What do you make yourself?

Mouthwash, bug repellent, a magnesium body butter that is a pain reliever for soft tissue injuries, and antiseptic astringent, a neosporin-like wound salve, a lot of my clothes, all my bread, flavored coffee syrups…probably other stuff I can’t remember right now.

Art

@janbb – I just outsource it to my kids! (As I suck at every style but weak Mondrian)
Art is incredibly subjective anyway, and people don’t dare insult what a child obviously made.

Dinner
Heating source is wood stove from trees on my land that I cut and split
Garden vegetables and herbs
Fish caught in the river and lake
Artwork from photos and painting that I made
My own auto repair
My own music
Holiday decorations

Sushi! All different kinds. I create combinations from my pantry and refrigerator.
Got leftover turkey? Turkey and dressing sushi with a side dish of cranberry sauce. .
Beans and bacon with a thin layer of celery leaf.
Veggie roll. Carrots, avocado, red peppers.
I aim for a consistent mouth-feel with all the ingredients. For example: I steam the carrots until they are soft and then make thin slices so they melt in your mouth like the avocados.

I also, sort of, make my own heating oil by burning wood and paper trash in my wood burning stoves. The heat value of twenty pounds of paper trash is equivalent to about 1 gallon of heating oil that I, effectively, left in the ground and didn’t buy. (Right now at $5.70 per gallon.)

I cook from scratch or semi-homemade about 75% of our meals. Some of the dishes I make are lasagna, Pipián, pasta bolognese, chicken with peppers, paella, steak with various sides, meatloaf, chicken with mushroom sauce and rice.

Fresh veggies I prepare are sautéed zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, onions, green beans, sometimes in combination, sometimes on their own. Roasted potatoes, eggplant parmesan, black bean soup, pozole soup. That covers a lot of what I cook. Plus, various salads and dressings. On rare occasion I make homemade bread. My husband loves my bread even when it’s terrible. Also, very rarely cakes and cookies. My favorites are forgotten cookies, Coca-cola cake, and almond cookies all from scratch. Additionally, brownie box mix, and lemon square box mix.

I make my own greeting cards sometimes. Usually, I do it if I have a few photos, like for anniversary a few photos of the couple or for a birthday if I have photos of the person over time.

I threw some lemon seeds from a store bought lemon in a pot of dirt and the plant is almost two feet tall now! I usually don’t have a very green thumb, but that plant/tree seems to be happy so far.

Bread.

Between my husband and myself, we DIY food, laundry detergent, home remedies, home improvement, and some car repair.

@snowberry – can I ask what’s in your detergent?

@Smashley
Borax, Fels-Naptha bar soap, washing soda. Here’s a recipe.

https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/homemade-laundry-soap-recipe-5074621

@snowberry A friend taught me about washing soda a few years ago. It’s great. I use it to wash the floor, clean the inside of the toilet, clean the shower, all kinds of things.

@snowberry – how does it do with cold washes? That’s all I do.

@canidmajor Would you give the recipe for the magnesium body butter, please? I’m assuming it works. Does it work for arthritis? I ask because I don’t consider that a soft tissue injury, but I’m always looking for something for arthritis pain.

I make jewelry and home decor, some clothes.

@smudges I sent you a PM.

@Smashley I don’t wash with hot water, ever.

In the winter, my cold water can feel like it’s just above freezing, and I don’t want to wash anything in that temperature. However I think that if I can get the water up to lukewarm or room temperature, it’s more likely to clean my stuff.

This recipe dissolves nicely in lukewarm water. I think it dissolves better than the powder recipes would at that temperature. I’ve never had a problem with my clothes coming out dirty. You can use it as a pre-spotter as well.

By the way, if you can’t find washing soda you can make your own by heating baking soda in the oven. https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-washing-soda-2145888

I make wonderful beef jerky. It costs a lot less than the store bought stuff and tastes a lot better. AND I get to play with the flavors!

@seawulf575 – that’s an awesome idea. Jerky is one of those treats I can never bring myself to pay for. Which cuts can you use?

Chickpeas are soaking. Making Falafel wraps tonight.
Everyone is invited. Careful driving in the snowstorm.

I have, in the past, sewn things, made things with wood (carpentry), and made jewelry (not a pro by any means, just simple beading). I’ve also done a little pottery. Very little.

What I do on a regular basis and I love to do, is to refinish wood, either staining or painting, which I usually do by sanding (by hand or with electric sanders). Sometimes I decoupage it, sometimes I just stain it or paint it and leave it, and sometimes I do a faux finish or a faux finish with decoupage over it. Then I polyurethane it which usually requires many coats, if it’s been decoupaged. I’ve done that with furniture, jewelry boxes and other wood things I may pick up at a thrift shop or tag sale, or just plain new wood stuff I bought unfinished. I don’t sell it, I just do it as a hobby. I learned faux finishing by taking a college course on faux finishing and paint techniques.

Refinishing furniture was my passion, too, @jca2.

I’m really good at making a mess. I’m even better at not making my bed especially on the weekends. I can also make trouble when my medications aren’t quite right. lol

@Smashley I just can’t help it – every time I see this question I think for a second that it says “What do you make of yourself?” ;D

@Smashley I use lean cuts. I prefer london broil but have used bottom round as well or eye of round. Really just a preference. I have found that when I dehydrate the beef, the fat that is there gets funky. And I really believe it can harbor bacteria. I’ve found that I get about half the original weight by the time I trim it and dry it. But if I get a roast at $3.99/lb – $6.99/lb I’m still coming out WAY ahead of what they charge in the store. And I don’t have any preservatives.