the green gal

The Challenge – the new not-new dress

As you know, I've been just a little bit busy getting my handmade business, the green gables, off the ground, so it's been a while since I have written about my no-new-clothes-for-a-year challenge.

Well, I've not had much to say about it! All my time, energy and cash has gone into the green gables so I've not even stepped into a clothing shop in weeks. By not visiting clothes stores I don't think about, or miss, new clothes or fashion. Even during my charity shop browsing I've been far more interested in the housewares section than the clothing rails.

However, courtesy of my dear friend Kirsty, I have a new not-new summer dress.

The clever girl spotted this while wandering around her local charity shop and bought it for me. She knows I'm partial to a pretty summer dress, I love wearing green, and most excitingly it still had its shop tag so had never even been worn. A spot of pinning by my sister and a few minutes on the sewing machine and it fits me perfectly. The chain link butterfly belt is another charity shop find.

My charity shop and secondhand shopping has become so habitual to me I don't think I actually think about it any more. A comment from a friend recently proved to be quite telling. At my little birthday garden party last week, one friend remarked, while giving me her gift, that she was "sorry it's not from a charity shop". I don't know if I've ever heard someone apologise for buying new rather than secondhand! Obviously anything someone has been kind enough to give me is always very gratefully received, however old or new it is.

Still, it does make you wonder, when did 'new' come to mean 'better' for some people? Of course, not everything I spend my money on is new but really, I love a charity shop gem, don't you?

What a week already

It may only be halfway through the week but I've having a pretty good one already. I became a year older on Tuesday, that's not the interesting part, the interesting part is that hubbie and I spent the day in Lewes, Sussex.

I've fancied visiting Lewes for a while as I had heard that it has a quirky bohemian vibe with lots of interesting shops to browse around. The rumours were right! Following recommendations from some lovely people on twitter we visited The Needlemakers – the home of several independent artisans and sellers. One particular shop, Revive All, is an absolute treasure trove of all things vintage and ancient. Every inch of floor, wall and breathing space is taken up with vintage clothes, books, maps, jewellery, ration books, just everything old you can think of. Marvellous.

 
The Needlemakers

And then we just kept coming across antique shop after antique shop. And they were proper junky, bits and bobs types of antique shops rather than the ones where you need to take out a mortage to buy a serious-looking cut glass bowl.Restraint was exercised and I walked away with only a pure wool blanket, made in Northern Ireland and bearing a sewn-in name tape declaring it was once the property of a P. Cummings…

A lovely day was had by me and my patient hubbie and I can heartily recommend Lewes for a wonderful day out. (By the way, have you spotted my flourishing salad leaves in the background? Ignore the unhappy rain-starved lawn.)

So then on Wednesday life got even more interesting.

I attended my first auction. And I bid on the one lot I wanted. And I won it! Or whatever is the appropriate term for successfully bidding on a lot. I did go a smidgen over my planned limit but I still nabbed a bargain. Here are a few of the bundles of matching silver cutlery, there are more than 60 pieces in the set.
These won't be put in a cupboard to save for best, this is now our everyday cutlery (I don't believe in keeping things for best, shouldn't every day be the best?). Although there is one bundle of small oddly-shaped spoons whose use baffles me.

Following this success I decided to make my first envelope cushion cover! (Of course, how else does one follow a trip to the auction house?) I've made other styles of cushion cover but not envelope. I had an urge to make a linen cushion so I did, with a couple of strips of ribbon sewn on too. What do you think?

And then to top it all off, I got the news that the green gables product pages are live on notonthehighstreet.com! So, as well as my shop on etsy, for those who'd rather spend in sterling than dollars, you can also find my handmade pieces for sale here too.

So, all in all, a pretty good week. And the rest of it is promising to be just as good with our wedding anniversary on Friday (yep, birthday and wedding anniversary within three days of each other, not the best planning) and a few friends are coming over on Saturday for a little garden party, keep your fingers and toes crossed for good weather.

How's your week shaping up?

PS (I know I'm not writing you a letter but this is still a post script) There's a dinky little interview with me here on Popular Crafts' website, if you fancy reading it…

Giving an old rocker new life

You know when you have a bright idea it seems quite simple but then when it comes to making the idea a reality it's something quite different? Well, that's the simplified version of my story of the painted rocking chair.

A few months ago I spotted this rocking chair outside a junk shop in my town. As it was going for the bargain price of £30 (I actually haggled the owner down from £35 and was quite proud of myself for that fiver) I snapped it up thinking that it just needed a lick of white paint to become beautiful.

Today, I decided to paint it. The chair had been sat around the garden looking forlorn and as we're having a little garden party next weekend I decided now was the time to spruce it up and make it decent. Obviously I knew that painting white on top of black would take more than one coat. But did I think it would take four coats? And did I think it would take me five hours? No, I did not!

Luckily it was a v warm day so the coats dried super quick. If I had to sit around watching the paint dry I'd still be at it now! Even the shadows in the photos show how much the sun had moved during my painting time.

I admit I am quite pleased with the result now it's finished. I know I'll gain more pleasure from it knowing I did the hard work rather than buying it new. And, of course, I'd always rather have something secondhand (I've saved myself a few quid too).

For the moment I plan to sit in it each morning, surveying my little garden and drinking my morning tea… providing it doesn't rain of course.

Have you transformed a sad piece of furniture into something much prettier? I'd love to see if you have…

How to make a coaster

In my bid to use up scraps of fabric I turned jam jars into vases last week, and now I have a little tutorial on how to make a coaster.

My inspiration came from this gorgeous coaster I bought from the very talented Laura of LAMdesigns.

The different textures, patterns, colours and the embroidery are just beautiful AND it's hand stitched. Do check out Laura's blog and her etsy shop, she makes some beautiful things. 

So, I fancied seeing if I could have a go at making a coaster myself. Obviously nothing quite as fabulous as this, but I thought a basic coaster should be within my capabilities. And after a couple of goes, I've made this tutorial for you:

Step 1

Cut out two pieces of fabric, about 10cm square and a piece of wadding a bit smaller (you'll cut this down to be the perfect size later).

Step 2

Put the two pieces of fabric good sides together and pin all the way round. Leave a gap on one side as this is where you will insert the wadding.

Step 3

Machine sew around all sides, don't forget to leave the gap. Then cut off the corners to make it easier when you turn the coaster the right way round.

Step 4

Turn the coaster the right way out and push out the corners. Cut the wadding square to measure a bit smaller than the coaster.

Step 5

Insert the wadding into the coaster. Tuck in the edges of fabric from the opening and pin together. Sew all the way round the coaster, about 5mm from the edge.

And there you go! Obviously you can use a variety of different fabrics, add ribbon – all kinds of decoration – to make your coaster perfectly pretty. Here are a couple more I made, once I got the coaster making bug.

I have only three days left until I launch the green gables! It's partly very exciting and partly very nerve-racking – I'm trying to focus on the exciting. But I've not finished with the pre-launch treats, oh no! There is another giveaway still to come so stay tuned!

DIY fabric-covered vases

Following on from the poster download with Anne of Green Gables' inspirational words: "One can dream so much better in a room where there are pretty things" I thought I'd show you how to pretty up some plain jars to hold pretty flowers.

You will need:

• clean jars
• scraps of fabric, unwanted pieces of clothing
• a few lengths of ribbon and string
• buttons, feathers – any other pretty bits and pieces you have lying around!

So, as you can see, everything you use can be found in your home already, no need to spend a penny or even leave the house. I upcycled four jam jars here but really the possibilities are endless.

Shirt cuff style

This is the simplest of them all. Simply cut off one of the cuffs from the sleeve of a shirt, wrap it around a jar and voila! Super easy.

Button it

For this jar I found a scrap of duck egg fabric with brown spots, a co-ordinating button and some brown string. Wrap the fabric around the jar and secure it by winding the string round a few times. Feed the two string ends through the buttons, tie a knot behind the button and snip off the ends. 

Bit of fluff

This is where bits and bobs you have cluttering up a drawer can really come in handy. I bought a pack of turquoise feathers six years ago when I was planning our wedding. The colour theme was turquoise so I bought a myriad of turquoise things, some were used and some, like the feathers, sat in a drawer for a few years. 

Wrap a scrap of fabric around the jar, and then wind a length of skinny ribbon around the bottom of the jar three times, tying the ribbon at the back. To finish simply tuck the bottom of the feather into the ribbon. I like how the texture of the feather contrasts with the flower's petals.

Bonny bow

The fabric covering this jar is actually part of a skirt waistband (the skirt originally belonged to my god-daughter, I don't have clothing nearly this pretty). Cut the length of waistband needed and sew the two ends together, right sides facing so the stitching won't show. Slip the loop of fabric over the jar and it's ready for filling with flowers.

Mix it up

By using ribbon to hold the fabric in place, rather than gluing, you can remove the fabric covers for washing the jars or to update the covers any time you like. If you're handy with a crochet hook or knitting needles, woolly jackets would be a stylish alternative.

You can change the look of the vases to match the flowers, the room, or your mood! Handmade vases like these could make a lovely present, perhaps include a couple of alternative coverings in the wrapping. Or the wrapping itself could become the covering!

Try using different containers like tin cans, milk bottles – any kind of watertight container could work. I filled my vases with roses from my garden, a stem of stocks and my dad's favourite flower – Sweet Williams.

I hope you enjoyed this little DIY, do let me know how your fabric-covered vases turn out. What's your favourite flower to fill your home with? The pre-handmade business launch celebrations will continue…

I have news!

So, I have news. Big news. I've written about my intention a few times, shown you a few little sneaky peeky piccies, but now I feel I can finally say it properly out loud. I'm launching my own handmade business!

On the weekend of Sat 19/Sun 20 June the green gables will open for business, selling my handmade creations with a story to tell. Some of the materials I use have had a previous life and some are just embarking on their first adventure.They just need a loving owner to take them home!

 

On Saturday 19 June I will be exhibiting at my first ever craft fair – the Westcott Craft Fair in Surrey. And on Sunday 20 June my etsy shop will be ready for action. And in case you're pondering about the name, yep, the green gables is inspired by my favourite book and personal heroine, Anne of Green Gables!

 

I have been working towards this goal for a long time and to celebrate I'm going to be sharing the love with you all during the next few weeks. In the lead up to my shop launch I will share a few tutorials to help you use up your leftover scraps of fabric and provide you with a couple of downloads to inspire your workspace and share with others. And if that's not enough, I'll also be giving away some lovely stuff!

 

It's all about the loveliness at the green gables! See you soon…

Month of May

Well, it's been quite a month and it's not even over yet. My month has been so packed already I felt the need to stop and look back at it so far. So, this month I…

• have been laid low with a stinking cold which became a hacking cough which turned into a chest infection

• had family and friends to stay, before, during and after my lurgy – lucky them

• took part in Copy and Paste's first birthday blog party, a rip-roaring time it was too, if you didn't pop in at the time you can still read all the posts

• held a little competition to win something I made, and people actually entered! The lovely lady who won the string of bunting seems v pleased with it and sent me a piccie of it hung in its new home

• managed to correctly predict the coalition government outcome before it was officially announced so we could create and print the weekly newspaper for children – First News (that's the day job)

• finished my Challenge Inspiration Thursday posts with my favourite colour combo, but that doesn't mean the end of turquoise for me!

• was told I needed new glasses so went for a new style

 

• met 11-week-old George – the little poppet – new baby of my friend Libby and her husband Richard

• spent 2.5 hours on a tractor learning all about farming courtesy of Richard (above) who's a dairy farmer. Here's an observation: when I go to into work I find the usual office furniture and co-workers. When Richard walked into his workplace – the silage barn to be precise – one day last week he found a mallard had made a nest and laid several eggs. You tell me, who has the most interesting start to their day?

Source

• saw several cows receive a manicure. Not that it ever occurred to me before but it makes sense that cows' hooves grow continuously as humans' nails do, and so need trimming. And there's an entire career to be made as a hoof trimmer

• tried on loads of my mum's clothes from the 60s and 70s. Came away with a cosy knitted shawl plus two fantastic shirt dresses circa 1970 (post three of my siblings being born but pre-me) – hurray for a hoarding mum!

• also tried on a bunch of clothes my brother-in-law's girlfriend is giving to charity (sorry, charity, I intercepted) and took away a never-worn top, a wraparound cardigan and a pair of linen trousers – thanks for the cast-offs!

And a trip to the Isle of Wight is yet to come!

So, how's your month been going?

My first swish

This is a top I swapped for one of my dresses at the Daisy Green swish at UK Aware on Friday. As it was my first swish I wasn't sure what to expect but it was super easy. I took in a few of my clothes that I no longer wore and could pick the same number from clothes that other people had brought in. I took in three dresses (which were quickly nabbed) and I took home this top and a T-shirt. Jury's out on whether I keep the T-shirt, I'm not entirely sure if it's me but if not, I'll just redonate it to a charity shop. However, I LOVE this top!

Daisy Green holds swishing events throughout the year, check out their website to find a swish near you. Soon you could be walking away with an updated wardrobe, for free!

Swishing and skincare

Today I am off to UK Aware at Olympia in London, will I see you there? I'm going wearing several hats (metaphorically, actually wearing multiple hats would not only look silly but also make it difficult to fit through Tube doors).

I'm going as press with my First News head on, as just me because I find all things environmental v interesting, plus I will also be joining the Daisy Green gals at their swishing spot! For some reason they think I might be of use with the clothes sorting but I think there's a good chance I'll just ooh and aah over the lovely stuff people bring. I'm taking a few items of my own with the hope that I might be able to update my own wardrobe with others' cast-offs. I will report back!

In the meantime, you can pootle over to Almost Frugal from midday where I've written a guest post on how to make your own skincare…

Have a lovely Friday, folks!

Nature at its best

What glorious weather we've been enjoying! I hope it's been sunny where you are too.

This weekend my hubbie, doggie and I went to visit my brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew. Having spent a lovely afternoon at their allotment I was inspired to get cracking on my own veggies. So, I have now planted my second early potatoes in their stack of tyres, four rows of red onions, a row of spring onions and a row of leeks. I'll add more rows of spring onions and leeks in the next few weeks so we can enjoy our crops over a longer period of time, plus a few other veggies like beans, tomatoes and salad leaves, and hopefully some strawberries too.

Last year I had moderate success with my crops so this year I'm hoping to do better. I think I've learnt from the mistakes I made last year, we'll have to just wait and see how I get on! For those of you who are interested I use organic peat-free compost and don't use any chemicals to help things grow. If nature and I can't do it on our own, it isn't worth doing! If you're interested in finding out more about organic growing, take a look at the Soil Association's website.

If you've never tried growing your own food I urge you to have a go. There's something quite soothing about handling soil, planting seeds, watering and tending to them. And of course eating the products of your hard work is hugely rewarding. You don't need huge amounts of space (I don't), a windowbox is enough to grow salad leaves or herbs, most things can be grown in pots and, as I've demonstrated, potatoes can be grown in old car tyres! Growing your own food costs a lot less than buying it from the supermarket, plus you know exactly where your meal has come from.

The other great thing about gardening is that it gets you out in the fresh air and (hopefully) the sunshine. Studies have shown that being in nature lifts the spirits and makes people feel happier. So, now nature is well into its stride with flowers blooming, bees buzzing and butterflies swooping about all over the place, I thought I'd give your eyeballs a treat with some images of nature doing what it does best…

1. Parade Magazine, Nature Conservancy Contest Winner, 2. Fields near home, 3. Nature pearls, 4. Blossom close-up, 5. Conch (or Whelk) Shell- Nantucket, 6. Spring Lamb, Spring Flowers