About the Author
Marissa Ames
Articles by Marissa Ames
Self-Watering Planters: DIY Containers to Combat Drought
What holds five gallons of soil, uses 80% less water and costs less than a dollar? Self-watering planters! DIY instructions are simple and most materials can be recycled.
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How to Make Laundry Soap at Home
Not long after I learned how to make homemade soap, I tweaked the recipe and learned how to make laundry soap. Those other “homemade laundry soap” recipes had flaws.
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Why Rotating Vegetables in the Garden is Crucial
Add to Favorites Could over a million lives have been saved between 1844 and 1846 by rotating vegetables in the garden? Several factors contributed to the Great Famine. Irish families lived …
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Growing Onions from Seeds or Sets
Beginners and master gardeners are successfully growing onions. Among the hardiest crops, they are almost foolproof.
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A Guide to the Best Survival Foods
Emergency survival and preparation is a hot topic right now. You’ll find many articles online regarding what foods should be on your survival items list.
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How to Make Shea Butter Soap Three Ways
If you’ve already made soap from scratch, you know how to make shea butter soap. Just add shea butter, then alter the other oils for proper saponification, and you have a moisturizing and luxurious bar.
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Why the Ball Canning Book is My #1 Guide to Safe Food Preservation
Add to Favorites What’s the best food preservation guide to buy? The Ball canning book is my most trusted source. And here’s why: The Ball Brothers started making jars in …
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Garden Hoops: Low Tunnels for Frost and Insect Protection
Add to Favorites When you’re itching to get your hands dirty, garden hoops can extend the season enough to avoid disaster. Midway between full-sized greenhouses and the gamble of throwing …
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How to Make Green Soap: An Excursion Through Time
Ancient Syrians knew how to make green soap used by Queens Cleopatra of Egypt and Zenobia of Syria. It’s a timeless method that abounds today.
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Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Soap’s Dirty Secrets
Sodium laurel sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate. What do those terms mean? And will they harm you or the environment?
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A Guide to Growing Vegetables in Pots and Containers
How often have you strolled through a farmer’s market or eyed a friend’s fresh produce and wished you had your own garden? Perhaps you lack space.
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Early Spring Vegetables List: Don’t Wait on Winter Waning
The snow is melting and daytime temperatures are calling you outside. Leaf buds swell on trees and your hands long to feel the soil once again.
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Old-Fashioned Lard Soap Recipes, Then and Now
Homesteaders cooked a lard soap recipe in kettles over fires. You can make it in your own kitchen.
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How to Make Bath Bombs: An Easy DIY Gift
Often ball-shaped, bath bombs are dry, chalky, conglomerations that fizz and release fragrance when dropped in water. They’re sold as novelties, though additions like witch hazel and skin-friendly oils can add benefits.
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Kids and Soap: Homemade Arts and Crafts for The Holidays
Winter holidays often involve cold weather, hot drinks, and homemade arts and crafts. It also means the kids are out of school for one to three weeks. What homemade arts and crafts can kids do, without risk of injury, that can also serve as holiday gifts?
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