What’s already in the hat? Here’s a sample… send your suggestions to yearfromscratch@gmail.com or leave them as comments!
~ pedal-powered generator
~ bike panniers
~ sandals / shoes
~ maple syrup
~ finger puppets
~ puppet show house
~ mosaic
~ peameal bacon
~ sauerkraut
~ toothpaste
~ chocolate
~ music video
~ baklava
~ a musical instrument
~ a door knocker
~ a stranger’s wish come true
~ basket
~ wood carving
~ a duet for 2 autoharps
~ vaginal steam stool
~ pasta
~ wool (spun from scratch!)
~ pinhole camera
~ transportable outdoor cooking stove
~ mobile
~ giant puppets!
~ stilts
~ spontaneous community picnic with street theatre
~ pottery mug
~ edible art
~ blown glass
~ chewing gum
~ a recipe by my great-grandmother
~ cheese
~ lambing
~ a kite
~ mushroom culture
~ preserves/pickles
~ bind a book
~ a wind up toy car
~ one piece long -johns with a bum flap
~ gaiters from an old raincoat
~ a sexy calendar with 11 friends, calendar girls style
~ stop animation public service announcement
~ a felted hat
~ macrame animals
~ a living wall of plants
~ aqua-ponics system
~ eating utensils
~ butter
~ hollandaise sauce
~ a chair
~ grind wheat and turn it into bread
~ organic, vegan twinkies
~ stained glass
~ bike wheel
~ knitted foot warmers for stirrups used for pelvic exams
~ yogurt / vegan yogurt
~ solar oven
~ podcast
~ table runner
~ basket
~ stationary
~ children’s book
~ sprouts
~ balms – lip balm, hand balm, womb balm
~ bath bombs
~ bowl
~ post cards
~ leather shoulder bag
~ oven mitts
~ beer
~ bright bike
~ the biggest snowman on the block!
~ wind powered gadget
~ Mead
~ wind chimes
~ sponge toffee
~ A functional sundial

Ginger ale? I really want you to make ginger ale.
I’m also wondering about some kind of womb-balm — a body salve for menstruation-time. I can totally help you with this one!
Sounds like it will be a pretty exciting year!
Here are my humble suggestions:
• Lava lamp
• Stained glass
• Personalized game board of favourite board game
Also, just this week I saw a fairly detailed How-To on Instructables.com about making chewing gum, which I notice is on your list. You might want to check that out.
2 more:
Marshmallows
Sprouts
I’m sure I’ll have a tonne of ideas, but these are the first that came to mind:
- a vivarium
- a wood carving
- something out of pottery
- a musical instrument (kazoo?)
- a song recording
- a stop-motion video
- an iphoto book and send it to friends/family
- a lamp
Okay, enough for now. Oh, I also ‘second’ the vote above to make stained glass.
- picture frame (i have fond memories of ones from popsicle sticks, but however you desire)
- things to hang earrings on (I saw this sweet one that took chicken wire and a ceramic frame with holes.. i promise it’s less complicated than it sounds)
- something from the cork from wine bottles.. cork board, floating candles..?
- mosaic with recycled glass. or mosaic a window of your house..
- ice cream!
xoxo
you are my hero!! i have no crafting suggestions, for now…. but let me scheme. big hugs.
I’d love to see someone try an upcycled bicycle basket!
I third the idea of Stained Glass! Or Blown-Glass!
I love you Liz Fraser! And am so glad to be able to read about your adventures!
blown glass!!! chris that’s an amazing idea… now you just need to visit toronto and do it with me!
Heya Liz,
I know a girl who made marshmallows and they turned out great. Let me know if you need a recipe
p.s. your guinea pig from recent projects looks a lot like Brendon Goodmurphy….
yes! recipe! please! that would be great… yearfromscratch[at]gmail[dot]com !
Can you make your own shampoo?
My 2 cents worth of suggestions:
Looking forward to seeing more of your projects posted here. Cheers.
1) Try the “One Red Paperclip” trading scheme for week and see what you can get.
2) The biggest snowman on the block… you might have to wait awhile for the a day with snow in T.O.
3) A wind powered gadget
4) A kite that flies (probably a spring project)
5) Mead
More suggestions:
1) Make sponge toffee
2) Windchimes
3) Make a functioning sundial
Later…
- ginger ale!
- marshmallows
- bind a book
- transportable outdoor cooking stove
- food dehydrator
you’re amazing.
This is such an amazing idea, I’m so excited for you to have this adventure and thank you for sharing it with the rest of us