Remember back when I told you about the huge number of roses we’ve got growing out at the house? Well, as much as I bemoaned how boring it would be to simply dry them for pot pourri, I couldn’t come up with any better/quicker ideas, and was sick of seeing them go to waste, so grabbed the last few heads the other month and set about drying them.
It’s amazing how much the petals shrink! What covered the bottom of our bath for a few days (a cheap but huge air fresher!) amounted to a couple of handfuls in the end, but they smelled so nice (if you like rose) that I packaged them up and will have them for sale when I do my first craft market in December.
Yes, more on that exciting/ nerve-wracking escapade soon.
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.
The ideals surrounding the Team Green Britain are splendid ones and very much those that A Home For All Seasons are more than happy to spread. Unfortunately, I’m not so keen on the fact that London was chosen for the 2012 games (but we’ll sweep that under the rug shall we).
Team Green Britain is looking for anyone interested in helping Britain lead the race against climate change to join up. As a team member, you’ll get all the practical support, information and advice you need about living a greener life.
The date to remember is 10 July, the first Green Britain Day, an opportunity to get together, have fun, and begin our journey towards a lower carbon future.
It’s now got to the point in our renovation that there’s very little for me to do. There’s no point in cleaning something that’s about to be ripped out and equally little point in scrubbing something that’s about to be boarded over. So, I am able to take advantage of our ‘mature’ (sounds better than absolutely wild and overgrown) garden while the nice weather is with us.
There has been the prettiness of giant poppies, daffodils, bluebells and other lovely plants we can’t identify, along with the horror of the knotweed (don’t ask!!), but our latest change is the roses.
There are so many bushes in both the front and back gardens and we thought most wouldn’t bloom (and those with buds were covered in aphids). How wrong we were! The garden in currently a riot of colour and we have more roses that we could ever need so am looking for ideas on what to do with them.
This year, the theme for Recycle Week is ‘let’s waste less…’ encouraging all of us to try something new in an effort to go greener and cut back on the waste we all produce.
From recycling more of everyday items like glass and plastic bottles to reusing carrier bags or composting at home, there are lots of opportunities to promote how we can all reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill.
“Recycle Week is now in its fifth year and this is the first time we’ll be promoting a waste reduction message” said Jane Hall from Recycle Now. “As part of this we’re encouraging people to sign up and pledge to either try something new or do more of what we already do”.
Across the country there will be lots of events taking place to highlight local recycling services and ways that can help us all do our bit.
You can find out what is happening in your area by entering your postcode on the Event finder.
Whatever pledge(s) you choose to do – your efforts really will help to make a difference.
Having learned the majority of my gardening knowledge from my grandparents when I was very young, I can confirm that it is something that not sticks with you but also provides a heap of wonderful memories. Children should be encouraged to get out into the garden and help grow fruit, flowers and vegetables.
It teaches them about nature and biology, gets them out in the fresh air and off the couch. Plus, they are more interested in tasting and trying new fruits and vegetables they have helped to grow.
There’s plenty of fun jobs to ease them in (before you get them stuck into the weeding! hehe) such as planting, watering, making a scare crow, writing seed labels…. You don’t even need to have a garden. Get them to grow a simple herb garden in a container or a lovely big sunflower.
Dorset Cereals are campaigning to encourage all schools to develop ‘edible playgrounds‘ to enable schools to teach pupils all aspects of gardening, along with preparing, serving and eating the food.
Their aim is to make it government policy that every school should have an Edible Playground so that all children can learn where food comes from and have an online petition. Add your support here: http://www.edibleplaygrounds.co.uk/
We may still be in the first month of the A Home For All Seasons website, but I’m pretty sure you will already have realised how enthusiastic we are about gardening and the idea of growing our own vegetables. Someone who feels equally passionate about the subject is Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall who is fronting Landshare a scheme to link people who want to grow their own food to space where they can grow it.
Currently allotment waiting lists are massively over subscribed by a huge number of people keen to grow their own fruit and veg. However, there are also a number of people with land who have neither the time nor inclination to grow their own food but would welcome the vegetables.
More information can be found on the Landshare website where you can look for land available in your area, offer land in return for produce, identify land suitable for planting and become part of the grow your own community.
As previously mentioned, in addition to trying to get a crumbling old house to tow the line, we also have a large overgrown garden to whip into shape.
Having never owned a garden before and keen to get at least a few crops on the go, we are loving this great little tutorial over at the Little House in the Suburbs blog.
Whether you live in a home that’s 50, 100 or 200 years old, the thing that most of them have in common (including our own renovation project) is that they are likely to leak heat and guzzle energy, adding to the problems of climate change, as well as putting a hefty dent in your bank account.
It doesn’t have to be this way. It is possible for everyone to have a home that’s both warm and comfortable, with low energy bills, that reduces it’s impact on the environment.
There are small things everyone can do to achieve this in their home, which we will be covering in more detail in future posts, but there is a limit as to how much you can do alone and with this in mind the Grand Designs Great British Refurb campaign is gearing up to ask the Government to help make it easier, more affordable and more attractive for everyone to go green at home.
Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud is fronting the campaign and will be lobbying the Prime Minister to:
Offer households new ways to pay for green refurbishment, which would significantly reduce upfront costs and instead spread them over a longer period of time.
Provide better financial incentives for householders to refurbish their homes to make them greener and more energy efficient, through substantial government grants, subsidies or tax rebates.
Ensure installers are qualified and approved to undertake the work.
Kevin will be delivering his petition to Number 10 this summer and you can add your name and find out more about the campaign at the website.
Greener homes for everyone