The Domestic Wildflower

Handmade Food & Craft Tutorials for Beginners

Jenny Gomes

Facebook Group for the Domestic Wildflower Subscribers

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Join the Grow Like a Wildflower Facebook group!

I have created a private facebook group for all the Domestic Wildflower email subscribers and I’m so excited to invite you all to participate!

 

I remember reading a great mini tutorial for the uninitiated about social media platforms. Twitter is a one sentence snapshot of what I’m doing right now, Instagram is a (nicely edited) photo of what I’m doing now, Pinterest is who I plan to be, and Facebook is what I’m doing right now in as many sentences or photos as you’d like.

 

When I was starting to learn to can, I looked high and low for facebook groups that would be sharing recipes, advice, class lists, etc. and found lots of groups that were frequented by people who don’t frequent facebook often. It sounds strange but it makes sense. Facebook’s fastest growing population is those over 55, and those people aren’t online as often. I remember asking a question and the sweet member replied after a week, thoroughly of course and everything was properly spelled and punctuated, which I appreciated, but it wasn’t the kind of community that was thriving and full of people like me. It was full of people who already know how to do all the things I want to learn about and they weren’t online all that often.

 

So in the back of my mind, I have been thinking for a long time now that there was a need for a group for those interested in learning more about canning, sewing, and other fun, old fashioned DIY that I love to share on this blog and beyond.

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6 Canning Cookbooks for Beginners

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6 Canning Books for Beginners | A Domestic Wildflower click to read this list of canning books perfect for a newbie canner suggested by an experienced canner herself!

Having an inspiring, clear resource for canning as a beginner is of paramount importance. Easy to follow and successful recipes with clear photographs and directions make the process of canning fruitful, fun, and entirely satisfying. While I certainly hope that you’ll find this blog to be your go-to resource for a beginning canner, I could never hope to be the be-all and end-all in that department; there’s room for many cookbooks on your proverbial shelf. This post shares the books I and others I know have found to be invaluable in hopes you can add them to your wish list too.

This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions remain my own. 

If the idea of canning is completely new to you, and you are not even ready to commit to a tangible cookbook yet, and aren’t even sure if you can can, I wrote a little ebook just for you. Canning 101 is meant for a brand new beginner. When I got started I felt overwhelmed and uncertain about what I needed, if I could even do it all, what all the boiling was about, and if I would make myself sick in the process. With lots of nervous practice over several seasons, pouring over several now sticky-paged texts (listed below!) while stirring (and scorching!), I got pretty darn good and totally comfortable canning. That awful feeling of uncertainty made a big impact on me and when I started helping friends and now my Dear Readers learn how to can, I decided to write down everything a person needed to know just to get started into an ebook. This ebook has 30 easy to read pages and includes 4 beginner friendly recipes, an equipment checklist, my Acid & Canning Guide, and explains the whole process of water bath canning so you can begin with confidence. Grab it here!

CLICK TO GET THE EBOOK!

Canning 101 ebook by The Domestic Wildflower | Click to grab this super helpful beginner's guide to getting started canning!

CLICK TO GET THE EBOOK!

If you are a beginner and don’t want a giant, shelf hogging resource, the 200 page, 500 recipe Ball Blue Book (no, it isn’t blue) Guide to Preserving is an excellent choice. It has a very clear introductory chapter (all good canning books do) and many recipes that are beyond boring. Think Sweet Cherry- Loganberry Jam and Mango Relish. Um, yes please.

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Chalk Paint Cabinet Rehab

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This post will share why I love chalk paint, why you will too, and how I used chalk paint to refinish an old medicine cabinet that was covered in rust.

Chalk Paint Cabinet Rehab

I am actually a terrible painter. Most people think that because I’m crafty, I must be good with paint. I am not. In fact, I’m awful. I don’t know what it is about putting a paintbrush in my hand, but I become a total spaz as soon as I am holding one. I love all hobbies that have a visible, tangible result at the end, so sometimes I forget (or block out) how messy and imperfect my painting is and I attempt to paint something. It takes under five minutes every time to remember how much I stink. I am messy, I can’t care enough about perfection (which seems to only exist in painting) to make my hand move carefully and slowly, and I am so impatient that I rush and drip and smudge and it is awful.

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How to Buy Vintage Cowboy Boots

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How to Buy Vintage Cowboy Boots

The cowboy boot is distinctly American, embodying the spirit of a man facing the vastness of nature with little other than the humble garments on his body, a few tools on his saddle, and the steed beneath him. Developed to perform a variety of tasks in a multitude of scenarios, in any weather, this boot is an enduring icon of the West, the Cattleman, and the American Dream. Truly, the cowboy boot was a critical part of the American cattleman’s progress in ranching the West, and many other places in the world. If you want to feel like you are here to run the day, rather than have the day run you, pull on a pair. There’s no footwear like the cowboy boot.

Guide to Buying Vintage Cowboy Boots

OR

Ode to the Cowboy Boot

This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own. 

It is a matter of function first and foremost. Even the most fashionable of well-made cowboy boots remain sturdy, weather resistant, walkable, and protective. While of course, the heel gives the wearer extra height and often an attractive stride, it is designed to prevent the foot from sliding dangerously through the saddle’s stirrup while riding. The toe can give a horse a nudge and can squash the proverbial cockroach in the corner if pointed enough. The shaft, in ever more epic heights, protects the leg from injury and the elements.

 

To the uninitiated, it might come as a surprise that there is a whole subculture devoted to the cowboy boot. Boots crafted by hand from hides of animals from several species of animal including reptiles and birds are enhanced with tooling, inlays, and gorgeous stitching. For many, forget splurging on designer jeans: blowing your paycheck on a pair of custom boots is the ultimate indulgence. The epitome of such custom boots is the Rocket Buster brand from – you guessed it- Texas. It seems that if you can dream it, they can craft it.

 

If you haven’t a whole (or several) paycheck(s) to spare, buying vintage might be the hot ticket for you. My personal collection of cowboy boots boasts a majority of vintage gems that I scored from yard sales, one barn sale, my Grandma, and now some from Instagram. Isn’t it awesome how we can buy cool, old stuff in such a new way?

 

I have long been an admirer of the Instagram account of GoodBuyGirls in Nashville, TN owned by the lovely and talented musician Tanya Montana Coe. This boutique has a brick and mortar location that I haven’t had the pleasure of perusing in person but I often drool over their selection of turquoise jewelry, retro rhinestone cowgirl duds, and most of all, their vintage cowboy boots.

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Distressed Metal Art Display

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Distressed Metal Art Display

If you need a great way to display kid’s artwork or other papers that are not the standard cute but done chalkboard, this is a super cute, nearly free, and rustic DIY alternative. I’ll show you how to distress a piece of metal (salvaged, thrifted, repurposed) to transform it into a rustic and functional display.

Distressed Metal: Magnetic Children's Art Display Board | A Domestic Wildflower click through to read this helpful and thorough tutorial for how to take junk metal and make a beautiful display board!
I used this previously as a gold spray paint tester 🙂 Here you can see the brown faux bois layer…and some rust!

Now that I have a 4-year-old, the art creation and content level in our home have skyrocketed. My little darlings are creating more awesome construction paper gems than I ever thought possible and I want to display them for at least a little while before storing them to cry over in years to come.

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