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 elderflower cordial

I'm becoming quite fond of making edible treats from my local hedgerows. In the autumn I make blackberry jam and blackberry vodka and I'm summoning up the courage to snip some nettles to make tea. This week I thought I'd give elderflower cordial a go. I used the recipe from July's Country Homes and Interiors magazine and although it stated that 850ml of cordial would be produced, I somehow ended up with more than a litre…

In my haste to make, I forgot to take any pics of the elderflower, you can find this image on flickr here

It's really very simple. All you need to do is boil 600ml water in a pan and add 900g caster sugar, stirring until it dissolves. Take it off the heat and leave it to cool for about ten minutes. In the meantime, grate the zest of one lemon and juice it. You will need to have cut ten elderflower heads, give them a thorough look over to pick out any little bugs who have come along for the ride. Add the elderflower heads, the lemon zest and juice and 45g of citric acid (bought from a chemist). Give it a good stir, cover and leave overnight.

Then, simply sieve and pour into sterilised bottles. It should keep for about a month, I'm storing mine in the fridge. It's pretty strong stuff so you only need a little added to water, soda or anything else you fancy flavouring.

This has instantly become my favourite soft summer drink and I think Pimm's is hard to beat as a sunshiney grown-up tipple. What's your favourite beverage on a hot summer's day?

PS I've just added a few new items to my etsy shop, check out the bunting bags when you get a mo…

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

The Challenge – in a tight spot

So, it's five weeks since I first declared my challenge to not buy myself any new clothes for a year – NONCY for short. It's not the catchiest of acronyms so any better suggestions are most welcome.

A few people have asked me how it's going and I've said, until now, really well! I've not had a big urge to spend money, helped by steering clear of clothes stores and instantly deleting any shop newsletters that plop into my inbox. Plus, my dear friend, Kirsty, bought me two gorgeous summer dresses from her local charity shop, roll on summer!

But then something happened that I didn't expect and hadn't planned for. It's not the biggest deal in the world, it's actually really teeny but I'm still a bit stuck what to do. 

I have two holes in my tights and they're starting to ladder.

See, not earth-shatteringly important but it does throw up the question of what do I do if I run out of tights? Can you buy secondhand tights? Would I want to? 

My first thought is to mend the tights but the holes are on the knee, not easily hidden, and although 40 denier they're nylon not wool. If you have any top tips on mending nylon tights, I'd love to hear them!

And although we're supposedly officially in Spring (pah!) it's not bare leg weather yet. Plus there's next winter to stride though yet. Things could get chilly…

PS Have a lovely long Easter weekend, we've got friends coming to stay so I won't be blogging till next week. See you on the other side!

Save water and money

A quick money-saving tip for you, it'll cost you nothing and save you water too. Hop over to Save Water Save Money and get yourself a free ShowerSave. Your water company will send you a little stainless steel tube which you attach to the shower hose where it joins your bath taps (v easy, honest, I could do it). And that's all you have to do.

The gadget evens out the amount of water that flows from your shower so you don't waste money heating water you don't need. Our shower used to either dribble or blast us and batter the shower curtain so the constant even flow has made our showers much more enjoyable!

Now, I do write for Save Water Save Money on occasion but I'm not being paid to write about the ShowerSave here. I didn't even get mine from SWSM, it was given to me by a friend who has a power shower so can't use it. Yep, if you were looking for a catch, this is it, the ShowerSave doesn't work on electric showers.

But, if you have a non-electric shower and you want to save money a ShowerSave will help do the job for you.

And if you frugal-minded folks want more of me, you can tootle over to Almost Frugal where I am the subject of This is What Frugal Looks Like.

The Challenge

So, I've decided it's high time I set myself a new challenge. A proper one that will take a decent amount of effort and last a while. 

When I was nine years old I gave up sweets for Lent without telling anyone. I wanted to see if I could go without for six weeks and by keeping it secret I didn't have the added help of my mum keeping a beady eye on me. After the allotted period I emerged on Easter Sunday brandishing a carrier bag half full of confectionery, having stored it under my bed. My family were suitably impressed and my mother insisted I took the bag into school to show and tell, and probably so that I'd have to share the stash and so not OD on sugar.

Three plus years ago I turned veggie. The main reasons being health and environmental benefits and animal welfare concerns, but a little part of me also wanted to see if I had the willpower to do it. After all, crispy duck pancakes and bacon sandwiches were two of my favourite meaty meals. But nearly four years on I'm as committed as I always have been and have every intention of staying meat-free forever.

So, I have will power and previous record directing it at abstaining from various foodstuffs. My latest challenge doesn't involve food but clothing instead.

For one year I will not buy a single new item of clothing. Starting today (although I could have got going a while ago as I haven't been stocking up on new threads) I won't buy a single new item of clothing. Instead I will make do and mend items I already own, buy secondhand or (I'm the most nervous about this one) make my own.

Some might say I could go further and eschew the purchase of all clothing for a year but I'm not about winning rosettes for extreme behaviour. To totally rule out taking ownership of a new or not-new item of clothing isn't particularly practical or realistic. After all, even cave folk made themselves a new loin cloth/toga/whatever you call their garb from leftover animal skin from time to time.

Plus, by boycotting all clothes I may turn off readers and be dismissed as too idealistic. I'd like to take this opportunity to show others, as well as myself, that buying £3 outfits from Primark, just because you can, or changing your wardrobe every season isn't needed to look and feel good about yourself. When it comes down to it, most of our purchases are suggested and decided by someone sitting in an office a long way away and their highly-skilled marketing company. And then there's the labour used to make the cheap clothes so many love. However much we might not want to believe it, no high street store is guilt-free of using cheap labour – people who work incredibly long hours in harsh conditions and don't even take home a decent enough wage to live on at the end of the day. We can't keep buying and binning clothes and not think there's a catch.

Over the next year I'm going to find out just how well I can be dressed without the use of virgin clothing. Hopefully it will benefit my wallet and the local charity shops I support, it will mean I don't contribute to the misery of many garment workers, plus improve my sewing skills and leave a few items out of landfill. 

Now, where did I put that pattern for handmade knickers…

What have you been doing with your time?

Well, in between working, digging myself out of the snow, crocheting on a train, watching Glee and My Dream Farm, and making my nephew's apron, I've made a few things and found some marvellous bargains:

I embroidered a birthday card for a dear friend…

…found this gorgeous clock hanging in a charity shop, and they sold it to me for a couple of quid…

 

…then I found this gorgeous bowl in my favourite colour in yet another charity shop and it was even more of a bargain. Can't quite decide whether to use it to store things or to plant some spring bulbs in it…

 
…made some more bunting from old shirts and lovely fabric my mum gave me…

 …found a funny website about making your life greener – Do The Green Thing, plus the easiest recipe in the world to make banana ice cream at Love Food Hate Waste, and tried this tasty recipe for Sausages and Mustard (veggie sausages of course) by Nigel Slater straight after watching him cook it on TV…

…used an old map to make a few envelopes and cover a peg (why a peg? no reason, just fancied using my new pot of decopatch glue and thought I'd pretty up a peg)…

…after spotting a few tulip bulbs shoots emerging from the soil in the garden I've been poring over seed catalogues trying to decide what to plant. Trouble is, even though last year I managed to squeeze two raised beds, two towers of tyres for potato growing, a window box for tomatoes, a hanging basket for strawberries and various pots for garlic and herbs into our little garden, I still want to grow more, and rescue a couple of chickens (hah!)…

… and that was how my first month of 2010 ended, wonder what's in store for us all in the next 11 months…!