I may have been a pioneer woman in a past life. For some reason I never take running water for granted. Every morning when I get up and turn on the tap to wash my face, some part of me is thinking how wonderous it is to have water at your beck and call. What would you do without it? Just imagine having to go out to a lake or river every day. How many loads of laundry would you get done if the water wasn't connected to your washer? I don't know how the pioneer women got anything done when they had so many things to do just to get started.

No wonder we value their craftwork. Those signs of their existence, their creativity and their resourcefulness live on. Too bad most of those vintage and antique things are so expensive to own. Too much for me to consider buying any. So, instead, I take a page from their pioneering book and make my own.

You can find websites which give instructions or go out to the library/ bookstore and get directions on paper for all the crafts, done as the pioneers did them. Try making your own paper, your own soap, your own quilt, your own floor mats, your own candles. Be prepared for mess and less than pleasant aromas in some cases. Take precautions. Know what makes mess and what could be harmful. Investigate different methods too. Those were resourceful women and not all of their best ideas ever made it onto paper, to be published for future generations.

Have some fun, thinking of your ancestors and see what new ideas you can bring into an old craft.