Category: Sam Tries Things

Will homemade face wash make me break out in hives?

Prepared for dermatological disaster. | Photo by Sam Schipani The scourge of acne snuck up on me in my early…

January 15, 2020 2:20 pm

I tried to make homemade nut butter. Here’s how it went.

When I was a child, I used to sneak into the pantry to enjoy an illicit snack: peanut butter, straight…

January 8, 2020 1:05 pm

I tried upcycling thrift store finds. Here’s how it went.

A month or so ago, when brainstorming ideas for my column, my editor approached me with a challenge: spend $10…

January 2, 2020 3:51 pm

I tried to make a no-sew t-shirt bag. Here’s how it went.

Over my four years of high school theater, I accumulated over a dozen show shirts, each screen-printed with a student-drawn…

December 24, 2019 9:30 am

I tried to make maple syrup snow candy. Here’s how it went.

As a writer for the “Homestead” section of the Bangor Daily News, I am almost ashamed to admit that I…

December 18, 2019 9:29 am

I tried to make a wreath. Here’s how it went.

I struggle to get into the holiday spirit. Christmas music gives me a migraine, picking out presents makes me anxious…

December 11, 2019 12:16 pm

I tried some recipes for snow ice cream. Here’s how it went.

In the suburbs of Washington, D.C., where I grew up, the entire metropolitan area will shut down for a light…

December 4, 2019 1:38 pm

I tried making homemade dish soap. Here’s how it went.

Like many wayward millennials, I have spent the lion's share of my early 20s living in apartments without a dishwasher.…

November 27, 2019 9:00 am

I tried to make homemade lip balm. Here’s how it went.

Winter is here, and ‘tis the season -- for lip balm, anyway. The cold, dry air chaps my lips faster…

November 20, 2019 11:14 am

I tried to milk a cow. Here’s how it went.

A few months ago, while I was squeezing a cheesecloth filled with pulped nuts to make almond milk, I realized…

November 13, 2019 11:58 am

I tried to make plantable paper. Here’s how it went.

For my generation, staying in touch is mostly digital: sending DMs to college buddies on Instagram, lurking on high school…

November 6, 2019 12:20 pm

I tried smoking meat. Here’s how it went.

Congratulations are in order, readers. This week, I celebrated my one year anniversary at Hello Homestead and the Bangor Daily…

October 30, 2019 9:51 am