I am embarrassed to admit that when I finished making these Lupine exclaimed, "Mama, these are awesome! You HAVE to pin this!" Oh my. I've created a monster.

But really, I think she's right. So first I'm blogging them and then, yes, I'm going to pin the heck out of these just-about-free cups. Because we're crazy about them.

So stand back! Here goes.

Tonight we were heading out to cut our holiday tree. But our travel cups are missing. (Still packed from the move, lost in a box in the barn somewhere.) And frankly, our straw cups didn't stand up the the abuses of daily life like we had hoped. All of the plastic and silicone parts have started to break or tear. Bummer.

But we're handy people.

So I grabbed a couple of mason jars, some canning lids, and a my cordless drill. The missing straw cups were replaced (forever!) in a hurry.

 Because yes, with almost no assistance I made BPA-free travel cups in about 3 mintues. You have no idea how satisfying that is right now. It's nearly bliss.

I choose Tattler lids, but you could also use a standard metal canning jar lid. (Why did I choose plastic? Normally I scorn the stuff but it feels like a much safer choice than the BPA lined metal lids that also dwell in my pantry. I have been using Tattler lids for my canning for the past two years and frankly I trust them more than I do the BPA-lined lids.) 

These would be the perfect bedside bottle too to keep your kids night-time drink from steeping in plastic.

Want to make one? I knew you would.

So here's the skinny.

Supplies

1 mason jar with two-piece lid (standard canning jar type)

1 stainless steel drinking straw (I picked mine up here)

Cordless drill and suitably sized bit to make a hole the size of your straw

Optional teeny-tiny drill bit for air hole

How To

1. Find a bit the size of your straw (or a smidge bigger, at most). To find the right size for mine I slipped my straw into my bit holder. It just fit into the 15/64".

2. Drill a hole off-set towards the edge of your lid. If you are going to occasionally use the lid without the straw, place the hole closer to the edge than I did. (Just inside the gasket.)

If desired, use your smallest bit to add an air hole. We made ours both ways and I prefer the air hole but it isn't necessary. You have to suck pretty hard on the straw without it, but it will be less likely to leak if you leave it off. It's really up to you. We made four cups in all and Pete opted out of the air hole, the rest of us went for it. (But maybe that was just because I let the kids drill their own.)

And voila! Instant straw cups. I've been using mine all day without the straw in and it works great as a lidded travel cup this way. Versitle! Double awesome.

(Please ignore the boxes.)

Use your stash yarn to knit a mason jar cozy and you've got a sweet Solstice gift for pennies.

So that's it. Now go make stuff!

Love,
Rachel

Edited to add: I loved this project so much I made a zillion of them for my business. If you would rather buy than make, the go here! They're pretty fabulous.

Today I bring you a surprise guest of sorts, a kind gal named Mary Jo of Five Green Acres whom I've know (in that no-physical but online soul-sister sense) for several years.

Mary Jo has begun an adventure that is near and dear to my own heart and I wanted to share here inspiring story with you. What she's doing is certainly on my short list of dreams. Sheep! Dyes! Yarn!

To sweeten the deal I'm also giving away a skein of her handspun wool, so read on to learn more.

(All photos in this post are courtesy of This is Wool and Five Green Acres.)

This is wool. First Harvest: Backyard from Mary Jo, FiveGreenAcres on Vimeo.

Mary Jo has just embarked on several journeys ~ that of keeping sheep, experimenting with fiber dyes, and spinning wool. I interviewed her earlier this week about her new adventure in self-employment and artistic expression, This is Wool.

RJW: I'd love to hear about making the leap from town-living to farm girl. What was that transition like?

MJB: It
was a slow and easy transition, because we're not too far from the city
(Madison) but still have a small town to call home, so it's really the
best of both worlds.  

I didn't give too much thought about the community
we were moving into – it was the property that we fell in love with –
and therefore didn't really have any expectations about finding other
like-minded folks in town; I was satisfied with the ability to maintain
my connections in Madison.  

I happened upon the newly-formed knitting
group that met at our local library and through that gathering met many
of the folks that are now among our dearest friends.  The library was
our gateway to this community.

MJB: That
varies, of course, depending on the time of year.  In the spring, we
get chicks and foster their growth through the beginning of summer, then
process the meat – that's the most labor-intensive component of our
farming operation.

The sheep simply require fresh water and pasture
every couple of days during the season of grass, a task which involves
moving the portable electric net fence and takes under 30 minutes.
 Shearing, which we've just begun doing ourselves, is very labor
intensive, like you wouldn't believe! But it's one or two days of the
year, and most normal people bring in a shearer to do that.  

The laying
hens are, like the sheep,  easier to care for than dogs – food and water
each day, as well as opening and closing their coop to let them range.
 

In the winter months, the sheep are pastured right behind the chickens
in a communal space, making it easy to care for both flocks in a short
amount of time.  As for the weekends, it's still relatively easy to pile
up enough food for a few days and head out.   

MJB: At
the end of the season last year, I put in quite a few new dye plants,
with grand visions for this year's dyeing season.  

Then came The
Drought.  

It became clear to me as the summer progressed without any
additional rain, that this year's harvest of wool would need to be dyed
from traditional acid dyes.  I feel good about that decision, leaving
the scant goldenrod for the bees, the sumac for the birds to sustain
them through the winter.  

Acid dyes will introduce a very different
range of colors to this vintage of wool, giving Second Harvest its own
identity.  I hope to return to plant dyeing next year, nature willing,
because nothing is more satisfying to me than growing the dyes which
color my wool. 

Sometimes the best days are spent without guidance, instructions, or a destination. With just a fist-full of craft supplies, an open mind, and a glad heart.

This is where creativity blossoms.

Sunday was spent with markers, craft sticks, and a batch of homemade playdough in some of the most creative work we've done in a while. "Popsicle Town" was born. Every one of us ended up joining in the fun. (Yes, in our pajamas until noon.)

Oh, I do love days like this.

2. Have supplies available.

Supplies that you don't ration.
Nothing squelches creativity like a parent hovering and being miserly
about their materials. My kids have their own yarn because they were
"borrowing" yarn from my project cabinet which was making me freak. And
their having to constantly ask for tape made me buy them their own tape
dispenser so that mine stayed in the office.

Some of our favorites kids' craft supplies are: wool and cotton yarn,
cotton fabric, wool felt, sequins and glitter (these are kept on a high
shelf and used when I help with setup), glue, needles, thread,
embroidery floss, watercolors, kite paper, regular paper (white and colored), pencils,
crayons, and wooden bits.

3. Organize your supplies

…so that
kids can find what they need easily. Self-service is important to
encourage kids to follow their creative spark. Think kid's eye level
and accessible day-to-day location.

 We
have a sideboard in our dining
room filled with supplies with labeled drawers. (The labels include
pictures and words so that pre-readers can still find what they want.)
We have a friend with a
devoted dresser of supplies. You'll find the right answer for your
space. It needn't be fancy – just orderly.

4. Unplug and Acquaint Yourself With Boredom.

(Now
we're getting to the sticky ones.) Nothing brings a faster death to
creativity than lots of screen time for a kid. The younger your child is
the less media they should be exposed to. (A well-accepted standard is
no screen time before two, thought many believe it should go much beyond
two.)

Without screen time kids will get bored. And they'll whine. And fuss. And be dramatic. It will be uncomfortable.

And then out of pure desperation they'll engage their brains and get un-bored.
And that's when the best magic happens. But you have to stick it out
and have some great supplies at hand. Trust me. You'll curse my name
along the way, but the destination will be so worth it. 

Worth saying that the screen-time reduction should go for everyone lest it appear to be a demented parental punishment.

5. Find your inspiration.

Have
some simple crafts up your sleeve for when you have creative time with
your kids. Maybe they'll be old favorites from your childhood. Tap into
your friends. Call your mom. Or come here to see what we're up to. Other
great blogs for quick crafts are Crafty Crow and Artful Parent.

6. Plant Seeds.

"When I was a kid I made the coolest puppet out of a toilet paper roll
and some construction paper." Plant creative seeds for your kids to
nurture. They'll take the lead and come up with some great creative
ideas of their own.

7. Get out of the way.

It is
wonderful to nudge children in the direction of creative expression,
but then get out of the way. Busy yourself with your own parallel
project (making your own puppet for example), or quietly slip away and
make dinner.

Their finished project does not need to be perfect. This can be hard for us to learn. As parents we tend to offer too many suggestions, too many
ideas, too much direction. They know what they are doing. This is their
project – not yours. (Let the big pink strawberry star in that spring
puppet show.)

Enjoy the journey. Let me know what transpires this weekend in your craft zone!

Almost a year ago I found a vintage new-in-the-box Gocco at a thrift store.

I squealed, then danced around in the isle embarrassing my children who could not understand why that cheesy cardboard box full of craft supplies was so thrilling to me.

It was $3.50.

When I told a friend about it she told me she had paid ten times that much for hers not two years before. Yup. Total score.

I kept stalling on using it. I had only five screens and didn't want to squander my resources. So there it sat. For a year.

Also, I was a little baffled on how to use it until I found this delightful video on Youtube. As a visual learner, that video changed everything. I didn't even need the manual anymore.

Last week Sage and I decided that we'd give it a go making invitations for his birthday party. I drew the card, he burned the screen and printed the invitations.

And I am so hooked.

The heart-break is that Gocco no longer manufactures supplies. Meaning this little honey might have a shorter life than I'd like. But there are supplies out there. I just might need to hoard some.

Do you Gocco?