Recent Posts

a skein of wool yarn beside an unfinished rectangle of a lacey crochetted scarf

Projects: Learning to Crochet! Scarves, Water Bottle Carriers, a Hat, and Shawls

When your friends decide to learn to crochet at book club, you bring yarn and join in! Here's what I've been making from yarn this winter!
waist down view of a patchwork cotton skirt

Tutorial: How to Make an Easy Patchwork Peasant Skirt

Pick your favorite colorful scraps and start sewing—here's an easy, tiered skirt you can customize! Make it bright, or choose shades of one or two colors; change up the waistband; make it shorter or longer.
Several braided rag rugs stacked on top of each other

Tutorial: How to Make a Braided Rag Rug From Old Sheets or T-Shirts

Upcycle old shirts and sheets into wonderfully colorful braided rugs in 6 simple steps! Minimal or even no sewing; easy-to-follow instructions; lots of photos!
close up of embroidered flowers on the edge of a linen skirt

How I Made A Linen Wrap Skirt With Rainbow Embroidered Flowers

Women's clothing is so often function or pretty—but rarely both. This project was my attempt to bridge that gap by making my own wrap skirt and learning embroidery to decorate it!
Three homemade sock hobby horses lined up on the floor, made with bright colors and fabrics that aren't particularly horselike

Tutorial: How to Make a Hobby Horse from a Sock and Scrap Fabric in 7 Steps

Upcycle an old sock into a classic children's toy! A straightforward craft that's infinitely customizable and leads to a neighborhood of fun.
close up of sock rag rug

Tutorial: How to Make a Plush Rag Rug from Old Socks in 5 Steps

Save your socks! Upcycle old socks into a squishy, colorful rug—it's an easy way to make something beautiful!
close up of braided flannel rag rug

Making Rag Rugs From T-Shirts and Old Sheets (Reuse and Upcycle!)

I love finding new uses for old stuff. I had a collection of old t-shirts and ripped sheets... what better thing to do than repurpose them into beautiful rugs?
close up of blue jean fabric rectangles sewn together for a picnic blanket

5 Things I've Made From Old Blue Jeans (Reuse and Upcycle!)

I love finding new uses for old clothes. What could I make with old jeans? Take a look at these five useful ways of using old blue jean fabric, from picnic blankets to children's satchels!
A row of colorful scarves hanging in a closet

What I Wore as a TEDx Speaker

I wanted to strike a balance between 'professional' and 'weird homeschooler', on brand for me, not too casual, with some color, and good for nursing my 9-month-old.

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About

We're Jacqueline and Randy, a blogging duo with backgrounds in tech, robots, art, and writing, now raising our family in northern Idaho.

Our goal is to encourage deliberate choices, individual responsibility, and lifelong curiosity by sharing stories about our adventures in living, loving, and learning.

Learn more about us.


Connect:

whoo@deliberateowl.com

Start here

Curious about our life and journey? Here are some good places to start reading:

Jacqueline and Randy leaning their heads together smiling at the camera

A Blog About Education, Lifestyles, and Community

A brief history of how the Deliberate Owl came to be and why we're writing a blog about us, our lives, and how we're living out our values.
Priests in red and gold celebrate a traditional Latin Mass

Discovering the Traditional Catholic Mass

How I discovered the traditional Latin Mass a few years ago, why that discovery changed everything for me, and what was wrong with the Novus Ordo Masses I'd attended.