Simplicity and Beauty

"Oh, I got plenty o' nuttin'
And nuttin's plenty for me
I got no car, got no mule
I got no misery

De folks wid plenty o' plenty
Got a lock on de door
'Fraid somebody's a-goin' to rob 'em
While dey's out a-makin' more
What for?"

-- George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess

Simplicity is always something I am working on. I always think deeply about it when I am cleaning the house or when things start getting messy. I feel that as Americans we are conditioned to believe that life is a competition and he who dies with the most material possessions "wins."

As the Porgy and Bess song says, many people are focused on working to buy new things but they are also unconscious of the stress that is attached to belongings. Many people focus on saving money to buy an item but never fully think about where they will keep the item and what kind of upkeep it will need.

Not only does "upkeep" entail the normal functionality of the item but also the stress of cleaning it and around it. Anyone who has a lot of small figurines on their mantle will tell you about what a pain it is to dust. It is something a lot of people don't think about but less stuff means less cleaning and less stress. Few people associate new items with more stress; it is hard to see past the shiny newness and the novelty of things in stores.  

Some people cling to things as if the memory will fade if the object is let go. I am continually striving to surround myself with things I use or things that I think are beautiful. The things in my house should represent who I am today and not who I was 10 years ago. I recently removed all of my books from the bookshelves.

My bookshelf had slowly collected books since High School. Unfortunately the shelves were filled quickly and more recently acquired books have been piling up in my room. The books I use a lot now, never made it to the shelf and I would have to dig them up to use them. It created a lot of stress and wasted a lot of time. I looked over my bookshelves and realized that the books on the shelf represented my interests and needs, 5 or 6 years ago. Now that I have the books I use everyday on the shelf and have donated the books I didn't need, I feel like the bookshelves are serving me and my current purposes-- what they should be doing. 

The rest of my belongings should be doing the same. I've been donating things and throwing useless things out and I have to say that I have yet to have needed any of those things as of yet. Having my bedroom and belongings serve my purposes has left me with a lot less stress and more time to do things that I want to do.  Less really is more and the best things in life really are free, who knew? :D










I've been inspired by:

• A Guy Named Dave: Dave proposed a challenge where he would whittle down his possessions to 100 items. 
• Minimalist Fun: This guy took Dave's 100 Things Challenge and wrote a lot about it.
• Walden by Henry David Thoreau: A book published in 1854 by Thoreau, a leading transcendentalist writer on his observations on living as a minimalist.    
• Choosing Voluntary Simplicity: A family dedicated to living debt free, working from home, living "green" and simple living.

Civil War Era Knitted Fringe and a Sneak Peak of the Knitted Civil War Reticule

Since I didn't anticipate a tie for when the Civil War Era Knit-Along would be I've decided to hold it in June and let everyone know what materials they will need now so that they have time to get them .








The Materials are:

- 1 Skein of size 10 Crochet Cotton.
- 2 size 00 knitting needles (double pointed are fine.)
- Lining fabric, 1/4 of a yard should be plenty

I think everyone will be pleased with the pattern. It's an open period stitch that makes for a pretty and daint purse.

It is a very small stitch for this project.

I've also been working on some knitted fringe, I was thinking of adding a bit to my dress. I wasn't sure how it would turn out but I think it's pretty enough. I should have ironed the fringe out straight for the pictures.

The Instructions: 

Cast on 9 Stitches.

Slip 1, Knit 2, Yarn Over and Knit 2 Together, Knit 1, Yarn Over and Knit 2 Together, Knit 1.
Turn the knitting over and cast off the first 5 stitches and pull the remaining 4 stitches off the needle and untangle them to form one fringe. Holding the knitting in your left hand, cast on 8 more stitches by looping the yarn around the needle.
Repeat.

The joints are a little "wonky" but after a while it evens out and looks pretty. It's different than normal knitting but only takes a few tries to get right. Make sure to knit loosely.  

43 Things and Writing a Book

43 Things is a website where people keep track of their goals. At first, I didn't understand it, it seemed like a computerized version of a "To Do list." I figured that I already made "To Do lists" on paper, why would you want to put something boring like that online for other people to see?

But when I investigated further, 43 Things lets you add goals and connects you to a network of people who are trying to work towards the same goal or who have accomplished it already.The people in that network can cheer you on or those who have already accomplished the goal you are trying to achieve can give you tips and encouragement.

You can also leave journal entries on each of your goals which is an obvious reminder if you've been neglecting working towards one. Since the goals are public, I think it gives us an extra boost to achieve that goal it also makes me more selective about which goals I really want to pursue.

One of my goals is to write a book. It has been one off my goals since I was a little kid. I always thought I'd grow up and be a writer. I was surprised at how many people on 43 Things who have the same goal. 29,243 have the goal to "Write a Book," 2,763 want to "Write a Book and Have it Published," and 10,685 want to "Write a Novel," it's astounding!

A preliminary layout for my book.

Really, it is considering only 6,328 people want to "Lose 10 Pounds." What is it about writing books that makes us all want to do it?

I'm writing a book that, quite frankly, I want to read myself. It will be a cookbook of Colonial Era Recipes. There are many books about historical cooking and cookbooks, but there are very few that have gorgeous pictures! I think that great pictures are absolutely necessary when cooking food that is unfamiliar. My goal is to have only around 100 recipes (which isn't a lot for a cookbook) and include at least 25-30 full page photos.

The biggest reason for books to lack photos is the expense it takes to print them. At this point, I don't even want to try and get it published, I do not believe there is a wide enough readership for it. I am thinking of only ever making it into an e-book so it can be virtually as long as I want it to be and can include as many helpful photos as I would like.

I have been working on it on and off for a while when I don't have school work. 43 things says that the average time that it takes for people on the site to write a book is 1 year! Wow! I am definitely giving myself at least 2 years, I am in no rush. I am guessing a lot of the people who wrote a book in a year participated in NaNoWriMO, which encourages people to write a book in 1 month regardless of how horrible it is.

So I normally don't tell people my big goals for fear of failure but 43 things has encouraged me to do so. Even if my book takes 5 years, I know my readers and friends will encourage me. I am also having a lot of fun on 43 things.

Guest Post: Rebecca Ann from Singing in His Name

Today we have a really great post featuring blogger and entrepreneur, Rebecca Ann.  Rebecca continues to inspire many people with her interesting and spiritually uplifting posts. 

Please tell us a little about yourself.

I am an almost 20 year old gal who loves life. I am a homeschool graduate of 2010. My parents decided to homeschool me when I reached 6th grade and I am ever grateful to them and the Lord for those great years of learning.  I strive to live a life of productivity and try to stay clear of things that are techy besides my laptop. I love all things old fashioned, vintage, and antique. I also am a strong believer in the Lord God of the universe who sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for my sins. He is the inspiration behind my Etsy store and I would never have gotten started sewing if it were not for His strength and encouragement from His Word and other believers around me. Without my faith in the Lord it would have never been possible to open the store.

What inspired you to open an Etsy shop?

I would say a number of things inspired me to open my store. First of all when I first heard of Etsy I was intrigued by all the homemade items! I said someday I would check off my bucket list that I was able to hand craft items for a store. I can't believe many years later I am actually opened and am enjoying sewing for my store. I used to hate to sew, but when my sister taught herself dress making and quilting I was very interested. So she inspired me as well to learn to sew and finally open my store. My mother also inspired me as she loves to make many types of crafts that are no sew and she was an encouragement as well telling me I should sell all those hand sewn items I made as gifts for my friends.

Where do you get the inspiration for things in your shop?

I would say blogs and books and my sisters sewing. With the internet there are so many blogs and places to find inspiration to sew coasters, banners, napkins, and other goodies. But especially the blog called Sew MaMa Sew inspired me to do a vintage theme for my shop. I love all things red, blue and vintage. So I got lots of inspiration from that blog as well as my sister’s love for red and blue in our craft/sewing room decor. So the theme of our sewing room is the same as my store, red and blue and vintage.

Other than sewing, what are some of your other hobbies?

Besides sewing, crocheting, and knitting, I love to do living history reenactments and sew clothing for myself and my family to wear to events. I also love sewing modern clothing and quilts as well as home decor cushions and curtains for our home. My first love before I learned to sew was music and I still love music! I am studying to be a voice major for college and enjoy singing and playing the piano at home and with friends. I also play the piano for the services at my church and enjoy doing so. I also enjoy cooking and baking with my sister and mother as well in our tiny kitchen. I also love visiting historic sites, homes, and museums in our area. We live on the east coast and there is so much history here. My family reenacts the Colonial Period (French and Indian war, as well as the Revolutionary War), the Civil War, and the War of 1812. So we get lots of inspiration from visiting historic sites and places. The other day we visited Mount Vernon and it was so inspiring! I also love thrifting and going shopping for bargains at the Goodwill or out of the way thrift stores. My mother and I love doing this together and we find a lot of antiques and vintage items for cheap.

Do you have any advice to anyone attempting to start their own crafting business?

My advice for others wanting to start a home business for crafting would be to try and share your crafts/sewing with your friends and family first. I have gotten a lot of interest from people from my church, family, and neighbors and friends in my area. So start small and maybe even don't do an Etsy store. Sell things to your friends and family or first give the crafts as gifts to people. My friends always receive handmade gifts, so they already see that I sew and do crafts and may want to buy something from me.

 I would also say “don't do it alone,” as you get inspiration or want to start sewing or crafting your items, ask for advice or opinions on the design or style of the items from friends and family. I was saved a lot of times by my sister when something just was not right or did not really cut it for the store.

 Also read a lot of blogs and view other Etsy stores or online stores to see how they do their business. You can get a lot of great ideas and advice from other Etsy or other store owners. Also if you want to start an Etsy store, add a lot of shops to your favorites list and items to your favorites. Then those sellers will add you to their favorites perhaps and buy something from you. I am also going to advertise in my local home school newsletter. So many people love that I am an entrepreneur and want to support me by buying my handmade products instead of made in china stuff.

Also do whip of some business cards or just some cards with your Etsy or business name on them. Then when you tell someone about it they don't have to remember the name in their head, they can see the address of the shop on the card. I am in the process of doing this right now.

All in all I am so grateful to Stephanie Ann for letting me do this guest post. I am very encouraged by her blog and her help by letting me share my Etsy store with you all. If you have any questions do come over to my blog here- http://singinginhisname.blogspot.com/ and leave a comment.

Thanks Rebecca! Please do visit her blog and Etsy Shop.

Curious Colonial Remedies and Cosmetics

During colonial times disease was the leading cause of death. Many people survived diseases but were severely physically scarred so it is not surprising that there was a lot of experimentation with remedies and cosmetics.  I am actually not sure if some of these are better or worse than the chemicals many of us put on our skin everyday.

Birch sap is used fir making birch beer and strawberry water sounds like it would work just as lemon does for the skin but orpiment (a toxic mineral that contains arsenic) and (::gulp::) frog-spawn water just sound crazy to me.

This receipt is not referring to real worms, but  clogged pores. Before the common access to microscopes, many people believed that the oil blockage of a pore was a worm. This believe was still present as late as the American Civil War when magazines were quick to point out that "ignorant persons" still believed it.

Even today some people swear by the whites of eggs to remove blackheads and using the plant Soloman's Seal (Polygonatum) to cure acne.

The vermin most likely meant in this recipes are fleas, lice and mosquitoes which were responsible for spreading many diseases and were also very annoying.  Ships often carried lice and every sailor and passenger on a ship with an outburst would eventually become infected. Stavesacre (line-bane) is very toxic and I don't think that honey would help keep the mosquitoes away.

In some places, especially at the beginning of the 1700s, it was common for people to share bowls and cups at the table. Dishes were not washed with soap, even in taverns where many people could have used the same cup all day.


*Note: The baby in the picture at the top is wearing a "pudding cap" which protected the heads of children while they were learning to walk.