about 3 starts! There are simply much better fire starters to have in your bag. This is useful but probably a pinch hit skill.
The good news is that you can start the wool with a fire steel, fresnel lens, lighter, flint and steel etc…. It is basically a very hot burning, first stage tinder.
3) Once you have the steel wool going act quickly and blow, blow, blow!
And there you go. Let me know if there are 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!
In this video I show you a family favorite recipe, Tortilla Soup Mix in a jar.
I really like this recipe because you can make a lot of jars at once (and should), plus each jar results in an impressive amount of food.
Great for those of us who want a little (or a lot) on the shelf. This recipe is especially great for people who are just getting into food storage as it is one way to put a substantial amount of food away quickly and for little cost!
Since learning this for myself I have made over 20 jars and they go awfully fast. I hope yours do too!
These are great for preps, and also as gifts. Just make sure you let folks know how to use it.
Along with a paracord keychain fob, this is what Everyone in our family got for a present during the holidays!
The recipe:
Two cups crushed tortilla chips
1 cup rice
2 Tbs chicken or beef bouillon (both are great)
2 tsp lemonade powder
1 tsp dried cilantro
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup dried grated onion
You put the crushed tortilla chips in a quart canning jar, and everything else goes into a sandwich size zipper baggy and then into the same jar. Top it off with an O2 absorber is desired (keeps for a lot longer if you do). Done.
Now to make it:
1) Add the baggy ingredients to 8-10 cups of water (8 is thicker, 10 is thinner). Then you add a can of tomatoes (diced, stewed, sauce) or a can of dark beans (pinto, kidney, black), or half and half – be creative. Get it boiling and then drop to a simmer for 20- 30 minutes (let those flavors mix).
2) Turn off the heat, add the crushed tortillas, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
3) Serve in bowls and enjoy. Sour cream, shredded cheese, and your favorite picante or hot sauce are great adders also.
Food storage can be a challenge. How to store food long term can take many forms! This is a pretty cool way to roll.
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!
I am a newbie to gardening. We have tried many things in the last few years, with little success.
I am a prepper and you can only store so much food reasonably, check out how to store food long term. This stuff is neat and makes you feel better, but nothing is better than a fresh harvest!
If you are a regular viewer/reader you know we live in a pretty unique area; 9000 ft elevation in the Colorado Rockies. The growing season is pretty short.
So, I have been doing quite a lot of research and I am going to try a series of small container ‘gardens’ of veggies that grow very fast; Radish, Lettuce, and Carrots!
Another nice thing about this approach is it is easy to keep away from the local enemy #1; the rabbit hole!
I plan on doing this same thing every two weeks:
I am hoping if I stage them like this we will have just enough to use before the next one is ready. This is the first shot, so wish me luck!
Plop! Brand new electronic device; cell phone, mp3 player, e-reader, portable gaming system, whatever, goes in a puddle (or toilet).
I have had this happen to me a few times in the past and tried my best to dismantle the device, dry it out, wait patiently, then FAIL! The issue is that there are so many ‘nooks-and-crannies’ that can trap the moisture.
So, you need a desiccant, plain, very dry, rice works miracles.
This is the process:
This is a simple method to deal with what may seem like a total disaster situation for a lot of us. It actually works pretty well. I have used it twice successfully. Be sure to dry off the obvious moisture with a soft towel, then give it a shot.
Be patient, 2 days minimum. DO NOT cycle the power to your device in this time, it just will raise the chance of ruining your precious gadget. It is worth the time to save a water logged phone.
I believe this qualifies as a new craft or a new skill in the spirit of my site. I really hope this saves some grief for some people out there! If it does please let me know.
Rice is pretty cool for a lot of reasons, here are a few other related posts:
Long term food storage in buckets, rice is a great candidate.
Personal heater, a simple personal heater using a sock and rice!
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!
Here I have two awesome videos supplied by my father-in-law.
He set off on a mission a while back to build a trebuchet, and I’d say he did quite well!
From Wikipedia:
A trebuchet (French trébuchet) is a siege engine that was employed in the Middle Ages. It is sometimes called a “counterweight trebuchet” or “counterpoise trebuchet” in order to distinguish it from an earlier weapon that has come to be called the “traction trebuchet”. The original version had men pulling instead of a counterweight. The counterweight trebuchet appeared in both Christian and Muslim lands around the Mediterranean in the twelfth century. It could fling projectiles of up to three hundred and fifty pounds (140 kg) at high speeds into enemy fortifications.
Check it out!
And this is really cute,
No kids were injured in the creation of this video
Pretty sweet right – talk about a lost craft. Thanks Dad!
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!
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