I have always been a hoarder when it comes to clothes and have always had far more than is entirely necessary (I long to be Gok’d and have a capsule wardrobe of just 20 interchangeable pieces). I think it stems for my tomboy teens and my various jobs requiring smart clothes so effectively had to have two wardrobes, one skater/grunge/scruffy and one suits/working/smart. I’d like to think that I could now meld these into something that is both creative/different but still able to wear into the office (though may be working from home from next year when I fear I may never be out of sweatpants).

So, I am gearing myself up for the mother of all clearouts when we eventually move into our new home and know that my stash of clothes is something that will have to be seriously downsized. However, I also need to curb my love of retail therapy in order to prevent the number creeping back up (and save my bank account).

Enter Wardrobe Refashion. A website which encourages us to take the following pledge:
 I __________________ pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of “new” manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 / 4 / 6 months. I pledge that i shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings! Signed__________________.

I love the idea. One of my favourite makes and subsequently garments from last summer was a scarf made from an old dress and 2 old t-shirts. So, I’m hoping my desire to reduce storage needs, live more economically and have a fun new wardrobe will lead to a great Wardrobe Refashion, I’d love to hear from others who take part.

They don’t call the lottery the ‘fools tax’ for no reason but ‘desperate times call for desperate measures’ and ‘you’ve got to be in it to win it’ have recently become my new mantras. Such are the mounting outgoings with no sign of a job for husband.

So, belts are being tightened and any luxuries we do decide to splash out on (Life is made for living after all) we duely attempt to claw back the money in some other way. Luckily we have the material possessions of our single lives to sift through and sell on Ebay and then there’s our other skills we have been using to do freelance jobs but it’s hard.

When you’re working so hard it’s easy to feel you deserve some kind of treat/reward for your efforts (job satisfaction doesn’t count, especially if your job doesn’t provide any on the best of days). So, we’ve now developed a new found respect for the simpler things like a long walk, a nice homecooked meal or visiting friends.

As for material things, we’ve done well on that front too by sticking to the Make Do & Mend attitude and creating ‘new’ items by upcycling old. My favourite was the notebook above.

I had been lusting after a large CIAK leather journal in gorgeous yellow leather for ages but at almost £20 once you included P&P, it was far too indulgent given our current situation so I found an old journal I had only used a few pages in a few years ago, tore them out, and covered it in a beautiful screenprinted yellow fabric from an oddment pack I got from the wonderful Etsy seller Made With Love By Hannah.

I have just been given a lovely selection of Dylon dyes (both machine and hand wash) to play with and must admit that it’s times like these I’m glad I have a ruin of a house.

Having ruined many a bathroom with adventures in hair dying ,I’m glad we have an old bathroom and washing machine available for using these. The big question is ‘what to dye?’. I have a few items of clothing that could do with a freshen up but I think the best move will be to use up some of my fabric stash and transform some of it into new colours for soft furnishings.

View the full range of Dylon Dyes online: http://www.dylon.co.uk/

Welcome to a new weekly post on the site. Found Fridays celebrate the thrill of finding something completely unexpected which brightens you day, week or even month. It can be a dusty old plate or even a bargain kitchen sink but Friday is when we celebrate the thrill of the hunt and our thrift store (or ebay) finds. We’re not all about the gloating though so some week we may just let you know about an auction and give you the chance to bag your own wonderful vintage find.

Today’s post combines two great finds. The first was a rather ugly wall mirror which was found in the bin store of the basement of our building and the second was a lovely floral bed sheet for £1 in a local charity shop. Cue cutting into strips and a lot of watered-down PVA glue and we have a lovely shabby chic (emphasis on the shabby I’m afraid) mirror for our bedroom.