Using a shaving horse.

Today we are blogging about using a shaving horse. Many people have never heard of a shaving horse, much less seen one. It's a very old tool used for holding wood still while you shave or carve it, like a clamp. The shaving horse's pressure on the wood can be released in an instant by taking your foot off the lever below. A clamp, on the other hand, requires you to stop what you are doing to change the position of your work. Above, Dustin is preparing to peel the poles to our canvas camping tent. This would be a very tedious job if he had to use only a work table and clamps.

All these poles need to be debarked or water and insects will get under the bark and rot the wood.

The tool Dustin is holding is called a draw knife. It is an ideal tool for using with a shaving horse. A traditional use was for "shaving" wooden shingles ( also called "shakes") down to a proper thickness. They are actually a very versatile pair of tools that can be used for a myriad of applications.

 The draw knife is pulled toward the body with a controlled motion. As Dustin moves down the pole he will slide it past him at an angle so he can continue peeling it. When one half is done, he will turn it around and start on the second half.

Working with hand tools gives a person the opportunity to feel, concentrate on, and appreciate his work in a way that is hardly possible with modern power tools and equipment. It becomes easier to understand the level of workmanship that was seen in the past once you have begun to use and trust your own hands.

Baby shower

* Hello everyone! Here is a blog I've wanted to post for some time now. No photos from the farm this time, but all the hand-made and make-do fun in this post is well in keeping with what Home-Made-Home is all about. Plus, I managed to slip in some product pictures ; ) Thanks for following! - Janet.*

Several months back I threw a baby shower for my friend Atlanta and her baby, Marian. Her sister in law and I had both agreed on a vintage theme and here are some of the fun and pretty ideas we came up with:

The banner was easy to make. I cut out circles of plain, white paper and wrote the individual letters on them with a calligraphy pen. Then I pinned the letters, along with bunches of baby's breath, my baby booties,and some antique baby dresses I scored for a dollar a piece at a junk store to a length of thin rope with mini peg clothes pins. Ta-da! Gorgeous banner.

We had fun using stuff we already had to further the old fashioned/ baby girl theme. Here, we just tucked some tiny flowers into the tea set we borrowed from my girls for the day. We also rounded up lots of old linen and lace, like the handkerchief in this picture.

Sweet baby! She was so good for the whole shower, but when it came time for a picture, she decided she'd had about enough!

We brought an old rocker and handmade quilts to make a comfortable spot for the guests of honor to sit while opening gifts.

The decorations for the refreshment table turned out to be my personal favorites. Glass bottles and brass candle-sticks from my collections paired with a miniscule perambulator that was fixed with scraps of fabric and lace, a lace handkerchief, and tiny blooms. Candle light makes everything special.

 One of Atlanta's friends had made this adorable garland for her and we just had to reuse it along the edge of the gift table.:-) 

Instead of having a game, we had a special activity for all the guests to join in. Above is the "blessing tree". Everyone was instructed to write a special blessing, prayer, or scripture for little Marian on one of the tags we passed out and then hang it on the tree. By the time we finished, the tree was blooming with blessings! The tags will go into a scrapbook as a keepsake for Marian when she is older.

There were so many lovely gifts. I decided to give a stuffed toy horse and crocheted wool ball from the Home-Made-Home shop( animals are $8.and the Ball is $12.). I find a lot of joy in giving things I have made with my own hands. So many kind thoughts and prayers just naturally go out for the person you are thinking of while you make the gift, and that is what makes it truly special.

* Call Home-Made-Home at 1-870-283-4002 with inquiries or to order.*

Around the Farm.

This summer is keeping us so busy ! One of our biggest projects has been keeping up with the tomato  harvest. We have been canning tons of salsa as well as chopped tomatoes. As you can see in the pictures the whole family has been getting in on the act :-) .

Our big helper.

Open wide,Daddy!

We have some huge,beautiful sunflowers this year. Some of the flower heads are a foot across! The girls are eager for them to  ripen so they can help toast them.

Our stand of heirloom popcorn is doing well. Now, if we can just keep the racoons out until it's ready to pick...

A few weeks ago we went to a you-pick blue berry farm and came home with full bellies, blue faces, and seven gallons of berries to can and eat this winter.

Ember is kissing her little cousin, Logan.

This is one of several arbors on our place. It is so pretty right now with the trumpet vine and rose of Sharon in bloom that it just had to go on the blog.:-) 

"Rattlesnake" heirloom pole beans ready to take to the farmer's market.

Above; the results of a busy day of canning.  Below; the girls gloating over the first egg their new chicken laid.Esther loves to check the eggs with her little basket.

Cucumbers just before canning.

Sweet kisses from a happy little girl.if that doesn't make life worth living, what does?

Peter Rabbit Party.

Esther and Ember celebrated their 5th and 3rd birthdays together this year. We did a Peter Rabbit theme. We love taking what we have on hand and turning it into something special! 

For a centerpiece we used our watering can and a bunch of pots from the garden shed, plus one of the kids' stuffed animals and a borrowed doll's coat!:-)  We added some flowers from the yard and -Ta da! A sweet scene that looks like it could be right from the book.

The blackberry cobbler was a real hit.

Easy favors for our little guests.

To make serving the goodies easy, we tied utensils and napkins to each plate with scraps of peter rabbit fabric. We put them into an old drawer to keep them tidy.

Chamomile tea, just like the story:-)  Only ours was iced and sweetened with honey!

We put the presents in an old wheelbarrow. A few were just too cute to wrap!

Esther enjoying her new kazoo:-) 

Ember was so excited!

 It wasn't her party but she sure had fun! Our sweet Lillian.

Here is the invitation. You can do so much with so little for parties, Just think of the things you love and chances are you will have enough related  stuff around that with some creative ideas thrown in you can throw an awesome shindig of you own for very little dough. The possibilities only stop with your iimagination!