Garden Equipment | Carts and Wagons | USA Made the old fashioned way

See how the Amish are still making these heavy duty garden and lawn carts as they were American made in the 1950s and 1960s.  They are available online as well as all types of Amish built wagons for kids and garden decor at http://www.cottagecraftworks.com/back-basics-farm-garden-wagons-barrows-c-64_123_87.html

Click on the link below to go to the article.
http://lizstevens.hubpages.com/_1u9mpimfdt8jz/hub/Lawn-and-Garden-Carts-Wheelbarrow-Gardening-Equipment

Motorized Wheelbarrow

EZ Motorized Wheelbarrow moves up to 10 cubic feet of wet or dry material over uneven terrain with little effort.  One of the only motorized wheelbarrows on the market using  a heavy duty fiberglass tub.

Powered by a 4 cycled Honda engine capable of being ran upside, this motorized wheelbarrow uses very few moving parts.

Whether you’re into farming, gardening,  own a landscape or small construction business this 10 cubic foot motorized wheelbarrow will make your hard labor efforts go more productive with less worker fatigue.

Heavy duty fiberglass tub holds up better than metal or thin poly tubs when even throwing rocks into it!

38” wide wheelbarrow is a perfect solution to move up to 10 cubic feet of heavy manure, muck, landscape materials, gravel, sand and concrete out of tight barns, stables and through narrow gates.

Loading height is at 29” for hand shoveling of material.

Double front wheels stabilize the wheelbarrow during lifting and dumping. Rear trolley wheels allows easy  steering.

USA Amish manufactured in Ohio, only available online at http://www.cottagecraftworks.com/american-garden-tools-motorized-wheel-wheelbarrow-cubic-p-1829.html

Roller Egg Nesting Boxes | Chicken Nest box

Roller egg nesting boxes are changing the way people are raising chickens for fresh eggs from commercial poultry operations to a flock of backyard chickens.

The traditional nest box resembles a regular bird nest lined with nesting material.

The chickens  come in lays their eggs and then leaves the eggs open in the nest.

One nest maybe used by several chickens so the fragile eggs are exposed to stepping on them or pecking at them. The general rule of thumb is to provide one nest box to handle up to 5-6 hens.

Chickens that get a taste of the inside of an egg will likely become egg eaters and will need to be removed from the flock to keep them from destroying eggs before they can be harvested.

Roller egg nesting boxes are designed with a front collection tray.  The bottom of the nest box is covered in a plastic coated wire mesh to protect the eggs as they drop.

As soon as the eggs drop they roll forward into a covered compartment out of the reach of the chickens until they can be harvested.

Roller egg nesting boxes have many other benefits as well;

• They do not require nesting material.  As strange as that sounds the chickens actually become easily trained to lay their eggs in the nest compartment.

• Each roller egg box comes with a training egg.  Chickens that are accustomed to nesting materials can be started off in their new roller egg nesting boxes filled with the traditional nest material and then gradually removed to wean them down to no material at all.

• Without nesting material to harbor mites and lice keeping your chickens can enjoy more of a pest free life and likely become more productive.

• The roller egg boxes come with two hanging wall cleats.  The entire box can be lifted off and taken outside for washing and disinfecting. 

The roller egg nesting boxes known as the Roll-a-way nest box are Amish made from 26 and 16 gauge galvanized metal.

This is a more substantial nest box using thicker metal than the others on the market using  thinner gauge metals and plastic parts.

The Amish Roll-a-way nest boxes are only available from Cottage Craft Works .com  in two, four and eight  nest compartment models.  

Compartments measure 8” tall 11-1/4” wide and 11-1/2” deep.  The four and eight compartment nest boxes both measure 49” wide and 17” deep, while the two compartment is only 24-1/2” wide.  

Cottage Craft Works is a unique online country store featuring many heavy duty Amish made products for the home, garden farm and ranch.

History of vintage lighting before electricity

A history of vintage lighting before electricity from candles to oil, kerosene and gas lighting.

http://lizstevens.hubpages.com/_1u9mpimfdt8jz/hub/Vintage-Lighting-Oil-Lamps-Candles-Kerosene-Lanterns-Gas-Lights

Purchase reproduction oil and gas lights at http://www.cottagecraftworks.com/home-goods-self-sufficient-living-c-42_125.html

Pie Maker | Pies | Pie Crust | Easy Pies | Meat Pies | Fry Pie Machine

An economical commercial grade mini pie maker priced for the home or small commercial kitchen.

While most commercial grade pie makers will set you back nearly a $1000 or more the Little Pie Maker from Cottage Craft Works http://www.cottagecraftworks.com is priced at half the cost.

This is no light weight either,  made of heavy cast aluminum powder coated base and food grade aluminum dies this little pie machine stays in place on the counter top as you set load and crank uniformed cut and crimped 3-1/2” X 5” dough pies.

The Little Pie Maker was replicated from an antique model and then developed and made in the Amish communities.

The Amish make things to last for their own use, but do so without a lot of commercial and corporate overhead.   The cost of their products compared to the quality is simply amazing.

Unlike other pie makers on the market there’s no support bars to get in the way.  Wide open work area is easy to pass through and clean.

Large food pocket can be filled with different cultural meat mixes or fruits.  Pies can be fried or baked and then glazed or served unglazed.

The Little Pie Maker is perfect for large families to make up and freeze different meant and fruit pies for quick microwave meal.

The Little Pie Maker is in use in pizzerias, bakeries, catering shops and restaurants. 

View more about The Littler Pie Maker and watch a video at http://www.cottagecraftworks.com/food-processor-pie-maker-pie-dough-pie-crust-turnover-machine-p-1447.html

Cottage Craft Works is a unique on line store filled with all types of high quality products for the home, farm, garden and kitchen.

The Little Pie Maker is just one of the many unique products that you will find that is Amish USA made.

Kitchen | Sinks | Stainless Steel | Dish Racks | Drain Board

Heavy duty Amish made kitchen sink stainless drain broad earns high customer reviews.  

This stainless drain board has become one of the most popular items for this online back-to-basics general store.

Drains 100% of all dish water directly back into the kitchen sink.

Cottage Craft Works at http://www.cottagecraftworks.com has been carrying  an Amish all stainless steel tilted drain board for several years.

The Amish made drain board has become extremely popular because it’s commercial grade quality. 

Many customers have searched for years for a heavy duty quality made drain board.   Many have shared appreciation for offering such a quality made product.

 This is the only drain board made of commercial grade stainless steel that can be found on the Internet for home use.

The drain board is made from 22ga 304 USA Stainless Steel.  Rolled edges prevent sharp edges and welded corners for years of dish drying.

Drain board measures 20-1/2 x 18-1/4 and tilts from 2-1/2 down to the sink.  Custom sizes can also be made to order to fit almost any kitchen configuration from side drain or front drain. 

No need to be embarrassed with company seeing your dish rack either.  This impressive stainless drain board fits right at home with the most elegant stainless steel kitchens.

The standard drain board offers a large work space to hold a standard dish rack (not included) with ample space to still dry long handle kitchen utensils on the side.

The tilted work area also doubles as a sink extension to wash and drain vegetables.

The large drying surface is perfect to air dry commercial pots and pans while keeping granite counter tops, cabinet fronts and kitchen floors dry.

This unique online store offers an emporium of hard to find practical items for the home, garden, farm and ranch.

Direct link to the drain board is http://www.cottagecraftworks.com/canning-equipment-stainless-steel-kitchen-sink-drain-board-p-624.html

Read the reviews http://www.cottagecraftworks.com/stainless-steel-kitchen-sink-drain-board-pr-624.html

Using sticks, logs and other natural materials for garden supports and trellises

Use all natural materials to build garden supports and trellises in small and large garden spots. 

http://lizstevens.hubpages.com/_1u9mpimfdt8jz/hub/Gardening-Garden-Plants-Building-Natural-Trellises-Supports

Country Store | General Store | Old Fashioned | Country Home | Products

Cottage Craft Works .com brings back the old fashioned products that you might remember from the old country store visits.

The old fashioned country store was the main stop for a Saturday trip to town.

It was the one place that as a kid you enjoyed browsing the glass jars filled with liquorish and hard candies.

A bottle of pop could be had for just a nickel, and the cracker barrel was always open for a quick snack.

Dad  was always glued to the new shot guns and hunting gear.  That brown hunting jacket with the patch elbow protectors and extra pockets would come in handy for the upcoming hunting season.

 He would always end up at the meat and cheese country to take home fresh sliced meats, today it would be a huge hunk of thick sliced bologna, 1 lb blocks of different cheeses, and a slab of bacon.

Mom always toured the fabric isle as she headed over to the dry goods and garden tool section.  The Planet Junior hand push cultivators, sure looked fine.

As she stood in front of the sewing section her hand would brush over the top of the new treadle sewing machines as if she was sending a mental thought over to dad that perhaps this might make a great Christmas gift, but then she would always turned to the mixers behind her as if she couldn't really decide.

It was decided before we left the house that this day would be when we would take home the new set of wash tubs along with a yard and a half of fabric to make Anna a new Sunday dress.

The old wash tubs had been passed down from our grandparents and the one tub sprung a leak that dad just couldn't keep them sealed.  Anna had just out grown her current dress.

These are the mental images that many may have remember of the Old Country Store or what others called The General Store.

It was a place where people could find almost anything for the home, farm, or ranch.  From home gardening, canning, and making home cooked breads and jams.  The old country store had it all.

Amazingly they were not that big, but the shelves would be packed from floor to ceiling with merchandise.

In fact there were ladders on rolling racks down both sides of floor to ceiling oak cabinets.  

As a kid you would want to jump on and take a ride down the rails when no one was looking, but never could seem to pull that one off in such as wide open space.

Most of the food items that were bought and sold were just the staples needed to take home to cook and bake from scratch.

The home garden supplied the fresh vegetables, excess vegetables  were canned and stored away for the winter months.

Chickens provided fresh eggs and when the hens became past their prime would end up in the stew pot.

Fresh milk was as close as the morning walk out to the barn, and fresh meat would come by slaughter or wild game.

Back at the country store a kerosene can would be filled for the oil lamps, and another can would be filled with white gasoline for the clothing iron and Coleman lanterns used for outside chores after dark.

The old country store today is mostly gone but not forgotten.  It was a time and era where things like the old wash tubs were just made to last for generations.

Planed obsolescence was not even in the thoughts of manufactures.  Plastics hadn't even been invented.  Products were either made of wood, metal, or ceramic.

Cast metal was used for kitchen mixers, with stainless steel mixer blades and whisk.  Galvanized metal used for buckets and wash tubs.

Even the kids toys were made of either wood or metal.  Hunting calls and gun stocks were also made of wood.

There’s a real feeling of wanting to turn back time for many who want to escape back into this early era  of time when self-sufficiency was the way of life.

Even if it’s a desire to live more healthy self sufficient or to decorate a country style home, these old vintage products that use to line the shelves and walls of an old country store are in high demand.

While the old country store is no longer a source back-to-basics online stores like Cottage Craft Works .com are fulfilling the self sufficient living dreams for many.

With over 5000 products of everything under the sun for the home, garden, farm and ranch people can once again find the type of stuff that was all American made just like it was in the early to mid 1900s.

Many of the items like the Singer treadle sewing and Hoosier cabinets are reproductions of the originals.

The blue stripe pottery crocks, bowels, and churns are still made in a small family owned business. Each item is hand turned and fired just like it would have been made in the early times.

Self sufficient kitchen products include all the popular hand crank kitchen gadgets from that era and new Amish made hand crank mixers that are powerful enough to make several loafs of bread at a time.

American made garden tools include four styles of hand push cultivators from the past, including a reproduction of the famous Planet Junior Cultivators that were considered the Cadillac of garden cultivators ever made.

If you just need some new replacement cultivator handles to fix up granddads old cultivator you will find them at Cottage Craft Works as well as many other replacement parts for ice cream freezers, Heller Aller water pumps, Aermotor Windmills, and so much more.

Off-grid living products such as hand water pumps, solar panels and even a wind powered air compressor are available.

Cottage Craft Works carries the ever popular roller egg chicken nesting boxes made of thick galvanized metal.  As the chickens lay their eggs they actually roll forward into a protected compartment until they can be picked up.

You can still purchase the old fashioned oil and gas lights, as well as butane and gasoline clothes irons.

If you're into horse and tack Cottage Craft Works carries Amish made bridles, harnesses, and pads.  You can also purchase buggies and wagons or just the hardware kits to build a pony cart or a wagon box.

The authentic Amish buggy lap robes are very popular for anything outdoors from camping to fall and winter outdoor ballgames.

The buggy and wagon seats are very popular for either  a working wagon or for bench seating.  You can purchase the complete seats or the hardware kits to build your own.

If hunting is your joy, you will find one of the largest selections of Amish made hunting and game calls on the market.

Replacement gun stocks are a specialty as well as both leather, nylon custom holsters and gun cases.

For rugged outdoor gear Dan’s hunting gear offers some of the toughest coats, chaps, and bibs made of 420 denier briarproof nylon.

So log on to www.cottagecraftworks.com and sit back for a trip in time back to the old country store.

Solid Wood Sewing Machine Cabinets | Best Buys | Sewing Cabinets

Our Amish built sewing cabinets made from solid hardwoods are a real bargain compared to the particle board cabinets being sold.

Check out both and compare before you buy.  Read more about the differences by viewing my Hub on Hub Pages at the link below.

http://lizstevens.hubpages.com/_1u9mpimfdt8jz/hub/-Sewing-Cabinet-Solid-Wood-Sewing-Room-Furniture-Organization

See our selection of Amish sewing cabinets including our very popular reproduction Singer Treadle sewing cabinets. www.cottagecraftworks.com

Hand Pumps | Water | Wells | Windmill Pumps | Windmills

USA Made hand water well pumps and windmills are still pumping fresh water in remote locations where electricity is not available.  They also make a wonderful water backup during power outages.

Read more about the different types of water well pumps and windmill applications at the link below.

http://lizstevens.hubpages.com/_1u9mpimfdt8jz/hub/Hand-Pump-Water-Well-Pitcher-Deep-Well-Pumps

Water well pumps and windmills can still be purchased at www.cottagecraftworks.com

Sewing Cabinets | Hardwood | Solid Wood | Custom Made | High End

Before you buy a sewing cabinet do your homework.  You can purchase a high end Amish custom made sewing cabinet at the same price or cheaper than particle board. 

There’s just no comparison in the quality craftsmanship of an Amish sewing cabinet to what is being sold in sewing machine stores.

The prices being asked for particle board sewing cabinets just doesn't make any sense at all, except it’s being made for a niche group.

Compared to the same quality of a particle board desk in an office supply store to these particle board sewing cabinet price point just doesn't match up.  

You can purchase a solid wood desk for this type of money and in fact you can purchase an Amish solid wood oak sewing cabinet at or below this amount as well.

At Cottage Craft Works .com we offer Amish sewing cabinets starting at around $1600 up to under $2500 for the most deluxe cabinet with serger lift and stowage compartment.

Even with freight delivery we can place a custom made future family heirloom in your sewing room for what you would have purchased in particle board laminate cabinet for.

Amish sewing cabinets still use old world dove tail drawer construction with full extension high end drawer pull outs.  Particle board cabinet drawers are butt jointed glued and stapled.

Doors are built with rail and panel construction instead of being pressed molded and covered with a plastic cover.  You can even select from four door styles.

Hardware is still mortised into the wood instead of just screwed on the top.

Accessories trays and spool racks are made of wood on pull out slides instead of cheap plastic screwed on the back of the doors.

Do your own home work.   Shop the particle board cabinets and then compare to our solid wood cabinets.  www.cottagecraftworks.com

Self Sufficient Living, how to get started, what it means

See our Hub Page article on self sufficient living basics on getting started toward self sufficiency.

http://lizstevens.hubpages.com/_1u9mpimfdt8jz/hub/Self-Sufficient-Living-Green-Living-Going-Off-Grid-Sustainable-Living#comment-11984230

Find over 5000 old fashioned products including books on all types of Amish self sustaining living at www.cottagecraftworks.com