It’s strawberry season and it’s almost the 4th of July. This combination of events means that shortcake and other delicious strawberry desserts will be featured at almost every BBQ and other food related gathering for the next couple weeks. If you are entertaining a smaller group of friends and loved ones, these plates will accent […]
How To
The outside living season is short in New England, so it’s important to make the most of it. Follow these five maintenance tips to extend the life of your patio and ensure it lasts for years to come. When building a flagstone patio on a sand bed, you can make it hold up better over […]
Summer in New England offers endless places to explore. Beaches, rivers, lakes, mountains, and forests are abundant and accessible, and the weather is finally enjoyable. I am less of a “crafter” in the summer because winters are long here– once spring arrives I’m ready to get outside! That being said, I don’t let my desire […]
Every June 1 since 1950, Dave Webster and his boat have confirmed the start of another season for residents of Great Pond, Maine. Excerpt from “The Summer Mailboat,” Yankee Magazine June 1988 In 1943, the summer Dave Webster turned 15, he began delivering mail by boat on Great Pond, an 8,000-acre lake about 15 miles […]
When Yankee’s editor-in-chief, Jud Hale, decided it was time to sell Liberty Street, the family lake house, his three sons came together to share their special memories of the place.
At the start of summer I like to head to an art supply store and pick out a spiral bound sketch book. Throughout the summer I bring this book with me on hikes, road trips, and other adventures. If there’s an available moment, I draw doodles, stick figures, and even sketches of things I have […]
How To
DIY Repurposed Memo Books
Have you ever spent time at a lakeside or mountain camp with friends and family? It is one of my favorite New England traditions. One thing I have always loved about “camp” is exploring the magazines, puzzles and games that have been used through the generations. I love finding handwritten scoreboards from previous visits, discovering […]
When Dan Thibeault moved into his second-floor condominium in a rehabbed 1830s-era mill building in Peterborough, New Hampshire, he didn’t let a little thing like lack of ground space get in the way of creating a garden area. Thibeault, a chef and painter, set his sights on transforming a “boring” long-and-narrow rooftop section just off […]
History
Fruitlands | Local Treasure
A visit to Fruitlands begins with the view. Perched at the top of Prospect Hill in Harvard, Massachusetts, it’s impossible to resist the miles-wide, postcard-perfect rolling landscape below along the Nashua River. “When people drive in, you can see it on their faces,” says the museum’s marketing manager, Mary Delaney. “Even for us, it’s a […]
How To
Make Inspiration Tags
Inspiration Tags are small tags created from cardboard, or repurposed from countertop samples, that you decoupage with words and pictures that inspire you. The tags can be strung along a garland or ribbon, a stick, or in this example, a pickle fork (I love discovering new ways to display items and repurpose household goods). You […]
If you have followed The Crafty Yankee blog for a couple years now, then you know May Day (May 1st) is one of my favorite holidays. My grandparents used to deliver May Baskets to our house when my sisters and I were young and from then on I was hooked on this holiday. Not […]
Easter is like many holidays where family and friends gather to celebrate with festivities and food. These Easter Chick Cupcake Toppers can be placed on cupcakes, muffins, or hot cross buns but I used them for cupcake toppers. These toppers are so easy to make they are probably not considered a “craft”, but I […]