If you love needlework, most likely, you’ve knitted or crocheted a gift for a loved one. Potholders, shawls, throws, even sweaters.
But maybe you really, REALLY love needlework and have always longed for an even bigger project. Well, sisters, I’ve got one for you … dare we call them car cozies?
photo, blooger.com
photo, carmagzonline.biz
photo, blogger.com
photo, yarndoodler.com
or how about a bike cozy?
photo, mentalfloss.com
or even a bus cozy?
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Cyrie Wilson!!!
Cyrie Wilson (Pixiedustdevil, #6941) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning an Intermediate Level The Secret Life of Bees Merit Badge!
“I read the book. I was surprised to find that bees were not colorblind. Well, maybe not surprised, but I hadn’t really thought about it till I read the book.
There is a small shop in the next town over that sells raw, unprocessed honey. Most of it is local or from other places in the county. I have a jar of unprocessed, unfiltered honey and a jar of raw, filtered honey.
Some of the benefits of raw honey: it’s naturally anti-fungal, antiviral, and antiseptic. Supports healing, regulates blood sugar levels, promotes digestion, lowers cholesterol, and helps build your immune system. I sometimes use it for allergies.
I have to admit, while researching the health benefits of raw honey, I found some information that got me angry. I understood that store-bought honey didn’t contain pollen, but I didn’t realize how bad it was. A lot of the honey in stores is from China and India and is imported illegally, and it is so denatured that it’s bad for you!”
Have you volleyed around the idea of going solar?
Photo by Unsplash by via Pixabay
If the venture seems a little too “out there” or overwhelming to pursue, you might be interested in a free online Google tool called Project Sunroof.
The tool “helps homeowners explore whether they should go solar or not” by offering a birds-eye view (aka high-resolution aerial maps) to help calculate a roof’s solar energy potential “without having to climb up any ladders.”
Photo by Joan Sykes via Geograph
(I couldn’t resist that photo!)
Anyhow …
Currently available in 42 states, the tool searches your address and, if it’s available, comes up with a basic analysis of how much sun your roof gets and what sort of solar installation might work as well as prospective costs and savings. You can also tweak the estimates based on your actual electricity usage and other parameters. If you’re interested in exploring more, Project Sunroof will help you find local installers who could give you a more accurate quote.
If your address isn’t accessible yet, fear not—Google plans to reach all 50 states this year.
Try Project Sunroof here.
Are you a sheddie?
If the image below strikes your fancy, then you are, dear, you are …
Photo by Mira (on the wall) via Flickr
“Sheddie” is one of those catchy British terms that means, loosely translated, shed enthusiast.
If you are, indeed, a sheddie, then you might also identify as an outpostie, shackie, coopie (I’m just making those up as I go, in case you were wondering).
In England, it seems that there’s a sizeable population of sheddies—enough to support a site called Readersheds, which celebrates every conceivable style, shape, and size of shed from the traditional to the unconventional.
Photo by RobArmstrong2 via Pixabay
Readersheds showcases sheds a-plenty, but its crowning achievement is its annual Shed of the Year competition, which kicks off each year in May.
The man behind Readersheds, known simply as Uncle Wilco, is the head judge and founder of Shed of the Year. A passionate sheddie since his youth, he claims to have made it his mission “to open the eyes of the world to the importance of the shed.”
Photo by Antranias via Pixabay
This year, a panel of judges has selected a shortlist of public shed submissions for each category:
“Now it is up to you to decide on the winners from each one,” they invite. “Take a look at the sheds our panel of experts have selected to represent each category before voting for your favourite. A final judging panel will then pick an overall winner, whose creation will be crowned Shed of the Year 2016, later this Summer on the Channel 4 show Amazing Spaces Shed of the Year.”
Here’s a clip from the 2015 show:
Photo by Efes via Pixabay
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
