I am honored to have Kathie from Homespun Seasonal Living on the blog today! Not only has been an inspiration to me for years in relation to general homesteading, but she is incredibly thoughtful, kind and creative! Today, she’s sharing her top tips for sharing the homestead because…well…who doesn’t like to share their wonderful home grown, home made goodies?! And truly, is there a better gift out there to receive? I think not!
xoxo,
M
:::
Homesteaders tend to enjoy their homes and sharing those homes with others. In my experience homesteaders love to give tours of their land, talk about their gardens and animals, even send folks home with thinned plants, eggs, baked foods and more. That same tendency to share the homestead can be done for loved ones far away by sending care packages. Create amazing homestead packages with these tips.
Focus on the Meaningful
In this day and age of slick marketing, it’s easy to start doubting the simple, homemade care package. Don’t let those take hold. The meaningful care package, the box of homegrown, homemade, and loving put together items is more touching and more beautiful than anything that can be purchased in a store. Take comfort in the sharing of home with folks far away by giving of yourself rather than of mass-produced goods.
Ship with Care
Sending fresh eggs through the mail isn’t so practical, homegrown citrus on the other hand does ship well. Jars of homemade jams, raw honey, etc. can all be shipped – pay attention to tight seals and pad the fragile items well. Save all the bits of packing peanuts, bubble wrap, etc. that get shipped to you and reuse for care packages of your own. Shredded newspaper works well as a packing filler too.
When shipping dried herbs or fruit, wrap them in tight sealing bags or containers and mark them clearly. Plastic bags may not always be the ideal storage solution but for shipping they are often exactly what is needed. They lay flat, can be sealed tightly and allow for plenty of other room in the box.
Variety is the Spice of Life
Don’t be shy in putting together a varied package of your homestead happenings. Think of it as a CSA in a box. Send loved ones all the bits of things that have been going on: a bag of dried herbs, a tin of homemade healing salve, jars of rhubarb mint jam, a knitted washcloth, etc. It’s through these boxes of love that folks begin to truly see and understand the love you have for your homestead – a love that isn’t always conveyed well through emails, phone calls, and even hand-written letters.
Mind the Budget
Shipping is expensive these days. Care packages don’t have to be weekly affairs or even huge, heavy boxes. Send items as the budget allows and be sure to check shipping rates – sometimes those flat rate boxes aren’t always cheapest. It might not be possible to send the big (heavy) box of jam but sending a bookmark made of pressed flowers in an envelope with a small note is probably doable.
As the summer gets under way and all your homestead activities take care, consider putting a few items aside and into boxes for care packages as a way of sharing the homestead with folks far away.
Fiercely D.I.Y.
Sharing the love of home is one of the many ways to build a courageous home and live fiercely D.I.Y. Creating care packages is one of the weekly projects in this summer’s Fiercely D.I.Y. e-course being offered by Homespun Seasonal Living. The E-course is designed to inspire and encourage you to live a life by own your hands, on your own terms, and in your own pace. You can learn more, download a sampler, and register for the course over at Homespun Seasonal Living.
About Kathie N. Lapcevic:
Kathie is a freelance writer, teacher, and blogger living in northwest Montana with her soulmate Jeff. She lives a fiercely D.I.Y. lifestyle in harmony with the natural rhythms of nature. You can follow her blog at Homespun Seasonal Living.
Kathie has written several other guest posts for some of my favorite bloggers! Please hop around and check them out…she truly is a wealth of homesteading goodness, information, and inspiration!
Other Fiercely DIY Articles
Bonus ebooks:
Those who purchase Fiercely D.I.Y. can chose any ebook from SchneiderPeeps eStore and Homemade Beauty Essential ebook from 104 Homestead as a bonus. To redeem the bonus ebooks, the purchaser needs to forward her receipt to schneiderpeeps@juno.com along with what book she would like, and to 104homestead@gmail.com to receive Homemade Beauty Essentials. This is also good for people who have already purchased.
