UFO’s

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I haven’t posted for a few days as I was determined to clear my sewing room of some of the unfinished projects.  Some of them were physically started and not completed and others were just in my imagination and not even started.

Anyway, here  are some of the finished items.

Shorts for Izz.

And a pair for Miss O.

This is another pair of shorts for Miss O using a different pattern.

This playsuit is one that I didn’t finish when Miss O was a baby (I did make 7 others) so it will be donated to charity.  Perhaps they will be able to use it in Christmas gifts.

A tiny blouse for my niece for her birthday.

And a pinafore to go with the blouse.  This is made from the leftovers of the pinafore I made for Miss O earlier in the year.

A summer blouse for myself.  I have had the material for 2.5 years and started making it last summer.  This is a tried and true pattern that I made from a purchased blouse.  I have made several using the same pattern.

This is not strictly something that I made.  I bought this dress for Miss O a few weeks ago at an op shop for $8.  It is ‘Fred Bare’ brand and in excellent condition.  There were a couple of small stains which were removed using Sard Wonder soap and a good wash.  The hemline is scalloped at the sideseams and had a facing which was pulling away in places.  I removed it a replaced it using plain fabric.  I salvaged the facing fabric and used some of it to make this matching shoulder bag.

It is a great feeling to have a collection of finished items ready for use rather than half-finished projects and fabric taking up space.

I still have several things to do including a pair of summer pyjamas for Miss O, dress for Belle and 2 polo shirts for The Duke.  I have drafted the pattern for the pyjamas from an old Enid Gilchrist pattern book and am about to start cutting them out.

What unfinished projects do you have?

Through a Child’s Eyes

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I mentioned yesterday that this simple living can be darned hard work – gardening, planting, harvesting, preserving, storing and cooking from scratch – not to mention the million and one other things that need to be done.

A sure-fire way to rejuvenate the enthusiasm is to see the ‘chores’ through the eyes of a child.  Our granddaughters stayed here this weekend and spending an hour or so in the backyard with them was a sheer delight.

2011-10-02 01Collecting the eggs.

2011-10-02 02Checking out the onion patch.

2011-10-02 03Splitting open beans to retrieve the seeds.

2011-10-02 04The excitement of finding a bean seed.  We will be letting them dry out and saving to replant.  We have also saved snow pea seeds.  Miss O had fun sorting the bean and pea seeds into separate containers.

2011-10-02 05Helping with the harvest.

There were lots of other things that did not get captured on film.  Pulling up the spent broccoli and cauliflower plants and dragging the up to the compost bin as well as pulling the old snow pea vine off the trellis.

Miss O helped me cook and we made a fruit slice with passionfruit icing as well as currant, orange and poppyseed muffins.  The girls took some muffins home to put in their lunchboxes for daycare tomorrow.

I also managed to get a little sewing done.  2 pairs of shorts are finished.  Here they are on the models.

2011-10-02 06And the second pair.

2011-10-02 07It is a pleasure to see the sheer delight on the faces of my grandchildren when they can help with the jobs we do every day.  I am reminded that what I am doing is ‘right’ and I look forward to sharing many more things as they get older.

What We Have

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One of the principles of living simply is to make the most of whatever you happen to have.  Sometimes doing this is jolly hard work, especially when you are holding down a full-time paid job as well.

The harvest from our garden recently has been excellent but that has meant that I have a responsibility to use and store it safely and not let things go to waste.

I have made cauliflower and bacon soup.

Juiced and frozen many litres of grapefruit and lemon juice.

Prepared grapefuit for The Duke for breakfast.

Made more lemon cordial.

2011-10-01 04We have also been eating broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and snow peas as part of our dinner almost every night.

I was given about 30 apples at work the other day so those have now been stewed and frozen.  I will use them in apple pies and crumbles.  Here they are ready to go in the freezer.

2011-10-01 05I am struggling to find enough containers to freeze  everything.  I think I will need to get some more at some stage.

What do you do when you have a glut of a particular fruit or vegetable?


Spring has Sprung

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The last couple of days have been quite cool and grey so we are wondering where our lovely spring has gone.  However, we have had a bit of rain today which is very welcome as things are looking quite dry (all relative, of course, as we live in a high rainfall area).

2011-09-29 01Despite the grey weather we are enjoying the display from our flowering shrubs.

2011-09-29 02The birds, especially the rainbow lorikeets, love the nectar in this callistemon.

2011-09-29 03The photo is not the best but these are couple of the flowering shrubs on the verge which now screens the house from the roadway.

2011-09-29 04Finally, here is the liquidamber tree in glorious, fresh green foliage after being bare all winter.

I love my garden and the changes that the seasons bring.  Do you have a special measure of spring, apart from the actual temperature?

Till next time.  xxx

Keep it Simple

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While I will never live a truly minimalist lifestyle, I try to simplify my life as much as possible

Most of us in developed countries use much more than our share of the resources on this planet.  We accumulate ‘stuff’, need bigger houses to store our ‘stuff’ and are so reluctant to part with what we have accumulated that self-storage facilities are a growth industry.

I am on a decluttering journey, but not one that entails hiring a skip and tossing garbags full of stuff into it with no thought as to their destination.  No, I acquired these items and I feel that it is my responsibility to use or rehome things I no longer need or want in an ethical manner.  My aim is to send as little as possible to landfill.

This is my laundry.  It is clear and uncluttered which is good for a utility area.  I took this photo after I had used the bench to fold the clean clothes.

2011-09-28 01The cupboards are well-used but not full to overflowing.

2011-09-28 02I do have some ornaments and decorative items as these next photos show.  Nevertheless, I do not want to feel overwhelmed by lots of things so I have a small number of things that are precious to me.  I think this strikes the right balance.

2011-09-28 03Another view.

2011-09-28 04Behind all of this is my motto – “Live simply, so that others may simply live”.  It is not original but sums up my ideals.

Are you decluttering?  What is your goal and how do you go about achieving it?  I would love to hear your stories and experiences.

Till next time.

What To Do………..

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with a microwave oven that has ceased to work?

Our microwave stopped working a few days ago and now I have the dilemma of what to do with it.  I do not believe it is worthwhile taking it to see if it can be repaired.  Microwaves are certainly not something that can be repaired by an amateur but the thought of it going to landfill is not great either.  It seems hypocritical to be saving every little thing that I can from landfill and then I turn around and dump a microwave.

I cannot think of any uses for an old microwave without possibly compromising the safety of those in the area.

So………..what would you do??

I am going to buy a new microwave because I have realised that I definitely could not live without it – at least while I am working full-time and arriving home after 7pm each evening.

 

Be Thankful

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There are many things for which we should be grateful and I would like to share a couple of things that I have read this week.

Firstly, a blog that I read every day from Frugal Queen.  Froogs could teach many of us a thing or two about living a truly frugal (and fulfilling) life but this post really says it all.

In complete contrast is this article in the Sydney Morning Herald.  Imagine the outrage if people in Australia received a pay cut of 10%.  How many of us would just get on with it and tighten the belt a bit more?

Australia really is the lucky country and it is about time we realised just how lucky we are.

The Recycling Trail

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I read Rhonda’s blog at Down to Earth today about recycling and her suggestion that we link together our innovative recycling ideas.

While recycling is good it is even better to refuse and reduce as your first 2 options.

A lot of the things that we have re-used or recycled her at home are no different to what others do so I have tried to add a couple of more unusual ideas.

Here is my shower cap and a piece of elastic that I salvaged from a dress that I refashioned into a skirt.

The elastic edging on the cap had completely given way so I revamped it using the salvaged elastic.

I made this soap dish from the base of a 2 litre milk bottle.  The diagonal ridge in the base helps to keep the soap dry.

An old school desk has become an occasional table in the guest bedroom.  Decoupaged by Missy when she started high school.

002Cardboard boxes for storing things….a shoebox for stationery items in the office.

Stationery moduleAnother box for newspapers in the kitchen.  I use the newspaper to wrap scraps for the compost.

I will keep the camera handy tomorrow and hopefully capture some more recycling/reusing tips for another post.

Thrifted and Gifted

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In my post on Thursday I showed you the fabric and buttons I had for a sewing project I hoped to do on the weekend.

I have spent the day sewing and have almost finished the dress, along with some other things.

Here is the dress – I just need to finish stitching the yoke facings and turn the hem.

When I was with Belle yesterday she commented that Miss O and Izz needed more shorts for summer and asked if I would be able to make some.  So, today I sorted through my fabric and found enough to make 4 pairs of shorts.  They are not finished – still need waist casing and elastic as well as hemming the bottom of the legs but here they are so you can see what I have been doing.

And some stripes….

Frills on the bottom……

Pink pockets…..

All of these things were made with fabric that was left over from another project and saved in my stash or gifted from my mother, mother-in-law or friend.

I have also set aside two more pieces.  This one is left from the pinafore I made for Miss O and will be enough to make a pinafore for my niece.

I plan to make some summer pyjamas for Miss O with this piece which was also given to me.

Finally, Belle bought this Fred Bare dress for Miss O from the op shop for $8 yesterday.  It needs a little repair to the hem where the fabric has pulled away from the stitching but otherwise it is just perfect.  Thanks, Duchess for the tip about the shop.

Walk to Work

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Yesterday was Walk to Work Day.  Although I did not actually register, I did participate and walked from Albion railway station to my office in Turbot Street.  I don’t know the actual distance but it took me 67 minutes of steady walking (some uphill sections) and my pedometer registered 7,600 steps.

I forgot to take my camera so I could share some of the things I discovered along the way.

Highlights:

The new mangroves sprouting through the mud in Breakfast Creek.

Colonial homes in inner city areas

Small gardens hidden behind picket fences

First glimpse of my high-rise destination from the top of Bowen Hills

Walking is a great way to discover things about your city that you will never see from a car.  I will try to do it more often – maybe a different route.